Stuck! PLEASE help me narrow my short list down to 2!

[norskelove]

I am stuck and need your help!

Our 3rd daughter is due very soon, and I would love to go to the hospital with only 2 names on our short list. The problem is that I can't narrow it down........my top 2 seem to change every day!

Please give me some feedback, as I would like to gain more perspective.
We have decided to keep completely quiet about names with friends/family this time (due to bad experience with daughter 2), so I can't get any opinions from people we know.

I would love to choose a name that is timeless but not trendy/popular/common.....and I love girls names that are "solid" (decidedly feminine, but not frilly or princessy). We would prefer to pick something that is recognizable and pronounced correctly most of the time (our last name gets mispronounced a lot, so I would rather her not have to correct everyone on both names all the time).
We also would love finding a name that gives a nod to our Scandinavian heritage.

All that said, here are our top 4. I would greatly appreciate any and all feedback (good and bad, I need to hear it!)


Marta -- there is something about this that we just love. It fits all my criteria (although some may feel it is more German than Scandinavian?), but I have some concerns about teasing. I can picture elementary school kids calling her Kmart, Walmart, farta, etc., and that concerns me. I know there is potential teasing with any name, but I would hate for her to be called farta all through elementary school. Maybe I am over thinking it, though.
Her nickname (if we used one) would be Mari (mah-ree), which I think is sweet. We really don't like Marty at all, and would hope to avoid it at all costs.


Berit -- this is a family name of mine. I have always loved it and I think it sounds beautiful, but I get the impression that most people don't like it (is it too harsh?). I love that it is the only name on our short list that doesn't end in "a".......my other two daughters already have names that end in "a", so I was hoping to avoid that theme. But all the names we love seem to end with "a"! *sigh*
The concern I have with Berit is that when I introduce her to someone, they might assume her name is "Barrett", which is a boys name to me. Berit is timeless to me, whereas Barrett is not........but they sound the same either way. This name also sounds the worst with our last name.
If we used a nickname we would call her Britt. I love the name Britt but it doesn't feel substantial enough as a stand alone first name. But maybe I should reconsider that.


Sonja -- this name has really grown on me, and I think it would fit well with our family. But it does feel a bit dated to me......what do you think?
Also, we would pronounce it "sewn-yuh" (rhyming with bone), but how often would it be pronounced "sawn-yuh"?
No nickname here. I like the nn sunny, but my husband doesn't.


Annika -- we have considered it with all 3 pregnancies now. I love it but don't know if I love it enough. There is something about it that I don't like, but I can't figure that out (is it too princessy? Not timeless enough?). I also worry about constant issues with pronunciation. We would pronounce it "Ahn-ick-uh", but I get the feeling that most people pronounce it "Ann-ick-uh". We do have a large Swedish population around here, and all the Annika's I know (5 of them) pronounce it Ahn-ick-uh, so it may not be an issue around here. It is a pretty popular name in my area, though (consistently in the top 100).......it feels a bit trendy to me for that reason.


I would love to hear your honest thoughts -- rank them, comment on them, whatever!
Please don't quote me as I might delete this later after she is named.

Other helpful info:
Last name starts with B, is two syllables, and sounds German
Big sisters are Greta and Elsa

Middle name is still in the works.......some options are the names above, but we also love Caroline, Solveig, Sylvia/Sylvie, Johanna, Maren (mah-ren.....would consider as a first name but everyone seems to pronounce it like Karen).


Yikes, sorry this got so long, but I need help! =)
I am totally open to suggestions as well, if you have any.

[watermellie]

Out of your 4 names, I like Marta and Annika best. I an Chinese, and I pronounce Annika like ahn-ick-uh so don't worry. I like Marta too, it's sounds strong and reliable. I don't like Sonja's "nya" sound, and I like Beryl more then Berit.

[kristenj15]

I would pronounce Sonja as you do, sewn-yuh, but with Annika the first pronunciation that came to mind was Ann-ick-uh. However, I do think Ahn-ick-uh is much prettier.

[kikndehead]

Marta! Loved it the most off of your list and when I saw your other daughter's names I was even more sold. Fits perfectly in my mind

[mischa]

1 Sonja - I think this is a lovely name with lots of exotic flair and I really love it with Greta and Elsa.

2 Marta - I knew a Ukrainian Marta and she never got teased. As a result of my acquaintance, I prefer Marta to Martha.

3 Annika - I prefer Anna to Annika. This is the only three syllable name and your other daughters have two syllables.

4 Berit - I don't mind this name but it may sound abrupt with your "B" surname. Does it flow well with your last name? The name reminds me a bit of the word "barrette" (a girls hair accessory)

[kala_way]

Marta - This feels a bit Spanish to me for whatever reason. I guess because all the Martha's I know are Mexican. It's not a bad name and I like Mari, but I like some of your others a bit better.

Berit - This is the least familiar to me, and I think it's a valid concern that it will be mistaken for Barrett since that's gaining popularity. I really love the name Brita! Not sure if that's Scandinavian (though I read a book set there with a girl by this name)

Sonja - Beautiful name, but she'd be spelling it all the time due to the j.

Annika - Also, beautiful!

I'm about so so on all your names. I think Sonja and Annika are my favorites though.

I like Sonja Maren and Annika Sylvie.

[boyandgirl]

Annika would by my pick. Have you considered Ingrid? I love Elsa and Greta and feel that this would be a perfect fit!

[norskelove]

Annika would by my pick. Have you considered Ingrid? I love Elsa and Greta and feel that this would be a perfect fit!

I love Ingrid, but that is Elsa's middle name, so it is out.

Marta is used a lot in Spanish cuitures.......it is one of those names that is used worldwide, so I don't think there is a solid "feel" to it regarding heritage

Thank you for all of your comments, keep them coming!

[taz]

Annika
Sonja
Marta
Berit

Maybe you would like Merritt, Anja, Anka, Shura, Elka or Martine as possible middles?

Sonja Merritt
Annika Martine

[taz]

Actually I lean towards Sonja now that I'm reading about pronunciation issues & you knowing so many girls called Annika.