Anna writes:
Not expecting yet, but I am constantly looking for that elusive “sweet spot” name. Our surname is a very common, two syllable, ending in -son. My most recent obsession is the name Milborough for a girl. Though I adore her in her full form, obviously it naturally lends itself to Millie as a nickname should one be desired.
As for middles I am found the below:
Milborough Jane
Milborough Maud
Milborough Frances (Family name)However, I have two reservations about realistically using in the future. First, does it sound too masculine? And secondly, is the borough ending make for an unflattering place name, as in towns/suburbs? Should she have a brother, only planning to two at the most, I do adore the name Maguire. Though we are not Irish (cause for concern?) I thought it was a nice pairing nonetheless.
All suggestions/additions are welcome! Thank you all!!!!
I have a mental checklist I go through when considering if I think a word I’m not familiar with as a name would make a good name. It’s not a formal, written-down checklist, but I’ll see if I can create it here:
1. Is it a NICE SOUND? I generally re-write it with several different spellings to make sure I’m really thinking of it as sounds rather than as a word. I say it aloud repeatedly, so that the novelty of it wears off a bit and I can hear it as if I were already familiar with it.
2. Does it have name-like qualities? That is, are the sounds of the word similar to the sounds present in names, and/or are there other ways to understand it in the context of existing names (for example, Dandelion can be associated with Daisy and Violet; Berlin is a place like Brittany and Georgia). Is there a nickname that’s already a familiar, established name? Is there a quick explanation for people unfamiliar with the name, something I can imagine saying many, many times (“It’s the town where I grew up,” “It’s a family surname,” “It’s like ____ but with an N”)?
3. Is this a name I would want for myself? Can I picture introducing myself with this name? This one needs additional adjustment for generational differences: that is, it’s hard to picture introducing myself as Cadence, too, just because that name wasn’t around when I was born.
4. Now I see if I can picture introducing my child and using the name in daily life. I test it out: “Mom and dad, the baby is here! We’ve named her _______!” “Hello, I’m calling to make an appointment for _______’s 5-year physical.” “_____, time for dinner!” “______, did you finish your homework?” “______, I told you to clean up your room!” “________, stop hitting your brother!”
5. How do I think I would react to this name if I encountered it on a child? on a class list? on a resume? on a doctor, a politician, a teacher? on a store clerk’s name tag?
6. Does this name seem like it would work on a variety of person types? That is, can I picture it on someone plump, someone plain, someone beautiful, someone studious and serious, someone outgoing and athletic, someone shy and sweet?
7. Is it possible to think of sibling names for this name? (Applicable only for parents who prefer sibling names to go together.) Sometimes we can fall in love with a name that is a great name and yet not a good fit for our family. (That’s the kind of name I LOVE for a middle name.)
That might not be all of them, but those are the ones that came to mind.
So for Milborough, let’s start with the sound. I’d re-spell it a bit, to try to disconnect the look of the word with the sound of it: Mill-burrow. Mill-burro. Mil-ber-o. Etc. The “mil” segment sounds nice to me, and the -o ending is on-trend. The “ber” sound is the only one not currently nice to my ear. I also notice burrow, burro, and burough, none of which are particularly pleasing—though not particularly displeasing, either.
Now to evaluate the name-like qualities. “Mil” is familiar from Milly, Millicent, Milton, etc. “Burr/ber” is familiar from Wilbur, Kimberly, Amber, Bernice, etc. The -o ending is familiar from Leo, Hugo, Milo, Cleo, Pedro, etc. And as you’ve mentioned, Milly/Millie is a familiar nickname. We’re also familiar already in our society with place names.
The question about whether we’d want this name for ourselves is going to be largely temperament-based—and of course we don’t know what the child’s temperament will be. Still, I’ve found this exercise helpful for making me think realistically about a name. If I picture myself standing around at preschool pick-up, meeting other parents and saying, “Hi, I’m Milborough,” that gives me a very different feeling about the name than if I’m looking at it on a baby name list. Again, this effect has to be adjusted for the generational difference—but I still find it a useful way to play around with a name.
