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I just want to start off by saying how thoroughly confused I am that people are considering using Lemon as a real, legal name for a kid. I... wow. I don't find Pepper as strange as a personal name, only because I'm thinking of the spice more than the fruit. (Still wouldn't use it, though.)

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That aside, I find Juniper a fun yet still mature name. It helps that it's the name of a character I played once on stage (hardnosed badass), and answering to it made me think it would be a cool name to have in real life. I suppose it helps that I like a lot of other -er feminine names (Esther, Guinevere, Lavender, River, Summer, Vesper...). And Junie is a nice childhood nickname.

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Wren is a simple name, soft without being too soft, and I'm a sucker for Ws. :-P

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Pippa is nice, but only as a nickname for Philippa (which I do like).

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We're in agreement about Andrea, though - especially the (pretty much)_inevitability of the nickname Andi. Can't stand Andi / Andy, main reason I don't like Andrew. (That and Drew is the past tense of "draw.")

I like Wren and Juniper. Both feel spry, though in different ways - Wren, like Robin, is wintry, Juniper is summery.

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Wren reminds me of Christopher Wren, who I think is a nice namesake. I've had the combo Lydia Wren tucked in the back of my mind for years, even though it goes against my usual combo rules (IE firsts and middles should have letters in common).

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Juniper was the inquisitive main character of a book I read as a child. I cannot for the life of me remember the book now. It was very similar to Coraline, both in plot and vibes (though even more terrifying to 10 year-old me). I should reread it at some point.

I like James a lot. A distinguished everyman name.

Ah, Finn. Finn happens to be one of my favorites. It's almost too short, and the only vowel is a short-I, yet it's still a favorite. I don't know if it would be, if not for Mark Twain.

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James is... uh, James. He's there. Sort of like John & Michael. I like James, but it's hard to be enthusiastic. (Can't stand Jim & Jimmy, though.)

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Silas is an underused biblical name that doesn't seem too out of place in the present (thanks to similar names like Elias and Simon). Faye is another short & sweet name, but it carries a mystical edge to it. (It needs the -e, though: Faye or Fae. I don't like Fay.)

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Xenia is so freakin' cool. I go back and forth on whether I prefer Xenia (which I pronounce as ZEN-ee-ah) or Zinnia, but I thoroughly enjoy both.

This message was edited 9/29/2022, 10:24 AM

Cordelia: I think it's beautiful - a rich, emerald green. It makes me think of the Shakespearean heroine and Anne of Green Gables (so I think Anne Cordelia would be a lovely combo).
Josephine: very distinguished and respectable, though I'm not terribly fond of the nicknames.
Henry: also distinguished, feels serious and vaguely medieval. I really like Hal as a nickname.
Penelope: it's very fun to say. pə-NEL-ə-pee. Just a fun, cheerful sound. I don't usually like stretchy nicknames, but I'm quite fond of Nell or Poppy as NNs for Penelope.
Octavia: adventurous, with the unusual Os and Vs. Strong and urbane (?), which I feel few feminine names are.

I've always thought Ezra sounds incredibly cool. The Ezra Pound association is a bit discouraging, though.

I feel like I wouldn't have a problem with Emily if I didn't hear it... possibly literally every day of my life. Over a decade at #1, and it just left the Top 20 nationwide. It's not objectionable, but it is very, very soft.

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Billie is adorable! It's Old West meets Computer Nerd, somehow. Needs a super feminine middle name, though.

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Sadie has a similar vibe to Billie except it's more overtly feminine.

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Penelope is a lovely name from Greek mythology, though I can understand if the "pee" ending puts people off.

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Masculine names ending in -a are a bit hard to come by in the Western world, so I appreciate names like Asa, Ezra, and Micah shaking things up a bit. Grayson is another one of the -son names I don't mind as a personal name, though I prefer the Greyson spelling. (Gray is used for the color in the U.S., so Grey looks more like a person's name to me.) Funnily enough, I forgot Grace in my OP - Grace as a name is much harsher to my ears than Grayson / Greyson.

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I agree with you about the others, for the most part.

I think Alice is beautiful - very sweet and enamel blue.

