Playful and Spunky or Over the Top and Tacky

[caseymay]

Hello All!

I'm brand new to Nameberry but have been having a blast browsing through the site and getting inspiration. I don't currently have any children but I'm a newly-wed and am looking forward to starting a family. Like many of you on this site, I have had more than a mild interest (okay, boarderline obsession) with names, so the thought of naming my very own child is thrilling! I would describe my naming style as playful, spunky, cheery, quirky and definitely not-top-10.

I'd love to throw out my name list and get some feedback from everyone! Specifically, if you think any name on the list goes beyond playful and fun and is downright weird or silly.

A little background, I live in California and my last name starts with an 'H' and ends in 'son.' Does this rule out any names ending in '-on' '-en' '-in' or '-sen'? I'm running into trouble with many of the boy names I like ending with those sounds and the full name sounds too rhym -y.

Thougths? Also - I'd love any suggestions you might have!

Girls:
Matilda, nn Tilly or Tilda (middle name possibilities are Jane, Violet, Valentine...?)
Tallulah, nn Lilou (May, which is part of my maiden name)
Felicity, nn Izzy
Pepper
Pippa (possibility of becoming too popular???)
Ripley
September
Imogen, nn Immy (sounds like Emmy)
Cecily
Jubilee
Petra
Verity
Ottilie

Girls middle names I love:
Primrose
Waverley
Whimsy
Mazarine
Darling
Sunshine


Boys:
Asa
Finnley (possibly too popular??? I only know one little boy with this name but it seems to be everywhere on this site!)
Arlo
Tennyson
Cormac
Dex or Dax
Kieran, nn Kier
Orrin
Flynn
Kellen
Wilder

[flick]

Matilda - not tacky in the least. I personally like it.

Tallulah - love this, I know a lot of people think it's over the top, but I do not. It's no different than something like Victoria or Alexandra

Felicity - one of my all time favorites, beautiful name, not tacky at all.

Pepper - maybe a tad on the tacky side? I like it, but I feel like it makes a better nickname than a full name. I can't imagine this aging very well.

Pippa - I doubt it willever become truly popular but I find it a little juvenile - it needs a full name.

Ripley - THIS, I do find tacky. It's a masculine surname, such a huge trend, it's going to look silly in a few years, especially with that uber trendy -ley ending that is popping up everywhere.

September - I don't think it's "tacky", but I do think it's weird.

Imogen - not tacky at all. I don't love it, but it is far from bad or tacky.

Cecily - beautiful, classy, sophisticated.

Jubilee - I like this in theory, but I can see it being juvenile and not aging well at all.

Petra - not tacky at all.

Verity - love this, far from tacky.

Ottilie - another love. Not over the top or tacky

Girls middle names I love:

Primrose - a tad over the top, but thats not a bad thing for me. I don't find it tacky at all.

Waverley - I really, really dislike this immensely. I find it so silly and surname-ish, trendy, juvenile.....like Ripley, it has that dreaded -ley ending.

Whimsy - silly and ridiculous, but in the middle, it would be passable.

Mazarine - I think this is beautiful.

Darling - a little tacky, but in the middle it doesn't really matter.

Sunshine - I think this is a little better than Whimsy or Darling.



Boys:

Asa - love, not tacky at all.

Finnley - maybe rising a little in popularity, but nothing overly dramatic, it has that irksome -ley ending.

Arlo - really neat, I love it.

Tennyson - neat.

Cormac - also neat

Dex or Dax - a little "try-hard", would make a great nickname, though. Dexter is a great name.

Kieran - I love Kieran.

Orrin - nice

Flynn - never cared for it, I think it's awkward.

Kellen - really nice, I like it a lot, I also quite like Keller.

Wilder - very neat and cool but not in a tacky way.

[amylin15]

I think that boys names ending in -en, -in, or -on could work with your last name just fine, but I would stay away from -sen or -son endings.