From here I remove the generation-gap issue and picture instead being at preschool drop-off, introducing both of us. “Hi! I’m Kristen, and this is Milborough.” Then on to other scenarios at a variety of ages. “Milborough, did you finish your homework?” “Milborough, you missed your curfew again, so you’re grounded for two weeks.” “Milborough, time for dinner!” “I’m calling for an appointment for Milborough’s 8-year physical.” “Milborough, can you run to the store and get milk?”
Next I picture it encountering it on someone else. A parent at preschool pick-up says to me, “Hi, I’m Milborough!” or “Hi, I’m Jen, and this is Millborough!” My child’s teacher’s name is Milborough Anderson. A candidate’s political signs say Vote for Milborough Mason. The clerk at Target has a name tag that says Milborough. I’m helping my child with their class valentines, and Milborough is on the list. I’m in the store and I hear a parent say, “Milborough!! Stop that RIGHT NOW!!” And so on.
I move on to the visual. It helps to do this while I’m out on errands: I look at a variety of children and adults and picture the name Milborough on each of them. Does it work better on some than others? I also visualize various stereotypes in my head: the plump plain girl with bad hair, the cheerleader, the girl who hates anything stereotypically girly, the smart girl, the dramatic girl, the shy and sensitive girl who hates drama, and so on. Does it work better on some than others?
And finally, sibling names. You’ve got Maguire for a boy, and I agree that goes well with Milborough. Are there girl names on your list that would be compatible with Milborough? Would you want to use Maguire with the nickname Maggie? Milborough and Maguire; Millie and Maggie.
As to whether Milborough sounds masculine or feminine, it hits my own ear as unisex. The Milly/Millie nickname gives it a more feminine tilt, but Milton doesn’t seem feminine; the -o ending is more typically used for boys’ names, but Cleo doesn’t seem masculine. The three name sounds (mil, ber, and o) are all used in names for both boys and girls.
Current usage is what makes us feel a name is “a boy name” or “a girl name”; with an unused name such as Milborough, it’s harder to say for sure how the name will be perceived—and it may go in a different direction if it comes into style and others start using it too (Mackenzie is a good example of this). The name Aspen could have gone either way, but currently it’s girls 601 to 57. There’s nothing about London that makes it “for girls,” but it’s currently used for girls 3179 to 482. Cody could just as easily be a girl name, but right now it’s boys 1988 to 22. Paris is used more often for girls, Dallas more often for boys. Miller is probably the closest name to Milborough; in 2012 it was given to 47 girls and 178 boys. And yet Miller does sound more masculine to me, while Milborough continues to sound unisex.
With a very distinctive and unusual first name, my own preference is to go with a familiar and unambiguous middle name. However, I also think it’s a good idea to choose a middle name you like very much, in case the child decides to go by it. My own favorite of your first/middle combinations is Milborough Jane: I like the rhythm of it, I like the familiarity of it, and I love the name Jane anyway.
Let’s have a poll to see what everyone else thinks of Milborough as a name candidate:
[yop_poll id=”28″]
I don’t dislike the name, but the first thing I thought of was Marlboro cigarettes. This negative association would be enough for me to not want to use it.
Marlboro didn’t occur to me initially, but now that I hear the similarities, I can’t get that out of my head.
That was the first thing I thought of as well so for me it doesn’t work. But maybe others would pronounce the two more differently? To me they are nearly the same.
Yes! When I read the title, I immediately thought of Marlboro. My second thought was, “Well, I wouldn’t name *my* son that, but … oh, a girl, huh?”
My thoughts were exactly the same on both points… Really don’t think it works unfortunately.
I agree on both the Marlboro and boy points – I had the same thoughts. I personally would not use it, but I’m sure if I saw a little Millie-short-for-Millborough I would find her perfectly charming.
I completely agree with this, it is the first thing I thought of, and for me at least it would make the name unusable even if it passed the other tests (all great considerations, Swistle!).
