Finally, a short list that's under control, what do you think of our top few combos?

[emmabobemma]

Of Eu names, my favorite favorite is Eudora. I wish someone would bring it back! I think it's right in line with Beatrix, Odelia, and Dorothea. Eurydice - I dislike the "rid" sound. I want to make a joke like "Euripides, you buya dese" ..but it doesn't quite work with Eurydice.

[raqkel]

Magdalene Elspeth is swoon worthy!

[kala_way]

I love Calliope Winifred and Beatrix Lucine.
Or Calliope Helene

[blade]

Oh, thank you for the excellent feedback! It's very helpful!

Re: Melusine, I think there are a lot of different myths for her, and she comes off as varying levels of good and bad in each of them. The one I'm thinking of in particular shows her in a fairly strong, spunky light. That said, I'm fond of all mermaids and half human/serpent/marine type creatures, even if they sometimes come with a little bite. Hmm, but if you think there are too many negative associations, that could be bad. Also, we might be pronouncing this differently. I've been saying it MEL-uh-sin, almost like medicine but with an "l" instead of a "d". But on second thought, your way makes much more sense. Regardless, I'll put Melisande back on the table, and have a good long think about this name.

Thank you again for all the suggestions. Averill is one I love the sound of, but tell me, am I the only one who just associates this with Avril LaVigne or whatever?

Do you think Eurydice is usable? S.O. loves it. I'm less sold on its viability. I thought about Medieval variant "Heurodys" from Sir Orfeo, since it has a happier end, but it doesn't sound as cute.

Happy to help!

I think Melusine is usually pronounced mel-you-SEEN, the French way. I really vastly prefer Melisande; I think it has the same fairy tale-like feeling but good deep historical roots (there was a Queen Melisande in the 12th century).

Averill is a wonderful old, old name. It's pronounced AY-ver-ill. Three syllables. Very different from the French word avril, ah-VREEL. It's the modern English version of Everild, who was a northern English saint and abbess. It's kind of posh and old-feeling in the UK.

I don't think Eurydice is usable, unfortunately. I wish it were. But I think it will nearly always be pronounced You-rid-IKE or You-rid-ICE. I really like Euphrosyne, though, both for the meaning "mirth, merriment;" the mythological figure, one of the Charities; the fact that it crossed over into Christendom and was the name of several saints; the lilting pronunciation, you-FRO-sin-ee. The modern Greek form is more phonetic, Efrosyni. Nickname Effie is awesome.

[ladyhatshepsut]

I love Calliope and Calla, but not a big fan of Winifred. Winifred seems clunky and old to me! What about Calliope Lucine? Magdalene Elspeth is gorgeous also. However, I think Mae is not a worthy nickname for such a gorgeous name! I would probably use just Magdalene, no nickname necessary :-).

[ebonyeden]

Beatrix Lucine - Beatrix is as charming as ever, however I've never heard of Lucine and I'm not quite sure if I'm pronouncing it correctly (loo-seen?) While the name does flow nicely, I feel as though there is just something off-the-beat with Lucine. That's if I'm pronouncing it correctly.

Beatrix Lilou - I much prefer the flow of this than that of Beatrix Lucine. I've never been a big fan of Lilou as it sounds much more like a pets name than a baby's name in my opinion, however it is absolutely stunning with Beatrix.

Magdalene Elspeth - Magdalene is a stunner, I'm happy to see it being considered. Elspeth, while lovely appears quite stuffy to me and I much prefer the option of Magdalene Elisabeth.

Magdalene Elisabeth - Gorgeous! Although I do prefer the Elizabeth spelling personally, purely because I tend to pronounce Elisabeth as eh-lease-uh-beth instead of eh-liz-uh-beth. However, if you're going for the eh-lease-uh-beth pronunciation, then Magdalene Elisabeth is equally beautiful.

Melusine Felice - I also prefer Melisande; however, Melusine is also nice. I'm interested in how you're pronouncing Felice; are you pronouncing it the original Italian way (fa-LEECH-ay?) or the 'anglicized' pronunciation fa-LEESE? Felice, with the latter pronunciation is nice enough, I am always reminded of deer, although I don't know why. The flow of Melusine Felice is nice either way, however I prefer Melusine Felice with the fa-LEECH-ay pronunciation.

Odelia Fae - Odelia is absolutely gorgeous! Perhaps my favourite from your list. Fae is nice enough, but I've never been a big fan personally - I prefer Mae. The flow is lovely however.

Calliope Winifred - Ah, my favourite type of name; a quirky name mixed with a somewhat clunky old-fashioned name. Both Calliope and Winifred are rather elegant names and I much prefer the nickname of Calla than Callie. Calla Winifred is lovely on its own, but I do prefer Calliope Winifred.

Calla Winifred - Spunky.

Dorothea Helene - Dorothea is a beauty, and I'm glad that someone's considering it! I've always preferred Dorothea to plain Dorothy, most likely for the nickname option of Thea, though I'm not sure. Helene is stunning and the flow of this name is perfect.

