Spunky, classy, no frills...

[blossom]

Hey all! First-time poster, long-time reader. After three years of trying to conceive, it has FINALLY happened. And she's a girl. Super excited.

DH says he doesn't care what her name is as long as it doesn't contain or lend to the Ell- nicknames and isn't extremely common. So, the plan is to present him with a list of favorites and let him decide which stand out unless he decides to chime in.

"Extremely common" leaves a nasty gray area, however. We live in a very hip neighborhood of NYC. Translation: for every Isabella, there is Isla or Juno. To me, this means two things: I'm allowed a bit of leeway on the out-of-the-box factor and I should take that tricky "extremely common" condition with a grain of salt. She's just as likely to be in a class with Ruby or Alice as she is with Sophia in these parts.

As for my taste, I like class (not necessarily classic!) with spunk. Nothing too cutesy or frilly, but I don't care for unisex, either. Literary connection is a huge plus. At the moment, it's looking pretty eclectic:

Clara
Ivy
Frances nn Fran
Matilda
Beatrice
Penelope
Winona nn Winnie
Harriet nn Hattie
Daisy
Tess
Claudia
Rowena
Felicity
Philippa nn Pippa
Liv
Agatha

Some have sentimental value, but there's no favorite. So, suggestions? Comments? I'd love to hear what you all have to say.

Blossom

[jesba]

Congratulations! You have some nice names here. I've bolded by favorites.

Clara - I like this name a lot. Claire is an option for even less frill.
Ivy - not my style. I can see the appeal, a pretty plant, nice sounds. I just can't help thinking of poison ivy.
Frances nn Fran - like it OK although I prefer Frankie or Francie.
Matilda - like it a lot! Tillie and Tilda are cute.
Beatrice - love! Bea is great. Also like Beatrix for a little spunk.
Penelope - like it a lot! Not exactly frilly, but maybe a bit much for his taste? Love nicknames Poppy and Nell/Nellie/Nella. Not wild about Penny although it's fine. Also, by a stretch she could be Ellie, I can see your husband wondering about that if he's observant enough about names.
Winona nn Winnie - too tied to the celebrity for me and I suspect for your taste judging by other names here. Winnie can come from a lot of Welsh names and probably some others if that's what you want.
Harriet nn Hattie - this name has a lot of class and pinache but it's not my style because I just worry about "Harry". I do like it on many levels. I prefer nns Hallie and Etta.
Daisy - like it a lot but it's a little cutesy, again, I think for your taste too given the other names here. I'd go with Margaret and make Daisy the name. Margaret hits a lot of the same notes as Harriet without the Harry, and there's so many nickname possibilities!
Tess - Love! Also like it as a nickname for Theresa or Tessa but it does work well on its own.
Claudia - like this pretty well! Nns Cleo, Clo?
Rowena - Pretty fond of this. Winnie? Rory? Ro?
Felicity - like this well, but a little tied to the TV show. Verity and Felice both seem a little bit less frilly to me.
Philippa nn Pippa - like this a lot!
Liv - love this! It's a family name for me though so I don't feel it's too celebrity. If it's not a family name for you, I wonder if you'd feel the same way in the end. Also, I worry about everyone guessing it's a nickname for Olivia.
Agatha - intriguing. Pretty tied to the author and pretty old lady. But somehow nice. Not wild about Aggie. Agate?

You might like
Hazel
Iris
Olive nn Liv
Vera
Helen
Althea
Aletha
Agnes
Inez
Esther
Jane
Anne/Anna
Lydia
June
Maeve
Mae/May
Lucy
Ruby
Pearl (also a nn for Margaret by meaning in my book)
Naomi

Good luck!

