Jess writes:
I hope you and your readers can help. You’d think that after reading your Baby Name Blog for so long that I’d have more ideas and wouldn’t need help…but I do! My due date is January 15th, but my family is very crafty and wants a name to embroider on bibs, quilts, etc., ASAP Which is stressing me out! I have a daughter who is 9.5 and name choosing for her was EASY. I knew at least a month before the ultrasound what her name would be if she was a boy or a girl. My daughter’s name is very uncommon, it’s like Mattea but spelled differently. Our last name sounds like “Schloff”, I’m not really concerned with the name flowing since she’s a girl, and her last name may change one day. Plus, nothing really sounds right with it anyway. The one name I did fall in love with for a girl was Ava. But it is so popular, and I feel that since my older daughter has such an uncommon name, that I should follow that trend. Plus, my name was extremely common growing up, and I hated being the fourth girl in class with that name. The middle name will be Jane (after my mother) and Ava Jane just sounded so cute to me. I also would prefer an obvious girl name. Some names we have considered:
Lila (Layla and Lola are out as close friends have daughters with these names)
Emmalyn (I like it and it didn’t rank in the top 1,000)
Annabelle (which is a familiar name, but not popular)
Eliana (I really like this one because the meaning in Hebrew is “My God has answered me”, and we didn’t know if I’d ever be able to get pregnant again, which I desperately wanted….but don’t know if it’s the one, also, my neighbor is pregnant and this is one of her favorites too, but her husband hates it, and she doesn’t know if she’s having a boy or girl, but mine is due first, and she did say the name was mine if I wanted it…but I feel like I’m hijacking!)
Elena (which my daughter vetoed because a girl on her bus has this name and is “mean”)
Ellery (which my family associates as being a boy name, so that’s out)
Olivia (too popular)
Amelia (also rising)
Nora (I feel so-so about this one)
Adah (which I also liked for the meaning, “A beautiful addition”)Also, to make matters worse, another neighbor of mine is pregnant (the three of us form a triangle) and due in December, she also isn’t finding out what she’s having, but I’m paranoid that it will be a girl and she’ll pick the name I settle on (not intentionally), so I feel like I need a lot of backups! Also, don’t drink the water here unless you want to get pregnant, NONE of us were trying, and now we’re all due weeks apart!)
Thanks to you and your readers for any suggestions!
To me, the clear stand-out from your list is Eliana. It’s one you love, it has extra meaning for you, and I think it’s the best one with Mattea. I mean, that is a gorgeous combination, similar in style yet still nicely separate: Mattea and Eliana. I love it. I feel like pressuring you to use it.
Is the reason it feels like hijacking that you got the idea of the name from your neighbor, or did you both just happen to have it on your lists? Though the former would give me some pause, too, it still seems to me that you should use it: she’s fine with it, and it would feel so awful if you gave up the name you loved and then she had a boy, or had a girl but her husband wouldn’t agree to the name anyway.
Also, I would like to send a message to your family: STEP BACK. Let’s not put additional PRESSURE on such an important decision. There is PLENTY of time to personalize items in the days after the baby is born (the baby will not need a personalized bib or quilt IN THE HOSPITAL), and in fact it gives everyone something fun to do right after they hear the happy news of the birth.
Name update! Jess writes:
It seems like everyone was pulling for “Eliana” (both due to how beautiful the name is and the special meaning behind it), but on 1/25 she was born and we named her Ava Jane. She was 8lbs 1oz and 20 inches long. 6 1/2 weeks later, she’s nearing 9lbs, but not quite there. She is a petite little thing, and I read once that Ava means “bird like” (which…boring!), but she is! I wanted to thank you and the readers for the help, even though I ended up going with my first choice. It’s safe to say though that I *might* be having a bit of name regret. Everyone I introduce her to says, “Oh, my new granddaughter is named Ava” or “Oh, we just enrolled two Ava’s in our class!” Argh! But, I knew that was bound to happen and for the most part, I call her by her full name of Ava Jane, so it sets her apart a little bit…right?
