Tiffany writes:
I have been following your blog ever since I found out I was pregnant back in July. I am due Feb. 10th with my first child and it’s a girl. My husband and I seem to have completely opposite tastes in girl names. I have been to a ton of baby name websites and have purchased 5 different baby name books in search of a name that fits for us. I am willing to compromise a little with him but the problem is that it has been like pulling teeth to get him to come up with any names he likes. However, most of the names I throw out, he has almost immediately rejected. I am hoping you and your readers can come up with some other name options for us!
Here is a little background information. We both had common names growing up and are looking for something a little more unique. I am against any top 10 name. My name (Tiffany) seems to be one of those classified as an 80s name that went out of style pretty quickly so I am trying to avoid current names that will have a similar fate. Our surname is very Italian, Barone. My favorite names have been generally been of Italian/Latin origin; very feminine and flowy. The few names he has come up with have been more American and less girly. If we were having a Boy we seemed to agree that it would/will be Roman Joseph Barone (middle name in his honor), so we want something that will sound ok with Roman. The other boy name we both like: Dominic.
Names on my list:
Luciana (This is the only name we can semi-agree on, both not sold. I am scared that there will be too many Lucys and that it will be almost impossible to avoid as a nn)
Madalena (not thrilled about the nickname Maddie)
Livia (nickname Livie, but husband says no because he thinks it’s looks like we forgot the O)
Sofia (too popular)
Gianna (We both like, but I don’t like the nn Gia)
Lydia (I love but I don’t know if it will become too popular, he seems ok with)Names that I like but husband vetoed: Serena, Noelle, Gemma, Liviana
My Husbands list:
Juniper (his number one choice, when we have thrown it around to friends and family they have been very against this name. I’m not sure if it is too out there for us and I hate the nn June and I also think it would not match any future sibling names including Roman)
Audrey (just ok to me)
Avery ( I dislike)
Clara ( I am ok with but a little old sounding/too popular)
Meryl (I vetoed)
She-Ra ( He better have been joking!!)Names that are out because of close friends/relatives’ baby names:
Chloe, Sophia, Addison, Cecily, Holiday, Charlotte, Ella, Madalyn, Makayla, Hailey, Alaya, Hope, Leah, Zoe, Isabella, TabithaAdditional info: We aren’t too concerned about middle names. We aren’t big on traditions/naming after people. We don’t want a B name.
We are excited for any input/help! Thank you!
Oh, man. This sounds like Paul. I had to say to him things like, “I’m about to suggest a girl name I really like, and I want you to NOT react immediately: just THINK about it for awhile first.” I had…moderate success with that.
If you have The Baby Name Wizard, I suggest you and your husband individually go through the categories in the back and find the categories you each like most. Then, each of you go through the other one’s sections and see if you find anything you like.
You could also take each name from his list and see if there’s a fancier version. Like Clara: would he go for Clarissa? would you? Or Claudia? Or Cleo? Or Celeste? I realize we’re getting farther from Clara with every step, but this can be a good way to brainstorm names. Meryl might lead you to Marissa or Minerva.
If you like Livia but he objects to it as a headless Olivia, it’s really too bad he rejects Liviana. I think that extra syllable distances it from Olivia, and you’d still have the nickname Livvie.
If he likes Juniper and you like Madalena, I wonder if you’d both like Magnolia?
Madalena with no Maddy: Marilena.
Gianna with no Gia: Gigi. I don’t think I would have gone naturally to Gia, though, anyway. Are you thinking of using the more Italian pronunciation of something like JON-nah, or the more U.S. pronunciation gee-AH-nah? Gianna is rising pretty rapidly, though, if you’re trying to avoid common names. I wonder if you’d like Imogen?
I know of a baby girl named Silvia, nickname Silvie, and it’s a surprisingly fresh and adorable name. I think removing that Y is what transforms it from Old Broad to Little Sweetie, and emphasizes the pretty silver/silvery sound of it.
Lorelei, maybe?
I mentioned Minerva in passing, above, but I really like that one. Minerva Barone, with the nickname Minnie if you want it. I have three associations with that name. One I have only from commenters on this blog, who have told me that Minerva is the name of a birth control pill. I worked in a PHARMACY and still didn’t make that association with the name—and children certainly wouldn’t know about it. The second association is stronger: Professor Minerva McGonagall from the Harry Potter books. She is an excellent association for me: strong and smart and good. The final association I have is with the Roman goddess of wisdom—and since she’s associated with the owl, I sense a CUTE NURSERY THEME. (For a second I thought, “Oh no! Roman goddess and they like the name Roman! Conflict!” Hee! I think I need one more cup of coffee. Or possibly one fewer cups.)