[grey56]

Clara - too popular for me.
Ivy - I like this! I also like Iris, Imogen, Ingrid
Frances nn Fran - this is ok (my MIL's mn....) it's on our list.
Matilda - I LOVE THIS FOR YOU!!
Beatrice - Also on our list - my husband's #1 in fact! I like it alright.
Penelope - Another on our list. I like nn Nell/Nellie, my husband likes Penny.
Winona nn Winnie - do not like this. Especially after Winona Ryder stole stuff.
Harriet nn Hattie - it's ok.
Daisy - cute. Maybe not as much for an adult?
Tess - Another fav for you!
Claudia - Hmm. Different but approachable. A dark horse. I like it.
Rowena - Not a fan.
Felicity - TV show.
Philippa nn Pippa - too out there for me.
Liv - People will think she is another Olivia
Agatha - I actually really like this one!!

So my top favs for you are:
Matilda
Tess
Claudia
Agatha

They seem fresh to me, without being too weird. I know you live in NYC now but she may not always? I think the 4 I listed are universal! The others are too popular IMO.

From PP's list, I also like:
Hazel, Iris, Agnes, Esther, Maeve, and Pearl (these are a little more old-fashioned I think - but still classic)

[lilybug1]

Congrats on your long-awaited little girl!

Clara - I think there are a lot of Claires running around, so I would stay away from this even in NYC.
Ivy - Nms, but I think you should be okay in NYC with not too many of these running. But what is she goes to school at one of the Ivys?
Frances nn Fran - again, nms, but totally meets your standard.
Matilda - This does sound like a NYC kind of name. My concern is its closeness to Madeline, which there are a lot and its variation. Also, would you call her Mattie? If so, careful with all the Maddies (including Madisons) running around. I'd stay away
Beatrice - I see this name popping up here a lot. The nameberry taste strikes me as the type you describe for NYC, not totally mainstream, quirky and brave. But this name is pretty classic, so you should be okay. I went to school with a lot of Beatrizes, so it's just not my style, but if i were to do anyone it would be Beatrix with nn trixie.
Penelope - I think this is a NYC type name like Juno. Nameberries love it too.
Winona nn Winnie - Cute nn. Wish you get there without Winona. How about Wynn? Winter?
Harriet nn Hattie - Cute and I think you should be okay popularity wise, but again might be the Juno of NYC of your kid's year.
Daisy - Cute. like it.
Tess - I think it meet your criteria.
Claudia - Nms, but you should be okay popularity wise. A lot of Claudias in my school too.
Rowena - I think you should be great with this one too.
Felicity - I love it and you should be okay popularity wise.
Philippa nn Pippa - same as rowena.
Liv - I really like this name, but I would never do it because of all the Olivia's being born. I know you say Juno and Isla are just as likely as Sophie and Isabella, but that's not too say there are no Sophies or Isabellas in NYC. Sophia and Isabella are EVERYWHERE, and so will Olivia. I know many mommies calling their unborn Olivias, Livi or Liv as a nn already and that's in the womb.
Agatha - you're totally safe here.

I totally know what you mean about NYC hipster type names. I think it makes it tougher for you, because you still have the mainstream names to contend with but you may end up with another Penelope in her class. There really is no way to guess in a scenario like this. Just do your best and go with the name you love, not so much popularity of obscure names bc it's hard to predict that.

Of your list, I really like Felicity best of all, especially for your criteria. I like Daisy too, but not sure how much "class" is in that name. I'm not saying it's classless, but not sure I'd ever describe it as a classy name. It's a cute and spunky name, but not classy. For your criteria, but it is less my style, I like Harriet nn Hattie and Phillippa nn Pippa. I love both these nn but not such the full names. Also, Pippa will sounds a lot like any Piper classmates.

The ones that really stick out as popular trouble to me are Liv bc of the Olivia nn, as well as Penelope for the funky-hipster popularity I think it enjoys. Like Liv, I'd stay away from Matilda if any part of you is hoping to go for nn Mattie.