Me, too, Marlboro was the first thing that popped into my mind.
I think the biggest sticking point for me is the association with suburban subdivisions. The way Kristen laid out her thought process makes me want to say that it would work, but the place association is still too strong for me. I like the sound of Jane Milborough better and think it works as a middle name, but not a first name.
I had a neutral-to-negative reaction based on the association with suburban subdivisions too. It sounds more like a hometown than a first name to me. Most of the current “place” first names are based on large, recognizable cities/states/countries. I love Millie as a nickname, but I think there are other ways to get there with a legal first name that seems more like a first name.
Immediately after I read Milborough in the headline, my mind went to Marlboro (cigarettes). I’ve never smoked, but the similarity in sounds between the two is too close for my liking. If I try to put that out of my mind, visually the Borough part is distracting, not to mention the word Rough tucked into the name. I won’t say that it CAN’T work, but it doesn’t pass the “would I want this name?” test personally. It might be better in the middle-name slot where the child could later choose if that’s the name she wants to go by.
Count me as another who thought of Marlboro cigarettes right away. For me, this connection makes Millborough unusable for either sex. I also think of the animal burro/mule/donkey/etc. which makes me think of ass and jackass, so there’s another association that makes the name unusable for me. Younger kids might not make the burro/ass connection, but I suspect middle school/high school kids might.
I do like Miller & think it would work fine for a girl. Or perhaps Milligan?
Maguire makes me think of Mark Maguire, which should make the name feel masculine, but for some reason it reads more girl to me. I think because it can also be spelled McGuire & the other “mc” names are used most often for girls (Mckenzie, Mckayla, etc). Maguire also lends itself to the nickname Maggie, which just adds to the girl feel. I don’t think it’s unusable for boys, but I think you’ll be likely to encounter people who assume girl & that bothers some people more than others.
For the younger set of mom’s/readers, there was a show on the Disney channel in the early 2000s called Lizzie Maguire. That made me associate it with a girl’s name.
I didn’t think of cigarettes but I see a lot of the early commenters did, which would be a consideration for me. I like the Milborough & Maguire/Millie & Maggie combo for two girls a lot, though.
All I had to read was the title of this post: Baby Name to Consider: Milborough and I was done. I was done because at first I read: Baby Name to Consider: Marlboro. I considered for .002 seconds and concluded that I could not get behind a name that at first glance, was cigarettes.
I love the NN Millie. Millicent. Mildred. Miller. All these names lead to Millie. But unfortunately for me, Milborough is not the way to get there.
Interesting. I did smoke, and Marlboros at that, but I didn’t make any connection between the names.
Probably not relevant, but if you have any connection with the UK you should prepare for people from here to pronounce it MILL-bruh, as in our towns of Loughborough, Marlborough and Scarborough (LUFF-bruh, MARL-bruh and SCAR-bruh). It didn’t occur to me that it could be pronounced Mill-burrow until I got a good way through Swistle’s reply. It’s probably not a concern for you, but some people like to consider these things.
Apart from that, I think it could work as a name because of the nickname Millie, which is gorgeous.
Yes!
I would pronounce the name Mill-bruh or Mill-buh-ruh. When I was reading the part about how it ends in an “o” sound, I was like “It does?!” Isn’t there an English place called Millsborough too?
It does sound very place-namey to me. I think you might get people asking you if you have a connection to a town named Milborough.
Millie is super cute, but Milborough is not really my cup of tea.
It’s Middlesbrough, pronouced ‘Middles-bruh’, which is unfortunately what my mind sprang straight to when I saw the word ‘Milborough’. I say unfortunately because it is not the nicest of places. I mean, I’ve never been and I’m sure there are some lovely parts, but it’s reputation is not great.
It is a rather ridiculous pronunciation, I do admit, especially when you consider that a borough, as in a borough of London, is pronounced ‘buh-ruh’, but there you go – we like to spell words in a counter-intuitive way compared to the pronunciation and vice versa.
