Lightbulb in the middle of the night: Baby Names!

[pennquaker09]

Date: 12/30/2007 12:22:23 AM
Author: Sophie
How about Alaina for a girl?

I really like the name spencer, but have never heard it used for a girl and I must admit I would think ''boy'' if I saw it written down.


Hunter is a good boy name


when are the babies coming again? I can''t remember. Out of curiosity, what are you doing for last name? will the babies have both you and your partners last names?

I CANNOT sleep in this house for some reason! The babies are due May 17th, and I changed my last name - our name hyphenated is just plain awful.

I tend to like s name with meaning behind it. And I really don''t like the popular, contemporary names. I like simple traditional (preferably kind of southern) names.

 

[Independent Gal]

I would definitely assume that ''Spencer'' was a boy! Not sure if that''s an issue for you.

''Claire'' is lovely, and if you want a less common first name than ''Olivia'', check out names with the same three syllable rhythm to get the same effect - Tamara Claire, Jessica Claire, Cynthia Claire, Serena Claire, of one that Anchor once suggested on another name thread, which I''m partial to: Naomi (or Noemi in French for Anchor!) Claire...

 

[E B]

Date: 12/30/2007 5:39:26 AM
Author: pennquaker09

I tend to like s name with meaning behind it. And I really don''t like the popular, contemporary names. I like simple traditional (preferably kind of southern) names.

I don''t know if I love Spencer for a girl, to be honest. It would make a nice middle name, though! I''m using my unisex family name for our first son''s middle name.

What about...

Leila
Sophia/Sophie
Julia
Savannah
Alexandra
Victoria
Bailey

 

[Haven]

McKinnley is a GREAT name, I love it!

I still think Spencer is a lovely name for a girl.

If you're looking for S names, my fiance has a client named Shale (or Shayle, I'm not sure) but I've always loved that name. His client is a man, but I think it would work for a girl, too.

I love names that end in "er" too, Lynn. My favorite is Ascher (and not because it reminds me of the cut!), and I also love Sander, Piper, and Vander (which I think I made up. Oh well.) Unfortunately, my FI's last name ends in "er" so we won't be using any of those names.

My favorite names are Pier (for a girl) and Haven (for a boy or a girl.) I also love Amory, from This Side of Paradise.

I can't wait to see what you choose for your babies, Penn!

 

[Heidi137]

Stella, Scarlett, Shelby...

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I really like Spencer for a boy, especially since it is part of Nate''s name. I generally do not like girls named boy names, but I do have a niece named Chandler. I love Claire, but Olivia Claire is going to be pretty common, I think. Another traditional and somewhat southern name for a girl is Caroline, which is a family name in our family.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Had we not lived in Charlotte I probably would have pushed to name her that. I love the name. I also like the name Sadie (inlaw''s dog), Lily (too common and my parent''s dog). Other names I like but could not name for various reasons was Molly, Holly, Madison, Julianne, Sabrina, Alexa....They have websites that tell you the most popular names. I liked a bunch (like Ella, Sophie, Ava...but wanted something different). Good luck. You still have lots of time. We didn''t 100% decide until we were at the hospital.

 

[brazen_irish_hussy]

I think names should reflect something about their owners and to me, names that are used for either sex don''t.
I second going for a more unique name, to my knowledge, I am the only person in the world with my name and I wouldn''t have it any other way. Yes, I have had people wonder what sex I am based on the name, say it wrong, spell it worong, etc but compared to a really common name that isn''t such a big deal. For example, among the freinds I have had who are my age I know: Kat, Kate, Katie, Katea, Cathie, Kathy, Catlin, Cathrine, Kathrine, Kathryn, Kathleen and Katrina. Many had to go with a derivitive of their name they didn''t like so people could tell them apart and most of them hated it even though they are lovely names.
My favorite girls'' names are the ones that end in a or ia, it flows so beautifully and is so feminine. Some of my favorites are: Anna, Boudicca, Svetlana, Althea, Liliana and Helena.