[alexa400]

Clara- Love Clara, but like pp said there are a lot of little Claires
Ivy- LOVE probably my favorite from your list
Frances nn Fran- Ok, nms but a solid, non-frilly classic
Matilda- Cute
Beatrice- nms
Penelope- Very cute, but also pretty popular with the hipster crowd, though I wouldn't say it was common, just depends on where you live
Winona nn Winnie- LOVE the nn Winnie, not so fond of Winona
Harriet nn Hattie- I love the nn Hattie, Harriet is ok
Daisy- Cute but a little too cutesy for my taste
Tess- another nameberry favorite, but it just feels like a nn to me...
Claudia- LOVE
Rowena- ok
Felicity- ok
Philippa nn Pippa- LOVE
Liv- not enough substance for me
Agatha- I would love to meet a little girl named Agatha

My favorites from your list....
Ivy
Philippa
Claudia

some more suggestions....
Ramona
Winifred
Paulina
Daphne
Dinah
Helen
Georgia
Honor
Patience
Greta
Margo
Portia
Bianca
Roxane

[gidgetmom]

My favorite of your choices is Penelope! I love the nickname Penny. I also like Frances and Clara quite a bit. I would suggest Dorothy, also. It has the literary connection of Dorothy Parker and is very sweet, vintage, and ready for a comeback.

[blossom]

Wow! Thanks for the thoughtful and prompt replies.

Winona is a guilty pleasure. I figured she was out of the question due to Ms. Ryder, but threw her out there anyway just to make sure. Same with Daisy -- I know a very classy, kind, and charitable Daisy, so she colors my opinion of the name.

To get the Winnie nick, I found Bronwen and Guinevere. I'm going to let those sit for a while to ponder. I don't like Winifred at all; for some reason, it conjures up an image so stuffy that I just can't get past it. Winter may grow on me.

I didn't even know there was a Felicity TV show! That certainly weighs on my love of the name. DH also said it reminds him too much of fidelity -- looks like Felicity's getting the ax at an early date.

Love the nickname Clio for Claudia! She really is a dark horse. I love how substantial and strong Claudia is while still not being overtly tomboyish or feminine.

Man, it's really disappointing that Liv is basically going to be used for every Olivia. I was totally living in denial. That's enough for me to knock her out of the running.

I love Matilda and Agatha. I especially love them together should our girl ever welcome a sister. I'm not fond of Mattie, Tilly, or Aggie. But I could totally see a little girl rocking just Tilda. I'm still playing with Agatha to find a less obvious nickname.

So, here are the names I pulled from everyone's wonderful suggestions: Dorothy, Hazel, Daphne, Pearl, and Vera. I'm having a lot of fun rolling Vera's different pronunciations around on my tongue to find which one I like best. Dorothy is absolutely lovely -- unexpected, slightly quirky, familiar, and versatile. I also adore Dorothy Parker. Hazel is loads of fun and Pearl has interesting literary connotations. Daphne is wonderful, but I fear she won't last long due to DH's Scooby fixation. :roll:

I think that concludes my very long-winded reply.

Blossom

[donnane]

Sooo excited for you!! Your name list might change, but Clara would be first pick and Hattie would be right up there at the top as well.

[aphroditeiris]

Congrats! It must be a wonderful feeling after trying for so long.
My thoughts:
Clara - LOVE IT!
Ivy - Not fond of it
Frances nn Fran - Love Fran, not sold on Frances
Matilda - So-so
Beatrice - Hm, difficult, don't really know whether I like it or not.
Penelope - Never liked it, but matter of taste
Winona nn Winnie - See Penelope
Harriet nn Hattie - See Penelope
Daisy - Like it a lot
Tess - Like it as well
Claudia - Not fond of it
Rowena - See Claudia
Felicity - Hate it, sorry!
Philippa nn Pippa - See Felicity
Liv - I just think this doesn't sound girly enough...
Agatha - Don't like it, don't hate it..

[katybug]

I may be the only one but I really like both Ivy and Frances. They fit your naming style perfectly. But I posted mainly to support Agatha! It's one of my all-time favorites, but I struggle with Aggie as a nickname too. Agate is a great suggestion!

Also love Claudia with Clio as a nickname, and Daphne and Vera are amazing! That would probably be my dream sibset.

Suggestions:
Margot
Zelda
Thora
Amoret
Bronte
India
Alice
Tamsin