Opinions on our list please?

[bcg84]

Hi everybody, I hope nobody is too sick of me posting here again and again but now that my wife and I have some name ground to stand on, the wonderful mei_mei suggested I make another post Here are some girls and boys names in our consideration pile at the moment. What do you think? Please give us your harshest criticism – we need it. Suggestions are great, too.

On names that have any particular special significance or reasoning, I wrote it out to the side

Middle name will more than likely be Knight for either gender, though we are open to more than one middle. We LOVE names with great meanings, and also ones with Christian meanings. Last name is McCarthy. Thank you

Girls:
Amabel – Love for the meaning “lovable”
Annabel/Annabelle
Arabella – Love both the meaning “yielding to prayer”
Aurora
Azalea
Bellona – Would probably be condemned to a middle slot because of possibly sounding like bologna, but we love the meaning “to fight” because our baby is a fighter!
Bianca – One that my wife loves because it means “white” or “fair” which is one of the possible meanings of my name
Cambria – The first concert our baby unknowingly at the time went to was Coheed and Cambria
Christabel/Kristabel – From my wife’s name, Kristen
Constance
Eden
Eleanor – One of my wife’s longtime loves
Emmeline – A sort of less common version of my wife’s other longtime love, Emily
Enid – Wife of one of the knights of the round table, and means “life, spirit”
Esme – Love the meaning “beloved”
Fiona – Another my wife loves for the meaning connection to my name
Hope
Irina – Love the meaning “peace”
Iris
Ivy
Jessamine
June
Regina – Love the meaning “queen”
Rosabel
Vivian
Zinnia

Boys:
Ezekiel – Love the meaning “God strengthens”
Gareth – Knight of the round table, and means “gentle”
Graham – Probably a middle name due to graham crackers, but my wife loves Billy Graham
Jasper
River
Silvan
Soren
Tristan – Knight of the round table and sounds similar to Kristen

[alzora]

My first suggestion would be to stick with just one middle name. Double middle names detract from the first name and make the whole thing sound too clunky, in my opinion. The baby announcement would sound like just a long list of names: "Meet our son, John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt!" I'm a one-middle-name fan, and in fact, my parents and grandparents were fans of only single-syllable middle names, a taste that I seem to have inherited. So Knight, and JUST Knight, is great!

Girls:
Amabel -- I'm not sure how to pronounce this. uh-MAY-bull? AM-uh-belle? AM-uh-bull? How about Amara instead (means "lovely forever,") or Jaime (from the French term "J'aime" which literally translates into "I love").

Annabel/Annabelle -- Annabelle is cute, but I only like this spelling. The spelling Annabel looks like it would rhyme with Hannibal.

Arabella -- Anything with -bella is going to sound trendy and uncreative, like you got the idea off a million of your friends who also used -bella names.

Aurora -- I think this is so beautiful, especially because of the Northern Lights, or Aurora Borealis. If you like Christian meanings to names, you might appreciate the personal meaning this name has to me: The Aurora Borealis makes me think of the relatively new Christian song "Light Up the Sky" by The Afters. You should Youtube it!


Azalea -- This is spunky and cute. It sounds very energetic and I can picture it, oddly enough, on any age.

Bellona -- Yep, the bologna thing is going to be a problem! How about considering the name Kelly for your little fighter, which means "warrior woman" (on this site the meaning is listed as just "war" but I have always heard warrior woman)? Or Xena (ZEE-na), a warrior princess?

Bianca – I think this is beautiful and would be refreshing to see on a baby today. I feel like, at least in my area, it has become rare enough to be exotic...yet it is still wonderfully spellable and pronouncable. Also consider Blanca. I know a girl in her mid-twenties named Blanca. At first I hated it and thought it was spelled Blonka, but it grew on me.

Cambria -- Kind of pretty, with a cute personal anecdote behind it that your child would like.

