Agonizing over naming our Daughter

[Burma Jones]

well, maybe not agonizing......

Anyway, here's what we're thinking, whadda you think?

[Magrittes Pipe]

1. Alopecia.

:thumbsup:

[Burma Jones]

14. No, that's my name......

[Dont_Bogart_the_Pretzel]

81. Definitions of Alopecia on the Web

"The general scientific term for hair loss. There are many subtypes of Alopecia including: Androgenetic Alopecia, Alopecia Areata, Traction Alopecia, Alopecia Universalis."

:silly:









I still like your name, Alopecia

[Dont_Bogart_the_Pretzel]

82. Trichotillomania

"Psychological disorder that produces an uncontrollable desire to pull out one's hair."

Sounds cool :silly:




















400 POSTS

[bigwillq]

2. Thalia

is the name I like best out of the ones included on the poll.


:hi:

[Burma Jones]

16. We asked our 8 year old son about Thalia and he started singing

Come Thalia way

Come Thalia way

Come Thalia way with me.......Lads

[bigwillq]

18. LOL!

That's cute! :hi:

[eyesroll]

3. My childhood friend is named Aviva.

I also like Sage and Olivia.

What goes best with the last name?

[miss_american_pie]

4. I picked Cordelia, but

the only one I don't like is Trump. :)

[kedrys]

5. Naphthalene

No kidding, a friend of my aunt's named her daughter that. We had to inform her that it's the chemical they make mothballs from. :rofl:

[Burma Jones]

15. She's very Clean.......

[kedrys]

19. I do like Thalia a lot, FWIW

I've also seen it spelled without the h, which I like even better.

[southernleftylady]

6. Sage

[southernleftylady]

7. Sage

[southernleftylady]

8. Sage

[trof]

46. If we're going with herbs, how about Rosemary?

My fave.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

73. Sure beats Parsley

:D

[RedCloud]

9. good luck with the name...

Why not check out the Greek classics...

[CTyankee]

38. Thalia and Althea are Greek classics

Thalia was the muse of comedy. I don't remember what Althea was.

[Burma Jones]

88. Hmmm, just looked up Althea, not so good....

ALTHEA

Gender: Feminine

Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized)
From the Greek name Αλθαια (Althaia), perhaps related to Greek αλθος (althos) "healing". In Greek myth she was the mother of Meleager. Soon after her son was born she was told that he would die as soon as a piece of wood that was burning on her fire was fully consumed. She immediately extinguished the piece of wood and sealed it in a chest, but in a fit of rage many years later she took it out and set it alight, thereby killing her son.

[RedCloud]

93. I was going to name my son Hercules...

But I was going to be beaten to a pulp...

And I wanted Andromeda for my daughter, but the darn galaxy had that one tagged.

So I settled for Jason and Phaedra...

[CTyankee]

116. Ah, those Greeks!

BTW, if you are interested in this stuff read "Sailing the Wine Dark Sea: Why the Greeks Matter" by Thomas Cahill. It is very entertaining. Explains all that stuff about the ancient Greeks. A lot about their sex lives (some kinky stuff). I was always afraid to study the ancient Greeks. Now I've read up on them. It is fascinating.

[catmandu57]

10. Penelope

The face that launched a thousand ships.

[redwitch]

17. I thought that was Helen?

And I like Ophelia.

[catmandu57]

21. Right

Penelope was Odysseus wife I believe.

[Momgonepostal]

23. Wasn't that Helen? nt

[CTyankee]

47. Helen was the wife of Paris

He stole her and took her back to Troy, thus starting the Trojan War.

[XemaSab]

11. Artemesia

[catmandu57]

37. Keeping with that theme

Athena.

[XemaSab]

41. Not only does it pay tribute to Artemis,

but it's the Latin name for the genus that includes sagebrush and wormwood (which is a pretty plant, and used to make absinthe), among others.

[CTyankee]

117. Artemisia Gentileschi

was a 17th century Italian woman artist who painted very much in the style of Caravaggio. Her work is being revived due to the devotion of feminist art scholars.

[CottonBear]

12. How about Violet? I love that name and know several Violets. n/t

[grace0418]

96. I love that name too! My husband hates it though so I'll probably have to

use it for a pet or a car or something. Wah!

[CottonBear]

101. Have you considered Annelise? n/t

[momophile]

110. is this a popular name now? I've heard of two others,

and my daughter's name is kinda similar.

