Southern baby girl name

I am thinking of naming a baby girl Lainey Susana. It sounds very southern to me. My concern is that it sounds too much like a nickname and not a real name. I dont like Delaney or Elaine. I have thought of Scarlett, but it seems too "cliche" as a southern name. Thoughts?

I'm not American, so I feel my opinion on Southern names may not be reliable, but one which to me really gives that Southern Belle feeling is Luella (loo-ella), and also Mae. Also, how about Tara (Gone With The Wind, but not as cliched as Scarlett), or a Southern place name, like Magnolia, Savannah or Memphis?

Personally, I do think Lainey sounds a little like a nn, and I prefer the Susannah spelling, but that is just my opinion.

Good luck!

Lainey sounds really sweet. Maybe it could be a nn for Madelaine.
Scarlett is very beautiful and also quite popular so I don't think that people would find it too cliched.

A few other Southern girl's names I like are-

Augusta
Carolina
Marietta
Maybelle
Raleigh (can be a boy's name also but I prefer it on a girl)
Georgia
All the best!

Hi there! :-) If you're going for a Southern feel, Susannah feels very Southern to me, while Susana feels more exotic, as it's the Portuguese spelling of the name (I would pronounce it suz-ONNA, not suz-ANNA). If it's the ending H you don't like, you may also like the Susanna spelling, which also feels Southern to me.

Possible sources of Lainey:

Lane
Elaina (doesn't feel Southern to me)
Elena (ditto)
Madelaine

Other names that feel Southern to me:

Adeline
Adelia
Annabelle
Belle
Clementine (nn Cleo or Emme)
Celia
Corinna
Daisy
Delilah
Emmeline
Georgia
Harper
Lucy
Mabel
Margaret (nn Maisie, which feels Southern to me)
Stella
Scarlett
Susannah
Tess
Willa

(Sorry for any repeats!) :-)

Good luck! :-)

mommaof2 wrote:I am thinking of naming a baby girl Lainey Susana. It sounds very southern to me. My concern is that it sounds too much like a nickname and not a real name. I dont like Delaney or Elaine. I have thought of Scarlett, but it seems too "cliche" as a southern name. Thoughts?

Lainey doesn't seem Southern to me, but Susanna does.

Here are some more cute Southern names:

Ada
Alexandria
Augusta
Carolina
Charlotte
Dallas
Florence
Georgia
Magnolia
Memphis
Savannah

Scarlett
Ashley
Vivian
Tara

I just would avoid using middle names like Ann, Lynn, Lou, Jo, Beth, Jean, Marie, Kay, Rae, and Sue. These seem very country to me...

Thanks for the advice so far, I agree that Susanna or Susannah is better than Susana, now that you all mention it. I like the name Madeline as a name, but it seems like Lainey as a nickname for Madeline may be a stretch. Im beginning to think that a nickname for a name is okay? Afterall names like Sadie, Emma, Ellie are all nicknames, aren't they?

mommaof2 wrote: Afterall names like Sadie, Emma, Ellie are all nicknames, aren't they?

Actually, Emma's not a nickname... also, I would never use Sadie or Ellie as real names-- a complete, formal name will suit her much better later on in life. For Lainy, I like Helena, Elena, or Milena as first names.

About Madeline...I was thinking of Madelaine, which is a variation of the French Madeleine. Because it ends in Laine, I thought Lainey could be a nickname.

(I'm not normally a fan of variations, but Madelaine feels really elegant to me...)

What about Laine/Lane with Lainey as a nickname? I'm personally not a nickname as first names person, unless it's something that ages well, like Eliza, which has become a name in its own right.

I can picture Lainey on a little girl, but I have a hard time seeing the name on a professional adult, especially without a more solid or mature name to fall back on. I love the idea of having options, but that's just me. I do think that Lainey is darling, though, and if you're comfortable using it as a first name, that's what matters.

Best wishes to you! :-)

What about Alanna?

I am from the south and to me these are southern names:

Delta
Dixie
Lucille
Magnolia
Scarlett
Lavender
Florence
Violet
anything with Mae, Sue, Lou attached