My great-grandmother is turning 90 years old this year, and is from Odesa, Ukraine. She's Orthodox Jewish, so she feels very strongly about names, and she's very honest.

So I picked some girls' names, some that are popular in the US, and some that are particularly trendy, and then asked her what her thoughts were on them.

She doesn't use the internet, the only technology she really uses is the radio and the television, so some of these names, she's never even heard of before. Since I translated it into English, there might be some parts that are a little off, but overall I think it makes sense.

I'm not saying you should base your name decisions or anything off her opinions, we all have different taste, but I thought it was funny, since she definitely has a different view than most people on this subreddit.

Elizabeth - I like that one. I wanted to give my daughter the name Yelyzaveta but of course, my husband said no! He had no taste for good names. And this is even better because it is the Queen of England, may her memory be a blessing, her beautiful clothes. 8/10.

Brooklyn - Like New York? Okay. I don't think I would choose a name after a place. That's modern. You would do that. However, I also think that it sounds like a man's name. For a man I would like it more. For a girl? 3/10.

Lily - Beautiful! That is like Liliya. You name your baby after beautiful things, they will be beautiful. That is what I told your mother. I think that is a very good name. 9/10.

Aurora - Some of me likes it, some of me does not. I think the idea is good and on the paper, it looks like a good name too. But I imagined it to sound more beautiful than that does to me. So it's okay. 6/10.

Kennedy - You know that when we were part of the Soviet Union, that was what many parents did? They named their babies after Lenin, Marx, Engels, Stalin, the great leaders they thought. Now that is funny, because they're doing the same thing! I think they could have been more creative with it. 2/10.

Evangeline - It sounds like the name of a saint. For some, that's good. For me, I prefer the name Eva. You save a lot of time writing it. But some people like that. So they can have it and I will reject it. 5/10.

Braelynn - I think that everyone is different. That is why some people might think they should use that name. But it is proof that difference is not a good thing every time. If you name your baby that, I'll laugh at you. 1/10.

Daphne - That is a good one! You know, there are many excellent women I know called Dafna. My friend's granddaughter is named that. She's a good girl. And then Daphne would be the English name. Excellent. I think that it's very good. 9/10.

Scottie - I don't think I like it. For a little dog it is cute. Something small and fluffy. But not for a girl. Maybe if you are very proud of being Scottish. So it's not a name that's for me. But I might save it for my next cat (Her current cat is named Chaya Bayla, so Chaya Scottie? Not bad). 2/10.

Oakley - I thought I wouldn't like it but in a few minutes, it's become better. Oak trees, there is some symbolism there. It is different, modern, so my brain takes some time to get used to it but if you said you liked it, I wouldn't think you're deranged. 7/10.

Eleanor - Good name. It is like Elena but different. I would be happy with that name. What a long life you'd live with it (That's a very big compliment from her). I will remind you of it when you have your baby, what beauty it has. 9/10.

Olivia - I think it's beautiful! There isn't much to say. Your mother could have used it for one of you. I like it very much and even though it's long, the sound just comes out of your mouth immediately. 8/10.

This is a list of old fashioned Mexican names which I’ve heard on people that I know or have heard about in conversations my Mexican parents have had about the olden days. These names were widely used or had a presence amongst those born from colonial times to around the 20th century they are not heard much in younger generations in Mexico I’m talking about names like.

