Teresa writes:
Need some help choosing a name for our baby girl due Jan 26th. This is our second child; we have a son whose name is Grady Stephen. Last name is MacNamara. My husband and I have been discussing names for months and have a list going, but just can’t settle on a name and now DH isn’t sure he likes any of them. Here’s our list: Carolyn; Ellen; Nola; Alice; Erin; Lucy. I also like Etta and DH likes Althea. Names we’ve discussed and rejected: Evelyn; Rowan; Eleanor; any B names (don’t want initials BM); any name that ends in -ara (too rhymie with last name). Names of nieces so can’t use: Olivia; Abigail; Emma; Laura; Natalie. We’d like to use River as a middle name, so long as it flows well (no pun intended).
I guess I’m looking for any feedback on our list names and also any suggestions I can bring to DH.
Thanks for the help!
Name update! Teresa writes:
I enjoyed reading everyone’s comments, and getting such positive feedback for Nola really helped swing us back around to the first name on our list. And as much as we loved River, we decided to go with a more traditional middle name, choosing to honor an aunt and great-aunt of mine. So Nola Catherine was born on February 2nd, our little Groundhog Day baby.
Alice is my favorite from your list. Maybe you’d also like: Helena, Emily, Simone, or Sarah.
Good luck!
i love all of your possibles, esp nola and ellen.
Lucy, Sadie, Olive, Rose, Molly, Ruby, June, Jane, Helen?
also like pp suggestion of Simone.
Nola River is inspired!
Are you totally opposed to River as a first name? I think it sounds kind of great with your last name and it flows more easily as a first name than a middle, imo.
River Caroline
River Carolyn
River Katherine (Catherine)
Etta is very pretty, but doesn’t seem to flow well with River, unfortunately.
Cora
Tess
Eva
Alia
Amalia
Good luck!
i like Etta without River too. I think it sounds like At A River when I say it but I really do love Etta and Grady. I think I’d do Etta with a more traditional name like how Grady has Stephen. Etta Elizabeth? Etta Louise? Etta Caroline?
Great list. I especially love Nola and Erin. And Alice, you can’t go wrong with Alice. Love the mn River too.
Maybe you’d also like: Elise, Leona, Muriel, or Tilda.
Good luck!
I am of course partial to Carolyn, but I definitely have to say more than ever in my life, in the past year I’ve recently gotten quite a few compliments that Carolyn is a “beautiful” name.
I like Nola, Alice, and Lucy as well. What about Elise or Eliza?
Nola River MacNamara…
Grady and Nola.
Sounds good!
I immediately thought Erin went well with Grady and Erin McNamara sounds good.
River is a pretty name, but I wouldn’t worry too much about the “flow” of saying it with the first name. How often do you announce your full name is Erin River McNamara anyway?
I like the “E” sound with MacNamara- Erin or Ellen. I do like Ellen a little better b/c I think Erin is more of a little girl’s name rather than a woman’s name. JMO.
I would be careful about names that are too old-fashioned. My MN is Louise, and I always grew up hating it because it just sounds like an old lady! To me, there is a difference between “old” and “classic.” I would consider Caroline, Carolina, Catherine, Elizabeth, Emalin, Anna, Greer, Grace (Too similar to Grady?), Hali, Isla or Ilah, Jocelyn, Meredith, Millicent NN Millie, Willa. HOWEVER, I would love it if you used River as the first name even more!! River MacNamara is fantastic! Best of luck!
McNamara – why not Erin! I had a very irish maiden name and loved when people commented on my heritage – anything Irish or Scottish sounding complements the name great. Its pretty versatile too, and as a 30 something attorney, who had both my girly years and my sporty years, I don’t think its aged well (although I see the above commenter’s point about it being a little girls name, and think its mostly due to the fact that Erin didn’t get really popular until the early 80s so there aren’t that many older Erins around).
I also love Alice and Ellen from your list too; the shorter sweet names go best with McNamara, imo. Good luck!
Nola Catherine is stunning and a fine match with Grady Stephen. Congratulations to you all!