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My Top 10s
I generally struggle more with boy names than girls, however I now have a smei-long list of boys names now as well as girls that I would actually consider using. Please could I have your honest opinions on the following names. Also i'm in the UK and surname will be Morris
Benjamin - would either go by Benjamin or Benji
Willoughby - Will
Rufus
William - I really like William, but is William Morris usable?
Edgar
Benedict
Ivor
Elijah
Noah
Barnaby
ReubenMatilda - Would go by Matilda, Tilda or Mattie, but not Tilly
Violet
Patience
Georgina - Georgie
Phoebe
Charlotte ' Lottie
Flora - Florrie
Ottilie
Morgana
Catherine - Katie
Gretel
Pearlso, WDYT? All opinions welcomed :)
~ Always end the name of your child with a vowel, so that when you yell the name will carry ~

This message was edited 11/21/2014, 3:32 AM

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For the boys, it's a great list, and some of my particular favourites are Willoughby, Edgar, Benedict, Ivor, Barnaby, and Reuben. Calling Benjamin Benji is a wonderful way to liven up a top fifty name, too. It's definitely a very posh list. The only ones I might advise against are Noah and Rufus, mostly because of sound. RufUS MorrIS sounds repetitive, as does NOah MOrris. However, IvOR MORris has a sort of nice cadence even though the sound is repetitive; I think it's because the stress is not on the same syllable. The same goes for FlORa MORris and GeORgina MORris as well.Patience Morris doesn't have great flow. I think Morgana Morris is a little too much, but Matilda Morris is very charming. Out of the girls, my favourites are Flora, Matilda, and Phoebe.
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If I were to name a boy & girl based off of your names, I would go with: Benjamin & Matilda.Honestly though I like most of your names. I especially like Benedict, but I'm not sure if it really works in America. Maybe Benedict Cumberbatch can change that? :)I really love your girl names. Ottilie isn't my favorite, but that is only because I am not super familiar with it.
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I especially like:
Edgar, in a dorky way
Benedict
ReubenViolet
Georgina, but not Georgie
Ottilie (awesome)
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I have to say I think some of the responses to your names list have been way harsh. I agree mostly with Anneza's opinions about the names you've picked out. It's so funny how people have such strong reactions to the names you've chosen, so here I'm going to try and be balanced because although most of them aren't my style I think you've got a decent list. Benjamin - would either go by Benjamin or Benji : I think Benji for a child is cute but I think Ben would be better on a teenager/adult, but it could end up suiting him! Willoughby - Will : I like the way Willoughby looks on the page but I think it would inevitably get shortened to Will when speaking. I think this is another one of those names that suits a kid and an old man but probably not a teenager or an adult.Rufus : I like it. I don't think that someone with this name would get teased as another commentor suggested, it's not that peculiar or wacky. My reservation is there's a lot of sibilant 's' sounds in Rufus Morris. Would you mind that?

William - I really like William, but is William Morris usable? From the reactions of most people they totally missed the William Morris connection, and if they got it then they were amused/in favor, so I'd say you can definitely use this. I prefer William to Willoughby. Edgar : Completely usable. I think in the UK last year one of the most popular boys names on the rise was Stanley, which I never thought would be en vogue again! So old man fashioned names definitely won't sound out of place. I prefer Edmund to Edgar.

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Benjamin - would either go by Benjamin or Benji: Benjamin is ok. I hate Benji though. If you use this and want a nickname, I'd go with Ben.
Willoughby - Will: Willoughby is nice, but I don't like Will. Also, Willoughby might a bit too much to use in real life.
Rufus: I like Rufus. Reminds me of Rufus Wainwright, and I adore him.
William - I really like William, but is William Morris usable?: I think it's usable. William is nice, but maybe a bit boring. I would go for a spunky middle name if you use William.
Edgar: I like it.
Benedict: Nice name, but I'd hate to see everyone call him Ben.
Ivor: I hate Ivor, always have. I don't like the sound and the way it looks. Also, it reminds me of a Little Britain sketch. Which is hilarious, by the way.
Elijah: Eiljah is ok, but I prefer Eli, Elia or Elias.
Noah: love it. Absolutely adore it. This is one of the only popular names I'd still consider using.
Barnaby: I adore Barnaby, but I would never use it in real life. Would be glad to actually see someone use it though.
Reuben: Reuben is fine.Matilda - Would go by Matilda, Tilda or Mattie, but not Tilly: Matilda is a great name, but I still prefer nickname Tilly. Tilda is alright, but Mattie is awful.

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Benjamin - Like Benjamin a lot. Prefer Ben over Benji, except for maybe as an at-home family nickname.
Willoughby - Will - I prefer William. Willoughby seems kind of affected.
Rufus - I used to despise it but now I don't mind it as long as it's pronounced Rufe-is and not Rufe-us.
William - I don't know who William Morris is. I looked him up and it doesn't seem like something I'd object to. I love William.
Edgar - it's my least favorite of the Ed-names. It just seems... gelatinous to me.
Benedict - It's hard to appreciate this name as an American because it's so tied to Benedict Arnold.
Ivor - sounds evil.
Elijah - Ok, so it's ok, but I associate it with religious fanatics. Also, my kind of country relatives so ee-ly-ju with the J like in judge. But I say it more like ee-ly-shjua. I'm not sure which is correct but I prefer my way.
Noah - no.
Barnaby - kind of clownish. I can see it on a dog.
Reuben - I think this name is awful. I do not understand why people find this appealing. Matilda - Meh, Tilly is the only thing that attracts me to this name.
Violet - I would like it a lot more if it wasn't so Hollywood-ified.
Patience - Detest.
Georgina - Georgie - very cute
Phoebe - not a favorite.