Name update! Tiffany writes:
Hello again! I wanted to update everyone that our little girl was born this month and we luckily finally agreed on a name! Right when we saw her we knew she was a Luciana. The full name we went with was Luciana Juniper Barone. Since the first name was my original suggestion, DH got to pick his favorite name for her middle name. Her nickname will be Lucy and DH will call her Junebug. Thanks again for all the help and suggestions. Your blog and followers are great!
What about Magdalena…nickname Maggie, or use Lena as a nickname for Madalena?
Marina?
Serafina?
Carina?
I really like Lydia out of your choices also and I don’t think popularity will be a big issue with this name. Lydia and Roman. Lydia and Dominic. Lydia Barone. I like it.
We have a long Italian last name and may I suggest our daughter’s name, Juliet. We like it because it is instantly recognizable and spellable, yet less common (around the 400s the year she was born), although it appears to be rising. I haven’t been picky about what people call her and there are certainly a few family members who call her Julie, but she also gets called Jules, Jemma (her initials lead to this), and one aunt started with Julietta and shortened it to Etta. You could spell it the Italian way Giulietta. People rave about the name.
Swistle, this might sound familiar in a few weeks. I’m composing my letter for help naming her sibling, just waiting until our big ultrasound to help narrow down our options :)
I LOVE Swistle’s suggestion of Silvia nn Silvie. According to “The Baby Name Bible,” even though Silvia is the original form of the name, with the ‘Sylvia’ spelling coming later, Silvia seems more modern now.
Interesting description of the name in Penguin Dictionary of First Names (UK): “According to Roman legend, Rhea Silvia was the mother of Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome, and as a result the name has been consistently popular in Italy ever since the Renaissance. It was also borne by a 6th-century saint who became the mother of Gregory the Great.”
There are so many positives about the name Silvia that it’s amazing it isn’t more popular in the US than it is: only 236 baby girls were given the name in 2009. (Even the more common Sylvia spelling ranked only 543, with 552 girls given the name.)
Silvia and/or Silvie is a lovely name with an interesting history and would go well with your surname and with the name Roman if you someday have a boy with that name.
I would like to put in a vote for Lydia. It is becoming more popular but I do not think it will be a runaway hit like Isabella. In the last ten years it has climbed slowly from 149 to 118. I am biased because it is my daughter’s middle name, my grandmother’s name, and her grandmother’s name, but I really think it’s lovely. And! You and your husband both like it.
I like Lydia and Luciana. If you sort of like Clara, what about the Italian version of Clare: Chiara (pronounced Kee-are-ah). I love it, but correcting the pronunciation would drive me crazy, so I didn’t use it.
Some other Italian names I love:
Francesca
Cecelia
Raphaella
Carmelita
Carmella
I like Lydia and Gianna best from your lists. I know a Dominic with a sister Seneca. That one took some getting used to but I like it now.
Oh I thought of a good one: Miranda. And I meant to say I liked Sylvia/Silvia before.
For an Italian name, I love Maria. It’s familiar, yet rare to hear. Nicknames could be Ria, Mari, or Mia, as that is the Italian word for “mine”.
Other ideas:
Antonia (nn, Annie, Nia)
Giovanna (nn Vanna –I would pronounce Vah-na)
Magdalena (nn Leni, or Magda, again pronounced mah-gda)
What about Madigan? (Doesn’t sound italian but it was the first one that popped into my head for you)
Gianna nn Ana?
Love all the suggestions, but two more…
If you like Gianna, maybe you’d like Giada (pronounced JAW-da)?
Or how about Giulianna?
I know, both names are taken from TV but they are both lovely and Italian and I think sound wonderful with your surname.
Good luck and congratulations!
What about Lavinnia? It’s a bit of a stretch to get to Livie but not totally unreasonable. My friend has an adorable little Lavinnia – nn “Vinnie.”
From your lists, I think Lydia is a clear winner. Maybe not so clear, but you love it, he’s okay with it, I don’t see it getting super popular. IF you don’t mind, I”m going to suggest it to my husband tonight. He sounds a lot like yours in name attitude. I feel your frustration.
A few new ideas:
Cora means ‘heart’ in Italian. If that isn’t long enough, Cordelia is a sweet option.
Siena is a town in Italy and is also a rich brown-red.
Roman and Dominic are fantastic boy names!
All the best as you find that perfect name for your darling daughter!
I think you’ve got a winner with Silvia.