[CottonBear]

111. I don't know if it's popular now.

I know an Annelise and the name fits her perfectly. She is a slightly built lady with a vibrant personality and great laugh. I think it is a common German name.

[Kellanved]

112. yes - in the 75+ years demographic

:P

[CottonBear]

115. LOL! My friend is just about 40 so she's not very old! n/t

[Arugula Latte]

129. There's an Annelise (or spelled similarly) in one of the Barbie

scenarios like Fairytopia or something -- my daughter is big on that name ...

[MsAnthropy]

13. Thallia--the muse of comedy

[BikeWriter]

20. Thorazine

:shrug:

[Burma Jones]

30. No, that's her Brother's Name

[BikeWriter]

35. Oh, no offense, but it sounds feminine.

:shrug:

[SoCalDem]

22. Wanna give her a unique name?

If you don't want her sharing her name with 13 other girls in kindergarten, name her:

Sylvia
Mary
Susan
Margaret
Kathleen
Sharon
Cynthia
Connie
Donna

Trendy names now, mean having her called Madison1, Jordan3, etc..

[MelliMel]

28. Yes! You are awesome!

So right. Old fashioned names are pretty much "new wave". And they are still as lovely as they were 60 years ago.

[Flaxbee]

103. Grace and Olivia are pretty. I like Elinor, too...

from Jane Austen's Sense & Sensibility. The other sisters were Marianne and Margaret. Also classic and lovely.

[MountainMama]

120. Hey!

Donna! That's me! :D

It has fallen out of favor. Back in '99 or thereabouts, I was leaving a restaurant when I heard a lady say, "Donna, sit down!" She was speaking to her little girl, who looked to be about 2. I said that was my name and I didn't think I'd come across any little Donnas ever, and I was teaching then.

I forget how the little girl got her name. But anyway, Donna is a lovely name for a girl.

Unless you firmly have narrowed it down to the choices in the poll and then I vote for Olivia.

[SoCalDem]

124. Hiya, Donna...

I had a Bestest friend ever named Donna..:hi: and welcome to DU, too :)

[LiberalEsto]

125. Also Patricia, Diana, Linda,

Barbara, Anita (my name), Shiela, Marcia

[Momgonepostal]

24. Thalia is my favorite

DOn't go with Grace unless you are looking for the trend of the decade. Judging by your other selections, I think you prefer something less common.

And Trump? EVERYONE for the next 20 years or so will think of "The Donald" when they here it. Names like Trump, Hilton, Gentry, etc sound like the parents are trying to sound wealthy.

[Burma Jones]

31. Trump was a joke

[Momgonepostal]

100. I'm glad to hear that...

But you know, people name their children such oddball things these days, who could tell?

[Burma Jones]

107. True

:shrug:

[MelliMel]

25. Grace or Olivia

Both are beautiful. :)

[Arugula Latte]

97. They are pretty names, but she'll be one of many Graces and Olivias.

They're very popular names now. My daughter has one of each in her class.

[LeftyMom]

26. Keep working on it

The right name will just, well, sound right. You'll know it when it comes to you, but you may be holding your baby daughter by the time that moment comes.

[arwalden]

27. Aviva sounds like the name of a car or a new computer.

[Burma Jones]

32. It's Hebrew for of the Springtime

However, I Googled it, and you have an excellent point.......

[elshiva]

54. Aviva was the heroine of "Palindromes" good reason NOT to

call her Aviva. ;(

[Telly Savalas]

60. Hyundai has a trademark on "Aviva"

http://tess2.uspto.gov/bin/showfield?f=doc&state=vmg10g.6.13

[babylonsister]

89. Or a new drug on the market. nt

[Lydia Leftcoast]

29. Avoid

1) Anything that she's going to have to explain and/or spell all her life

2) Anything that is the name of a soap opera or romance novel character

3) Anything that sounds cute on a baby but silly and frivolous when attached to an adult

4) Boys' names such as Taylor, Avery, Jackson, etc.

SoCalDem's suggestion of baby boomer names will ensure that your daughter is the only one of her name in kindergarten, and yet, people will know how to spell it. A fellow choir member named her daughters Margaret and Elizabeth. Those names are timeless.

[Burma Jones]

34. Well, her sister's name is Annabel....

My wife has vetoed every "typical" name that has been suggested....

