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HelpRe: Is finally pregnant, but...
in reply to a message by fluffien
Congratulations!
It's never fun when your family and peers dump on a name you love, but it's important to remember that personal opinions like "it's too old" or "S/he'll hate having that name!" are just that--the speaker's personal opinions. You don't have to agree and you don't have to listen. Trust yourself. You did a good job naming Lennon. I'm sure you won't give your next child some train wreck of a name.
Now that I've told you to ignore others' opinions, I'll give you mine, and, of course, you should listen to me. ;)
Sybil - I prefer Sibyl but, either way, it's a name that has grown on me a lot over the last year. No, it's not conventionally pretty, like Isabella or Katelyn, but it's still pretty in a deep, dark, interesting way. I'd be happy to meet a little Sybil, and I don't consider it too old lady at all.
Eva - I'm one of those who intuitively pronounces Eva more or less identically to Ava, so I can't argue against your Ava concerns. I prefer Eve, Evelyn, and Evelina.
Aoife - Aoife always makes me think of The Vicar of Dibley when an Aoife spells her name for Geraldine who says, "Don't bother saving any vowels for anyone else" in response. While I don't think it's too similar to Ava, I do think a US Aoife will be dealing with pronunciation issues all her life. To Americans who aren't name lovers or interested in Ireland beyond green beer and shamrocks on St. Patrick's Day, Aoife just looks like a bunch of random vowels and an F. It's like the worse Scrabble hand you could get. I question whether it's worth the trouble, especially since you already love Eva.
Charlotte - It's very pretty, but if rapid rises in popularity are a problem for you, it's a dangerous option (of course, I could say the same about Eva). Maybe you'd like Lotta or Carlotta?
Audie - My least favorite name here. I think it sounds incomplete, hickish, and "odd" really leaps out at me in a way it doesn't in Audrey or Audra. I think it's fine as a nickname, though. I had a Great-Aunt Audie whose name was Alma Audrey.
Beatrix - I like both Beatrix and Bea, but if you're not feeling it, I say let it go and move on. FWIW, I like Beatrice more, and I think it's fun with Lennon, in a Beatle-ish McCartney and Lennon sort of way.
Mina - It's cute, although I really dislike the character. I love the suggestion below of Marina, nn Mina. I think that's awesome.
Celeste - Love Celeste. Is Celie SEL-ee or SEE-lee? You could also use Cecily, Cecilia, Cecile, Celia, Ciel, or Selby.
Eveny - Kinda limp, to be honest, and the pronunciation is unclear. Since it's supposed to sound like Evan with a Y, perhaps Evany would unmuddle it. I still don't like it, though. How about Ebba, Eden, Eira, Eirian, Eleri, Ellery, Elodie, Embry, Eowyn, Epona, Esen, Esme, Evadne, or Evren? Or, again, Eva. Combine it with an Ann- middle name, and you could easily wring Evannie (Ev+Annie) out of it.
It's never fun when your family and peers dump on a name you love, but it's important to remember that personal opinions like "it's too old" or "S/he'll hate having that name!" are just that--the speaker's personal opinions. You don't have to agree and you don't have to listen. Trust yourself. You did a good job naming Lennon. I'm sure you won't give your next child some train wreck of a name.
Now that I've told you to ignore others' opinions, I'll give you mine, and, of course, you should listen to me. ;)
Sybil - I prefer Sibyl but, either way, it's a name that has grown on me a lot over the last year. No, it's not conventionally pretty, like Isabella or Katelyn, but it's still pretty in a deep, dark, interesting way. I'd be happy to meet a little Sybil, and I don't consider it too old lady at all.
Eva - I'm one of those who intuitively pronounces Eva more or less identically to Ava, so I can't argue against your Ava concerns. I prefer Eve, Evelyn, and Evelina.
Aoife - Aoife always makes me think of The Vicar of Dibley when an Aoife spells her name for Geraldine who says, "Don't bother saving any vowels for anyone else" in response. While I don't think it's too similar to Ava, I do think a US Aoife will be dealing with pronunciation issues all her life. To Americans who aren't name lovers or interested in Ireland beyond green beer and shamrocks on St. Patrick's Day, Aoife just looks like a bunch of random vowels and an F. It's like the worse Scrabble hand you could get. I question whether it's worth the trouble, especially since you already love Eva.
Charlotte - It's very pretty, but if rapid rises in popularity are a problem for you, it's a dangerous option (of course, I could say the same about Eva). Maybe you'd like Lotta or Carlotta?
Audie - My least favorite name here. I think it sounds incomplete, hickish, and "odd" really leaps out at me in a way it doesn't in Audrey or Audra. I think it's fine as a nickname, though. I had a Great-Aunt Audie whose name was Alma Audrey.
Beatrix - I like both Beatrix and Bea, but if you're not feeling it, I say let it go and move on. FWIW, I like Beatrice more, and I think it's fun with Lennon, in a Beatle-ish McCartney and Lennon sort of way.
Mina - It's cute, although I really dislike the character. I love the suggestion below of Marina, nn Mina. I think that's awesome.
Celeste - Love Celeste. Is Celie SEL-ee or SEE-lee? You could also use Cecily, Cecilia, Cecile, Celia, Ciel, or Selby.
Eveny - Kinda limp, to be honest, and the pronunciation is unclear. Since it's supposed to sound like Evan with a Y, perhaps Evany would unmuddle it. I still don't like it, though. How about Ebba, Eden, Eira, Eirian, Eleri, Ellery, Elodie, Embry, Eowyn, Epona, Esen, Esme, Evadne, or Evren? Or, again, Eva. Combine it with an Ann- middle name, and you could easily wring Evannie (Ev+Annie) out of it.
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