Names I think are great but can't bring myself to use...

Some of these I wish I was brave enough to name a child one day (but I'm not), others I love but just don't fit my style. And then there are my guilty pleasures...

Agatha: I'm ready for it, not sure about the rest of the world. Agatha Christie is such a cool namesake.
Alfie: This is really cute, but I feel like it would be hard to take an "Alfie" seriously.
Anselm: I just can't do it.
Archie: Soooo 1950s. That's why I love it. That's part of why it won't work.
Augustine: Saint Augustine is one of my heroes, but I can't help but feel this is too much for a child. I may have to shorten it to Gus and stick it in the second or third name slot.
Avery: Meaning, check. Sound, check. But I'm not too into unisex names for the most part.
Axel: LOVE the meaning, "father of peace," but it can't escape the image of a wannabe rocker.
Baxter: Great sound, great feel. Too bad it's ultimately meaningless. If only I had an association that would give me an excuse to use it.
Caroline: Everyone would say "lyn" instead of "line." Sorry, Neil Diamond.
Casey: At the bat. I love it, but it doesn't fit it with my "Absolutely must use" list.
Chester: Either he'd be really cool or doomed to never be.
Clementine: The jury's still out on whether I can actually get away with this one in real life.
Digby: Purely based on the wonderful, British sound of it. Harry Potter, here he comes.
Ebeneezer: Be nice. I have eclectic tastes. Anyway, the Biblical reference is powerful and it's definitely fun to say. But I think this is one that has forever fallen by the wayside.
Eleazar: Great name, but maybe just a tad too Old Testament. Oddly though, I don't feel the same way about Obadiah and Phineas, which I'm so using.
Ella: Graceful but strong. Too bad it's overused.
Enoch: Handsome but ultimately too serious. Ezra has more flair.
Eulalie/Eulalia: ACTUALLY, I might not be brave enough to make this a first name, but it has a REALLY good chance in the middle.
Finn: It'd be downright strange for me to use something so Irish when I'm not even close.
Galilee: I wish I could name a girl this. It's feminine, quirky and full of associations.
Hephzibah: I know. I know. You can't do that to your daughter. But it means, "my delight is in her!" Too sweet! Not to mention, if you let it roll off your tongue a few times it grows on you. Go on. Say it three times.
Huck: I love Mark Twain, but how could I look my son in the eye when he went to apply for college?
Jedidiah: My own personal Jedi Knight.
Jericho: This sounds like it should be the name of a hard-boiled detective in a film noir. Jericho Jones, etc. But I'm awfully tempted...
Jethro: Why, oh why, does this have to have "hick" written all over it?
Lillian: Beautiful, but just a tad too stuffy. This falls under the category of, "I'd love to see it on someone else's child."
Lincoln: Another one I love to see but don't know if I'll use. Mostly because it doesn't fit the style of my absolute favorites.
Margery: I personally don't think of margarine, but sadly, other people do. Frankly, I think this classic should be brought back into use.
Marian: Ditto.
Marilla: An Anne of Green Gables favorite. But maybe shortened to Rilla?
Maxine: I want to love it, but then a red-nailed Madame comes to mind.
Mickey: Why state the obvious? Too bad. I love it's retro feel.
Ottilie: Same as Eulalie.
Quinn: The Mighty Quinn. Once again, too Irish.
Sawyer: Another tribute to Mark Twain. But what with the show Lost and the trendy feel of it, it's probably off the first name list.
Shiloh: I LOVE this name! But Angeline, bless her heart, may have taken it off the market. We'll have to see.
Tallulah: I love the attitude. The whimsy. But unless my daughter's going to be a famous thespian, it might be more of a pain than it's worth. If I move to England, however...
Tess: Lovely, simple. It's just missing some umph. Another one I'd love to see used but probably won't myself.
Wesley: I think of John Wesley which makes me happy. However, I can't get the image of a spoiled, rich bully out of my head.
Wylie: Coyote. Even though it's so much more fun than William.


I'd put Jemima on the list, but dang it, I love it. And God help me, I'll use it. That syrup can go stuff itself.