Same pronunciation would happen in Australia too
Or mill bah rah
Yeah Malboro’s also was the first association I had. Millborough Jane sounds like a variation of the Malboro Cowboy. It just sounds weird to me.
I haven’t ever pronounced this word before so when reading it my brain immediately went to Marlboro because it is SOO similar in sound. I think that the closeness to Marlboro makes it unsttractive, but that is an issue of personal taste… But be warned that lots of people will think Marlboro when they hear or read Milborough.
Add me to Marlboro association group. And, like the above commenter suggested, Millborough Jane gives a “wild west, cigarette smoking cowgirl” image to me.
I’ll give you this: there’s something fun and spunky about it. Just like that cowgirl. But, given how many of us had the same reaction, that would be enough to knock Millborough permanently out for me. But, also, I personally don’t see it meeting more than 2.5 of the criterea Swistle lists for considering an unusual word/place name. I’m pretty sure it would be a really annoying name to explain, spell, and live with, unless your girl has the good fortune to be totally awesome and gorgeous her whole life. Because that’s the kind of person who can wear this name.
I love the nn Millie, but Milborough seems like an unkind way to get to it.
I might be more okay with a Milborough boy…it sounds more masculine to me, and reminds me of Milton, Milhouse. Even so, for me it’s a name that is tricky enough to live with that there would have to be a good reason or cool story for it, other than that I just like it. IE, your maiden surname, the neighborhood you were in when you got engaged, the town you were driving through when you almost died but were miraculously saved and then it turned out you were 5 wks pregnant with a son…idk. Something to lighten the load of spelling and explaining this name for the rest of his life.
Obviously, spelling is an issue…I can’t seem to decide between Millborough and Milborough in my comment!
The -borough also feels very unwieldly and unattractive to my eyes…
I also immediately thought of Marloboro cigarettes so that association alone ruins the name for me.
On the negative side, Marlboro did come to mind when I said it out loud. Because of the different spelling though, I didn’t confuse the two at all when I read it though.
On the positive side, Millie is adorable and Mills would be a great nickname for a boy named Millborough. I think I like it better for a boy, but it does read unisex to me.
I think if Marlboro and wheelbarrow had a baby it would be Milborough:-( But I do really love the nn Millie:-)
I thought of Marlboro too, and then of a town near me, Middleboro, which is an ok but not great semi-rural town in massachusetts. I wouldn’t use it for a first name. Maybe for a middle name. Millie is a cute nickname, but there are lots of full names that it could come from that I would choose over Millborough.
Mmmm…I’m wondering if Millicent might be a better choice. It’s still unusual, and sassy, and unique, with a natural Millie nickname. It still sounds good with Maguire for a sibling. That would be my preference. I didn’t initially see Marlboro, but now I can’t unsee it. ;) My first thought was the ”borough” connection, which makes it sound like a subdivision or something to me.
For me, weirdly, it kept reminding me of the Simpsons character Millhouse. (Maybe because it’s Mill + [name of a place you can live]? I have no idea.) That didn’t actually make it unusable for me, but it did skew it solidly male in my head as a result.
However now, having read the cigarette comments, I’m afraid that’s all I see/hear as well.
I do love Millie though!
Oh dear, I didn’t think of Malboro (maybe because I was saying it “MILL-burr-uh” in my head and I say “MARL-boar-oh” for the cigarettes). But now that I’ve made the association I can’t undo it…so I think the name would be out for me.
I actually came to comment on the fact that Milborough reminded me of the Anglo-Saxon medieval oddity Kinborough, which was somewhat common for girls in England in the middle ages. It was a form of Cyneburga/Kyneberg and eventually morphed into Kimberly, which like Tiffany (from Theophania), was (shockingly!) in use for women in the middle ages. There’s a little bit on this ancestry.com page about Kinborough’s morph from a female given name to a surname: http://www.ancestry.com/name-origin?te=3&surname=kimbrough
Anyway, Kinborough is a completely different feel from Milborough, but the latter did make me think of the former. So Milborough did feel feminine to me.
