For those who haven't decided, is anyone sharing their thoughts on names? We're shortlisting, and will make our final decision when we see the little one's face, but we're slowly narrowing it down.
Anyone want to share?
Ours are....
Boy:
Desmond (short form: Des or Desy)
Cabhan (proun. Cavan)
Darragh
Carwyn
Either sex:
Dorian
Adair
Girl:
Fionnoula (Finn for short)
Niamh (proun. Nee-ave)
Iona
Ula
Moira
Awe, I really like all of your name choices!
Just like last time we''re having a really hard time with names again.
I'm 90% sure we'll use Henry as the first name for a boy. We'll probably call him Harry and use that name to honor both DH's and my paternal grandfathers, Henry and Harold. The middle name's up in the air still for a boy though. I like Edward (which is a family name on both sides) but DH isn't so sure about it. He thinks it sounds too English, but he's vetoed everything else I came up with too.
We're really struggling with a girl's name. I've always said I would name a daughter Sophia (it's a very old family name) but with it being the most popular girl's name for 2011, we've decided not to use it, which sort of breaks my heart a bit. For most of the girls names we like, we want to use Maxine as a middle name (again it's an old family name), but it doesn't totally work with all of them. So, right now our options for girls names are:
Margaret (Maggie) -We still need a middle name if we use this option. Anyone have any ideas?
Lydia Maxine
Lyra Maxine (this is my favorite but DH isn't liking it. For us it is decidedly different and untraditional.)
Helena Maxine
Beatrice Maxine
I don't know, I feel like the girl's name is still so up in the air....we're likely to use something else entirely....which probably means we're having a girl......lol! This is how I felt with boys names last time until about a month before DS was born.
One thing we decided for sure is that we aren't sharing our name choices or ideas with friends or family this time until the baby's here.
Thanks!! Any faves? I'd love some input...
I love Sophia. It's funny that it's supposed to be the most popular, because I haven't heard of anyone with that name recently.
Margaret is my mom's name! :) Margaret Helena?
I also love Helena and Beatrice, but they're all great choices!! I really like all of them!
We haven't even gotten to middle names! 
Haha! I just went back over your names and really could not choose favorites! Each one I thought I liked as much as the one before it! I think you might have some hard choices here!
I love Sophia too, but I actually do know a bunch of them either at my son's school, or who are younger siblings there, so it seems to be really popular here. Who knows, maybe we'll have another down the road and get to use it still.
We might go with Helena for a middle name with Margaret. DH really would prefer Helen since that's his grandmother's name but I feel like it really needs the "a" at the end. That dispute might mean we don't use the name at all (rolls eyes). We really struggle with not liking very many of the same names at all.
Chronic lurker here, but I just can't resist your beautiful list. Your names are lovely! I would have a really hard time deciding off of that list... I especially like Moira and Cabhan.
I am pretty sure we will be naming our little girl Adair-- I'm so glad to see someone likes it too! I have gotten a few weird looks... not like that doesn't happen to everyone, but my mom is especially acting a little confused. We picked it out years ago in honor of my husband's grandfather, who died in the fifties. It was his last name, but his mother was adopted by her stepdad, so Adair hasn't been used for a couple of generations. We thought it was a lovely way to honor his grandfather-- and then my mother-in-law was killed in a car crash last fall, which gave the name even more significance. He misses her so much, but her name would be too much I think.
My husband keeps insisting that we can't decide until we meet the baby, but every time the subject comes up I can tell that's what he really wants. I don't know if I like it more than our other choices-- Miriam and Violet are both top contenders-- but his heart is really set on it, and I can't fault him for wanting to honor her! It will mean a lot to his family, too. I think she will be Adair June, June for my own beloved grandmother (who was nice enough to tell me that she thought June Adair sounded much nicer, ha ha!)
DH and I had such a tough time agreeing last time around!!! This time, I've had the name Rose in my head since wayyyyy before I got pregnant. I think Rose will be the middle name. I am pondering it as a first name, but DH doesn't like it for a first name.
I keep wanting to call this baby "J" something - something starting with the "j" sound. I get that overwhelming feeling every time she kicks. Then I recalled I like the name Gemma (pronounced Jem-ah). I wrote it on my list last second and shared my list w/DH the other night and he loves the name. He told me last night he is getting attached to the name Gemma Rose.
