Guidance around getting alliteration right?

[sedgiebaby]

Sometimes alliteration sounds really right in a name: Marilyn Monroe; Lucy Liu; Andre Agassi; January Jones; Woodrow Wilson; Jesse James; Benjamin Britten (random selection I know)

Other times it sounds really ridiculous!

I ask because my last name starts with L and loads of lovely baby girl names starting with L too, any rules/guidance for making this work or is it trial and error?

I think you need to balance your syllables...

I think if you avoid anything that could be a twee stage name for a topless dancer, it avoids looking like it's a name picked for that purpose as opposed to a given name from birth iyswim.

So assume your surname is Lushington. Lulu, Lola, Lacey etc all sount a bit nipple-tassley. Lucinda or Laura sound lovely.

Hmmmmm My last name is quite pretty sounding and a bit exotic-ish to the english 'ear' as DH is has a French heritiage so ShowofHands, you are dead right I have to be really careful with any name or it will quite easily sound like a show-girls :S

Agree with clemett - it depends on how you balance the syllables between first and second name.

Also nice if the vowels are not too similar.

But if I met a little Lucy Lui at playgroup I would be a bit probably. I think it works for her as she is a big star, but for normal people it is harder to make some alliterative names work.

I also think that it depends on the letter in question. Trying L first names out with "Lane" as a surname (can't think of any French sounding surnames with an L) Lucy, Laura and some others sound good. My DC's surname begins with an H, which is a softer sound, so Holly or Henry Hobbs (no our name) is a bit of a struggle.