 

[monarch64]

Here''s a funny (hopefully) name story for ya Penquaker: my brother and SIL are currently preggo with their first after 6 years of marriage and not planning to have children. SIL''s preggo with a girl, they found out, and when my mom called to tell me it was a girl she asked me "do you have any names in mind?" Let me back up really quick and give you some background: my name is Heather, and my SIL''s name is Heather. We''ve always gone by Heather 1 and Heather 2. So when my mom asked me what I thought they should name this baby, I replied, "Heather 3, of course!" She laughed but said, no way, don''t be ridiculous. FF...couple phone calls later she''s telling me my brother thought it was hilarious and now they are considering naming the baby Heather, their line of thought being that if males can name babies "james I, II, III," then why can''t there be three Heather''s in our family? LOL! Hope that this story makes sense, I think it''s hilarious.

I love the names you''ve chosen so far, Pen. Hunter, Olivia, Claire, they''re all wonderful. Whatever sounds beautiful to you is the right name...

My grandmother (who was very southern, I''m sure you can appreciate that) wanted to name me LaurieLynn. Imagine her distaste when my mother named me Heather Rene and used the male form of Rene just to spite her. Yeah. They''ve had a feud going on since my mother met my dad, and my parents are still married. Just goes to show don''t let a baby''s name come between any existing family members.

 

[steph72276]

Hi! I was a kindergarten teacher and we had a little girl one year named Spencer. Of course I was assuming she was a boy before I met her, but after I got to know her, the name really "fit" her and was cute. We also had a Hunter and a Claire that year, but surprisingly I never had an Olivia. Anyway, I really like those names, keep us updated on your choice!

 

[pennquaker09]

Date: 12/31/2007 3:21:55 PM
Author: Tacori E-ring
Had we not lived in Charlotte I probably would have pushed to name her that. I love the name. I also like the name Sadie (inlaw''s dog), Lily (too common and my parent''s dog). Other names I like but could not name for various reasons was Molly, Holly, Madison, Julianne, Sabrina, Alexa....They have websites that tell you the most popular names. I liked a bunch (like Ella, Sophie, Ava...but wanted something different). Good luck. You still have lots of time. We didn''t 100% decide until we were at the hospital.

I literally laughed out loud at the first part of your post. It sort of reads like, I loved the name Sadie, but there''s a dog in the family named Sadie, and I also like the name Lily, but I couldn''t name my child after a dog. LOL

 

[Allisonfaye]

Well, I love Olivia but I am biased. My 2 year old is named Olivia Faye. Faye is my middle name, too. I am not normally a big fan of supertrendy names but the reason I chose Olivia is because it went so well with my other daughter''s name, Isabella, which I know is also trendy now. BUT....they are also classic names, IMO, which is why I did it.

 

[nebe]

I just discovered I''m going to name my first daughter Danya Odette Be___-Di__.

Seriously, just this minute I decided that.

 

[diamondfan]

I like Hunter, Tucker, Spencer, Jackson, Cooper, ...a bit more non traditional. What about Hunter Blake? or Mason? Morgan? Grayson? Tate? Leland? Not sure if a really long name is good in the middle.

I like your girl name, I also love Lily, Emma, Charlotte, Grace, Roxanne, Mallory, Sheridan, Ruby, Savannah...I know they are all over the board but they are just names I like.

I do see Spencer as more of a boy name, but you could spell it Spenser. Although when you get super complex with spelling it is a lifetime of issue.

Are there any letters you must or do not want to use?

 

[Selkie]

Have you seen the Baby Name Voyager? It''s great for looking at the popularity of names over the decades.Baby Name Voyager

 

[pennquaker09]

Date: 1/1/2008 10:08:55 PM
Author: diamondfan
I like Hunter, Tucker, Spencer, Jackson, Cooper, ...a bit more non traditional. What about Hunter Blake? or Mason? Morgan? Grayson? Tate? Leland? Not sure if a really long name is good in the middle.


I like your girl name, I also love Lily, Emma, Charlotte, Grace, Roxanne, Mallory, Sheridan, Ruby, Savannah...I know they are all over the board but they are just names I like.


I do see Spencer as more of a boy name, but you could spell it Spenser. Although when you get super complex with spelling it is a lifetime of issue.


Are there any letters you must or do not want to use?

Someone else also mentioned Savannah and I have to say that it has been stuck in my head. It''s one of those timeless names that I think will always be popular.