But the Marlboro association kills it a little, sadly.
What about Millicent, nn Millie?
Here’s some more on Kinborough/Kyneburga: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyneburga,_Kyneswide_and_Tibba
Also, how’s Kyneburga/Kinborough, Kyneswide, and Tibba for one heck of a 7th century English sib set?
Sadly, I’m in the Marlboro department too. I also don’t think -borough sounds particularly nice, but that’s personal taste. I do think it would work as a name, so if YOU like the sound, go for it!
I also wanted to suggest another option. I’m not sure if you have any special relationship to the place Milborough, but if not and it’s just about the sound, how about Milbrae or Millbrae? (It’s a place in California.) If I go only by the sound of the word, I find Mil(l)brae quite pleasing to the ear. Mil(l)brae and Maguire would go well together, too.
Chiming in to say that I too thought of Marlboro.
I’m sorry, but I don’t think it works AT ALL. It sounds like a mill town, cigarettes, or Millhouse from the Simpsons. Milborough Maud is particularly cringe worthy.
If you like the nickname Millie, what about:
Melissa
Melinda
Milena
Camilla
My brain went right to Marlboro cigarettes as well.
I also thought of Marlbaro and the Marlbaro man…I think you would have some who would mispronounce it for this reason and also have a masculine association. :(
I thought of Marlboro immediately! While I adore the nickname Millie, perhaps a different formal name to get you there? I love Millicent, Amelia, and love the suggestion above of Miller..I think Miller would be adorable on a little girl!
I’m with most the others and as I was reading the post I kept thinking, “What does this name sound like? And then Marlboro came to mind as well as Miller Light. I do not smoke nor drink but that’s exactly what popped up in my mind. Now that I’m reading others comments, I’m glad I’m not the only one who is thinking this way. I would suggest that the writer consider a different name.
I immediately thought of cigarettes and then I thought it was meant for a boy. So i would definitely vote it unusable for a girl or at all even; I think the “borough” part is what throws me off. Sorry.
I also immediately thought of Milhouse (not Marlboro, even having read the other comments), but for that reason the name reads very solidly “male” for me. I think it’s a lovely if unique name, but not for a girl. Even with the lovely nickname of Millie!
I think I would have thought of Marlboro too if I hadn’t been so distracted by the “Burro” sound in Milborough. I took elementary Spanish and “mil burros”, though not the same spelling, is literally “Thousand Donkeys” or as it is used in slang, jackasses. Even if I wasn’t a Spanish speaker and lived in an area with zero Latino population, I just don’t think I could name a daughter “One-thousand-jackasses Jane”. It’s really unfortunate because I totally see the appeal! :( The nickname Millie is too cute. Would you consider Maguire on a girl, nicknamed Maggie? I think that works much better. If you’re planning on pronouncing it “Mil-burrah” I think the Spanish language issue goes away. But “Mil-burrow” is a no-go for me. Uggh, I feel so bad shooting down names but this is just an extreme case for me.
This made me laugh so har. I was one of the Marlboro association people, bit I actually voted that it was okay but not sure). The spanish thousand asses comment has now rendered the name unuseable…. too bad. It was a cute name.
Crap. IPads and baby = spelling mistakes. I laughed *hard* and meant *but* instead of “bit” ;)
I immediately thought of Marlboro as well (and then thought of Milton Berle–ha!). I’ve always found that word difficult to say and find the name Milborough equally clunky on the tongue. Also, when I considered Swistle’s scenario of having to introduce myself or my daughter as Milborough, I imagined having to spell it for people who’d wonder if they’d heard me correctly. Because the name is so long and unfamiliar, I think that having to spell it aloud regularly for clarification would get daunting.
From Lois , “I love the nn Millie, but Milborough seems like an unkind way to get to it.”.
I so agree.