I'm not done browsing and considering names. But I find it VERY exciting to think that we may have agreed on a name so easily this time!
Oh and we definitely aren't sharing our name choices with anyone in real life until baby is here either!
Cindy
Those names are all cute! Cindy, if you end up going with Rose for the middle name, you should get some baby photos done in that gorgeous rose garden up near that park we first met at. lol Of course, maybe the timing is better for a maternity shot ;-)
We're actually planning on waiting until this little one arrives before we pick a name. I love my son's name which we did pick in advance, but I spent the first three months of his life calling him Baby because he just seemed so asexual and personality-less. lol Once he hit about three months and was really responding to everything around him, dh and I both spontaneously started using his real name. It was something we both noticed, so we've always planned for a second child to go nameless for a while before picking something that really resonates with their personality. Of course, not too sure how long we can stretch out that time period what with birth certificate concerns and all, but we'd ideally like to wait a month or two. So, anyway, because of all that, there's no talking of names over here. lol
Pregnova: Too funny - that rose garden is actually where we opened the gender envelope! It's totally coming into bloom right now. I picked that spot bc I like it but once we found out we are having a girl, I thought that it was just too fitting that we opened it in a rose garden. Also, we did IVF this time and my doctor was in Roseville. LOL. I didn't even notice the name as being close to what I like until DH pointed it out. There are just so many reasons to use the name. The roses here around town are one of the things I really love about being here. It was my great grandmother's name and also the street at the end of our block is Rose Street. :-)
My husband is really gunning for a certain boy name but it is three syllables, and doesn't have a nickname which seems so long to me, lol. He really likes it though so we'll see. Girl names are always hard for us but I'm getting to that point where it is bugging me not having each picked out.
Love the name, Sebastian. Also, Santiago.
Ok, help!! -- I totally understand your concern with the nicknames. After I wrote about Desmond above, and started thinking about the short forms, I had a change of heart. If Desmond gets shortened to Des or Desy, it ends up rhyming with Lez or Lezzie, and we're a queer two-mom family. Is that really fair on the child? Is it like instant teasing? I talked it over with DP and she agrees that it's just adding to the ammunition of the mean kids out there. What do people think?
Chronic lurker here, but I just can't resist your beautiful list. Your names are lovely! I would have a really hard time deciding off of that list... I especially like Moira and Cabhan.
I am pretty sure we will be naming our little girl Adair-- I'm so glad to see someone likes it too! I have gotten a few weird looks... not like that doesn't happen to everyone, but my mom is especially acting a little confused. We picked it out years ago in honor of my husband's grandfather, who died in the fifties. It was his last name, but his mother was adopted by her stepdad, so Adair hasn't been used for a couple of generations. We thought it was a lovely way to honor his grandfather-- and then my mother-in-law was killed in a car crash last fall, which gave the name even more significance. He misses her so much, but her name would be too much I think.
My husband keeps insisting that we can't decide until we meet the baby, but every time the subject comes up I can tell that's what he really wants. I don't know if I like it more than our other choices-- Miriam and Violet are both top contenders-- but his heart is really set on it, and I can't fault him for wanting to honor her! It will mean a lot to his family, too. I think she will be Adair June, June for my own beloved grandmother (who was nice enough to tell me that she thought June Adair sounded much nicer, ha ha!)
That's awesome, Candalyn. I especially like Adair for a girl. It's one of our top girl's names. Perfect for a fall baby too! Adair June is beautiful!
Love the name, Sebastian. Also, Santiago.
Ok, help!! -- I totally understand your concern with the nicknames. After I wrote about Desmond above, and started thinking about the short forms, I had a change of heart. If Desmond gets shortened to Des or Desy, it ends up rhyming with Lez or Lezzie, and we're a queer two-mom family. Is that really fair on the child? Is it like instant teasing? I talked it over with DP and she agrees that it's just adding to the ammunition of the mean kids out there. What do people think?
Aww...that does seem something I'd avoid. Such a shame.
We always like to think ahead to what nicknames might be given by OTHERS to our kid based on their name...like you did. There can be some really hurtful nicknames that come from beautiful names.
Nicknames annoy me. There are so many names I just adore but would never consider using bc people always want to find a nickname and I hate so many of the shortened versions. Even the kids themselves shorten their names a lot when they are little and it is easier for them. So now I find myself calling my daughter by the nickname she gave herself - which is not the version I would have ever come up with on my own - but she says she prefers it over her full name.