The name which immediately sprang to mind for me was Saskia (I know it’s not Italian but it is European). I think it’s the hard “k” sound in Dominic that made me think of it. Saskia and Dominic would make a good sibling set.
Other names you might like:
Erika
Nicole
Bianca (if B’s aren’t completely out)
Venetia
Celeste
Clarissa
Leticia
Carlotta
Monica
Portia
Victoria
I love the idea of juliet! And of Gianna with nn Gigi. Im sorry but I have to disagree with Silvia! It doesnt matter if the y is removed, the name is not fresh or new sounding, not even remotely. It feels like it belongs on a 50-100 year old woman, not on a young girl. Also its sounds like a knockoff of Sophia, only Sophia is much prettier.
Miranda! I see that another commenter beat me to it. Latin origin, Shakespearean heroine, fresh, feminine, good nn potential. Miranda Barone. I love it!
From your list I think Lydia would be wonderful. Plus you both like it! (Lydia Miranda Barone, perhaps.)
Oh! Valentina might be a nice mn, since she may be born very near V-day…
My suggestions:
Aurora
Helena (Ellie, Elle)
Marina
Sabine, Sabina
Vivian, Viviana, Vivienne
Good luck!
i like the suggestion on Magdelena, NN Lena! also, what about steffiana?? NN Steph, Ana, etc. Good luck!
How about Bianca? I also like the suggestions for Marina, Clauidia and Silvia.
Celia Barone
Cecilia Barone
Love those!
dominique?
Cara Barone is very pretty and versatile; Juliet I like also with Barone and Roman, what about Amy or Amelia? Gabrielle? Danielle? Nina! Anabel? Carla or Carly. I prefer Cara to Carla. Lauren? Paige? Samantha? Sabrina?
I like Gianna best from your list. If you don’t care for the nn Gia than you could decide on one you do like maybe Ana or Gina?
Or you could be firm on only called her Gianna without a nn.
Good luck!
I’m due in March and have very similar names picked out if we end up having a girl, so I thought I’d give my two cents!
Luciana could have the nn Ana
Madalena could have the nn Lena
Lydia has the nn Liddy similar sound to Livie
Livia could become either Liv (an actual Scandinavian name) nn Livie or Livian nn Livie.
I’m really liking Madalena nn Lena for you. My husband Ian and I have decided on using Livian (which when we say it rymes with Vivian) though if we have a girl to honor his name (becasue I was named after my dad) and to use my favorite nn Livie as well!
Congratulations and best of luck to you!
i have an italian friend named regina, with sisters named andriana (ahn-dree-AHN-a), valentina, anastasia (ahn-a-STAH-see-a), and nicoletta. she has a daughter named giovanna, and is due with her second… the name she is considering might be a nice choice for you also: mariela
mariela barone has a nice ring to it, and i can see roman and mariela, or mariela and dominic together. for nicknames there’s mari, mia, ella, and mimi. cute!!
i have an italian friend named regina, with sisters named andriana (ahn-dree-AHN-a), valentina, anastasia (ahn-a-STAH-see-a), and nicoletta. she has a daughter named giovanna, and is due with her second… the name she is considering might be a nice choice for you also: mariela
mariela barone has a nice ring to it, and i can see roman and mariela, or mariela and dominic together. for nicknames there’s mari, mia, ella, and mimi. cute!!
Roman and Dominic are lovely, lovely, names. They go so well with your last name!
I think if you both like/love Luciana, you should go for it. Lucie/Lucy/Lia/Luna could be nicknames. Luna Barone sounds nice.
My apologies if these are repeats, but what about
(thinking of feminine, flowy names that can have shorter less girly nicknames)
Adriana – Adey/Ade/Adri.
Ariana – Ari, Rani
T(h)alia – Tally
Anjelica – Angie
Annabella- Annie
Alicia – Liss
Cerina – Ceri
Francesca – Frankie, Frannie
Lorenza – Lora
Arabella – Ara/Ari
Juliana – Jools
Lenora- Nora
Roxanna – Roxy
Would you like Junia instead of Juniper? It is also of latin origin.
To get Liv/Livie, what about Oliviana or Lavinia?
Some other ideas–
Kira
Cosima
Alexia
Kaya
Heva
Irene
Marlena
Thyra
Good luck! With your last name you have so many names you could go for! Ariana Barone, Arabella Barone, Thalia Barone, Junia Barone.. it all sounds great!
I like the given suggestions of Miranda and Celia (or Cecilia). On the Silvia thing, would you like Silvana? I’ve only ever met one (my cousin), and it seems to go along with your style. Possible nn Silvie?
Good luck!