Saturday, August 18, 2012

My Top 25 Favorite Girls Names


My goodness it's been a long time since I've posted on here! I'm very sorry for that but it's been a very busy few months which I'm sure you know if you follow my other blog. Names are never very far from my mind though wherever I go because of course I'm such a name nerd! :)

Over the last few weeks I've torn down my favorite names list and rebuilt it from the ground up. I worked on this project with my sister Bea who had never compiled a list of her favorites before so it was lots of fun! 

Of course even though I rebuilt my list many of the names are still names I've loved for years and years. This process has actually cemented my two favorite girls names and given me courage to add more family names that I love to my top favorite combos. 


So without further ado here are my top 25 favorite name combos for both girls and boys. Most of the names in the top 10 are ones that I'd very seriously consider and probably want to use for a daughter or son.


Because I want to give explanations I'm starting with just girls first then I'll do another post for my favorite boys names.

My Top 25 for Girls
  1. Amy Irene - Amy honors my dad's great-grandmother. Irene honors my maternal grandma who passed away. I do like Amelia nickname "Amy" but I also just adore Amy.
  2. Lena Pearl - Lena honors my dad's other great-grandma on his mom's side, she was always called "Dinny". Pearl is a middle name I'd always liked and it also honors a great-aunt of my mom's. If I could only have one daughter I might name her Lena Sally Irene because I'm loving Lena so much lately, almost more than my longtime favorite Amy. 
  3. Sally Stone - This was my paternal grandma's first and middle name and she was named after a great-grandma on her mother's side. Sally has really been growing on my lately, it still seems a bit dated sometimes but I really want to honor her since she passed away from cancer when I was age 13. I might use Sally as a middle name but as a first name I can't get away from using Stone.
  4. Mercy Ann - Dinny's grandmother was named this and my love for Mercy has been renewed since reading Amy Dashwood's Only A Novel. 
  5. Nora Catherine - Nora has been growing on me lately and I just like the sound of it with Catherine. Nora sounds like a good sister for Amy and Lena too.
  6. Eleanor Amelia - I wouldn't use these if I used Amy and Lena or Nora but I still love Eleanor so much and grown very fond of Amelia lately. I've considered naming two daughters Amelia nickname "Amy" and Eleanor nickname "Lena" but am not quite sure. These names do sound nice together though.
  7. Sadie Eliza - I love Sadie especially because it was originally a nickname for Sarah just like Sally was. I like Sadie Elizabeth but Eliza has been growing on me lately.
  8. Lydia Faith - I love Lydia, it's just so pretty and then Faith seems to suit it very nicely.
  9. Julia Hope - I've always loved Julia and it's on my family tree and Hope is such a great virtue and I do like the names together.
  10. Jane Adelaide - Jane is such a classic and of course honors dear Jane Austen. Adelaide is so pretty and fits Jane nicely with such elegance. 
  11. Clara Joyce - Clara is so pretty and has been a favorite for a while. Joyce honors my maternal grandma but I don't like it as well as her other name Irene.
  12. Petra Felicity - Petra is a name that I've always liked but have never had on my favorites list before so I'm trying it out to see if it grows on me more. It took me a while to find a middle name I like but Felicity seems to add a bit more spunk to it.
  13. Mary Frances - My dad's maternal grandmother's first and middle name, I have very fond memories of her and know she was as important to my dad as his mom was. I love Mary but usually use it was a middle name but wanted to consider it more as a first name.
  14. Beatrice Elena - Mary Frances's older sister and my sister is named after her. I like Beatrice a lot, it's so elegant and Elena is very pretty too. I'd use "Bea" as a nickname but might not actually use this name because my sister would have first pick to use it because it's her name.
  15. Phoebe Evangeline - just two I've liked for a while. 
  16. Anna Melody - I've been rethinking Anne and Anna lately, they really are so pretty even though a bit plain. I wouldn't mind having a daughter or a niece named Anna (my sister is considering this too). Melody honors my very dear friend and she has made the name really stand out as absolutely gorgeous to me. :)
  17. Margaret Ruth "Maggie" - I really like Margaret but am not brave enough to put it up there with Eleanor because my mom had a friend with this name and she'd probably think it was odd is I used it. Ruth honors mom's great-grandma who is a very special lady. I like the nickname Maggie or Maggie Ruth.
  18. Emma Cecily - I love Emma even though it's so very popular right now. I've always had Emma Claire on my favorites list but I'm trying Cecily this time because it's pretty and so lovely old-fashioned sounding!
  19. Jocelyn Opal - Jocelyn is a name my parents have always liked and especially because it's similar to Joyce my grandma's name. Opal is a name I like but it's also the birthstone for October when my parent's wedding anniversary is. I've been liking Jocelyn more lately since I've started pronouncing it joss-lynn instead of joss-eh-lynn. I do like the idea of "Joss" as a nickname. Probably won't use this name because my sister has already claimed it.
  20. Cassandra Isolde "Cassie" - I love Cassandra and it honors Jane Austen't sweet sister. Isolde is so pretty and the names together are a bit over-romantic sounding but I do like it. My cousin is Kassondra so I probably won't use this but I do like it. 
  21. Rosa Camille - I've been really liking Rosa lately and Camille is growing on me more and more.
  22. Grace Arabella - I love Grace as a first name and Arabella is so elegant.
  23. Laura Dorothy - Laura has been growing on me lately and I do like it but it's always seemed odd to me to name a daughter after myself (Laurie). I do want to use Laurence to honor my grandfather who I was named after and if I don't have a son I might use Laura as a girls middle name or maybe Laurie if it fits. Dorothy was the first older lady I ever cared for but it is a bit dated. 
  24. Charity Esther - I've been liking Charity more and more lately and Esther honors my first employer who is such a good friend to me.
  25. Eloise Margot - I always like El- names especially for girls and this combo still is so cute to me.