Girls:
Matilda, nn Tilly or Tilda (middle name possibilities are Jane, Violet, Valentine...?)- love this. I like Matilda Jane as a combo
Tallulah, nn Lilou (May, which is part of my maiden name)- I like Tallulah, not a fan of the nickname though. Tallulah May sounds nice.
Felicity, nn Izzy- not a fan of this name at all.
Pepper- seems like a cute nickname, or pet's name, can't picture on a real child.
Pippa (possibility of becoming too popular???) - nice, but yeah it does have the possibility of seeming too popular or trendy
Ripley- love it on a pet, and can maybe see it working for a boy, but can't picture on a little girl.
September- Love it as a middle name, too daring as a first for my tastes
Imogen, nn Immy (sounds like Emmy)- Love it.
Cecily- I greatly perfer Cecilia
Jubilee- I wish I was cool enough to have a kid that could pull this name off.
Petra- It's alright, not anything special in my mind. I actually really like the alliteration of Petra Primrose
Verity- nice and different. Verity Primrose, Verity May
Ottilie- Really like this one, but again don't know if I would ever actually use it. I would pair it with a more common middle, like May or Violet

Girls middle names I love:
Primrose
Waverley
Whimsy
Mazarine
Darling
Sunshine


Boys:
Asa- I've never been sure how to pronounce this, so I can't really say if I like it or not.
Finnley (possibly too popular??? I only know one little boy with this name but it seems to be everywhere on this site!)- I've never met one, but I prefer Finnegan, Griffin nn Finn, or ever just plain Finn
Arlo- seems very nickname-y too me
Tennyson- I would love to meet a little Tennyson. I might pair it with a middle name that is more mainstream, so as to give him options if he doesn't like Tennyson so much.
Cormac- love it. I have a little cousin named Cormac, often shortened to Mac.
Dex or Dax- love as a nickname, Dexter?
Kieran, nn Kier- I like it, not my favorite though
Orrin- interesting, can't picture it on a child, but that could change
Flynn- love it.
Kellen- this is a good choice. easy to spell and pronounce, yet not super common
Wilder- my favorite on your list. very different, in a good way

[miraje]

Girls:
Matilda - spunky, maybe a bit old, but I think it's cute, especially with the nn Tilda
Tallulah - I HATE this. I know a lot of people like it, but it sounds tacky and even trashy to me - for no real reason.
Felicity - very pretty, one of the few virtue names I like a lot
Pepper - sounds more like a character than a child
Pippa - only as a nn, it's very childish otherwise. Maybe Piper? It's midway between Pippa and Pepper, but seems more grounded.
Ripley - I can only think of Ripley's Believe it or Not, so I dislike it
September - prefer as a mn, but it's okay. A little over the top.
Imogen - not huge in the US, but has been very popular in Britain, if you're concerned about popularity. It's pretty average for me.
Cecily - like it, although it's awfully close to Sicily
Jubilee - wayyy over the top
Petra - like!
Verity - very nice. nn Vera (a personal fave)?
Ottilie - also like.


Primrose - very trendy
Waverley - sounds trendy, not sure if actually is
Whimsy - a bit tacky
Mazarine - strange, but as a mn it's alright
Darling - tacky
Sunshine - tacky


Boys:
Asa - I know it gets a lot of support on this site, but sounds like a girl's name to me
Finnley - like a lot, but might get popular if you're concerned about that
Tennyson - trendy-sounding, and too rhymy with a -son last name.
Cormac - sounds like a car or something. Or core + Mac. (like the computer)
Dex or Dax - sound like nicknames
Kieran, nn Kier - like this one a lot. "Kier" sounds a lot like "queer" though so there may be teasing concerns? I like Ren more as a nn.
Orrin - neutral about this
Flynn - like
Kellen - it's okay. Very simple, but maybe nearing bland. I think I've also heard Kellian.
Wilder - it's growing on me. Could seem trendy in the future.

[flick]

I think that boys names ending in -en, -in, or -on could work with your last name just fine, but I would stay away from -sen or -son endings.