[CTyankee]

39. Are you Shakespeare lovers?

I was wondering because of the Olivia and Cordelia references. I like both but Olivia is quite popular.

Cordelia is lovely but her fate is so sad in "King Lear" it would almost stop me from considering it. Anyone who has read or seen Lear will attest to being crushed when the play ends, because of what happens to Cordelia.

[Burma Jones]

44. Absolutely Shakespere Lovers

The first time I read Lear, I was on a Greyhound going from Peoria to Evansville right before Christmas, it was gray and dark outside and the windows were grimy and the ending wiped me out, 19 years old, on a bus, hungover, choking with sadness, and folks staring at me. However sad the ending, there are few more admirable characters than Cordelia....

Viola and Miranda are in the running, and they're good characters.....

[CTyankee]

48. Ah, Miranda. The Tempest.

But don't you think Cordelia is a more sympathetic character than Miranda?

[grace0418]

98. Avery has been my boys name since I was a child. What's

wrong with it? Ever since I read Charlotte's Web I've loved that name.

And while Margaret and Elizabeth are fine names, I don't see the problem with having something new and interesting. We live in an increasingly global society. In my neighborhood I have people from all over who's children's names will need to be spelled and/or explained. I think people need to just get used to it.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

104. Read my post again

I was objecting to Avery as a girl's name.

I'm fine with ethnic names, too--if the family is really of that ethnicity. My own real name reflects my Scandinavian heritage. But when people coin a name because they think it sounds Celtic or sounds Native American, then they're setting their child up for a lifetime of grief.

[grace0418]

119. Oh sorry. To me it reads like you're just saying to avoid boys' names like

the ones you list, not avoid obvious boys names for girls. :hi:

Although my husband actually wants to use the name Avery no matter what gender child we have (if we ever have one).

I still say that if teachers and friends and parents and future employers can get used to all the ethnic names in our country (which they should), then they can get used to a few unusual names by "non-ethnic" folks. Gosh, when I was in grade school we had to come up with ways to differentiate all the Jennifers and Kimberlys. It was obnoxious. I'd much rather have to say "Oh, that's a nice name, how do you spell that?" than "Jennifer, Jennifer P. and Jenny are already taken. Do you want to be Jenny P. or Jen?"

The only thing I find a bit odd is when people take a totally regular name and change the spelling for no other reason than to make it seem unusual(i.e. Grayce or Mikell or Lorah). That seems much more confusing to me because the child is *guaranteed* to never have his or her name spelled correctly because most people will just assume it's Grace, Michael, Laura, etc. At least if the name also sounds unusual people will ask "How is that spelled?" But whatever, who am I to judge?

[Callalily]

33. I didn't vote

My favorite names on your list are Olivia and Grace. Too popular a name now to use. My personal suggestion is Ivy. I just love that name. You're welcome to use it.

[xchrom]

36. i like thalia -- my mother's name is thoe.

[TimeChaser]

40. Olivia or Sage

[Bunny]

42. I like Sophia, but since that's not on your list, I go with Olivia.

[seaglass]

43. Grace, because my new niece is named Grace and she's a

beauty.

I actually didn't like the name at first but now I love it.:-)

[Kali]

45. ....

bah! I had a great piece written and it disappeared.
What is DU's problem today? arggghhh

I basically said wait to meet her - but watch out for the pressure to have a name ready! (maybe you are feeling it already?) I like the old way of waiting to name a kid until puberty - when they become humans and have earned it.

[SiobhanClancy]

50. My grandmother named herself....

She was born back in the 19th century,and her father had the idea that people ought to choose their own names. I'm not sure how old she was when she chose,but her choice was Caroline Z(like Harry Truman,the middle initial stood for nothing)

[Kali]

58. excellent!

That is so cool, bet she was a character being raised by a parent that would think that way!

[NNadir]

49. Ruth.

I named my son Richard and it proved to be an unusual name.

People go too much for the exotic, but I love the old and beautiful names, which oddly enough are becoming more and more unique.

Ruth is a beautiful name, and I will say, though I am an atheist, it comes with a beautiful story, a widow who loves her mother-in-law more than she loves herself.

I love stories about loving someone more than you love yourself.

[Orsino]

51. Well, obviously, I've got to go with Viola.

Beats Cesario, certainly.