So this is the girls. I'm going to post the boys combos soon.

Do you like any of these first name / middle name combos? 

Are there any of these names you might consider using for a daughter?

Which names sound bests as sisters for Amy and Lena?



4 comments:

Melody said...

Fun! I have to say I like the names more as it gets down the list, haha.
You just adore Amy? So do I. Oh, wait, we're talking about the name, hahaha. ;)

I always think Mercy is an interesting name, just because it isn't used very much. And it's pretty enough. :) But why not Anne-with-an-E? ;)

Ooh, Eleanor and Amelia both look so lovely and old-fashioned and literate-y! :D Jane Austen used Amelia in some of her juvenilia. :) I think having names that could be shortened to other names you like as well is a nice way to go (then it's almost like the child would have two name options when they got older). Especially if the longer name is more old-fashioned. ;)

Lydia Faith is lovely. ;) And I adore the name Hope. I always have; in fact, a doll I received for my third birthday was named that, of my own accord. Heehee. :)

I always thing Adelaide is pretty, and Jane has grown on me a lot since discovering a certain author. ;D

I like Felicity...

Awwww, are you talking about ME Melody?? :D That MMFHI (if you can remember what that acronym means!). ;-)

I always like Cecily--a character I made up is named that, in fact. And I like Emma, but would like it a great deal more if it hadn't gained in popularity! Isn't it funny how Emma and Isabella are two of the most popular girl's names?? ;D

I used to really like the name Cassie when I was younger, and it's starting to grow on me again. And Isolde is a very pretty name. Have you ever seen any of the Avonlea episodes with Isolde "Izzy" Pettibone? I like her character (most of the time). :)

Oooh Grace! I love that name. And Arabella is indeed elegant. :)

Charity is lovely, and there's something about Eloise that I seem to like. :) Above-mentioned Cecily's older sister is named that, heehee.

Fun!

Collar City Brownstone said...

I would name a daughter Hazel Joy.

rer said...

I think this a lovely list. I likes your boy one a bit more, but there were a few that i liked. My name was almost Nora. If my mother had her way. Lol its a family name. Elenora actually, but still. Petra is one ive always loved. I would probably pair it with something very whimsy not a virtue though i love virtue names! Something like Petra Birdie or Petra Demi. I love your blog!

Unknown said...

Those are all lovely, feminine names with old-fashioned flair.
My two favorite girl names as of now are:
Felicity Mae (nickname Lissy)
Rosemary Alice (nickname Rosie)