Please help me pick a good name ...

[cheekster]

I dont know whether I am having a boy or a girl but here is my shortlist (thats isnt too short)

Girls

Connie
Evelyn
Eleanor
Jessie
Maggie
Thea
Anna
Madeleine
Eva
Josie / Joceyln
Elizabeth
Sylvie
Edie
Robyn
Freya

Boys

Frederick
Issac
Reuben
Ollie
Roman
E dward

If you could tell me which you prefer. I do want to avoid very popular names e.g. top 5 of 100 baby name if possible.

Can i also invite suggestions for any of the girls names that could work as a middle name. We already have a family name chosen (Stan/Stanley)for a boys middle name.

Our surname is just 1 syllable.

Thank you

I love Edie and Reuben from your lists.

I love Robyn. It's cool and pretty unusual.

Robyn Elizabeth?

Reuben and Isaac are my faves from your boys list.

Sylvie is my favourite of the girls!

And Edward for a boy, lovely.

Avoid Ollie if you don't want top 5 as Oliver has been near the top spot for a few years now. Also, it's spelt Isaac, not Issac

My DD is Eleanor and it shortens nicely to Ellie or Elle (as most of us call her).

I also like Eva very much.

From your list of boys I like Edward for a boy and it goes nicely with Stanley.

Reuben and Thea

Best check out www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2009/sep/08/baby-names-children-jack-olivia-mohammed#data if you want to avoid the top 100 as lots of your names, and lengthened/shortened of your list versions are on it.

From your girls list I like Anna, Elizabeth and Freya.

Boys - Edward and Isaac. I like Oliver but it's very popular I think.

I like all of your girls names except Connie, Robyn, Jessie and Madeleine.

The only boys name I like on your list is Edward. or Fred at a push.

Thea and Edward!

Girls

Connie- prefer Constance
Evelyn- nice
Eleanor- love!
Jessie- no, Jessica okay
Maggie- prefer Margaret
Thea- nice
Anna- nice and classic
Madeleine- irrational dislike
Eva- prefer Eve
Josie / Joceyln- okay
Elizabeth- okay
Sylvie- v pretty
Edie- okay
Robyn-ditto
Freya-ditto

Boys

Frederick- lovely!
Issac- okay
Reuben- lovely!
Ollie- prefer Oliver
Roman- great name!
Edward-love it!

Girls

Connie - no, but I do like Constance
Evelyn - It's ok
Eleanor - This is the best on the list, purely becasue it's my name
Jessie - dislike, Jessica is nice
Maggie - dislike a lot
Thea - love it
Anna - love it, it's so classic and not too girly
Madeleine - it's ok
Eva - love it
Josie/Jocelyn - dislike a lot
Elizabeth - very pretty
Sylvie - also very pretty
Edie - mm, not really as I dislike Edith
Robyn - no, and especially not with a 'y' instead of an 'i'
Freya - i like it, it's pretty

Boys

Frederick - really no!
Isaac - love it. My fav boys name on your list
Rueben - dislike
Ollie - very nice, so is Oliver
Roman - dislike
Edward - it's ok

Freya Josie and Anna for a girl, Frederick and Isaac for a boy. Personally I would definitely avoid Connie Sylvie and Roman

Girls

Connie - no but I like Constance
Evelyn = yes
Eleanor = love it but I prefer the Elinor spelling
Jessie - don't like at all
Maggie - ugh but Meg is nice
Thea - don't like
Anna - fine
Madeleine - fine
Eva - no but like Eve
Josie / Joceyln - don't like
Elizabeth - lovely
Sylvie - ok
Edie - lovely
Robyn - horrible, sorry
Freya - nice

Boys

Frederick - ok but I hate Fred and Freddie
Issac - yes
Reuben - ok
Ollie -ugh
Roman -not fond
E dward - love it

Thank you everyone, this is really helpful. I have already eliminated 2 names, keep them coming!

Girls

Connie - like if short for Constance
Evelyn - OK but think Evelina is nicer
Eleanor - like
Jessie - like Jessica but prefer Jess as nickname
Maggie - quite like
Thea - not keen
Anna - lovely
Madeleine - not keen
Eva - see Evelyn
Josie / Joceyln - Josie very nice as nickname for Josephine, but don't like Jocelyn
Elizabeth - OK
Sylvie - no, prefer Sylvia
Edie - very nice if short for Edith
Robyn - dislike
Freya - dislike

Boys

Frederick Stanley - like
Issac Stanley - like Isaac but don't think it flows well with Stanley
Reuben Stanley - like, combination works well
Ollie Stanley - Ollie OK as nickname for Oliver. Ollie Stanley doesn't flow well but Oliver Stanley OK
Roman Stanley - don't like this one, sorry
Edward Stanley - excellent, also like Edwin

I like Thea, Anna, Sylvie, Freya and Elizabeth from your girls (love nn Eliza for Elizabeth). From your boys i like Frederick, Isaac and Edward. I know an Edward with nn Ned which i think is quite sweet.

Which 2 have been eliminated then?

Girls combinations....

Anna Josephine
Eleanor Josephine
Evelina Constance
Evelyn Jessica
Jessica Edith

Sorry, should have said

Connie and Robyn. And possibly Ollie, in the fact that it will be v popular when associated with Oliver.

I like
girls

Eleanor
Jessie
Anna
Josie / Joceyln
Elizabeth
Freya

Boys

Frederick
Issac
Reuben
Roman

Ollie will be popular you are right but that doesn't mean you should rule it out if you really like the name.

I quite like Robyn for a girl. DS has a friend named Robyn who is six, she is the only Robyn we know and sbe is pretty cool, well for a six year old anyway.

Well, I quite like Robyn as baby is due at xmas and thought it would be a deviation from 'Holly' but DH was never too fond of the name.

Holly is lovely Eleanor Holly would be nice.

oooh they are all such lovely names. I love Robyn for a girl- would have gone for it myself except I have a male ex-boss called Robin who is a bit of a turd so it soured it for me. But it is a perfect name for a girl, and so many nicknames can come from it. There will probably be a lot of Edwards floating about in a few years as a consequence of Twilight if that makes a difference, and Reuben could be a problem because of the popularity of Ruby as a girl's name. Roman is lush as a name What about Edwin instead of Edward?

I too prefer Robyn to Holly but if your DH isn't keen there isn't much you can do about it.

Here are my thoughts on your names:

Girls

Connie - prefer Constance
Evelyn - Virtually every baby in our town is called Evie so I would avoid.
Eleanor - Like
Jessie - Prefer Jessica
Maggie - Again sounds like a nn not a real name.
Thea - ok
Anna - ok
Madeleine - ok but quite popular
Eva - see Evelyn
Josie / Joceyln - prefer Josephine
Elizabeth - like as it is quite classic and there are so many nn you could use.
Sylvie - ok and like Sylvia too.
Edie - McCready?
Robyn - love
Freya - ok

Boys

Frederick - ok
Issac - was very popular about 9 years ago but ok.
Reuben - no.
Ollie - lots of Olivers around.
Roman - like but wouldn't use myself.
E dward - like.