Thanks again!
I agree with Swistle 100 percent. Look at it this way: you would be doing your friend a favor by using the name Eliana because now she won’t have to fight with her husband to get him to agree to a name he “hates”.
(More encouragement: nickname Lia is cute and the name goes so well with your chosen middle name.)
I agree with Eliana being the right choice. If you use Adah, you should know it means “bejewelled” though.
I vote for Eliana, too. It sounds so perfect with your other daughter’s name.
Eliana is lovely and gentle; it kind of reminds me of a Mediterranean flower. It is the perfect sibling name for ‘Mattea’.
Eliana Jane… it really has charm!
Your neighbor will be happy that such a wonderful name got placed. Since you read this blog all the time, you know that people re-suggest the same name repeatedly (even though their spouse hated it, a cousin used it, the dog’s name rhymes with it, etc.) because a wonderful name DESERVES to be used!
Best wishes to the four of you!
Eleni (Greek origin of the name Helen)is another possibility, close to Elena and Eliana. I’ve heard it pronounced as both Uh-LAY-ni and Uh-LEN-ni, so you could choose which one sounds best to you.
I LOVE Eliana – beautiful. But a close second was Adah, both for the meaning and its similarity to Ava, which you love.
Congratulations!
I don’t think your neighbor is going to name her baby a name her husband hates, so I think you should go with Eliana. Eliana Jane is a great name. My second choice or you would be Lila, Lila Jane.
Good luck!
Lela
It does sound like you have your heart set on Eliana so I’d go with that one. It’s good with the middle and the sibling name.
But I also really like Lila, Amelia & Nora.
Other possibilities (not that you need them): Chloe, Chelsea, Clara, Josephine, Violet
Hahaha, Swistle, you are adorable, adding “of baby Eliana” in the tiny text. I love it.
Also, my word verification word is “fookin.” I enjoyed that as well.
Imagine how you would feel if you saved Eliana for your neighbor and she ended up not using it anyway, whether because she has a boy or can’t get buy-in from her husband. Use Eliana.
I am with Swistle, who has written a VERY compelling argument above. Eliana is a lovely, lovely name, to say and write and type. Eliana Jane sounds very nice together. That said, I know a Violet Jane and I really like that, too. But I’d go with Eliana. Eliana. ELIANA!
We had a girl in October (a month early, she was due in November) and my girl name list was similar to yours. We named her Eloise, and I am so in love with it. I also think Eliana Jane is lovely (Jane was our #2 choice for middle name but we went with my MN, Elizabeth). Funny enough, we also have a Sch— last name!
Oh Eliana is lovely. I also like the suggestion of Eloise or Elyse (Elysa?). Congratulations!
I love Eliana. As Frazzled Mom said, your neighbor may not use it anyway. Assure her anyway that you are delighted with the notion of two Elianas on the block; I’m sure she won’t begrudge you choosing a name you both love.
It sounds like you’ve got your name, but since you mentioned Emmelyn, I thought I’d just put in a pitch for Emeline/Emmeline. My cousin in Norway has a daughter with that name and I think it’s gorgeous.
Good luck! You’re almost to the birth month!
Good for you, going with the name you loved most of all. I wouldn’t be concerned about the popularity of the name, and it may be that you would have had name regret had you NOT given your baby the name you preferred. “Ava Jane” is a lovely name, and like you say, sets your little girl apart from the many ‘just Avas’. It used to be that many girls were named Mary with a second name, and I knew girls who were called Mary Ann, Mary Beth, Mary Jo, etc. I never thought of these names as being the same. Likewise, Ava Jane does sound distinct.
Congratulations on your darling little Ava Jane!
Ava Jane, such a pretty name. I agree with Patricia above… I think of Mary, Mary Kate, Mary Beth, etc. all as separate names. Ava Jane is a great combination!