Name opinions, please!

[RedOakMomma]

: My dad just called me, and his wife's (my new step mom) son/girlfriend just had a baby girl this morning (). The problem? They named her EVELYN!!!

Dh and I have been planning on naming our daughter Evelyn for over five years now. But now there's this new little girl (which would be okay, I guess, because we won't be seeing them very often)...and I'm starting to wonder, is Evelyn getting *really* popular?

The stats aren't out for 2007 yet (only up to 2006), but I'm afraid Evelyn is going to take a BIG jump when the 2007 or 2008 numbers come out.

Opinions?
How often are you hearing Evelyn as a name for a new baby?
Does anyone know where to find the 2007 data for the name?

[pumpkingirl71]

I think it is really popular. But it isn't stopping us! We loved it first. Everyone besides you and I are posers!

I find the many eve/evies to be more worrisome. Yvonne, Yvette, and Evelyn are all shortened to Eve/Evie.

[RedOakMomma]

Don't forget:

Eve
Ava
Evangeline
Evaline

They're all getting so close to Evelyn and "Evie".

I'm worried it's going to be another "Madeline" or "Emma" or "Isabelle"...where they're lurking around 90, then 60, then WHAM they shoot up to super-popular.

Crappity crappity crap. : This has thrown me into desperate-find-a-name mode....until my step brother used it, I had no idea how attached I was to the name. Now all my second and third choice names seem so imperfect....

[RedOakMomma]

Originally Posted by pumpkingirl71

Everyone besides you and I are posers!

Do you think we could call them ALL up and convince them to change their daughters' names?

[dharmamama]

I only know one little Evelyn, and she's 5 1/2, but I do know that the name is primed for popularity. If it were me, I would avoid it.

I was, from the time I was about 10, going to name my daughter Hanna Cecilia (grandmother's maiden name + female version of grandfather's name). The year Ramona was born, Hannah was in the top5 names. I was FURIOUS! All my life people had told me what a fuddy-duddy, grandma name it was, and then it ad to go and get MEGA-POPULAR!

We checked the Social Security list to make sure Ramona's name was not popular (Ramona is a pseudonym). It was not in the top 1000. Now it's up in the 500's, I think, which really worries me.

I love the name Evelyn. We considered it because it completely rocks with our last name, but we let it go.

Were it me, I would go with something with the same feel as Evelyn but less popular ... like ... ummm ... Cordelia? Clementine? Araminta? Charlotte? (Is Charlotte getting popular? I could see it doing so.) Corinne? Esther? Beatrice? Miriam? Drusilla? Sylvia? Vivian? Georgiana? Lila? Ursula? Ursula! I love it!

(Sorry, I get a bit about names. I love them and have Kept huge lists of them since I was a young girl

dm

[SundayCrepes]

We have a boy and had a terrible time coming up with a name. We'd had a girl's name for years, but when I found out at 16 weeks it was a boy, I was lost. We FINALLY named him when he was 3 days old. On top of not really liking any boys names we came across, we wanted to by a kabalah (however you spell it) definition. All the first names for the rest of the family were so right on the personality and we wanted to grace this baby with a good name. Every boy's name we kind of liked came out as "you will grow up to be an axe-murderer." Okay, not really that bad, but sarcastic or insecure or whatever. Finally we found a name where the meaning was WONDERFUL. It's an atypical spelling, which I'm a little nervous about as he gets older, but he can change it if he wants. And yes, his personality is matching the definition. We checked out each name we liked at kabalarians.com.

[Monie]

We didn't know any little Evies before we named dd2 Evelynn. Now there are tons, especially in the under-3y/o category.

I kind of feel bad that we used the name Evelynn because my younger cousin told my Mom (after Evie had been home a while) that she had wanted to someday name her dd Evelynn because that is her grandma's name. I don't care if she uses it, too, but I think that she does.