I''ve really come to find that you and I think the same way/have the same tastes. I like pretty much all of those boy names except maybe Leland. I just couldn''t see naming a child Leland in 2008. The only thing about using the name Spencer is that I don''t want to . . . bring hurt feelings or something because I''m named after my grandfather and knowing my snobby family, they would prefer I pass on the family name. But I have to mention that I really like the name Spencer, for either both. I even thought about using McKinnley Spencer. But then that brings the issue of favorites because I know if I had a twin named after both parents I would feel second in line and that''s something I definitely do not want.

OMGosh, I think I have my boys name, Hunter Braxton! I just love that.

Caroline, I love the name Mallory, but it means ill-omened!

 

[CrookedRock]

Date: 1/2/2008 4:03:06 AM
Author: pennquaker09

Date: 1/1/2008 10:08:55 PM
Author: diamondfan
I like Hunter, Tucker, Spencer, Jackson, Cooper, ...a bit more non traditional. What about Hunter Blake? or Mason? Morgan? Grayson? Tate? Leland? Not sure if a really long name is good in the middle.


I like your girl name, I also love Lily, Emma, Charlotte, Grace, Roxanne, Mallory, Sheridan, Ruby, Savannah...I know they are all over the board but they are just names I like.


I do see Spencer as more of a boy name, but you could spell it Spenser. Although when you get super complex with spelling it is a lifetime of issue.


Are there any letters you must or do not want to use?

Someone else also mentioned Savannah and I have to say that it has been stuck in my head. It''s one of those timeless names that I think will always be popular.

I''ve really come to find that you and I think the same way/have the same tastes. I like pretty much all of those boy names except maybe Leland. I just couldn''t see naming a child Leland in 2008. The only thing about using the name Spencer is that I don''t want to . . . bring hurt feelings or something because I''m named after my grandfather and knowing my snobby family, they would prefer I pass on the family name. But I have to mention that I really like the name Spencer, for either both. I even thought about using McKinnley Spencer. But then that brings the issue of favorites because I know if I had a twin named after both parents I would feel second in line and that''s something I definitely do not want.

OMGosh, I think I have my boys name, Hunter Braxton! I just love that.

Caroline, I love the name Mallory, but it means ill-omened!

I have to laugh at all these names bc... well...
Hunter is one of the names I love, and my BF''s dad''s middle name.
Jackson is our dog. And Cooper is my friends dog that I named.
Mason is our cat that happens to be a Savannah cat...lol
Mallory is Coopers mom...lol
And I used to live on Sheridan St, and I really like that name too!

So I guess we all have great taste in names...LOL Just had to share that!

 

[diamondfan]

I like Leland as a middle name. I would not use it as a first name but it balances things and sounds neutral so I like it for that use.

Mallory was the girl on Family Ties and I always loved the name. I looked up origins when I was pregnant and one of the ones I remember was Brendan, which meant smelly hair in Gaelic, according to some baby name book! I think if you really hate the origin you cannot use it, but between associations with people in your life, or the fact that it was your best friend''s pet''s name, you can really have an issue with what name is "clean" in your mind. But you have to love it. I went with very typical names, traditional, for my father and just because I like them for my other children. I did not do anything unusual, though there were tons of names I liked that were not as common then. I liked Haley and Mackenzie and they are soooo common now. I also loved Kira, Kylie, Kendall and Sloane, but I had only boys. My name was NOT common when I was growing up, and now it is like every other little girl I hearis named Caroline or Carolyn. I think there are cycles to names and some retain a classic hold while other things come and go. Montana is now popular because of Hannah Montana, and it is not something I would name my child, but it is interesting to see the trends of things.

 

[eks6426]

I am definitely seeing a lot of Olivia's & Claire's around these days. Hunter has been popular in my area for at least 10 years. All of them are lovely names.

I think the idea of using what used to be a boy's name as a girl's name is the trendy thing of our era. I know girls named both Spencer & Hunter.