Thank you all for your replies!!! I appreciate all the feedback very much. The name Mildred has been on the back burner for me. Though concern is often used as example of an unflattering name, though Agnes was not too long ago classified in a similar fashion. Milligan also intrigues me. Does anyone know the history? Also, though I have nothing against McKenzie, I am not looking for a substitute. Does Milligan read as one?
My 2-year old is named Agnes, and her 5-month old sister is Irene. Agnes Patricia and Irene Aldea, after their great-grandmothers… except for Irene, that was Aldea’s sister, but we didn’t know that when naming her. *shrug* Their names suit them 100%. Go for old school names!! Millie as a nn for any of the names mentioned above is great. Old lady names are awesome on cute babies; especially because old lady clothes in miniature are pretty much baby girl clothes (ruffles, flowers and velveteen and the like). ;) The dichotomy amuses me, and her great grandmothers (in their 90’s) are all so thrilled.
I don’t think Milligan reads anything close to McKenzie, other than they are surnames used as firsts (which a lot of names are).
The only thing I know about Milligan is that it is used as a surname, as I went to high school with a brother/sister pair named Milligan. I believe the family claimed it was Irish, don’t know if that is true. Nor do I know how popular it is as a surname, I’ve only known the one family so I get the impression it is fairly uncommon.
Additionally I do adore the Millicent, however husband has a less than desirable relative with the name. Miller for a girl, I am coming around to it. At first thought, too masculine or trendy but with all the Harpers running around, seems wearable. Suggestions for middles?
I agree with an earlier commenter who noted that in other parts of the world Millborough would be pronounced “Mill-Bruh” (which does lessen the cigarette connotation (that I hadn’t noticed until reading the comments)).
What about Melbourne (pronounced “Mel-bin” down under).
Quick question: If what you really like is the NN Millie, why not just name her Millie? It’s just a though. As much as I hate to see the negative reactions over and over, I think there must be something to them. I do think it makes a rather distinguished middle name, however.
I think Mills could also work and have the nn Millie.
I’m with everyone else- Marlboro came into my mind along with poor Millhouse. (im not a smoker) I could not use it. Not to mention the ‘borough’ part- its too city-esque. I don’t love the nn Millie but lots of other ways to get there. I do love Maguire nn Maggie tho.
Add me to the list of people who thought “Marlboro.” That makes it totally unusable to me.
I think Miller would work with Jane and Frances. Or how about Miller Abigail, Miller Rose, Miller Beatrice, Miller Victoria (or Veronica for some retro flair). Or Miller Agnes for that matter. I also think Miller could pull off an “M” middle name and have one of those great double letter names – Miller Marie, Miller Mary, Miller Macy. They might sounds weird with Milly as a nn, but I’m guessing lots of middle name candidates probably sound odd with nn’s.
Camilla or Camillle is another way to get to Millie, fwiw. Other names that could get you Millie that are not hyper feminine:
Romily
Emlynn
Milan
Millaray
Other “ila” names that might appeal – Aquila, Willa, Marilla, Lucilla, Zilla? Aquila with the nickname Quils is pretty darn cute, or you could still get to Mille with Marilla with the Anne of Green Gables association to boot………good luck!
I like these suggestions for ways to get to Millie! Very classic, but still unusual.
I voted for the name Miller earlier…I’m really liking the idea of this name for a girl! I would pair it with a quite feminine name.
I think the middles you have on your list work nicely:
Miller Jane (MJ would be a cute option!)
Miller Frances
Other options:
Miller Adele
Miller Annabel/Annabelle (incorporates your name)
Miller Annalise (incorporates your name)
Miller Anne
Miller Cecily/Cecilia (my favorite)
Miller Elizabeth
Miller Eloise
Miller Elyse
Miller Felicity
Miller Grace
Miller Helene
Miller June
Miller Louise
Miller Olivia
Miller Rose
Miller Simone
Miller Sophia
Thank you! Currently with Miller I’m romancing Miller Eugenia. Though I still have slight reservations on the Miller (because of Miller Light or a middle aged woman pulling it off) but it certainly is being added to the list.