Some suggestions, sorry if they've already been suggested/nixed;
Susannah
Violet
Alice
Penelope
Leanna
Audrey
Emmeline
Renata
Charlotte
Lila
Lucille
Anna
Juliet
Grace
Clarabel
Claudette
Charmaine
Rose
Marge
Genevieve
Leontine
Adele
Sylvie
Bernadette
Germaine
Georgette
Leonor
Adeline
Aurelia
Alberta
Marietta
Reba
Geneva
Elvira
Therese
Frances

somewhat simple in comparison, but names that came to mind...good luck!

[notcinnamon]

The most unpredictable, without being over the top, is Magdalene Elspeth. Calla Winifred is a great choice too, and I'm a Thea fan. Good luck!

[lilysong]

My favourite first name is Beatrix and my favourite mn is Elisabeth or Elspeth. Would you consider Beatrix Elspeth? If not, I like Beatrix Lucine or Beatrix Lilou.

[cosmonaut]

So many responses, thank you! Thank you for everyone who gave their favourite option. It's nice to hear the diversity of responses. It's also lovely to hear your impressions of these names.

@lilysong: As much I love Elisabeth/Elspeth as is, I'm only using them combined with Magdalene to get to the nickname Mae Beth. Otherwise, I'm afraid Elisabeth doesn't interest me that much in the middle spot (just because it's so commonly used). But glad to hear that you like Beatrix. I think it's such a cool, funky name. I'm genuinely shocked when people don't like it. Right now, I think I'm leaning toward Beatrix Lucine. You don't think Beatrix Elspeth is too much?

@notcinnamon: Unpredictable without being over-the-top is such a hard balance to strike! Glad to hear Magdalene Elisabeth is getting so many positive responses. It's a little long for my tastes, but nickname Mae obviously shortens it quite a bit. It's a gorgeous name, IMO, and like emma said, it's a great namesake.

@ebonyeden: Your hesitation about Lucine mirrors mine! I want to love it, because the meaning is right up my alley, and the flow is nice with Beatrix. (I'm pronouncing it the same way you are). I liked Beatrix Helene better, but S.O. isn't hugely fond of it (Because of the uncertainty of pronunciation. heh-LEHN, heh-LEEN, or heh-LAYN, everyone we know says it differently). Anyway, thank you for all the commentary. For the record, I'd bee pronouncing Felice, fuh-LEESE, as I'm not fond of the fe-LEECHES SUCKING MY BLOOD-ay pronunciation

@ladyhatshepsut: Calliope Lucine is a great suggestion, thank you! L-heavy, but fun and spunky! I like full Magdalene, but I think Mae is great, too. Short and uncommon, and the quirky spelling amuses me. I'd definitely call her both, though! You're right, Winifred definitely sounds old, but I though Calliope/Calla was maybe cool enough to brighten it up. Maybe I'm wrong!

@blade: Now that I know how Melusine should be pronounced, I'm definitely leaning toward Melisande! My biggest issue with it is that it's so close to George R. R. Martin's invented name 'Melisandre.' But the history you've described is lovely. Averill is gorgeous, and I'd love to add it to the list. Is it generally only a boy name?

@emmabobemma: I want do love Eudora, but I associate it too strongly with Eudora Welty, which is a fine namesake, but it's like Alanis to me, there's really only one. Plus, not super fond of "a" endings, except for Octavia, maybe, hmmmmm, and I guess Dorthea....and maybe Thora. Okay, there are a couple. Oh, Odelia! I adore this name. I don't know why, since I'm not especially into Amelia, or even Delia. There's something unexpected and funky about it to me, and I love the possibility of the diminutive Odette. Do you have any other suggestions for middle names to replace Fae? For various reasons, Fern, Fawn, etc, don't work. Fleur is so frilly to me. Odelia Joy? I want to love it, but it doesn't feel fairytaley enough. Odelia Robin? Lacking flow? Odelia Sparrow? Tooooo much? Odelia Lilac? Odelia Ivy?

@goodkarmavt: I love Odette and Odetta. We decided that since we like both Odelia and Odette, we should go with Odelia if we end up using it for a name, as Odette is a feasible diminutive or nn for Odelia, so we'd get to use both!

@greyer: Thank you so much, re: Ulysses & Bishop! Boys are easier to name, in my opinion. I'm so glad you like Odelia Fae! It's so folksy to me. I know what people are saying about it sounding country, though. If our last name wasn't so...naturey, I'd love to do Odelia Fern, but I worry it's too much.

[aj_bear]

You have a great list, but I think my favorite is Dorothea Helene. Dorothea is absolutely beautiful, and it's number one on my list. The nickname Thea is charming and spunky while the full name is strong yet romantic. Pairing it with Helene is fantastic.
My second choice is Beatrix Lilou. Beatrix is spunky yet sweet, while Lilou is unusual in a good way! The other names just don't really do it for me like those two do.
Hope that helps!