Agatha: Love it would def consider for a middle name
Alfie: Jude Law bad film comes to mind
Anselm: never seen this before
Archie: cute name
Augustine: make a cool mn
Avery: ovary , everytime
Axel:
Baxter: like this, like bexter even more
Caroline: Beautiful
Casey:
Chester: love it
Clementine: like it but so popular now
Digby: nerdy name
Ebeneezer: scrooge, sorry:(
Eleazar: too girly for a guys name
Ella: Love it but too overused.
Enoch:
Eulalie/Eulalia: pretty
Finn: handsome name
Galilee:actually would be cool for a girls name
Hephzibah: strange spelling not sure if people would 'get' it
Huck: rhyming slang
Jedidiah: star wars
Jericho: kinda cool
Jethro: tull
Lillian: beautiful classic name
Lincoln: cool
Margery: agree on the margarine front unfortunately
Marian: too old fashioned
Marilla:
Maxine:
Mickey: prefer Mikey
Ottilie: growing on me
Quinn:ok
Sawyer: guy from lost , not necessarily a bad thing ha
Shiloh:beautiful damn brangelina!
Tallulah:so gorgeous love it
Tess:like it
Wesley:think of wesley snipes, strong handsome name
Wylie: cute name

Augustine - Maybe August or Augusta would be easier but I still think it'd get Gus as a nickname

Avery - I like but too popular

Caroline - I like this name but I HATE when people pronounce it Carolin. If it ends with lyn/lin then it's carolin but when it ends in line it's cah-roh-lIne. So annoying

Casey - Very nice but most of your choices are more classic/biblical. Maybe you could find a name that fits your list but can be shortened to Casey.

Ebeneezer - Makes me think of two things. Ebeneezer Scrooge and an early 90s Dance song called 'Eezer Good' that used the name Ebeneezer (Eezer) Good to encourage drug use (E's are good)

Enoch - makes me think of unichs

Eulalia - Would be really pretty but I read Redwall books when I was younger and for some reason the battle cry of the warrior animals was "Eulalia". Too weird for me now.

Finn - It's a nice name. It is Irish but maybe you could get away with it. Finley maybe and shorten it? Are you married? If not you may luck out and marry someone with Irish heritage. Then Finn is back on the table.lol

Jericho - Seems like it should be really wrong and stupid... and yet I kind of like it too. Would get Jerry as a nickname probably. If it was a girl maybe Coco. It's oddly cute.

Lillian - Very pretty. Would get Lily for short I think which is less stuffy. You could also go for Lilith which is a little more dangerous sounding. Or liliana. I'm sure there must be other variations.

Marian/Marion - I really like it. Makes me think of Maid Marion but also Mary which is less specific so it works. I want this to come back too.

Marilla - Quite nice. very unusual

Mickey - You coudl use Michael and shorten it to Mickey. Then you could use Michael/Mike/Mikey in different situations.

Sawyer - Was pretty good but Lost made it too trendy for me.

Shiloh - Same as above. It has a lovely sound but far too associated with Brangelina.

Tallulah - I love the sound and flow of this name. All those lovely L's. But I would have trouble taking someone called Tallulah seriously.

Tess - Nice and simple. Maybe for added umph it should be a nickname of something longer.

Jemima - makes me think of jemima puddle duck but I do like it. I don't think it'd be too bad really and her friends at school could just call her Jem.

Tess - I found the name Quintessa which is more interesting and combines Quin and Tess which are on your list. It's Latin for 'Essence.'

Lilian - Variations: Lilith (ghost), Lilibeth (form of Elizabeth), Liliana, Lilika, Lillita, Lilou

Lilibeth is cute!! If I wasn't so dead set on Eliza...

I like:

Agatha: but I'm with you. It's on my "names I don't dare to use" list, because I'm not sure the rest of the world is ready.

Finn: There are a lot of Irish names that I love, but my new last name is very Italian, so it wouldn't sound right.

Quinn: I love this one, but my hubby doesn't.

Sawyer: Love this one so much I gave it to the first foster dog I got to name. Hubby doesn't like it, so it wasn't an option for a kid.

Shiloh: Totally agree with you.

Jemima: I really love this one. I'm also fond of Gemma, or in this case, I guess Jemma.

