Seriously stuck! Please help name Evangeline's (Eva) little sister!

[asquare]

We're having our second little girl in October, and we're having a horrible time finding names! I'll admit I'm super picky, and I have tons of rules, so I'm a huge part of the problem (though hubby gets some credit too, because he can't seem to get out of the 90's when it comes to picking names.)

Our daughter's name is Evangeline Reilly. We call her Eva.

I like names that have meaning, so nothing kre8tive and made-up. And I avoid anything that's really popular.

Our last name is long -- 4 syllables, and VERY Greek, so any name has to be 'strong enough' to balance it out. Last name starts with 'C', and ends with '-sis', and I'm not a huge fan of alliteration in names, so no hard K or C's to start, and nothing that ends in s.

I only like names with good nicknames as well. I figure people WILL shorten your child's name, so I might as well pick something for them so I won't be cringing when people call them by it.

We have a few that are on the list, so you can get a feel for our style. Kind of classic, but with potential for cute NN's. I should also say that we're not completely opposed to be a bit outside the classic realm. I actually love Emerson, but not the fact that it's not really a girl's name. So there's room for a different style if it fits.

Here's our current list:

Alexandra (Alex, Lexa or Lexie for a NN)

Gillian (Gilly)

Josephine (Josie/Sophie)

Genevieve (Neve? Viv seems too abrupt for our long last name, especially since it's a 'hard' V at the beginning and end..it just doesn't flow well into the hard 'C' that starts our last name).

Vivienne (struggling with a good NN on this one., but maybe Vinni??)

Gwendolyn (Gwen)


So....have at it! Any suggestions are welcome and very much appreciated!! I'm having nightmares about sitting the hospital bed with the birth certificate in my hand and no idea what to write on it!

[laurs]

Alexandra seems to match the style of Evangeline. Nickname options are nice, Alex more tomboyish and Lexi girly.

These might be a bit clunky for your taste:
Magdalena (Magda, Maggie, Meg)
Penelope (Penny)

[ellenelle]

I love a lot of your choices; I like them all! Gwendolyn is my favorite; Gwen, Wendy (like Peter Pan), and Lyna are lovely nicknames, and it goes great with Evangeline! I also love Gillian nn Gill (prn Jill of course). Genevieve is a great choice, but I see your nickname dilemma. Neve isn't the most intuitive option, and Neva and Evie would be too close to Eva. My roommate, Genevieve, went by her full name or Gen. I think that Neve could maybe work, though. I find Evangeline and Josephine kinda rhymy; that might bump it off the list for me. And Evangeline and Vivienne seem like a lot of V (I see that in Genevieve, too, but there are other prominent sounds to temper all the Vs). Alexandra feels overused and almost a bit dated, but I think it's nice.

Some other ideas:
Aurelia (Aura, Goldie)
Aurora (Rory, Aura, Dawn, Goldie)
Cecelia (Celia, Cea [prn SEE-ah], Cece)
Viviana (Vivi, Ana) - maybe an alternative to Vivienne
Luciana (Lucy, Ana, Cia)
Phillippa (Pippa, Flick or Flicka)
Juliet (Jules, Lea, Etta)

[nvettie]

I really think you should go with Alexandra. It's a classic, feminine name that's timeless. There are also a lot of nicknames that can be drawn from it. And it goes really well with Evangeline!

[laurs]

I thought of another nickname I love that might go...

Lydia (Lyddie)

[asquare]

Thanks, everyone!

Lots of great suggestions! Unfortunately some of them are off limits because family and/or friends (and close ones, at that) have used them (Juliet, Lydia, Cecilia), and we can't do any Ann or Ana NN's, because my family calls me Ann. Don't want to name the poor girl after her mom!

So funny that some people love Alexandra and others put it at the bottom of the list!

ellenelle- How would you pronounce Lyna (NN for Gwendolyn)? I've never considered that as an option for Gwendolyn, but I love it!