Naming babies is fun. Some ideas:

Savannah Claire
Audrey Rachel
Riley Claire

Ian Spencer
Thaddeus Chase

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Date: 1/1/2008 4:29:14 PM
Author: pennquaker09

Date: 12/31/2007 3:21:55 PM

Author: Tacori E-ring

Had we not lived in Charlotte I probably would have pushed to name her that. I love the name. I also like the name Sadie (inlaw''s dog), Lily (too common and my parent''s dog). Other names I like but could not name for various reasons was Molly, Holly, Madison, Julianne, Sabrina, Alexa....They have websites that tell you the most popular names. I liked a bunch (like Ella, Sophie, Ava...but wanted something different). Good luck. You still have lots of time. We didn''t 100% decide until we were at the hospital.

I literally laughed out loud at the first part of your post. It sort of reads like, I loved the name Sadie, but there''s a dog in the family named Sadie, and I also like the name Lily, but I couldn''t name my child after a dog. LOL

It''s true! Plus both dogs are still alive so that would be strange....naming a child is really hard! Have you bought a name book yet. I tried to avoid it but glad we did. That is where DH found Tessa.

 

[diamondfan]

I love Riley too, as a middle name perhaps? Just saw National Treasure and I think the guy is named Riley. Also like Reece or Reid. With Reece Witherspoon though, not sure I would use it except as a middle name. Kara means gift from God, so that is a lovely choice as well. I happen to think Savannah and Hunter go well together. Olivia is more traditional, not bad with it, but...I think Savannah suits it so well. I also love Marielle. Please be sure your initials do not spell out anything bizarre...like RAT or PIG etc...something to think of!

 

[Lynn B]

Date: 12/30/2007 12:22:23 AM
Author: Sophie
How about Alaina for a girl?
I really like the name spencer, but have never heard it used for a girl and I must admit I would think 'boy' if I saw it written down.

Hunter is a good boy name

when are the babies coming again? I can't remember. Out of curiosity, what are you doing for last name? will the babies have both you and your partners last names?

I *think* that Jaclyn Smith's daughter is named Spencer. (Spencer Margaret, I believe?)
Spencer is also my husband's middle name... so for me, personally, I like it for either a boy or a girl.

I also like "Sailor" -- again, for a boy or a girl.

See, apparently I can't get away from those "...er" names!!!

 

[diamondfan]

Lynn, you are right, and her son is Gaston, which makes me think of Beauty and the Beast. I do also love Shelby.

 

[E B]

Lynn- I LOVE Sailor for a girl! I thought I was the only one. My husband gave me a look of horror when I mentioned it, though. He''s Mr. "Top 20".

I think Hunter and Savannah sound great together.

 

[brazen_irish_hussy]

Date: 1/2/2008 11:09:42 AM
Author: diamondfan
I like Leland as a middle name. I would not use it as a first name but it balances things and sounds neutral so I like it for that use.

Mallory was the girl on Family Ties and I always loved the name. I looked up origins when I was pregnant and one of the ones I remember was Brendan, which meant smelly hair in Gaelic, according to some baby name book! I think if you really hate the origin you cannot use it, but between associations with people in your life, or the fact that it was your best friend''s pet''s name, you can really have an issue with what name is ''clean'' in your mind. But you have to love it. I went with very typical names, traditional, for my father and just because I like them for my other children. I did not do anything unusual, though there were tons of names I liked that were not as common then. I liked Haley and Mackenzie and they are soooo common now. I also loved Kira, Kylie, Kendall and Sloane, but I had only boys. My name was NOT common when I was growing up, and now it is like every other little girl I hearis named Caroline or Carolyn. I think there are cycles to names and some retain a classic hold while other things come and go. Montana is now popular because of Hannah Montana, and it is not something I would name my child, but it is interesting to see the trends of things.

I love the name mallory and knew a girl with that name who was not unlucky at all. My FI is named after Alex from family ties so the name wouldn''t even be about that, just the show. Also, don''t trust the baby name books, Brendan is a lovely name but it definitely means prince, not smelly hair as it if from the Irish word Bréanainn.
My name for my future daughter is a beautiful name and is the name of a star, which is why I picked it. I latter leaned it was also the name of a faerie lover of a Pope, but I think that actually makes me like the name more!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Date: 1/2/2008 10:25:37 PM
Author: brazen_irish_hussy

Date: 1/2/2008 11:09:42 AM

Author: diamondfan

I like Leland as a middle name. I would not use it as a first name but it balances things and sounds neutral so I like it for that use.