Christabel/Kristabel -- I would spell this Christabelle. These -bel spellings (Amabel, Annabel, Christabel) all look like they would rhyme with Hannibal to me. If you want to get that BELL sound in there, I would spell it Christabelle. But maybe you ARE going for that "-bul" sound, in which case, keep the spelling as you have it.

Constance -- This is so pretty and Pilgrimy. I am just not a fan of the nickname Conny that you know she would get. Conny is too dated for my taste.

Eden -- Lovely. Beautiful imagery. Not sure if it sounds so great with "Knight" though...runs together to sound like Edennite.

Eleanor -- This is another sweet one. A similar suggestion that I personally think sounds even prettier is Elionora.

Emmeline -- I think this is such a cutie, BUT all of the Emma's running around out there make me feel like this is too trendy.

Enid -- Not my style at all. Doesn't sound like an English name. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but it's just not my style.

Esme -- I don't like this one because the pronunciation isn't immediately obvious, at least not in my smalltown corner of the world. A suggestion here would be Amy, which also means beloved. Amy would be so cute on a baby today.

Fiona -- I liked this, but then I met a woman who had a daughter with this name, and that mother was a particularly difficult person to deal with. So now I dislike this name very much.

Hope -- I like what hope IS, but I can't decide if I like it as a name. I love the concept of hope, but the sound of the word itself is very harsh and kind of sounds like...sorry, but "poop." :x

Irina -- Ooo, this one is a very interesting find! I really like it. Possibly my favorite on your list so far.

Iris -- Weird association with a very masculine woman named Iris, but I actually still like the sound of this name. It sounds so soft, whispery, and whimsical. My association would fade quickly if I met someone else with this name.

Ivy -- HAH! I had just typed, under Iris, "A suggestion: Ivy," because it seems to similar to Iris, then I scrolled down and saw that you already have it on your list. I LOVE Ivy. My only concern is that it sounds like IV, as in intravenous therapy.

Jessamine -- Hmm...growing on me as I think about it.

June -- Recently fell in love with this name. It makes me think of Reese Witherspoon playing June Carter in Walk the Line, and she did a phenomenal job and was absolutely stunning in the role. Junie would be a cute nickname for a child.

Regina -- I like this, but I feel like it's hard to say. I feel like that first syllable is difficult to hear or something.... A suggestion: Virginia.

Rosabel -- There's that -bel again. Rosabelle?

Vivian -- Make this Viviana (vivi-AWNA) and I LOOOOVE it! I was just telling my sister the other day that Viviana is such a fun name to say, it just falls off the tongue. Vivi is a cute nickname.

Zinnia -- Not my style at all.

Boys:

Ezekiel -- I think of a comment I once heard about another boy with this name: "Zeke the Geek."

Gareth -- Hey, this is cool. Other suggestions that sound similar (though don't have that connection that you like): Jotham, Grantham.

Graham -- I like this a lot.

Jasper -- I've never been sure if I liked this. Too close to Casper...too ghostly.

River -- This sounds so flowy and is fun to say.

Silvan -- Never heard this one. Not bad, but not a favorite. This makes me think of a few girl name suggestions: Silvina, Silvia, Sybil.

Soren -- Oooo, nice...favorite boy name on your list.

Tristan -- This one is really nice too. Sounds like a really handsome guy and ages well into adulthood.

[random]

You have some excellent choices here, I don't think you can go wrong with any of them! I tried, but I really can't choose!

But, unlike the pp, I prefer -bel names over -belle/-bella names, because I find them less frilly. As you know I love Rosabel!
Silvan in on my own (very) short list, love it.

As you like June and Zinnia, have you also considered Junia? I like this name as the ultimate combination between flowery and Christian.
Junia Knight McCarthy is darling!

