hubby chose Roxanna but im having doubts...

my husband finally decided on a name and it is from my list..but now im unsure..he decided on Roxana well actually he says he prefers it spelt Roxanna. i originally put the name on my list because i thought it sounded feminine yet fun and strong at the same time..and i like it w/my sons name Alexander..plus nn's alex & roxy are cute...but i noticed on the SSA list the name doesnt even rank..at all...it was only popular between the 50's and 80's..my sons name is more on the popular side..im worried that people will think her name is weird since no one else has named their baby Roxanna in decades..also my moms dog's name is Roxy so does this continue to ruin the name? please help!

Neither of the names that my husband and I have narrowed our list down to are on the top 1000 list either. I don't mind it, because I know that most likely I'm not going to run into another little girl with that name. I prefer this. My son's name is Jacob - obviously #1 for years!!! I HATE (i really can't emphasize how much i hate it) hearing his name all the time. My daughter is Alanna - not very popular, but still on the 1000 list. I enjoy the fact that we don't hear her name every time we go into a public place! And that is exactly what we wanted with our next daughter. Well, we finally found 2 names we really like, and neither of them are on the 1000 list. One name, Rosaelia, I never heard of before. The other Rozlin, I have, and I've already had 2 people comment on how it sounds "old". But "old" is starting to come back in, and we really like these names. I like the fact that we won't be hearing too many other Rozlin's or Rosaelia's.
I hope this helps.

Oh, I fogot to comment on the dog thing. It only ruins it for you if you are bothered by it. 20 years from now Roxy the dog won't be in the picture anymore. Yes there will be memories, but not too many people are going to connect the two names. I know someone who loved the name Chloe so much that she named 2 of her dogs Chloe, then finally her daughter when she had her! So, like I said, it only ruins it for you if you are bothered by it.

I personally think the dog thing is a bit weird...I'm never naming a child Cooper or Findlay because those are my (my parents') dogs' names...

About Roxanna being, well, unpopular...I don't think there is anything wrong with that if you love the name and think it is pretty. For some names, there is a reason they haven't been used in decades - they aren't attractive names. One, in my opinion, that fits the bill on that account, is Mabel. I don't really like Roxanna, because I hate Roxanne with a passion (seems so dated, 80s housewife), but if you like it, then go for it!

If not, I think that Alexander and Rhea, both Greek names, would make a really cute pair! Alex and Rhea? I don't know if that suits your style or not... BUT, Roxanna means "dawn," so if you like that meaning, you could do Rhea Sahara (Arabic for "dawn"). Or, better still, Alexander and Aurora (Latin, "goddess of Dawn"), Alex and Rory! Rory has the same sound as Roxy, right?

While Roxanne peaked in the 50's and then enjoyed a mini-resurgence in the 80's and has practically died out since, making it feel dated, Roxana has actually been increasing again recently. It flashed on the bottom of the SSA list in 2001, and I have found it to be somewhat common among Latina girls, making it feel more current and giving it the potential to increase more (although it fell off the chart again in 2005). Roxana also more successfully avoids the red-light entrepreneur connection engendered by the Police song. Finally, Roxana is a classic name, just like Alexander. It may not be popular now, but I think it fits with other classic names because of its history and its familiarity.

I think Roxana is cool. The second n doesn't make it look nicer to me. Names that end in -ana or -anna, I think, helps make this name fit in with the trends, while it stands out - it is quite unusual but not in a shocking way. It's also close to a Rose name without being Rosanna (like the Toto song? Or Roseanne - the comedienne and sitcom star, or Roseanne Roseannadanna). Variations by a letter or two often improve the image of a name - sometimes makes it more fashionable, or avoids a direct reference, or just a completely different sound.

I have to disagree with previous poster who says names that aren't in style right now because they are bad - that's obviously untrue. Most of us are adults with names that nobody uses anymore. Because they are bad? No, they just aren't the current flavor of preference. I think Roxana or Roxanna really isn't so different from Liliana or Julianna, while being strikingly different because nobody else seems to have thought of it first.