Girls:
Matilda, nn Tilly or Tilda (middle name possibilities are Jane, Violet, Valentine...?)- love this. I like Matilda Jane as a combo
Tallulah, nn Lilou (May, which is part of my maiden name)- I like Tallulah, not a fan of the nickname though. Tallulah May sounds nice.
Felicity, nn Izzy- not a fan of this name at all.
Pepper- seems like a cute nickname, or pet's name, can't picture on a real child.
Pippa (possibility of becoming too popular???) - nice, but yeah it does have the possibility of seeming too popular or trendy
Ripley- love it on a pet, and can maybe see it working for a boy, but can't picture on a little girl.
September- Love it as a middle name, too daring as a first for my tastes
Imogen, nn Immy (sounds like Emmy)- Love it.
Cecily- I greatly perfer Cecilia
Jubilee- I wish I was cool enough to have a kid that could pull this name off.
Petra- It's alright, not anything special in my mind. I actually really like the alliteration of Petra Primrose
Verity- nice and different. Verity Primrose, Verity May
Ottilie- Really like this one, but again don't know if I would ever actually use it. I would pair it with a more common middle, like May or Violet

Girls middle names I love:
Primrose
Waverley
Whimsy
Mazarine
Darling
Sunshine


Boys:
Asa- I've never been sure how to pronounce this, so I can't really say if I like it or not.
Finnley (possibly too popular??? I only know one little boy with this name but it seems to be everywhere on this site!)- I've never met one, but I prefer Finnegan, Griffin nn Finn, or ever just plain Finn
Arlo- seems very nickname-y too me
Tennyson- I would love to meet a little Tennyson. I might pair it with a middle name that is more mainstream, so as to give him options if he doesn't like Tennyson so much.
Cormac- love it. I have a little cousin named Cormac, often shortened to Mac.
Dex or Dax- love as a nickname, Dexter?
Kieran, nn Kier- I like it, not my favorite though
Orrin- interesting, can't picture it on a child, but that could change
Flynn- love it.
Kellen- this is a good choice. easy to spell and pronounce, yet not super common
Wilder- my favorite on your list. very different, in a good way

Asa is pronounced ay-sa.

[alzora]

Girls:

Matilda, nn Tilly or Tilda: Matilda is quirky in a really fun way. Perhaps I feel that way from the cute movie Matilda. Nickname Tilly is dated to me (I know a middle-aged Tilly), but Tilda is exotic and cool.

Tallulah, nn Lilou: I picture an old, sweet, black Jamaican woman, because of the movie Cool Runnings in which one of the character's says his mother's name is Tallulah. In my mind, it's PERFECT for that character, but seems odd to me on a newborn Californian girl. Lilou is sweet as a name on it's own! You may also like Lilo (LEE-lo) or Lorelai (nickname Lolly?).

Felicity, nn Izzy: I have loved this name ever since I beheld the beautiful redheaded American Girl character when I was a preteen. The vowel sounds in it, and even the specific consonants, make it sound so petite and soft and energetic and spunky all at once. I prefer the nickname Lissie.

Pepper: I'll disagree with previous posters. I LOVE Pepper! My mom had a Little Golden Book from when she was little (1950s) about a girl named Pepper who pretends to be a veterinarian. I think it would be such a cool name, and because of that book and the orphan in Annie, it just seems vintage to me.

Pippa: Too connected to the royals for my taste. Not that I have any problem with connections to the royals, but this particular name was mentioned in the news so much around the time of Kate's wedding, so it just feels trendy and blah to me now. You may like Peppin.

Ripley: Cute idea, but I don't like the Rip- opening. It just makes me think of crude phrases about passing gas. :/

September: To me, this is too much of a word to ever feel like a name. I would be afraid that when people hear it, they only ever think of the month, and I would want people to think of the BABY upon hearing her name, not a month. Typically I love word names, but some of the month names are just too monthy for me.

Imogen, nn Immy: Imogen has always felt choppy and awkward to me. While some names come out sounding musical and are fun to say, Imogen just sounds like harsh sounds blurted out. I like Immy though.

Cecily: Cute, but pretty close to the popular Cecilia, and popularity makes me dislike a name as it no longer feels fresh and original. You may like Thessaly?

