how important is matching???

we're having an awful time naming #4!!! our first three have italian sounding names, but there aren't any more italian names screaming out to us.

do we limit ourselves to one ethnicity or just name the baby as an individiual?

i don't want this DD to feel like an oddball, but i also don't want to settle on a name just bc it sounds good w/the other kids' names.

DCs are Anthony, Rocco and Isabella.

Right now, I like the names Charlotte and Josslyn/Jocelyn. We considered Luciana (ch sound) but the Italian pronounciation will be massacred here in Florida! DH's fave is Addison, but I think it's too trendy.
Our name must have a cute nn to go with it. (We call DD Izzy.) Last name ends in -ell, 2syllables, bgins with P. DH doesn't like anything too "original," ie something he hasn't heard of before.

Thanks so much! :)

Thanks!

I would either pick Charlotte - it definitely goes and I don't think the origin of her name is going to make her feel left out - Anthony is not an Italian name, it's a name used by many Italian-Americans and other people. Antonio or Antonino is Italian, while Anthony is the English form of it. So Charlotte would be fine. People will call her Carly if you call her Carly - she will know herself as Carly and introduce herself to people. This is not difficult. She may have her own ideas as she grows older, which is fine - many people grow out of their nicknames.

Luciana would also be great. It is my opinion that you can say this name two ways, and maybe if you didn't strictly insist on the Italian pronunciation, this would be a great match also. If you are pronouncing Lu-chee-ah-na, how are you saying Isabella? Are you flourishing both names with rich Italian pronunciations or just Luciana?

As far as matching - you are going in the right direction when you say you don't want your DD to feel like an oddball. Addison is so masculine/unisex and trendy next to Isabella and Rocco. I really think it is weird in this context. It might go with Anthony if he were the only other child at this point. Jocelyn might be pretty with Isabella - I'm not sure yet. They seem to sound similar but completely unrelated, so it's off. Isabella is a popular name, while Jocelyn is just not on most people's radar. While I love Jocelyn, I don't think it makes a great set.

I am wondering because you have suggested so many names which are not Italian, what causes you to impede the use of Luciana with a strict Italian pronunciation? You can say Lu-chee-ah-na and Lu-see-ah-na are both correct - the 2nd is not a massacre, that's just how we say it in the US. You can insist on the 1st but be relaxed if people speak in their mother tongue - it is not butchering! Unless you are having the same trouble with people pronouncing Isabella like "iz-a-bell-a" when you are saying it Ee-sah-bé-lah, then you probably should accept that Luciana is Italian in origin, but people in the US have adapted their sense of language to it - and that is correct also. Or not worry so much about Charlotte not fitting in while Anthony is an English name.

Luciana and Charlotte are your best bets right now. You had a poll, and I also like Natalia. I think the 4th best is Jocelyn. She might feel sort of odd - it's likely she won't notice her name is not like the others. It's as pretty as Isabella's name, so I don't feel like there will be a sort of "rivalry" when they are teenagers, which one has the pretty name and which one has the plain name, or the boyish name and the very girlish name - matching names up in style and effect may come into play when they are old enough to compare which name is better and why they fit their name or not, who got the raw deal or whatever. By keeping them sort of even, at least you won't have that. They have feminine appeal in the long form with spunky nicknames to suit a more streamlined personality if they prefer.

I don't think Jocelyn will make her feel like an oddball, but it just doesn't look right to me. Jacinta? Or Italian, Giacinta. It sounds almost like Jocelyn, but very harsh next to Isabella. Keep in mind, Isabella is used well in the US by people other than Italians, so it goes well with other names like Charlotte, which is more popular, and Luciana which is Italian but recognizable. It doesn't sound right with Giacinta - a very harsh sound with a very mellow sound, too disparate. Jocelyn would probably be pretty enough and in the scheme of things, would be a fine choice. It just looks a little more eclectic than your other choices, but it sounds ok.

Karen~
Thank you so much for your well thought out post!! Its actually my husband that doesn't like the Anglicized pronounciation of such an '"Italian" name.

I love what you said about when the girls are older, wondering why who got what name. I never even thought of that . I considered her wondering why the other kids got "Italian" names, but not who's is prettier, more feminine etc. That's a great point.

My husband is a bit on the difficult side. He'll say he likes something one day, then it grows on me and he'll change his mind. Although in fairness, I do the same thing sometimes! LOL! (This is the case with Natalia. He liked it, then he didn't. They say women are fickle!) ;)

I'd say we're almost down to Charlotte and Josslyn at this point.

Thank you again for your insight and your time. :)

I prefer Charlotte over Josslyn. I would say that both Isabella and Charlotte are fairly mainstream names (like Anthony and even Rocco, increasingly), so I don't think any of your children will feel left out.

Have you thought of Carlotta? More international sounding than Charlotte, and lots of cute nicknames (Carlie, Lottie, Dot, Car, Cara, Lotta, Lulu...)

I think Charlotte is the perfect name! Your other kid's names definitely don't scream Italian to me at all-- they represent a wide range of origins. I don't think Isabella and Josslyn go together at all. First of all, it's misspelled. Second of all, even the actual spelling, Jocelyn, was traditionally a male name, which gives it a total different feel from Isabella. Anyway, I think Anthony, Rocco, Isabella, and Charlotte make a really lovely sibset!

Stick to Charlotte!

irisrose wrote:I think Charlotte is the perfect name! Your other kid's names definitely don't scream Italian to me at all-- they represent a wide range of origins. I don't think Isabella and Josslyn go together at all. First of all, it's misspelled. Second of all, even the actual spelling, Jocelyn, was traditionally a male name, which gives it a total different feel from Isabella. Anyway, I think Anthony, Rocco, Isabella, and Charlotte make a really lovely sibset!

I agree. I actually DO think in the future that there would be some sore feelings between Isabella and Jocelyn. I honestly think Jocelyn is a bit masculine and not near as pretty and feminine as Isabella, and if I had that name while my sister had Isabella, I would feel a bit upset. This is just me, though. Charlotte is a name that exudes elegance, class, style, poise, and femininity, even though it is a feminized version of a traditionally male name. Also, your children do not, as others have said, have completely Italian names. The only one that seems slightly off in a sibset of Anthony, Rocco, Isabella, and Charlotte is Rocco, because it is more trendy and less classic than the others. However, I don't think this is a big deal at all. I do agree with earlier posters that the American pronunciation of Luciana is not a butchering; rather, it is a pronunciation variant. I don't think it is better or worse. However, I DO think that if people hear you pronounce your daughter's name, they will also pronounce it that way. How do you think all of the Saoirse's and Rihanna's and Eva's get people to pronounce their names correctly? The same way people will learn to pronounce Luciana how you want it to be pronounced. I think Luciana or Charlotte are your best options, as Jocelyn (or even worse, in my opinion, Josslyn) just doesn't stand up to the fine naming examples of Anthony, Rocco, and Isabella! Good luck with your decision.

meghan wrote:Have you thought of Carlotta? More international sounding than Charlotte, and lots of cute nicknames (Carlie, Lottie, Dot, Car, Cara, Lotta, Lulu...)

I agree. The nickname Carlie comes more naturally from Carlotta.