[Dukkha]

52. you're a hippy

;-) such flower children names.
my ex fiance named her daughter Sage. so I gotta go with Magnolia.

[GRLMGC]

53. Cecilia nt

[av8rdave]

55. My wife and I couldn't agree on a name for our daughter....

So I finally told her that on my next trip, I would make up three lists of names:

Names I love

Names I could live with

Names I would consider if drunk

I suggested she do the same, and we compared lists when I got home. We found a couple we both could live with, and that solved the issed.

Strange, but it worked.

[Liberalynn]

56. I picked Grace

because that was my maternal Great Grandmother's name, and my Mom's middle name.

[electron_blue]

57. I picked Thalia, use this website for popularity of names

I almost used that name for my girl a few years back. Grace is so common right now, the others are right. Olivia is also way more popular than you would think. It was the 4th most popular name for a girl in 2004. Check out this site if you want to know how "popular" a name is for newborns:

http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/babynames/

[MiniMandaRuth]

59. Olivia is my name!

EEEE!!!

[ScreamingMeemie]

61. Gosh, I don't know...

Good luck though! :hi: I can't pick one.

[Southsideirish]

62. "Margaret", the most beautiful name, ever. I may be prejudiced, however,

as it was my mom's name and she was the best mom ever and a wonderful lady. Plus "Maggie" or "Meg" are sweet nick names.

[Jean Louise Finch]

79. That's my proper name

But I've always gone by Mollie, which I reckon is an awfully nice name as well.

[Skittles]

63. I don't like any of those names

well, you asked :)

[Ilsa]

64. My choices are Lillian and Althea. And Penelope.

Several years ago network news ran a story about trendy names versus traditional names. They said trendy names given at birth tend to concentrate in the Red states and traditional names given at birth tend to concentrate in the blue states.

[Ava]

65. I think you should name her Ava

:spray:

:rofl:

just kidding. a name i really like that isn't up there is Emma.

[caty]

66. Out of your choices,

I chose Olivia. You need a name that is feminine--yet dignified in case she grow up to be president (or president of her own company.)

[goclark]

67. Maggie, Ally,Cory,Vi, Avi,Saggy, Ollie, Tee

I taught Elementary School for years and I'm just giving you an idea of how those lovely names will translate with kids and some teachers.

I vote for Sage ~ it's nice and spicy and SHORT!

Even if some may call her Saggie or SAGE EE, I think if you say, early on -
"S A G E it rhymes with P A G E," it will stick.


The other trick to remember is if you give a child the popular name for the time, an example might be Violet because of Jennifer Gardiner's baby, there may be 4 children named Violet in her class.

So it will " Violet T" for Violet Taylor and "Violet B" for Violet Baker.

I'm so happy for you and the family!
Let us know what you decide. :)

[enlightenment]

68. May I suggest that you consider every possible

nickname that might come from the name choice?

There WILL be nicknames, no matter how you try.

Spelling is important, also -- I have an unusual name both in spelling and pronunciation. I like it well enough (having lived with it nearly half a century), but I am still occasionally annoyed at the daily massacre that ensues as folks try to say or spell it.

Take pity on the poor tyke -- she'll have to live with the name.

[wizdum]

69. How about Violet???

That is my suggestion, however I will vote for Olivia. I like that one best on your list. Don't agonize too much about it. The name you pick will be perfect.

[Haole Girl]

70. You can't go wrong with Grace! n/t

[Nicole]

71. Olivia Grace

I love those two together.

[MelliMel]

72. How Tzipporah?

It's my niece's name. I love it.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

74. Viola

Then she must play the viola...
Congrats! When's the precious one due?

[KitchenWitch]

75. How about Amelia

[serryjw]

76. Depend on your LAST name!

n/t

[Jean Louise Finch]

77. Viola

I definitely like Viola most. It is unusual but accessible.

Grace and Olivia seem to me to be the most common names ever in the upper class in Singapore so I vote against those in case your baby girl makes it over to this side of the world!

[Robeson]

78. How about Zoe? Olivia would be my second choice.

[NuttyFluffers]

80. Anneke? Yvette? Regina? Gwendolyn? Marlena? Persephone?

oh hell, just throw a round of Boggle and pick something. either that or grap your family tree and throw a dart at it. if it's female, it's hers; if it's male, feminize it. Chuck turns into... Chuckina.
:D

[Neoma]

83. Sage is a wonderful name.

[kwassa]

84. Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, or Thyme

all great names

[jukes]

85. grace

but you know she's going to hate whatever you name her for a significant length of her dependant-period, right?

