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HelpRe: What is the most beautiful classic name for girls?
in reply to a message by Caroline
Hah! Is this inspired by the nameberry blog du jour?
I've never got the meaning of 'classic name' because it varies from culture to culture, and what is classic to one generation might not be to the older generations. I dunno. I've just always found it a bit of a slippery word. That said, why the hell not...
Susannah. Or Susanna.
I think it's very pretty, very sensible, and has been used for a good while. I like the sound. And I don't totally love Susanna written down, even though it's the most modern, streamlined, international version... but there's something about Susannah that I really do like. Just that extra 'h' rounds it off.
I also like: Beatrix, Caroline (makes me think of crinoline, and has this dainty, lacy, starched feel to it), Iris, Madeline, Camil...
Damn, no Camille is my favourite. Def.
Anyway... Genevieve, Cecilia, Miriam, Eva, Georgia, Augusta, Nina (!), Marguerite, Lucille, Wilhelmina, Cordelia, Ivy, Vivian, Dorothea, Octavia, Antonia, Leonora, Clementine ... were all in the top 500 in the 1880s, and are around to some degree today, so does that make them classic? They're also great choices!
I've never got the meaning of 'classic name' because it varies from culture to culture, and what is classic to one generation might not be to the older generations. I dunno. I've just always found it a bit of a slippery word. That said, why the hell not...
Susannah. Or Susanna.
I think it's very pretty, very sensible, and has been used for a good while. I like the sound. And I don't totally love Susanna written down, even though it's the most modern, streamlined, international version... but there's something about Susannah that I really do like. Just that extra 'h' rounds it off.
I also like: Beatrix, Caroline (makes me think of crinoline, and has this dainty, lacy, starched feel to it), Iris, Madeline, Camil...
Damn, no Camille is my favourite. Def.
Anyway... Genevieve, Cecilia, Miriam, Eva, Georgia, Augusta, Nina (!), Marguerite, Lucille, Wilhelmina, Cordelia, Ivy, Vivian, Dorothea, Octavia, Antonia, Leonora, Clementine ... were all in the top 500 in the 1880s, and are around to some degree today, so does that make them classic? They're also great choices!
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Replies
Ha, no it wasn't inspired by nameberry but now I'm going to read today's blog. Usually I avoid it because their writing style dances on my nerves.
I asked the "classic" question partly so that I could get a sense of each person's definition of classic, because, as you said, it's so "slippery" :)
I asked the "classic" question partly so that I could get a sense of each person's definition of classic, because, as you said, it's so "slippery" :)
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Ha! Ah, the world is full of coincidences like that :)
I must say, the nameberry blog post wasn't particularly enlightening.
I must say, the nameberry blog post wasn't particularly enlightening.
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Since I didn"t give a definition of what I think classic means in my initial response I will do so now. To me, classic is old, has a sound etymology, and has seen frequent use. I do see some names here designated as classics by users which I disagree are classics. The most common reason for my disagreement is that I don"t think the name has seen frequent enough use. I believe that Victoria meets all of those criteria, which is why it was my answer. If I'd given my daughter a name that doesn't, it would not have been my answer simply because it's the name of my daughter.
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Camille is lovely!
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It really is!
I'm not sure why I have such an attachment to it, but it's one of my huge list of names that not only do I like but that I'd realistically consider using in real life if I were ever to have a daughter.
I'm not sure why I have such an attachment to it, but it's one of my huge list of names that not only do I like but that I'd realistically consider using in real life if I were ever to have a daughter.
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My mother's middle name was Camille and she hated it and was embarrassed by it. So much so that I remember that she scolded my sister for including it on her application for a Social Security card. My sister pointed out that she had had to do so because the form specifically had asked for "mother's full name at her birth". That meant no substituting her maiden name for Camille, which is what my mother usually did. But that was Mom, a devotee of mid-twentieth-century popular names. No thinking outside the box.
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Aw, that's a shame. I love Camille. It's feminine and pretty without being OTT, girly or daft. I can't see much embarassing about it.
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Wasn't there a book called "Camille"?
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It was a novel by Alexander Dumas, "La Dame aux camelias", published in 1848. This actually translates to "The Lady of the Camellias", but it became known in the English-speaking world as "Camille". It was made into a play in 1852. There was a movie version "Camille" starring Greta Garbo and released in 1936. Contrary to what might be logically assumed, the main character's name is not Camille. It's Marguerite. She is known as the Lady of the Camellias because she is a woman who is kept by various lovers and she wears a white camellia when she is available to them and a red one when she is not.
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