Names you'd use... if you only had the nerve!

[ellieberry]

I know an American Dafydd! One of my many cousins married a man named Dafydd. It gets some eyebrows when written but people get over the "strange" spelling quick & he gets lots of compliments. I would love to use Caoimhe, pn kee-va, or Eimear, pn ee-mer, but I'm scared of what people in my small town would do to those. I LOVE the Japanese name Megumi but my SO thinks I'm crazy (and not Japanese...). I refuse to take Jemima, Clementine, Ama, Mayme, Bluebell, or Nightengale off my list; but don't know if I'd be brave enough to actually use them. For the boys I'd love to be able to seriously consider these but I am hesitent: Bronislaw, Cavanaugh, Rye, Benek, Castle, Heronim, Lockwood, Constantine, Teos, Caldwell, & Thorn. There are some for a boy or a girl that I could only do in the middle (if at all) but I still love: Saturn, Candle, Linden, Blaze, Cicero, Arbor, Winter, & Zephyr.

[freya55]

It would have to be Calypso for me as well- i just love it! I can't really figure out why it seems so unusable though...it has a soft, lilting sound, lovely musical associations, history, andthe adorable nickname Caly, but it still feels way out there. It will stay on my list though.

A favourite from my teens is Viva which i still love but could never use because it is a brand of paper towels over here in the Uk!

[tay2thestars]

Indiana for a girl...I love the nickname Indy, but Indiana Jones and the state make Indiana a bit over-the-top/unusable for me at the moment.

Katniss...For some reason, I find the idea of seeing a little Katniss running around really adorable! In a more realistic view, I would probably use Katherine or Katerina or some Kat- name to get the nickname Katniss for a girl. Can't use now because of the Hunger Games.

Clove...Another Hunger Games name! I find Clove to be a strong name that is unusual, yet usable. Out of the girls names I listed, I think Clove is the most usable in today's world.

Mirai...pronounced (MEE-rah-ee). Its a Japanese name. Being half Chinese, I think it would be a bit odd to not use a Chinese name if I was to use an Asian name at all lol.

[thetxbelle]

I dont think I would have a problem using any of the names in my sig but I would hesitate to use Soizic because I dont love it enough to overlook the criticism. As much as I love Maxence Aristide the meaning is "the greatest, the best kind" and that's too much even for me.

I wont give up Joséphine; Joséphine Athénaïs and Ulysse Aristide are what I intend to name my kids but so for Ive come up with Josephine Ivy, Josephine Bérengère and Ulysse Ambrose as compromises to use depending on where we live.

I forgot, I really liked Vincenza for awhile but it sounds dumb when I try to say Italian names the right way

[goodhope]

For girls: Tulip because it's my favorite flower, and Locket because it would be cool!

Boys and girls: a bunch of French, Japanese, and Welsh names that I love but would be hard to live with in the US.

[k8d]

I have one reason for not using any of the names below - my husband =)
Seraphina
Lenore and Annabelle Lee - love Poe
Petra, Nadia, Alessandra, Katarina, and Zara

[augusta_lee]

Hero for a girl.

[twentyeightist]

I would love to name a girl Jordache. I have always liked Jordan for a girl, but I would prefer something more unique. I think the "dash" sounding ending makes it sound kind cool and daring. Unfortunately, as many of you probably know, Jordache jeans were designer jeans very popular in the 80s/90s when I was growing up. I don't know if the children that would go to school with my hypothetical daughter would catch this, but I'm sure their parents would.

I also like Valencia but I think that is one of those names where you really have to own it.

[demi]

Southerners would pronounce it "you- la- lee" which I think is pretty. Plus Eula Mae/ Eula Lee are classics. Olalie is an accepted variant
I prefer Eulalia. It's supposed to be "o-lal-ya" but I like "you-la-lee-a" or "o-layl-ya". Or I might go with Alaylia "ah-lay-lee-a"

The fact that people would pronounce it as "you-la-lee" is exactly what would probably stop me from using it. It makes it a bit lackluster. I love this pronunciation: http://www.forvo.com/word/eulalie/#fr (by Justyna), I mean, how beautiful does it sound in her accent? I love it. Anyway, I do like Eulalia as well, but it doesn't have the Poe connection. As far as Eula, honestly it sounds a little too "Beverly Hillbillies" to me, especially when paired with Mae. (No offense to anyone here named Eula.)

[esrever88]

I love a lot of vintage, mauve-tinted, "old lady" names... Agatha, Edith, Opal and Sibyl are all in my top twenty or so, and I wouldn't hesitate to use any of them. However, good sense (in the form of my husband) has vetoed some of my more "out there" vintage names, like Dilys, Enid and Euphemia. I still love them, though, dust and all!