[Beware the Beast Man]

86. Varicella.

[Iniquitous Bunny]

87. I'd go with Grace.

If my youngest would have been a girl (he wasn't), it would have been his her name.

[grace0418]

99. I never used to know ANYONE with my name when I was younger.

Now that name has just exploded. I'm probably one of the only 36-yr-olds with that name though. ;)

[babylonsister]

90. I picked Grace, but love Isabella, or Bella. Aren't you glad

you asked?:silly:

[AngryAmish]

91. And what, exactly, is wrong with Ditka?

[Burma Jones]

92. I do hail from Chicagoland.......

Gary to be precise.

[DanCa]

94. Cordelia - I've allways liked that name.

Of course I wonder how much that has to with Charisma Carpenter.

[Cathyclysmic]

95. Aviva is the name of a blood glucose monitor

So, I had to vote for Grace.

[Burma Jones]

106. Aviva's Out

Just Googling the name convinced me.....

[joneschick]

102. I agree with the poster that recommended something that won't be messed

with every day. Good old fashioned names remain solid for their entire life. Something that won't mark them for being named in 2006. When our girls were born late '80's early 90's I couldn't bear the thought of another Jessica/Ashley/Sarah. We went with Lydia, Nora and Sophia. They're teens now and appreciate their names. Good luck.

[fight4my3sons]

105. I LOVE Althea.

It was on my list of girl names. We had all boys and are NOT trying for a girl.

[hholli11]

108. meadow. nt

[DanCa]

109. God?

Or would that fall under the realm of pushing it?:D

[amitten]

113. Toonces. n/t

[TallahasseeGrannie]

114. I've gotta go with Grace

it says it all.

[CTyankee]

118. Chiara (Ital. for Claire), Claire or Clara

I also like Modalena or Madeleine (nickname Maddy).

[Blue_In_AK]

121. My grandson's name is Sage...

I like that, and it is gender neutral.

[Burma Jones]

122. That's not bad......

I believe it's making the first cut.....

[theophilus]

123. Partheny or Bethena

Partheny is my daughter's name. We also had a dog named Partheny before we had a daughter. No, we didn't name our daughter after the dog....exactly. Bethena is the name of a Scott Joplin Waltz.

Partheny Bethena would be real nice.

Partheny is based on Athena, as in Parthenon. I found the name on a gravestone in Texas of a lady who died in 1902-----Partheny Spence. I thought it was a pretty name. My wife did, too.

[LiberalEsto]

126. Check out this names link

http://uotila.tripod.com/uotila/forename.html

It is the most amazing and comprehensive name collection I have ever seen. Lots of Finnish names, in case anyone's interested.

I'm a name freak -- it took me ages to come up with my daughters' names: Tara Ann Merike and Hayley Mai Elizabeth. But they love their names. Merike and Mai are Estonian.

[Xithras]

127. Heh, my mom named my daughter.

Seriously. My wife and came up with a list of seven names fairly early in her pregnancy, and ended up spending the next five months fighting over what to name him/her. When my daughter was actually born, we STILL couldn't agree on a name and started arguing it in the hospital. The nurse brought in the paperwork three times asking us for the name, but we still couldn't agree on anything. Finally my wife announced to the nurse that she was ignoring me and would name my daughter what she wanted. The nurse looked at her and said "Ma'am, the babies name has already been entered on the birth certificate".

My mom had grown so sick of hearing us fighting over it that she looked at the list, picked the name she liked best, and had the nurse put that name on the form. My wife was a little peeved with my mom, but since the name she chose was her #2 choice, she didn't argue the point. I really disliked the name, but when I tried to take it up with my mom she just shot me one of those "Don't f$@# with me" looks that mom's are so good at, and I let it drop. A dozen years later, I like the name a lot and really don't understand why we didn't choose it in the first place :)

[DBoon]

128. think of her future...

make sure to give her a name that will not cause her to be placed on the "no fly" list.

Islam Mohamed is definitely out.

Name her something like "Cheney Halliburton" and she will never be stopped as a terrorist suspect.

[RPM]

130. Delores

cool name

[wizdum]

131. Have you decided yet? The suspense is killing me.