Jubilee: This sounds happy! It also sounds kind of chubby...but this is one of those names that DOES come out sounding kind of musical.

Petra: This one sounds kind of ancient to me, and I can't picture it on a child, but I'm sure it would grow on me once I saw her.

Verity: I've really liked Verity lately as a middle name (I like the combo Cambria Verity--feel free to steal it if you happen to like it as much as I do!). As a first name Verity feels like a Pilgrim who just walked off the boat. Not a bad thing, but if that's the image I was going for, I'd choose the name Remember (nickname Mem) instead. You may also like Amity.

Ottilie: This one could really grow on me the more I think about it. My first thought is "otter," but there's nothing wrong with that; all names sound like SOMETHING, and otters are cute. I think Ottilie would be really sweet on a little girl...and a teen...and a woman.

Girls middle names I love:
Primrose: Too much pop culture connection for my taste. Everybody would know where you got it from. (Or ASSUME where you got it from.)

Waverley: Again, very tied to pop culture in a show I have never seen, Wizards of Waverly Place. But it is a really cute sound.

Whimsy: Fun! But remember, middle names are only used in the most formal occasions, like graduations and weddings. Would Whimsy seem out of place at such an event?

Mazarine: Ahh...why is this tucked away in the middle name slot?? Mazarine is SO beautiful! I love the pronunciation mazz-uh-REEN (like "magazine") and my husband likes MAZ-uh-rin (like "Madelyn"). Both are correct, as you may know. Mazarine looks amazing written out, and sounds like a perfect name that should be popular but is being kept secret.

Darling: Despite what I said earlier about middle names needing to feel appropriate on formal occasions, I have always loved the idea of Darling as a middle name, from my love of Peter Pan where the children's adorable last name is Darling.

Sunshine: Very hippie. But that's not a bad thing. The right person could pull this off. Very free-spirited.


Boys:
Asa: This one has crept to our top five as well. I love how short and simple it is, while having such a regal Biblical history.

Finnley: This seems really trendy to me, and when I see it, I don't think of the awesome name, I just think, "Oh, another Finn- name.")

Arlo: Milo, Harlow, Arlo...these names seem a bit trendy too, but not as bad as Finnley-type names (though I haven't checked the statistics on any of them; I'm just guessing by what I see and hear). I like the O-ending boy's names, and hope they don't become too common. My current favorite is Thurlow, a name I found in an Abraham Lincoln biography that you may like.

Tennyson: I don't know if I like this as a first name. It feels like too much of a last name, and a bit TOO tied to the poet to ever feel like it belongs to a child.

Cormac: Reminds me of poison sumac. You may like Conrad?

Dex or Dax: I LOVE DEX!!! I have it on my list too. Love it! SO simply and fun and great for a baby/boy/man of any age. You may also like Jeb, another much softer favorite of mine.

Kieran, nn Kier: I think all the Ke- names are fun and perfect for little boys. Keifer, Keegan, Keenan, etc.

Orrin: This could definitely grow on me. I like O's and R's in boys' names--they feel very little boyish. You may also like Olin or (totally unrelated but it has an O and R) Crosby.

Flynn: Hm. Not loving it. When I look at it I see Flem, Floyd, and Lynn, none of which are very charming for a little boy. Maybe you would like Flint, Foster, or Forrest?

Kellen: This is different! If I could get past the Kelly and Helen sounds, it could really grow on me. I think a boy could wear it well.

Wilder: This is on my list too! I love it not just because of its cowboyish sound, but because of its Little House on the Prairie connection. I think it is a very boyish name that grows into a very manly name. Nice choice.