Have you already tried to make some name combinations? If you choose to give two middle names, I like the thought of naming all children 'first middle Knight McCarthy' to all share mum and dad's name. How about:

Jessamine Amabel Knight McCarthy - Jessamine McCarthy
Aurora Bellona Knight McCarthy - Aurora McCarthy (love Aurora with McCarthy!)
Iris Kristabel Knight McCarthy - Iris McCarthy (with the 'I' names, I prefer an extra middle name before Knight!)
Rosabel Cambria Knight McCarthy - Rosabel McCarthy
Junia Constance Knight McCarthy - Junia McCarthy
Bianca Enid Knight McCarthy - Bianca McCarthy
Eleanor Zinnia Knight McCarthy - Eleanor McCarthy

Good luck!

[rosiejac]

My picks of your list

Cambria Knight McCarthy
Enid Knight McCarthy
I love June McCarthy but June Knight is too much like June Night haha

Ezekiel for a boy such a strong name.

[danishnames]

Girls:
Amabel – Cute - I would pronounce it AM-uh-bel (to rhyme with Annabel)
Annabel/Annabelle - I prefer the first spelling
Arabella – Nice, but to girly-girly for me
Aurora - Nice, though I find it kind of hard to say
Azalea - Pretty name
Bellona – OK
Bianca – I think Bianca is just ok. Though I prefer the latin word for white "Alba" as a name, maybe you would like it?
Cambria – OK, but not my style
Christabel/Kristabel – Don't like this at all.
Constance - Nice
Eden - OK
Eleanor – Love this!
Emmeline – Cute
Enid – VERY nice!
Esme – VERY nice
Fiona – NICE - again, mayb you like Alba?
Hope - NMS
Irina – OK, NMS
Iris - LOVE this
Ivy - Nice
Jessamine - Not my style
June - I don't like June at all
Regina – I don't like this
Rosabel - OK
Vivian - Nice
Zinnia - OK

Boys:
Ezekiel – NMS at all!
Gareth – I like this
Graham – Like
Jasper - Like
River - Like
Silvan - Very nice
Soren - just ok, it is a Danish name, I am from Denmark and here it is very much out of style (seems like it only would fit a man between 35-45 - that's when it was popular).
Tristan – Nice

[bettyblowtorch]

Amabel – pronunciation issues and rather similar to Annabel. She'll probably have to constantly correct people.
Azalea - Ah-zah-leah? I like it despite the pronunciation and spelling issues.
Bellona – I also like this as a middle.
Enid – Eh-need? Ee-ned? Ee-need?
Esme – You know with the popularity of Twilight, I think the pronunciation issues are lessened quite a bit.
Irina - Ee-reena or Eye-reena?
Jessamine - feels like an overly fancy Jasmine. The only name in your girls that I don't care for.
Regina – I like Regina. Most will get the pronunciation right, but there is that pesky Canadian city Regina (reg-eye-nah) which of course rhymes with a female personal part. I also like Reina, which also means queen.

Ezekiel – For some reason I don't like it.
Gareth – Like this one a lot. Probably my favorite along with Tristan.
Graham – Works a little better as a middle name, but there are a lot worse things to be associated to than graham crackers.
River - Don't really care for it.

Even though I deleted some names (because I really can't say more than "I like it"), a few have pronunciation issues, and a few are not my style these are all really good names. You and your wife should be proud.

My personal favorites for you are the following because of personal meaning and the connection between you and your wife are:

Bianca
Cambria
Christabel
Fiona
Tristan

You sort of have a potential Pinkett-Smith thing going on with the son taking after his mother's name and the daughter taking on the meaning of her father's name.

One name I think you might like comes from an obscure lesbian poet. Though English, she identified with France (she grew up there) and changed her name from Pauline to Renee Vivien - reborn life. I noticed Vivian on your list and Vivian Renee/Renata is one of my favorite combos - life reborn. It could symbolize your new family life. Of course, I'm a bit biased as I'm a Renee Michelle with a surname that ends in -n so I don't think I can use it. I'd squeal with joy if I bumped into a girl named that.