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Cecilia is one of my favourite names, so lacy and intricate. I also like Cecily.

I think I can answer for both Daniella and Danielle, why we don't like them: it's the "yell" part.

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Quite a few -son names have become popular for boys (I actually like Jackson and think that one's the most popular), and in the case of Wilson it's the -son suffix with the familiar, handsome Will. So I can see how it would catch on, even if I wouldn't use it myself.

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Derek is my stepbrother's name, so I have a family connection, but it somehow sounds modern (similar to Eric/Erik, but stronger) while looking rather medieval. I'm not as fond of the more modernized Derrick spelling. Since Eric was also on your list, it sounds like the "short-E, short-I" vowel combination isn't your thing.

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Selena has a soft, sweet rhythm. I can understand someone perceiving it as too soft & sweet, but I also think it has something of a mystical quality to it, likely to do with its connection to the moon.

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Dennis is a fun name for me, but it has some unfortunate bearers ("Dennis the Menace," Dennis from It's Always Sunny, etc.). Also, it's quite dated, I'll admit.

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Marie is a very pretty first name, and I prefer it to both Mary and Maria. (But it's absolutely overdone as a middle name.) I feel a similar way about Rose, and that's my own middle name!

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I agree with your other dislikes.

This message was edited 9/29/2022, 12:56 PM

I've grown to really like Michael. Very solid, friendly, while also archangelic. I don't like Mike, though.

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Christopher is pleasant enough. It's one of the longest names in English that's not completely unwieldy, and Kit is a very hip nickname. Makes me think of Marlowe.

I'm... honestly in agreement with you on almost all of these.

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Ryan (and the similar Brian) are short, simple names that have just enough "punch" without being too harsh (from the long-I vowel). I might also like the rhythm of Christopher as a full name if I didn't know so many people named Chris...

Charlotte sounds elegant and cosmopolitan to me. It reminds me of apple pie.

Naomi is a fun one, for me anyway. The letters are arranged in a fairly unique way so that it can't easily be confused with other names. The ending -i looks neat. And it's actually both a Hebrew and Japanese name!

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Historically I've loved Charlotte, though I went through a significant period hating the name. I compared it to a "flabby feather" in sound back in those days. Now, even if I appreciate the flow again, it's way to popular for me to consider as a first name. I like it as a middle, though - it goes with quite a bit.

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Olivia was the name of one of my childhood best friends, and she rarely used a nickname (eventually using Liv as a teenager, I think - we grew apart after she moved away). Even though it's "technically" 4 syllables, it's not so heavy that a nickname is required. I like Livvy, if a nickname is a must, but Liv has sort of become the new Liz (and Olivia's popularity is just way too much now).

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Maya is simple yet memorable, though I prefer the Maia spelling. Then again, I like many names that have the long-I sound.

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Zoe is another fun one, cute without being infantile, and easy to write. Also memorable. And I like Z names anyway.

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But I agree with you on the others (especially Madison, which I forgot in my OP).

This message was edited 9/29/2022, 12:52 PM

I like Evelyn when pronounced EEV-lin - sharp and elegant. I'm also very fond of Evelyn on a boy (same pronunciation).

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Lucy is lovely - sweet, but energetic. I'm reading Dracula, so Lucy Westenra (which is a fantastic surname) is currently my main association.

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I've written about Michael above.

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I find Joseph unattractive. That being said, I really like an idea of a Joseph who goes by Seph.

Evelyn - I love how soft this is and how it rolls off the tongue. I'm quite surprised you dislike it because to me it's a bit similar to Oliver in sound. But then again there are many names I love that I'd completely dislike if I just changed one letter.

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Lillian - I dislike this as well, it seems clumsy to me. It's odd because Lily has been my favorite for ages. Lilian looks much better to me but as it is not as established it would be annoying to correct people all of the time (also it's a boys name in France).

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Sarah - I used to dislike it but there is something warm and classic about it that I like now. I imagine a woman in a bonnet serving hot soup to her family. I love Sara because of "A Little Princess".

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Hannah - similar to Sarah (image) and fun to say.

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Abigail - I dislike Abbie but I love the friendly witchiness of Abigail.

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Lucy - gives me carefree childhood in the english countryside vibes.

