Heather writes:
My husband and I are expecting our first baby right around Valentine’s Day. We have a boy’s name picked out, Charles Anthony, after my husband’s grandfather and great uncle. Plus, they are both saint’s names, which my husband also prefers. However, we are having trouble picking out a girl’s name. My husband is very partial to family names, and his favorite girl name is Anna Maria, after various female relatives of his, although he would accept a variant of this, maybe Annemarie or Marianna. I don’t mind using the family names for a first boy, but I don’t really want both name options to come from his family!
His family is from Spain, so perhaps a girl’s name with a Spanish flavor, but not one that is too common in the U.S., would be nice. Our criteria are: at least one saint’s name, classic–definitely no place names like Madison or Savannah, and not a top-10 name. Unfortunately, several of my favorite names just seem too popular, such as Emily and Abigail. Jillian, Claire, and Margaret are others I like, but they also out b/c they are already in the family. The list of names we both agree on for a girl is pretty short. Our first choice is Elizabeth Anne, with nn Libby, but I wonder if the name is too vanilla, besides Elizabeth being pretty popular right now. Another option is Evangeline Marie, but we’re not quite sure about it. I do like all the nickname options it gives, though. Our last name starts with an E and is similar to Rivera.
Other names I like are:
Caroline/Carolina
Amelia
Audrey
Helena
VeronicaMiddle name will probably be something like Marie or Anne, although other suggestions are welcome!
Thanks so much!
Caroline and Amelia are favorites of mine and have Spanish cognates. I’ve always liked Anna with with Caroline, and it is close to one of your likely middles.
Caroline Anna
Amelia Anne
Amelia Marie
Other possibilities:
Alexandra or Alejandra
Christina or Cristina
Eva
Felicity
Isabel
Finally, are there any names from your family or ethnic heritage you’d want to consider?
Good luck/Buena suerte
Paloma!
the first name that came to mind was definitely paloma! great minds think alike, ‘clueless but hopeful mama’!! ;)
elisa [short for/similar to elizabeth] is beautiful and so is raquel.
best of luck for a smooth delivery and name choice! :)
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Maria is a great name. Of course I’m biased, because it’s my daughter’s name, but crosses many cultures including Spanish (our grandparents were German).
Here are some other pretty saints’ names to consider:
Genevieve
Therese or Teresa
Juliana
Susanna
Angela
Adelina
Sofia
Cecelia
My full name is Elizabeth Anne, although I go by my nickname “Lisa”. I don’t think it’s too vanilla. :) I love the nickname Libby. Very cute.
I’m partial to Caroline and Carolina. I would pronounce them Care-o-line and Car-o-leena. I’m guessing Carolina would get pronounced as in the states (North Carolina) most often and that is what makes me shy away from it.
I also really like Helena and Audrey but I don’t remember Audrey being a saint?
What about the name Annette?
I like Elizabeth too. It’s such a classic name. I would go with nn Lizzy. not vanilla at all. Elizabeth makes me think of Eliza, Elisa, Elise. I also love Helena!
Here are some Spanish-flavored names, that would work perfectly in the US.
Amalia
Antonia
Belinda
Carmela
Carmen
Catalina
Elena
Emilia
Evelina
Gabriela
Juliana
Liliana
Luisa
Margarita
Marina
Marisol
Nina
Paloma
Selena
Siera
It’s a long list, sorry, I couldn’t stop. They’re all charming, right? Most of them are great with the middle name Marie (most end in A so Anne may be a tad more difficult to use as a middle name), or you could mix and match. Carmen Marie is lovely. So is Emilia Marie. Oh, how about Nina Gabriela? Or Paloma Luisa? Beautiful.
Perhaps you might consider Valentina if she’s a Valentine baby?
Good luck!
Would you consider Jacinta? It is Spanish, and the name of one of the children who witnessed Our Lady of Fatima. The other little girl was Lucia. Both are favorites of mine!
Other ideas:
Bernadette
Clare
Rose
I love Elizabeth nn. Libby, and we are currently considering it for our baby on the way. I feel the same way you do with worrying about its popularity; however, even though it is a top 10 name is FEELS much less popular than Ava, Isabella, Avery, etc. because it is a classic, enduring name, not a trendy one. I don’t think anyone hears Elizabeth and thinks “trendy,” rather just that it is common or classic.
Monica or Julia ?
If you can get past the “his side of the family” connotation, what about reconsidering Marianna? I think it is so beautiful!!
Can I say that I love the name Maria? I think it is feminine, classy, and pretty wrapped into one. I think it meshes well with the Avas, Bellas etc. that she will be in school with, but is sophisticated name for a woman.
-M.a.
I like Caroline/Carolina, though you might run into the issue of the Spanish relative saying Caroleena while many Americans would say it like the state. If that doesn’t bother you, fine, but if it would drive you batty to have people pronouncing it both ways, go with Elizabeth. I know it’s more popular right now, but that’s because it’s a great classic name.
Valentina?
I have a Maria and I love it, but there is also Carolina. Adelaide is a good saint’s name, as is Rita. St. Rita has a GREAT story but I could not convince my husband, he thought it was a little hard for a teeny baby. Josefina? Sophia? Seraphina?