Rethinking Charlotte

[sford02s]

Lemon,

Thanks so much for the list! I've been pitching Valentina for awhile, but DH, Jon hasn't liked it, however now that he's been reminded she was a cosmonaut he's rethinking it I'm not sure I love it with Amelia though. I really liked Laura, Alice, Emmeline, Georgia and Molly. Unfortunately, Jon isn't a fan of Laura, Molly or Emmeline and he's worried that Georgia will be thought of as too much of a place name. Husbands are so much fun!

I love Alice but don't want really want to repeat first initials with already having Amelia. We actually were talking about Helen tonight and Amelia said we shouldn't use that name because it has a bad word in it :lol: so I guess that's out for her! We talked about some other nn's for Eleanor, but I have a niece named Elizabeth nn Ellie so it takes out some of the more youthful nn's for Eleanor. Jon also suggesting Leni as a nn but I'm leaning more towards Nora even though it has a different feel than Mia.

Stacey

[lemon]

Hm. Too much of a place name? Is that going to kick it off the list? A shame, because I love Georgia with Amelia, and Mia and Gigi would be adorable - they share very similar styles in my mind. I guess I just don't see it as that much of a place name, whereas Savannah I definitely do. Maybe Georgiana (as in Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire) would be a compromise?

The only other nickname I can think of for Eleanor beyond Elle, Ellie, Ella, and Nora is Nell, which I absolutely love, but it doesn't really have the same spunky feel that Mia has, either, so maybe it is no different. Nellie? Maybe. I still like Georgia a lot, though... ;-)

Lemon :-)

PS Are you guys into flying or something? Amelia Earhart was obviously a pilot, and you mentioned that Jon liked the fact that Valentina was a cosmonaut. So, I was thinking about female astronauts, and Sally Ride came to mind - she was, of course, the first American woman in space (are you American?). Now, maybe you don't want a Sally, but Sally is a traditional diminutive of Sarah, and Sarah goes very well with Amelia Schwab - you could call her Sally, too, which I actually think is very cute! Or, use Sari, Sadie, Sal, or just Sarah. Others to consider are Kathryn (for Kathryn Sullivan, the first American woman to walk in space), Margaret (for Margaret Seddon), and Mae (for Mae Jemison, the first African American woman in space). If you are looking for an aviatrix like Amelia Earhart, you've got Elizabeth (for Elizabeth "Bessie" Coleman, the first African American pilot), Jacqueline (for Jacqueline Cochran, who was actually born Bessie, considered to be one of the greatest racing pilots), and Harriet (for Harriet Quimby, the first woman to gain a pilot's license in the United States). Others include:

Hanna (Reitsch) - First woman to pilot a helicopter, German WWII test pilot.
Katherine (Stinson) - First woman to fly a loop.
Willa (Brown) - First African American woman to earn a commercial pilot's license.

[sford02s]

Thanks so much! We do live in America, we're in the midwest. I always loved Amelia Earhart as a child and was so interested in her so it seemed like a great namesake for Amelia. Jon has always been very interested in the space program so that's why Valentina sparked his interest. We liked a lot of the suggestions of fliers, but unfortunately have a lot of names floating around in our family so we can't use any of them :cry: I do love Georgia and especially Gigi. The nn Gigi is one of the things that drew us to Genevieve, but I don't know that I love Genevieve as much as Georgia. I don't think of Georgia as a place name but as a variation of George, but am worried most people will associate it with the state, maybe I'm wrong in that. Also, another name Jon's been liking is Laney but it just feels too nicknamey to me and I can't think of any longer forms that I like.

[lemon]

Hm. Well, maybe you can try and convince Jon of Georgia "Gigi," Stacey? As for Laney, the only long form I can think that might work for you all is Madelaine, with the nickname "Lainey." That's actually quite cute with Amelia "Mia."

Lemon :-)

[lo]

I love Kit for Katherine. I have a Katharine that I occasionally call Kit Kat. Genevieve is really nice as well. And while I like Georgia well enough for me it is a place name. I agree with you that Lainey can't really stand alone well (at least not with a sister with a formal name)

I really am glad that you are moving away from Charlotte Schwab as it brought to mind the investment company of Charles Schwab so unless you're related to him the connection is too close.

[leah_9]

I agree with a previous poster, Charlotte Schwab is really hard to say. I love Eleanor though and I think it goes perfectly with Amelia. I prefer the Elinor spelling myself, but both are nice.

[katseaborn]

Two things that are certain:
(1) Husbands are crazy insane pains in the rear when it comes to naming children!
(2) You have FABULOUS taste in names.

One more thing that seems fairly clear:
(3) Charlotte Schwab has a good bit going against it.

First, I am obsessed with "Kit" as a girl nn. I would use it, but my own name is Katherine & I go by "Kat," so "Kit Kat" would be a little too unfortunate. If you can get the hubby to go with it, that is my #1 vote. Also, I really like my nn, "Kat," if you want first hand feedback. It's fun & easy to remember, and I like having the fn "Katherine" behind it.

Eleanor is lovely & was on our shortlist, and Leni & Nora are great nns. I think Mia & Nora for nns, while they're not in exactly the same vein, don't sound "wrong" together.

I prefer Georgia to Genevieve, and as lemon said -- perhaps you can get the hubby to go straight to "Gigi." The "too much of a place name" argument seems to me to be one that would fade in time (I mean, hey ... Charlotte's a place), so I'd stick with it. Maybe he'll come around.

I really love lemon's women of history list ... I really can't imagine there being too many names for you that aren't on it.