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Belinda - not a fan so I can't help with this one ;)

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Michael - I sort of like it since "Peter Pan" I guess because it gives me a nostalgic/childhood feeling and there was a Michael in "Mary Poppins" too. So I sort of like the full name but dislike Mike.

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The others I also dislike.

Joseph is a steady, reliable, tolerant, discerning hardworker who likes the good things in life but doesn't take them for granted.

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Joey is an energetic kid. He's probably a little spoiled or snarky, but he's good-natured overall.

This message was edited 9/27/2022, 5:59 PM

I can't believe I forgot Evelyn! Evelyn should really be in my OP. I'm with you on this - the vowels are all schwas and they create a rather limp name, even with the V.

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I like Sara without the H, though even then the ubiquity of the sound has sort of removed the charm from the name.

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Abigail was among my favorites a long time ago, but now I'm more or less indifferent. This was both because I thought the nickname Abby was fun, and my grandmother's name is Gail; so there's family attachment for me.

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Michael has the same problem as Sarah: I'd like Michael a lot more if every other set of parents with a baby boy in the '50s through the '90s didn't decide it was the best name ever. I also personally know a lot of Davids / Daves, but don't know if it's necessarily as popular as Michael on a wider scale.

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I used to dislike Joseph, but that was mostly because I can't stand Joey. Joseph as a full name is fine, and Joe is okay. No Joey, though.

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In another reply I talked about how "fun" I perceived Nathan to be. I definitely prefer it to the similar (and more popular) Ethan.

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Agree with you on the rest - especially any -inda name. Don't get those at all.

Hannah and Sarah are soft and feminine, strong, comforting, grounding, wholesome. Breezy enough to be little girls, but respectable enough to be someone's pioneer ancestor. I can see how one would find them bland and square, though. I feel that way about Anne and Leah.
I feel like Abigail is kinda the new Deborah ... old testament chic. I only like it because I like Gail a lot. Not feeling Abby.
I think Belinda is a poetic seeming name, smacks of 'belle' and 'linda' = pretty. It's like Bonita only less Hispanic. A little bit in the same spirit as Colleen, maybe.

This message was edited 9/27/2022, 10:21 AM

I like Ariel on a boy very much, especially with Ari as a nickname. "Lion of God" is a fun meaning, and I also like the Shakespearean association.

It's funny that you mentioned Whitney as a feminine name in this as well, since I actually like Whitney - or, at least, don't mind it. I used to really like it, because it was one of those "originally a surname but not too surname-y" names (i.e. not a "son" or occupational name) that seemed really sophisticated on a woman (to me). Maybe the glamorous, starlet persona of Whitney Houston had something to do with this (although revelations regarding her personal life seem to have been... um, anything but).

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We have the same history and overall outlook regarding Nicole. I will say, though, that the Laurens made a better impression on me, which is why I still kind of like Lauren today (despite its ubiquity).

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For the names you shared:

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Taylor has that long-A leading sound that a lot of people favor (Aidan, Adrian, Ava... Jayden), and maybe sounds the most like a name of all the "occupational surnames as personal names." Even though its popularity spiked far greater with feminine usage, I still perceive it as a masculine name, though.

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Owen is soft without being too soft, if you catch my drift. That long-O provides a necessary punch. I go back and forth regarding whether I prefer Owen or Rowan.

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Nathan's fun! I used to disregard it because I'm not as fond of the nickname Nate - but that's more likely to come about with Nathaniel than Nathan. It might help that I remember Nathan as a friendly, fat cat my stepmom had for many years.

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Is Ariel here a masculine or feminine name? I know in Hebrew it's masculine, but I can't shake the mermaid. That said, Ariel's English pronunciation is specified on BtN as EHR-ee-əl or AR-ee-əl, and both remind me of Arial font (or an aerial). I've actually always pronounced it ehr-ee-EL, and thus preferred the Arielle spelling.

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Emmeline is pretty to me, but then again I like many -ine names. It strikes me as "storybook romantic." The only downside is the ubiquity of Emily and Emma likely causing some confusion regarding a real life Emmeline.

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This message was edited 10/10/2022, 7:36 AM