Caroline writes:
We are pregnant with our first baby girl, and due on or about November 21st, 2009. The one thing that we know for sure is that her middle name will be “Rose.” This is due to the fact that my maiden name was a very complicated Polish surname that had something close to “Rose” in the pronounciation. It would be too cruel to give this baby the actual surname as a middle name, so we’ve decided to use “Rose” instead, as a shout out to my side of the family. Therefore, the baby’s first name must go with “Rose” as a middle name. We have a very common last name, “Thompson.”
Our favorites so far are:
Maggie Rose Thompson
Winifred “Winnie” Rose Thompson
Gwendolyn Rose Thompson (I love this, but don’t like the nickname “Gwen,” can I get “Winnie” as a nickname out of it?)I guess we like uncommon names, and apparently old fashioned names. If it’s a BIG name (like Winifred) we like the possibilty of a cute nickname coming out of it. I LOVE “Winnie.” Any other suggestions?
Maybe “Lynnie” as a nickname for Gwendolyn? Adorable. (Though an older Lynnie/Winnie might still choose to go by Gwen.) Some more uncommon, old-fashioned names with cute nicknames:
Eleanor Rose Thompson (Ellie, Lenni)
Elsa Rose Thompson
Lydia Rose Thompson (Liddy)
Meredith Rose Thompson (Merrie)
Millicent Rose Thompson (Milly)
Virginia Rose Thompson (Ginny)
Willa Rose Thompson
From my list, my favorite is Willa, a name that is complete in itself while still having the cute-nickname appeal of Winnie.
From your list, my favorite is Winifred.
Let’s have a poll over to the right. [Poll closed; see results below.]
Poll results (197 votes total):
Maggie: 30 votes, roughly 15%
Winifred: 23 votes, roughly 12%
Gwendolyn: 35 votes, roughly 18%
Eleanor: 16 votes, roughly 8%
Elsa: 10 votes, roughly 5%
Lydia: 16 votes, roughly 8%
Meredith: 11 votes, roughly 6%
Millicent: 8 votes, roughly 4%
Virginia: 13 votes, roughly 7%
Willa: 35 votes, roughly 18%
I think in the show The Wonder Years, Winnie was short for Gwendolyn. I much prefer Gwendolyn to Winifred, and I think Winnie could work as a nickname for either one.
Maybe Wendy as a nickname for Gwendolyn?
Wendy occurred to me as well.
Winnie reminds me exclusively of Winnie the Pooh, which would turn me off to that as a nickname. If that doesn’t bother you, though, it’s probably no big deal.
I think if you 1) love Winnie so much 2) would consider Maggie, which is indeed a nickname for Margaret, you should just go with Winnie! Vicky also used to be a nickname only and now is a name in it’s own right. Why not Winnie?
I love Winnie – but I like it better as a nick name for Gwendolyn then for Winnifred.
Wilhelmina (or Willaminah) or Matilda seem to be your style as well. Nick names could be Willa, Willie, Billie, Mina(h), Mattie, Tilly, etc.
I know a Gwendolyn that goes by Wendy. I think Winnie is absolutely a nickname for Gwendolyn.
I agree with Clare above – use Gwendolyn with the nickname Winnie, as in Winnie Cooper! Very cute, definitely works, and is a little hipper than Winifred in my book. Winifred I just can;t get over the “fred” ending. I like Swistle’s suggestions of Eleanor Rose, Meredith Rose and Virginia Rose, and I would add to that:
Caroline Rose Thompson (Carrie?)
Evelyn Rose Thompson (Eve/Eva/Evie)
Genevieve Rose Thompson (Genna/Eve)
Sylvia Rose Thompson (Sylvie)
Clarissa Rose Thompson (Clare)
and finally, what about Guinevere? Its like Gwendolyn but even more unique, and the “Winnie” nickname is more pronounced. Guinevere Rose is quite nice, even if the Rs are close together.
Good luck!
I also love Winnie. It was my great-grandmother’s name. If you love Winnie, then name her Winnie. Personally, I don’t care for Winifred. If you wanted the longer name, then I’d go with Gwendolyn … she would likely be called Gwennie over Winnie, though (still totally cute).
I like Winnie for Gwendolyn and I also like Winnifred.
Gwendolyn is amazing, and it flows really well with middle and last names. I do think you could do Winnie as a nickname, but also Wendy, Dolly, Lyn, Lynnie. I would not let the dislike of Gwen stop you when there are so many other options for shortening this distinctive name. I think as long as you have a nickname ready you won’t be stuck with Gwen if you don’t like it.
I personally love Winifred, as well, but the “fred” ending is a less fashionable sound right now. Still, awesome. I think “Freddie” is another supercute nickname myself.
Both of these names would have been on our list except they sadly really don’t work with our last name or our existing child’s name (too theme-y).
I’m less fond of Maggie as a given name. I think it’s a great nickname (Margaret, Magdalena), but to me it seems too cutesy as a given name, especially with Rose as a middle name, where the Maggie begins to sound like an adjective. (Maguey is a plant, and I know it’s pronounced differently than Maggie but in my mind I still say them the same. Or maybe it’s moggie that’s tripping me up, which actually comes from the name Margaret and means “cat”.) I want to emphasize that this is very much a personal quirk since Maggie is cute and spunky and has been given as a full name for a long time. Ditto Winnie as a full name.