[pansy]

I agree with alzora. I'm not a fan of multiple middle names as they tend to sound very clunky and pretentious. Also, I feel that when you have multiple middle names, any middle name you've chosen that has a special meaning (such as your wife's maiden name) gets lost among the other middle names and thus becomes less special.

Girls:
Amabel – Not a fan as I feel it will just get mistaken for Anabel all the time.
Annabel/Annabelle - Love
Arabella – Love
Aurora - Love
Azalea - I've really taken a shine to this name lately. It's very spunky.
Bellona – Not a fan. The sound just isn't pretty to me.
Bianca – Like this one, though not as much as some of your others.
Cambria – Love this one. It sounds very sophisticated.
Christabel/Kristabel – This one is too frilly for me. Prefer the Christabel spelling as Kristabel just looks very trendy and made-up to me.
Constance - Love
Eden - Love
Eleanor –Love
Emmeline – Love
Enid – Way too old lady sounding. Not a fan.
Esme – Love
Fiona – Love
Hope - Love though since it's a word name, it kind of sounds odd paired with Knight since that's also a word name.
Irina – Love
Iris - Love
Ivy -Love, though it kind of has the problem that Hope does. Ivy Knight is a bit descriptive.
Jessamine - Love
June - Same as Ivy
Regina – Love
Rosabel - Love
Vivian - Love
Zinnia - Quirky but I like Azalea better.

Boys:
Ezekiel – Love and the nickname Zeke is very cute.
Gareth – I like it and I think it goes well with Knight.
Graham – Like it
Jasper - Like it
River - Same as with the other word names on your list. River Knight makes me think of a knight that is from a river.
Silvan - This one just makes me think of the Sylvan Learning Center.
Soren - I like Soren. It's unusual but easy to spell and say.
Tristan – I know a lot of people like this but I've never been a fan. It just sounds very girly to me. Also, if your wife's name is Kristen, then that could get very confusing since they sound so similar (unless she goes by Kris or Kristy most of the time).

Overall, I think you've got a really great list going here!

[mischa]

Top Three - Girls

1 Vivian Knight McCarthy
2 Iris Knight McCarthy
3 Fiona Knight McCarthy

Top Three - Boys

1 Tristan Knight McCarthy
2 Gareth Knight McCarthy
3 Graham Knight McCarthy

[dresdendoll]

Soren Knight McCarthy for either a boy or a girl!

[ellenjuju]

I kept the ones I liked in this list! It's a great list... the girl's names are very pretty and feminine, and the boy's names are very strong and masculine. I like that!

Girls:
Amabel – I like the name + meaning... but I think it may not flow so well with the last name?
Arabella – LOVE the meaning! Arabel/Arabelle could also work!
Bianca – I like the meaning more than the name itself
Cambria – The story behind this name is so cute!
Eden - this means "place of pleasure" ! This is a name on my list!
Emmeline – I like this name a lot, even though I was never a big fan of Emily. However, again, I think it may not flow so well with your last name. It must be the m's.
Esme – Pretty name with a wonderful meaning!
Hope - This name is cute, but I knew a hamster and a dog named Hope, so it just reminds me of pets. They were amazing pets though.
Irina – Not one of my favorites from this list, but I still like this name. I think it would flow with your last name!
Ivy
Rosabel - pretty!


Boys:
Ezekiel – love the name (nn Zeke!), love the meaning even more
Gareth
Graham – haha i know someone who named their son Graham because of Billy Graham.. never reminded me of crackers!
Jasper
Silvan
Soren
Tristan

If you are sticking with Knight for a middle name (which I love!), here are the combos I think would sound best!

Eden Knight McCarthy
Esme Knight McCarthy
Ivy Knight McCarthy
Rosabel Knight McCarthy
Arabel(la) Knight McCarthy

Gareth Knight McCarthy
Graham Knight McCarthy
Jasper Knight McCarthy