[ottilie]

Matilda - very sweet, Matild by Roald Dahl is one of my favourite children's books.
Tallulah - Tallulah Tallulah. I think it's pretty.
Felicity - I love Felicity, it's a gorgeous name. Very calm and soothing.
Pepper - Dislike. Sounds like a dog.
Pippa - I strongly dislike Pippa. Because of that horrid horrid girl.
Ripley - Oh please no. Not on a girl. Not on a boy either, but not on a girl.
September - Anything special about that month to you? I'd stick it in the middle if I'd use it at all.
Imogen - Stunning. Love me some Imogen.
Cecily - Love this too, although I'm in the minority of prefering Cicely.
Jubilee - Cute, very cute.
Petra - Beautiful. Lovely name, splendid city.
Verity - I don't like this, it's not a nice sounding word.
Ottilie - I don't like commenting on my own name. Seems selfish. I love my name though.

Girls middle names I love:
Primrose - Boring, but it's a pretty flower. I prefer simple Rose.
Waverley - Gorgeous name. I really really like it.
Whimsy - No no no. You don't want to call your daughter whimsy.
Mazarine - Yeah, a blue colour. It's a pretty word. I prefer Marceline.
Darling - No no no again. Unless you want a pink princess beauty queen, or a sweet little dog.
Sunshine - Over the top. Soleil, Solvei, Tesni, Sunniva, Arevik, Sol are lovely names with sun meanings.


Boys:
Asa - pronounced AY-suh. Beautiful little name.
Finnley - I prefer Finn, or Finley.
Arlo - Nice name, has the lovely -o ending.
Tennyson - I like this. I'd expect the parents to be huge Alfred, Lord Tennyson fans though.
Cormac - Sounds weird.
Dex or Dax - Dog name.
Kieran, nn Kier - Yeah I like this. Prefer Ciarán.
Orrin - Cute.
Flynn - Reminds me of phlegm.
Kellen - Eh, no I don't like it.
Wilder - Cool name. Used to be on my list.

[everwaiteing]

Girls:
Matilda, nn Tilly or Tilda - My favorite on your list. I prefer Matilda Jane or Matilda Violet.
Tallulah - Not my style
Felicity - Very nice!
Pepper - When I was younger, I once thought this was the best name idea in the world, but I think it is best for a pet.
Pippa - Not my style
Ripley - No
September - No
Imogen - Not my style
Cecily - Much prefer Cecilia
Jubilee - Not terrible, but I'd only consider it for a middle name.
Petra - Very nice!!
Verity - Not my style
Ottilie - Ok

Girls middle names:
Primrose - Nice
Waverley - Not my style. I guess it's ok in the middle. I'd spell it Waverly.
Whimsy - No. I think it's too out there, and risks making the name seem like a joke.
Mazarine - Not my style. I agree that it has a pretty sound, but I think of Margarine (or Mazola corn oil) when I see the name.
Darling - No. It's not dignified and strikes me in a similar way as 'Princess' or 'Precious.'
Sunshine - Better than Whimsy or Darling, but too informal for my taste as part of someone's lifelong name.

Boys:
Asa - Not terrible, but not my style.
Finnley - I like it, but prefer Finn or Finley.
Arlo - Not my style, but nothing wrong with it.
Tennyson - No, not with a surname ending with "sen" or "son."
Cormac - Not my style
Dex or Dax - Way too informal to the point seeming flippant. As nicknames, they'd be okay.
Kieran, nn Kier - Not my style... not very masculine to my ears.
Orrin - Ok
Flynn - Ok
Kellen - No. Sounds a little like 'killing' or 'kill 'em.'
Wilder - I think it would invite lifelong comments and teasing. Much better as a middle name.

[javad]

You have some pretty great names in the mix here (as well as some I'm not too fond of). I personally think that if your LN ends in 'son', I'd stay away from any FN that end in 'son' or 'sen', but anything else I think would be okay for the most part.