Personal feelings about Maggie as a given name aside, it’s also a pretty popular combo with Rose. Where I live Rose is only slightly less popular than Grace as a new standard middle name. With good reason, it’s elegant and flows well with most names… but for example I know a toddler Maggie Rose. That popularity could be a good thing if you had an unusual or hard to manage last name, but I think with Thompson, you could be a little bit more daring in the front.
I also like someone else’s suggestion of Guinevere, but I think it runs together oddly with Rose when I say it. So I think you might be better off with Gwendolyn, even if the Winnie nickname is slightly more of a stretch.
I love Willa as a nickname for Wilhelmina as well. That’s my favorite of the other suggestions.
Good luck – you have some totally awesome choices!
I give a big YES to using Winnie as a nickname for Gwendolyn! If people can get Peggy from Margaret or Hank from Henry, then I don’t see Winnie from Gwendolyn as much of a stretch at all! Go for it. :]
Another option would be Gwyneth/Gwenyth, nickname Winnie. Particularly Gwyneth, since it has the “wyn” right in it.
I love Winnie! It’s very sweet and it absolutely was the nn for Gwendolyn in The Wonder Years. Although the suggestion of Gwyneth is also very cool.
Good luck!
Johanna Rose (nn Jo)
Margaret Rose (nn Maggie)
Mariah Rose
Susannah Rose (nn Susie, Sukey)
I like Susannah Rose best.
I have a good friend named Alwyn and I grew up knowing a woman named Wynne. They are both from Australia, so I don’t know if it is more common over there or something. But Winnie would be great nicknames for those.
Alwyn Rose.
I like Maggie Rose best of the three names under consideration. I have concerns about “Winnie”; it reminds me of whinny, the noise a horse makes. As for Gwendolyn, I think Wendy would be a darling nn.
I can understand your attachment to Winnie (at various times I felt the same about Betsy). If you’re set on Winnie, I think Gwyneth would be a name your daughter could easily switch to when she’s older if she thinks she’s outgrown her nickname. Another name that links well with Winnie is Winona, but I personally far prefer Gwyneth — and it’s close to your Gwendolyn.
What about Penelope, nn Penny?
Taste-wise I prefer Gwendolyn to Winifred, BUT Winifred is my Grandmother’s name, and its grown on me. While Winifred may not be fashionable now, it’s day will come again. I think you can get Winnie out of either name. I would not recommend putting Winnie on a birth certificate.
Another suggestion that I feel fits your style is Bernadette, which is my MIL’s name. But I wouldn’t use her horrible nickname, Bernie. I would use either Betty or Betsy. This way you can use one of Elizabeth’s cute, old-fashioned distinctive nicknames but have something more uncommon than Elizabeth for the full name.
I tried and tried to talk my husband into using Rose as a middle name for our last baby girl, but it was a no-go. IF I had gotten my way, she would have been Isabelle Rose–with Izzy for a nickname. We agreed on the Isabelle (she was actually named after my husband’s grandmother–you’d think he would have at least let me pick the MIDDLE name?), and she ended up with Lynne as a middle name. And yes, we call her Izzy–which just suits her so well!
Oh! The names YOU like? I like Lydia–have a good friend named Lydia.
My grandma’s name is Winifred, and I love calling her Winnie.
I love the name Eleanor, too.
How fun! I would be screwed if I got pregnant – I would never be able to make up my mind!
Catherine Rose
Emily Rose
Lucy Rose
I really like Gwendolyn and I think Winnie works fine as a nn for it. I also really like Genevieve, Evelyn, and Estelle.
Good luck!
I like Margaret, Margot & Magnolia to get the nickname Maggie although Magnolia Rose is very floral.
Winifred is gorgeous too I would struggle to pick between Margaret & Winifred.
I like the suggestion of Eleanor but I love the nickname Nora/Norah!
Suggestions: Leonora, Honora, Theodora, Pandora, Anthea and Dorothea.
Meredith is pretty although it is unisex it goes well with Rose as a middle.
Willa is pretty I like the suggestions of both Willamina and Wilhelmina as well you could also use the nickname Mimi and Mina which are pretty cool.
Cordelia Rose Thompson
Hermione Rose Thompson
Beatrix Rose Thompson
Prunella/Fenella Rose Thompson
Lucretia Rose Thompson
Allegra Rose Thompson
Tabitha Rose Thompson
Jemima Rose Thompson
Lilith Rose Thompson (Too Floral?)
Aurelia Rose Thompson
Jessamine Rose Thompson
Araminta Rose Thompson
I heard of a “Winnie” that was short for Bronwyn. LOVE it, although may not go well with your last name. Maybe it will help someone else though! :)
Flib, I was just the other day wondering if you were going to ask for suggestions here. I LOVE the sound of Gwendolyn Rose. It has a great flow and I think Winnie is a nice nickname for it.
No one has suggested Lida Rose! Have you ever seen The Music Man? You could sing that song to her every time you walk in the door…
Lida Rose, I’m home again Rose,
To put the sun back in the sky!
Lida Rose, I’m home again Rose,
About a thousand kisses shy!
So sweet. You could spell it Lyda to make it close to Lydia. I’m all about naming kids after cute songs.
I like Gwendolyn and Gwyneth but not so much Winnifred. In my opinion, Winnifred sounds very dated rather than classic, perhaps due to the Winnifred’s I encountered while working in nursing homes.