Mallory was the girl on Family Ties and I always loved the name. I looked up origins when I was pregnant and one of the ones I remember was Brendan, which meant smelly hair in Gaelic, according to some baby name book! I think if you really hate the origin you cannot use it, but between associations with people in your life, or the fact that it was your best friend''s pet''s name, you can really have an issue with what name is ''clean'' in your mind. But you have to love it. I went with very typical names, traditional, for my father and just because I like them for my other children. I did not do anything unusual, though there were tons of names I liked that were not as common then. I liked Haley and Mackenzie and they are soooo common now. I also loved Kira, Kylie, Kendall and Sloane, but I had only boys. My name was NOT common when I was growing up, and now it is like every other little girl I hearis named Caroline or Carolyn. I think there are cycles to names and some retain a classic hold while other things come and go. Montana is now popular because of Hannah Montana, and it is not something I would name my child, but it is interesting to see the trends of things.

I love the name mallory and knew a girl with that name who was not unlucky at all. My FI is named after Alex from family ties so the name wouldn''t even be about that, just the show. Also, don''t trust the baby name books, Brendan is a lovely name but it definitely means prince, not smelly hair as it if from the Irish word Bréanainn.

My name for my future daughter is a beautiful name and is the name of a star, which is why I picked it. I latter leaned it was also the name of a faerie lover of a Pope, but I think that actually makes me like the name more!

I pushed hard for Mallory but DH *hated* it. I think it is cute though!

 

[chicagohills]

OMGosh! I have an 14 month old that I almost named Olivia Claire....too weird. We ended up naming her Socorro Claire but call her Claire. I was calling her Coco (short for Socorro) at first, but switched to just Claire. Socorro is a common name in Spain. I''m half German and half Spanish so I wanted to name her something that would show my heritage. I also have a daughter named Micah. She has such a strong vibrant personality and can really carry off a boy name. If Claire had been a boy we would have named her Max. I loved how Micah and Max sound together. My Claire is very girly and if I had known her personality before I had her I would have named her Blossom Claire.

Anyway, I love your names. Please don''t let anyone bully you into a name for your little bebe. My mother did that to me with Micah, and I ended up naming her middle name after my mother... actually she did, but that''s another story.

Also, there is Clairesse. You could use Claire or Reese.

 

[pennquaker09]

Date: 1/2/2008 9:16:50 PM
Author: diamondfan
I love Riley too, as a middle name perhaps? Just saw National Treasure and I think the guy is named Riley. Also like Reece or Reid. With Reece Witherspoon though, not sure I would use it except as a middle name. Kara means gift from God, so that is a lovely choice as well. I happen to think Savannah and Hunter go well together. Olivia is more traditional, not bad with it, but...I think Savannah suits it so well. I also love Marielle. Please be sure your initials do not spell out anything bizarre...like RAT or PIG etc...something to think of!

I like Riley. I actually thought about using the same middle name and different first names (obviously) or would you guys not do that? Hunter and Savannah Riley sound pretty good to me. I think I''m pretty set on Hunter and Savannah; at least for right now.

 

[pennquaker09]

I like the name Colby also. I used to babysit a little boy named Colby. The only thing about using that name is that his brother was my first boyfriend . . . BAD memories. And it doesn''t help that they live two houses down from my parents.

 

[rainydaze]

olivia claire is a beautiful name, too bad it is so popular right now (since you prefer to stay away from popular). i do know many young olivias.

a name that stood out to me for a boy, and sounds kind of southern, is cahill (kay-hill). i have only every met one (he was ten a few years ago) and it suited him well. sounded strong and different, but not trendy.

choosing names is hard, but fun! for years when i was in my 20s i loved the name aiden, after aiden quinn the actor, who was the only one i''d heard of with that name. when i was pregnant with our first i was sure that would be our name (and i wanted something different that no one else had) until my friend said she knew four aiden''s. i was shocked! well, i didn''t get HBO and had never seen Sex In the City so i wasn''t familiar with that character, which is why the name had become so popular she explained. i was so bummed! needless to say, we chose another name and it suits my son well.