[RedOakMomma]

Originally Posted by dharmamama

with the same feel as Evelyn but less popular ... like ... ummm ... Cordelia? Clementine? Araminta? Charlotte? (Is Charlotte getting popular? I could see it doing so.) Corinne? Esther? Beatrice? Miriam? Drusilla? Sylvia? Vivian? Georgiana? Lila? Ursula? Ursula! I love it!

(Sorry, I get a bit : about names. I love them and have Kept huge lists of them since I was a young girl

dm, you're just what I need!!!! Straight-forward opinions, plus creative alternatives. Never apologize for getting : about names! We need all the help we can get--we're STUCK.

Well, I don't think Ursula is for us , but We did have Sylvia, Vivian, and Miriam on the long list. Beatrice is on hold for my sister's future kids, so I can't go there .

For reference, this was our short list:
Adeline (would consider, maybe Adelle)
Alexandra
Bronwyn
Eleanor or Elinor
Elena (EL-eh-na)
Evelyn
Gwynne
Gwyneth
Hazel
Moira
Ruby
Sylvia
(to that I would add, but dh would not
Mairwen
Maeve

The long list also included:
Alisanne
Anwyn
Cecile
Celeste
Helene
Imogen
Irene
Justine
Lilika
Lillian
Mae
Maura
Megan
Myra
Nerys
Rosalyn
Sarah
Tess
Vivian
Wynn

Mairwen and Moira both mean "wished-for child." Hazel and Evelyn both mean "hazelnut," which is the Celtic symbol for life and wisdom.

Our top four were Evelyn, Eleanor, Elena, and Moira. Evelyn seems like it might be out , Eleanor seems hopelessly old (and "Ellie" is a REALLY popular nickname), Elena is impossible to pronounce on the first try, and Moira is kinda Irishy unusual.

I think my mistake was in actually calling her Evelyn for the last several years. I've said it so many times, written it so many times, that it just seems like the best & only. I know it's not, but tonight I'm bummed.

[RedOakMomma]

Originally Posted by Monie

We didn't know any little Evies before we named dd2 Evelynn. Now there are tons, especially in the under-3y/o category.

That's what it seems like to me, too, which makes me feel like 2006's #63 ranking is just the start. I'm feeling like it's going to be skipping up a lot this next year. Would you agree?

[Momily]

I do think Evelyn is headed for popularity. Even if it doesn't zoom up there are so many Ellas, Emmas, Evas, Vivians, Lillians and Avas around right now that it will feel "popular" right now.

Having said that my son has a top 3 or 4 name for his birth year and to be frank it really doesn't bother me. So if I loved Evelyn I'd go for it anyway.

Tess and Maeve, both on your list, are among my very favorite girls' names so I want to put a plug in for them, and I don't think they're experiencing the same meteoric popularity right now.

[dharmamama]

HAZEL! Hazel! Hazel! Hazel! Hazel! Hazel! Hazel! Hazel! Hazel! Hazel! Hazel! Hazel! Hazel! Hazel! Hazel! Hazel! Hazel! Hazel! Hazel! Hazel! Hazel! Hazel! Hazel! Hazel! Hazel! Hazel! Hazel! Hazel! Hazel! Hazel! Hazel! Hazel! Hazel! Hazel! Hazel! Hazel! Hazel! Hazel! Hazel! Hazel! Hazel! Hazel! Hazel! Hazel! Hazel! Hazel! Hazel! Hazel! Hazel! Hazel! Hazel! Hazel! Hazel! Hazel! Hazel! Hazel! Hazel! Hazel! Hazel! Hazel! Hazel! Hazel! Hazel! Hazel! Hazel! Hazel! Hazel! Hazel! Hazel! Hazel! Hazel! Hazel! Hazel! Hazel! Hazel!

dm

[dharmamama]

Ps. My mom's name is Adele, which I love, and we seriously considered Adelia for Ramona.

But, for you,

HAZEL!

dm

[Peony]

I just saw this one the new posts, so I'm ducking in. I know quite a few Evelyn's, and I do know 2 Eleanors under the age of 2 so I wonder if that name is coming back as well. As a mom of 5y old Madeline who's name I had wanted for years, I feel your pain, the name was just hanging out, hanging out, and BAMN they are everywhere! :

[Tigeresse]

I like Mae, Moira, and Wynn.