It has definite presence and strength of assimilating with other -ana/-anna names in style, and being a Roxy instead of another Lily. FYI - nobody liked the name Lily for ages but that came back in style. Roxana seems bold because it sounds and looks bold. Liliana is pretty, but it sounds delicate - just because it's overwhelmingly preferred now doesn't mean it's better. Names get revived out of nowhere all the time and people like them a lot, once it has a face.

I think the difference between Roxana and Roxanna is that it sounds like your husband wants people to recognize it, or he feels more balanced there, as Rox-anna and not Rox-ahna. Perhaps this is why I like one n - it just looks like how it's supposed to be spelled and I prefer the -ahna pronunciation. Roxana can be pronounced just like Roxanna. The 'ah' sound is more exotic. However, ana is prn anna or ahna, anna is just anna.

Besides which, I had written before, this woman I knew who carried this name, and I loved her accent when she said her name. I loved her accent, period, but I loved how she said names and her voice. I'm building it up too much! This is probably a name that wouldn't have even caught my radar if I hadn't met her, but now I love it. I don't know what my feelings would be had you presented this to us and I hadn't met her or her name were something else. Like I said, this name is very likable when someone you know actually has it than you might imagine otherwise.

As for the dog thing - I'm generally against people names for animals now, especially since they can be called anything and not made fun of, but that it does have the tendency to use up a name you liked (or someone did it without asking you). I can understand it, totally, though. We love names, we love our pets, and where would all the excess of names we love get to go?

Roxy is a sassy yet friendly kind of name for a pet, and underused on humans so it seems like it's in a safe territory. Unfortunately, your mom picked the same name for her dog you ended up considering for your baby. Kind of unusual coincidence there. Since the dog is Roxy, and the name used would be Roxana or Roxanna, and only called Roxy, it will be established that she has a real name and not the same as the dog. I don't know what I would do there. I think it's ok - does your mom live close to you?

This name is so appealing to me, and I could go on, but I won't. I just wanted to affirm its appeal to you, being that its lack of popularity has you wondering if it's any good.

If you are instead looking for a reason not to go ahead, I don't blame you for looking for another name if you really don't think it's the one, while your DH has just fallen for it. Both of you have to like it, that's my final thought.

Just to clarify, Karen, I didn't say that ALL names that fall out of favor are bad names, I said that SOME are, which I still hold is true. Obviously, the pattern of naming and popularity changes with the changing styles of generations over time, and I think that is a great thing, for the most part. I also didn't say that Roxanna/Roxana is a BAD name - I merely said I personally didn't care for it and thus suggested alternatives. However, if both you and your husband love this name, poster, than go with it.

That is the most important thing. That BOTH of you love the name. If you are having doubts, then maybe it ISN'T the name for your daughter, but it could still be a cute middle name! I think Alexander and Phoebe Roxanna would be cute.

lemon wrote:Just to clarify, Karen, I didn't say that ALL names that fall out of favor are bad names, I said that SOME are, which I still hold is true. Obviously, the pattern of naming and popularity changes with the changing styles of generations over time, and I think that is a great thing, for the most part. I also didn't say that Roxanna/Roxana is a BAD name - I merely said I personally didn't care for it and thus suggested alternatives. However, if both you and your husband love this name, poster, than go with it.

That is the most important thing. That BOTH of you love the name. If you are having doubts, then maybe it ISN'T the name for your daughter, but it could still be a cute middle name! I think Alexander and Phoebe Roxanna would be cute.

I love Phoebe Roxanna!

I see the name ranking low in the ssa list as a plus. The name is not common now but not odd where your child will have a hard time with it. I would much prefer names to be uncommon than the usual names. I find your choice Roxana or Roxanna to be Refreshing.

My best friend's name is Roxy Joanna, and I've always LOVED her name. She said that her parents wanted the middle name Joanna, so couldn't use the full Roxanna. I think of it has being timeless and spunky - definitely fits my friend well! I think you should stick with it!