I do have to say though - it is pretty left field to think about the rhyme. I'm not sure I would avoid the name bc of that. Maybe that's bc I live in such a forward thinking area and have plenty of lesbian friends with kids - so perhaps I'm optimistic about the teasing. But I think that as long as you don't mind the nicknames themselves, don't rule it out.
Cindy
Dandylez - I think I might agree with your hesitation. I have worked in schools or many years, and kids can just be cruel about anything unfortunately - especially when there are no adults listening. I know many parents who would have been shocked by things their kids did/said at school, kids who never did those things at home. Plus on the playground away from teachers ears...
You can't prevent everything, but I get why your worried.
Nicknames are a big factor for our name choices too.
Thanks for the input, everyone! It's definitely something to consider. We live in a small city and will probably end up in a small town at some point. Although we have a circle of progressive friends, there's a very conservative element out there. I know that teasing will happen no matter what we do. Ultimately, I hope we'll raise our little one to be strong in who they are and manage childhood cruelty, and we'll definitely talk to them about and help them deal with bullies and homophobes. But I think we'll store this name away for now, and save it for when we're more experienced parents. :)
I agree with you. I'd like to think that within the fairly progressive circles where our family operates, nicknames like that wouldn't happen, but, the truth of the matter is that our children, especially once they are in school or other activities live in a society that stretches beyond their parents' circles, and kids can be very cruel to each other.
Ha ha - How is pregnancy forgetfulness for ya! I started a new thread, even after I already posted in this one - oops!! Thanks for keeping me on track Dandy!!
Back to the boys names...
DH really likes names like Jonathan, Aidan, James etc. - I don't. They're nice enough, but seem so common that I can associate like 5 different people with each name.
I would like a more celtic, scottish, irish name...but haven't found any that I love yet, and I don't want something too different. Some that DH vetoed were Caelan, Quinn, Griffin...
I do find the meaning of names important. We discovered that DS's name meaning actually meant something incredibly special, and we didn't even know until after we agreed on the name - kind of like the name found him. We're hoping for something like that to happen again this time :)
Ha ha - How is pregnancy forgetfulness for ya! I started a new thread, even after I already posted in this one - oops!! Thanks for keeping me on track Dandy!!
I totally agree with you on names that have meanings. I'd love an Irish name because I grew up in Ireland, but we have a couple of Welsh names on our list too. DP's family is some sort of white anglo mixture, so there's not much of a source for names there. Her mom has some French-Canadian, but DP doesn't like any of the names from that culture. I love Amelie, but she vetoed it. Aidan is a great Irish name, but you're right, it's become SO popular. I keep hearing of Aidans, Aidens, Aidyns everywhere!
My nephew's name is Cael, so I like Caelan too. My friend's brother (another Irish family) is named Cian (with a hard 'C'). I think he might spell it with a 'K' though, as Kean or something, I think. So, if you don't like the traditional spellings, you can always change it to make a name easier to manage? Keep us posted! :)
I love reading about names and keep waiting for the next response on this thread... so I guess I should contribute a bit myself 
Though I frequently hear people say that picking boy names are harder, we have been pretty settled on a boy name for weeks- in fact it feels so "right" that DH is worried I might use it for a girl 
(I wouldn't) and it is making me think this baby is a boy... My only concern is with the initials- WPF- I just wanted to double check that there isn't anything too wrong with them and I know you ladies will give me objective feedback (hopefully reassurance since my #2 choice I will need a few years to sell DH on, both the first and middle).
Girl names are giving me much more trouble. I really like the name Georgette (nn Georgie) and think I want to use it, but middle names for it are hard! Eva Georgette flows correctly, but I would want her to go by her middle name in that case and I don't know how complicated that would be at school, resumes, etc. (any experience with this would be enlightening). Also, I would really like to honor family, especially with our first LO and Georgette is not a family name- so the middle name would need to be. I really want to honor my grandfather with a Jayne (he went by Jay). And this would be the baby to name after him if I want to tell him in person since he may not even be around when this one arrives, let alone the next one. I love the idea of using both, in theory, but I am not sure Georgette Jayne really works (last name begins with F and has two syllables). What do y'all think? Probably if I am calling it out it would be Georgie Jayne, which seems to trip off the tongue much easier, but...
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