I just wanted to repeat the above suggest of Milbrae. The spelling gives it a clearly feminine look, but the sound is a bit more unisex, which you seem to enjoy.
I know several boys named Miller, so to me that name is totally male.
A couple other things I thought of for you:
Milena
Melba (ok, maybe too old lady, but I kind of love it)
Madigan
Best of luck!
Miller Eugenia is beautiful! I grew up with a girl with the last name Miller and she was referred to as “Miller” a lot of the time, so I’ve “seen” it on a girl, but never thought of it as a formal first name until it was suggested here. Miller Light never occurred to me, but we all have different/personal associations. Best of luck and please send Swistle an update!
I adore the nickname Millie, cute as a button! Milborough reminds me of wheelbarrow though…I can’t get that out of my head. That or it sounds like a little, charming English town. It is not usable for a child, or adult for that matter.
I answered “I think it works great!” but it does not read at ALL unisex to me. I would definitely expect Milborough to be a boy.
I don’t think it’s a good idea for a name, sorry.
First of all, I couldn’t for the LIFE of me remember the brand of cigarettes, but all I could think of was Cigarattes, cigarettes, cigarettes! It was driving me crazy! Swistle didn’t mention it, so I had to wait until someone in the comment section said Marlboro. That’s it! It’s way too close to Marlboro.
It also rhymes with wheelbarrow. And has the burro sound in it, which means donkey in Spanish. I also think it reads masculine.
However, Maguire is nice for a boy. Would you consider another name for a daughter? Millicent or Camille/a is lovely!
Milligan is unusual, but not bizzar to my ears. I can see it being used on a little girl and would react similarly to Landon or Grier on a girl, both of which are “around” but not popular or common.
Good luck!
i like mills nn millie better (got the cig. refrence myself) & i ACTUALLY have a boy named maguire nn mac! it rocks!!! go for it.
What about Winnsboro?
It’s softer to me, still has the o ending, but a more gentle, whispy “Winn”. She could be Winnie.
I lived once on a street called Winnsboro and Milborough, while first reminding me of cigarettes, reminded me also of Winnsboro.
Winnsboro! Excellent suggestion!
I am thrilled with the amount of feedback, so many imaginative suggestions!
Additionally regarding Winnsboro, though it still has the “boro” sound that most above didn’t like, I do adore the nickname Winnie as well as “funky clucky” names with I think Winnsboro falls into. Any additional thoughts on Winnsboro?
Winnsboro Charlotte has a nice sound, I think. My grandfather was Charles, so it be befitting.
While I feel Winnsboro has a nicer ring to it versus Milborough, I’m still not sold…the “boro” ending still sounds more masculine to me.
How about Winsley or Winslet “-son” nn Winn/Winnie?
Or Winslow?!
Winslet is nice, I prefer it over Winnsboro (boro just brings to mind cities, and donkeys :))
I wonder if you’ll like unusual word names, like on this list (mostly in the comments): http://www.youcantcallitit.com/2011/06/20/uncommon-word-names/
I had considered Winslow and she still could be a contender. My hesitation is that I don’t know if she is considered clunky enough for me, but still a pretty sound. Looks like it is back to the drawing board!
Put me down for Winslow! I love this name, but it sadly does not work with future baby’s last name (and husband strongly dislikes it to boot). I do find Millborough too awkward for my tongue. I think that clunky and awkward are too different things.
You might want to check this list out, although the names sound more in the unused vintage category than clunky to my ear:
http://nameberry.com/list/28/Clunky-but-Cool-Names-for-Girls
Thank you! I have seen the name before but can’t for some reason fall in love with one…at least yet. After some thought, I have yet another possibility that may seem strange to some but does have meaning in that my husband’s family is part of the Mayflower society. Thoughts on the name Plymouth for girl? Currently I adore the popular Penelope and considered Persephone (maybe even still considering it) and the “th” has a nice gentile sound. Am I off my rocker again?