Girls:
Matilda- This is a nice name. It has a classic kind of feel to it, has been around for many generations but doesn't feel overly old or anything. It feels antique but in a good way.
Violet- This is an okay name, I'm not as much a fan of color names for FN, I'd prefer it to a MN. Though I kind of do like the name Lilac (probably because it's my niece's name)
Tallulah- I'm not such a fan of this name. It feels strange, and a little bit like what a small child might use as a replacement for a naughty word.
Felicity- I like this name quite a lot. It sounds like someone who is strong and independent to me.
Pepper- Not a fan. Could be a decent MN, but for a FN seems strange to me. Like naming a kid Salt.
Pippa- Also not a fan of this one. It sounds more like a nickname. Feels to childish to be worn by an adult.
Ripley- This seems like a boys name to me. And beyond that I just don't like it. Reminds me of farting ('let one rip') or of Ripley's Believe it or Not.
September- Again not a fan. June or August or May or April (and maybe even January or July) seem like names, but September doesn't have a 'name' feel to me.
Imogen- This name has grown on me quite a bit. It feels somewhat exotic, but has a down to earth quality to it.
Cecily- I like this, but I think I prefer Felicity (which has a similar feel/sound) to this one.
Jubilee- Not bad. It's certainly a happy name. I think it could be a name that would grow on me (I also kind of like the name Jubal for a boy)
Petra- Very nice name. It sounds like the name of someone creative and worldly.
Verity- I think this could make a pretty great MN, but as a FN I think it's just has too much of a 'word name' feel.
Ottilie - I like it quite a lot. Again sounds like someone with a wide world view. It also has a familiar sound quality to it (due to it being somewhat similar sounding to Natalie).

Boys:
Asa- I used to not like this name, but now I really like it a lot (another cool option is Aza- an Arabic name that means 'comfort'- though I think Aza might be a female name)
Finnley- I like this name a lot (but like Finian and especially Phineas even more)
Arlo- It's okay. I have no strong feelings either way.
Tennyson- Feels too last namey to me, and with you last name ending in 'son' I don't think it'd work.
Cormac- Cool name (as are Corbin and Corwin).
Dex or Dax- These both feel distinctly like nicknames, and I don't think they'd work well on an adult. Dexter would be a good name though (if it weren't for the seriel killer TV show)
Kieran- Very good name, but I like Kiernan even better. Kiernan feels stronger and more masculine.
Orrin- Also really like this name a lot. If it wasn't for the fact that I'm from Oregon and it sounds too similar to that for my personal usage, it'd be somewhere on my short-ish list.
Flynn- Another one I really like a lot (though I think once again I prefer Phineas and Finian)
Kellen- I like this name, but for me it's a bit too feminine. Plus I prefer Kieran and Kiernan over this one (which have a similar feel/sound to it)
Wilder- I think this could be a really cool MN, but sounds too much like a grammar mistake (someone is describing someone/something that is 'more wild' than someone/something else) to be usable as a FN.

[sheflieswithherownwings]

Matilda, Felicity, Pippa, Imogen and Ottilie are all gorgeous, most are on my girls list too. Pippa is one I wouldn't use any time soon just because the association with Pippa Middleton is very high at the moment. Tallulah, Verity and Cecily are all really pretty too.

Pepper is too teaseworthy in my opinion, can you imagine the jokes of "Hey Pepper, where's the salt?" Ripley just doesn't seem to fit with the rest of your list because it's very masculine. Jubiliee and Petra aren't my style at all. September is very odd to me, I'm partial to August as a name but not many other months.

In terms of combo's, I'd love to see...
Matilda Valentine
Tallulah Primrose
Felicity Primrose
Imogen Verity
Ottilie Primrose

We had a very similar style for girl's but not so much with the boy's names! I adore Asa and Finlay (this sp.), while Arlo is very handsome.

Tennyson isn't at all popular but it fits the current trends and I just think it's too much name. It doesn't have any nice nickname options either and as a teacher I really couldn't imagine shouting "Tennyson" across the playground. Kieran is pretty dated in the UK, Flynn is uber trendy and Dex/Dax seems very trendy/modern. Wilder appears popular on here, but I just think of the film Van Wilder. I don't like the sounds in Cormac, while Kellen/Orrin don't do anything for me.

Other ideas...
Cillian
Cian/Kian
Orion
Jasper
Felix
Phoenix
Dexter
Corren
Dante
Augustin
Elias
Otis
Eden
Quinn/Quinlan
Alaric
Alden
Auden
Arden
Sutton
Blair
Greer
Hendry
Davis
Sullivan