-Agatha: Old lady name to me. I just don't see it ever getting back in style.
-Alfie: You're so right, it would be hard to take an Alfie seriously. I think of a cartoon character. Name a scruffy dog Alfie, that would be cute.
-Anselm: Don't do it. It's just....bad.
-Archie: This is definitely one of my guilty pleasure names as well, but it's a tough one to use.
-Augustine: You're right, it is a big name for a child to have. Definitely use it as a middle.
-Avery: For a boy or a girl? I'm guessing a boy. I say go for it, it's a lovely name.
-Axel:"wannabe rocker" That is the perfect way to describe it. I also think of David Axelrod, who works for Obama
-Baxter: Makes me think of this one video game my little brother plays... A little strange for me.
-Caroline: This name has definitely grown on me, and I don't think people would pronounced it "lyn" unless it was spelled Carolyn.
-Casey: I love this name. I really do. It's a great choice.
-Chester: You described this perfectly. I love Chester, but I just don't think anyone could get away with having it as their name.
-Clementine: It's definitely a toughie for a first name, that's why I've added it to my middle names list.
-Digby: I can't help but think of a crazy Australian guy, like the Crocodile Hunter, when I hear this name.
-Ebeneezer: Ebeneezer Scrooge. That's all I can say, and hopefully that will make you change your mind.
-Eleazar: Makes me think of Eleanor, definitely not my favorite.
-Ella: Agreed. It's such a gorgeous name (and means a lot to me personally), but hate how overused it is.
-Enoch: Much too serious. And for some reason, call me crazy, it sounds like he'd be bear the brunt of a lot of sexual innuendos later in life.
-Eulalie/Eulalia: This name, while pretty looking, is hard for me to say. Best used as a middle, like you were thinking.
-Finn: Who cares if it's "too Irish"? It's a great name. It's like you're naming your son some unheard of, Icelandic name.
-Galilee: Makes me think of Galileo, such a brilliant man, I think this could be good as a middle name.
-Hephzibah: Imagine her trying to learn how to spell this in kindergarten. Imagine her teachers trying to pronounce it. While the meaning is sweet, it's just unusable.
-Huck: Good point. And, once again, he'd bear the brunt of a lot of sexual jokes in high school.
-Jedidiah: I can't help but think of a hick, or those crazy Duggars with 50 kids or whatever.
-Jericho: I actually like this one. It's a little out there, but still usable.
-Jethro: It definitely has hick written all over it.
-Lillian: Gorgeous name! I love the nickname Lilly. Maybe you'd like Liliana as an alternative?
-Lincoln: I love this name. It has such wonderful connotations. And it could also make a great middle name.
-Margery: I don't care for it very much. I love Margaret.
-Marian: Makes me think of Marlon Jackson, don't ask why.
-Marilla: Armadillo. That's the first thing that popped into my head, then the Spanish word for yellow, amarillo.
-Maxine: I am with you on this. I want to love it, but just couldn't...
-Mickey: "Oh Mickey you're so fine why can't you understand? You take me by the heart when you take me by the hand." Hahah I'm sorry, I just couldn't help myself.
-Ottilie: Makes me think of an otter.
-Quinn: Oh but it's wonderful! Screw it's origins, go for it.
-Sawyer: While it's a great name, can you imagine having a grandpa Sawyer? Or Doctor Sawyer?
-Shiloh: I love this name as well, but in a few years I think it might be usable.
-Tallulah: It does sound like a name for a thespian! haha. I think it's too little girl-sounding.
-Tess: This name has grown on me a lot lately. I also love Tessa.
-Wesley: Definitely think of a spoiled, rich bully. Or a gay man, not that that's bad at all, but that's just what I think of. If he's not gay, then it just wouldn't work in my opinion haha. I prefer Weston.
-Wylie: Exactly! Wylie Coyote. Unusable. Willem could be an alternative to William.

I have some untouchables myself, although I can't really think of all of them so I won't list them.

I like Hephzibah, too!

countrylizb wrote:I like Hephzibah, too!

I knew I couldn't be the only one!

Marilla: An Anne of Green Gables favorite. But maybe shortened to Rilla?


So happy to see Marilla getting a nod! As a childhood Anne fan, I've always loved it. It sounds so pretty, means "shining sea" and I just love everything about it! Bring yourself to use it! (And then maybe I'll be able to, as well :) )