One of my ds's name was only moderately well known when we named him, and has since skyrocketed in popularity as a girl's name. Who'd a thunk? It is a lot harder if the name is already used in the family. I would probably choose something else. You do have so many cool choices!

[RedOakMomma]

Originally Posted by dharmamama

HAZEL!

...so, I'm just guessing here, but it seems like you like Hazel?

It's on our list, so you know we like it. Our reservations are: the "witchy" aspect of it (teasing), the harshness of vowels and emphasis, and the fact that Julia Roberts used it for one of her twins.

I've heard Eleanor a few times recently, too, but I'm wondering if maybe it's just in a certain group of people?? In 2006 Eleanor was still at #277, and I think we would lean toward Elinor (I'm a Jane Austen fan ). I can deal with #277...but going from #100 to #63 in four short years makes me nervous (Evelyn).

[griffin2004]

I only know 1 Evelyn and she's ~ 10 or so.

I adore Bronwyn and don't know anyone named that.

[RedOakMomma]

Well, that's kind of cool....Moira is also Greek for "fate." My husband studies Greek philosphy, and though I don't believe adoption means we were "meant" to have her as our child, I do like Moira means "wished-for child" and also "fate"...as if it was her fate to be wanted and loved. I also like the idea "fate" being her name would imply that she controls her own fate. I think that's a pretty powerful message.

Check this article out at Wikipedia...do you think it's too loaded of a name??

In Greek mythology, the white-robed Moirae or Moerae (in Greek Μοῖραι — the "apportioners", often called the The Fates) were the personifications of destiny (Roman equivalent: Parcae, euphemistically the "sparing ones", or Fata; also equivalent to the Germanic Norns). The Greek word moira (μοῖρα) literally means a part or portion, and by extension one's portion in life or destiny. They controlled the metaphorical thread of life of every mortal and immortal from birth to death (and beyond). Even the gods feared the Moirae. Zeus also was subject to their power, as the Pythian priestess at Delphi once admitted.

The Moirae were supposed to appear three nights after a child's birth to determine the course of its life. The Greeks variously claimed that they were the daughters of Zeus and the Titaness Themis (the "Institutor") or of primordial beings like Nyx, the Night, Chaos or Ananke, Necessity.

In earlier times they were represented as only a few - perhaps only one - individual goddess. Homer's Iliad speaks generally of the Moera, who spins the thread of life for men at their birth (xxiv.209), Moera Krataia "strong Moira" (xvi.334) or of several Moerae (xxiv.49). In the Odyssey (vii.197) there is a reference to the Klôthes, or Spinners. At Delphi, only the Fates of Birth and Death were revered.[5] In Athens, Aphrodite, who had an earlier, pre-Olympic existence, was called Aphrodite Urania the 'eldest of the Fates' according to Pausanias

[rebyell]

How about Jocelyn? It still has the Lyn last part, or maybe it is popular too? I didn't check the lists.

I am also partial to Hazel since it is my daughers name She ends up getting called Haze, Hazey or HazeHaze quite often, or I was told a friend her aunt Hazels nn was Zella. We know a few too many Stellas for that, but I thought it was a nice nn.

Good luck, names are so hard.

I also really like Eleanor, nn Nora. My other faves right now are Willow, Simone, Tessa, and Corinna.

[RedOakMomma]

Originally Posted by griffin2004

I adore Bronwyn and don't know anyone named that.

I do, too!!, but I think I'm going to have to leave "Bronwyn" and "Gwyneth." One, because they have SUCH a visual of a pale, Irish lass skipping over fields of heather (our daughter will be Korean-American). And two, with Bronwyn, because her initials would be "BM."

We're still considering "Moira," though, because the two hard vowel syllables and pronounciation are very similar to some of the names we've seen chosen by first-generation or immigrant Korean-Americans...I think it would be a name that would work in this instance.

[Tigeresse]

Still waiting for that link to come up but I think Moira is ultra-cool.