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Basically I think you have two fantastic lists of names, because I like/love:Benjamin
Willoughby
Rufus
William - Although I don't like it with the ln
Edgar
Elijah
Noah
Barnaby
ReubenMatilda
Violet
Patience
Georgina
Phoebe
Charlotte
Catherine - Prefer Katherine, especially with the nn Katie
Gretel
Pearl
My Top 3 for each would be: Rufus, Elijah and Reuben / Matilda, Violet and PhoebeMy Top 3 combos would be: Rufus Benjamin, Elijah Willoughby and Reuben Edgar / Matilda Patience, Violet Pearl and Phoebe Charlotte
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I like:Benjamin - but I don't like Benji, that makes me think of a dog
William - nothing wrong with William Morris, it reads very much like a letterhead
Benedict
Elijah
Noah
&
Matilda - I agree, no Tilly
Violet
Patience
Phoebe
Charlotte - but not Lottie; Charlotte doesn't need a nickname
Flora - but no Florrie
Ottilie
Morgana - one of my favorite names!
Catherine - Why Katie instead of Catie? The way I see it, if you want to use Katie, you might as well use Katherine instead.
Pearl
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Sorry I only really like two of your boys names, Reuben and Elijah and that's lukewarm too.
I feel that Willoughby, Barnaby and Rufus would be teased a bit. The first two are pompous and Rufus is a dog's name.
Edgar and Ivor just seem very dated and kinda weird.
Benjamin, William and Noah are all fine names, they just bore me a little.
I see your issue with William Morris. I don't think a non-namenerd would notice but if it's already bothering you, it will continue to bother you.
Oh and Benedict is fine, it just reminds me too much of eggs benedictI'm much more on board with your girls names. Matilda- good strong name, I like the meaning, though it is pretty popular in the UK
Violet- Love love love- so pretty, though also rising in popularity
Phoebe- love this and it's meaning, its funky and cute, though weirdly also popular in the UK, I didn't know that till I just looked it up, that surprises me.
Catherine, Charlotte and Georgina are fine, just a little boring, Patience and Flora, especially Florrie aren't my taste, I really wish Gretel was Greta and Pearl is a name I used to think I liked then I realised the actual sound is awful.
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Benjamin: Like. highly respected, timeless & decent
Willoughby: dislike. A bit too snobby & pretentious. Makes me picture a boy who grew up stinking rich and is or was enrolled in a private school
Rufus: dislike & plus its an obvious, sterotypical dogs name
William: like
Edgar: like
Benedict: dislike. Just never been a fan of it.
Ivor: like
Elijah: OK but prefer just eli
Noah: like
Barnaby: OMG HATE. Way too pretentious & fruity. I think its best just to cross this one off the list. The name is awful on anyone regardless of who they are or where they are from
Reuben: likeMatilda: dislike. I personally find it ugly and it makes me think of an ugly witch. The stereotypical type; warts on face, crooked nose, the whole 9 yards
Violet: like
Patience: tacky & ultra cheesy
Georgina: like
Phoebe: like
Charlotte: like
Flora: dislike
Ottilie: dislike
Morgana: slightly like
Catherine: like though prefer the Katherine spelling
Gretel: ok but much prefer Greta
Pearl: very dated but not horribleNO TO: Willoughby, rufus, Benedict, Barnaby, Matilda patience, flora, & Ottillie The rest of the names are fine
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From your boys list I like Benjamin, William and Edgar. Reuben is ok too but it's getting very popular in the UK.From the girls I like Matilda, Georgina and Catherine.
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Benjamin - would either go by Benjamin or Benji - Benji is great for a pre-schooler, but after that Ben or Benjamin is preferable. Excellent name.
Willoughby - Will - I far prefer William, nn Will.
Rufus - Not unusual where I live, but rhymes with Morris. Perhaps a mn?
William - I really like William, but is William Morris usable? - Shouldn't think most people have heard of William Morris, and if they have, they'd rejoice!
Edgar - Very dated where I live, except as a chain of clothing shops!
Benedict - Lovely, and also allows for Ben.
Ivor - Good, but not the best. That strong I at the start sounds egotistical.
Elijah - Old bloke in robes and sandals, striding purposefully across the desert sands. No. Can't see the point.
Noah - Robes and sandals once more, but wet robes this time; and it starts with No. So, no.
Barnaby - Excellent name, much nicer than Barnabas.
Reuben - prefer Robin.Matilda - Would go by Matilda, Tilda or Mattie, but not Tilly - Tilda is good, and so in my mind is Tilly. (My wonderful Matilda dog is known as Matt the Mutt.)

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William Morris is totally usable and nice and would be my first choice from this list. It's not a negative association, and absolutely not a teasable one. Barnaby would be my second choice. Edgar, Ivor, Benjamin, Reuben and Rufus are all okay too - my best friend's son was nearly an Ivor :)
Not so keen: Willoughby might be cute on a little boy but would sound pretentious on an adult, imo, unless it's a family name. I used to like Benedict when it was just an unusual name, but now it's going to look trendy because of the actor. Elijah and Noah are also way too trendy for me - they've not had much traditional use here so they still seem really Bibley. (Or American-actor-y)Girls: I like Matilda a lot - from this list I'd probably choose it or Georgina (especially if you have a family George to name her after) Phoebe and Charlotte are great too. I also really like Flora and would love to see it used in spite of the margarine (who eats margarine these days anyway!) The rest are all okay, just not personal favourites.
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