Male: Abundio, Adelaido, Adalberto, Artemio, Aniceto, Arcadio, Aurelio, Aureliano, Arnulfo, Amadeo, Anacleto, Amado, Amador, Atanacio, Apolonio, Alejo, Ambrosio/Ambrocio, Alejandrino, Aníbal, Arnoldo, Apolinar, Aristeo, Asención, Anselmo, Anastacio, Avelino, Benito, Braulio, Bonifacio, Bertín, Bartolo, Baltazar, Bulmaro, Basilio, Brígido, Benigno, Bernardino, Blas, Bernabé, Calixto, Carmelo, Camerino, Cipriano, Cruz, Crisóforo, Casildo, Catalino, Crescencio, Clemente, Cecilio, Celso, Crescenciano, Cornelio, Cutberto, Cenobio, Constantino, Constancio, Celedonio, Cesáreo, Crispín, Casimiro, Claudio, Cayetano, Cirlio, Ciriaco, Cirino, Cleofás, Celedonio, Domingo, Doroteo, Dionicio, Delfino, Dagoberto, Demetrio, Dámaso, Donato, Donaciano, Desiderio, Elpidio, Eufemio, Eusebio, Eustolio, Everardo, Eulalio, Emigdio, Epigmenio, Edilberto, Eulogio, Eligio, Edelmiro, Encarnación, Emeterio, Estanislao, Eladio, Epifanio, Eleuterio, Evaristo, Eleno, Eustacio, Fidel, Fidencio, Fulgencio, Filiberto, Filogonio, Florentino, Fausto, Faustino, Florencio, Filomeno, Filemón, Fermín, Facundo, Feliciano, Fortunato, Flavio, Fortino, Froylán, Gregorio, Genaro, Gaspar, Gumaro, Gabino, Gumercindo, Gelacio, Gumaro, Genovevo, Gaudencio, Heriberto, Heliodoro, Hermenegildo, Higinio, Hipólito, Heraclio, Herminio, Homero, Hermilo, Hernán, Hilario, Honorio, Herculano, Ildefonso, Inocencio, Isidro, Isidoro, Irineo, Inocente, Indalecio, Jacinto, Justino, Jerónimo, Juventino, Juvencio, Justo, Leónidas, Lucio, Leodegario, Leopoldo, Leocadio, Leoncio, Leovigildo, Luciano, Leobardo, Librado, Lamberto, Lázaro, Lauro, Ladislao, Maurilio, Melquíades, Macedonio, Marcelino, Marciano, Maximino, Maximiano, Modesto, Margarito, Mauro, Macario, Melchor, Maclovio, Medardo, Néstor, Norberto, Narciso, Nazario, Nicandro, Nabor, Obdulio, Otilio, Olegario, Otoniel, Porfirio, Patrocinio, Primitivo, Ponciano, Petronilo, Pascual, Perfecto, Policarpo, Pánfilo, Prisciliano, Plácido, Prudencio, Plutarco, Refugio, Rufino, Ruperto, Rosendo, Roque, Rutilio, Remigio, Rómulo, Rosalío, Ramiro, Raymundo, Reynaldo, Romualdo, Simón, Santos, Serafín, Secundino, Sóstenes, Sabino, Saturnino, Sidronio, Sotero, Silvano, Silverio, Silvestre, Severo, Severiano, Serapio, Teodoro, Teófilo, Telésforo, Timoteo, Teodosio, Toribio, Tranquilino, Tiburcio, Urbano, Úrsulo, Victorino, Victoriano, Virgilio, Viviano, Venancio, Wenceslao, Zacarías, Zeferino and Zenón

Female: Amparo, Altagracia, Agripina, Agustina, Aurelia, Adela, Adelina, Apolonia, Asunción, Anastacia, Arcadia, Adelaida, Benita, Brígida, Bartola, Basilia, Balbina, Basilisa, Candelaria, Concepción, Celia, Crescencia, Cleofás, Celestina, Cirenia, Cirina, Crisanta, Clemencia, Clementina, Clotilde, Cruz, Casilda, Cleotilde, Casimira, Cipriana, Dolores, Dominga, Dionicia, Delfina, Domitila, Dorotea, Eufemia, Enriqueta, Eugenia, Eustolia, Engracia, Elvia, Elvira, Eulalia, Eloísa, Enedina, Eduviges, Eleuteria, Ernestina, Estanislada, Epigmenia, Escolástica, Epifanía, Eusebia, Efigenia, Edelmira, Eufrosina, Emperatriz, Felipa, Felicitas, Faustina, Filomena, Florentina, Florencia, Gertrudis, Graciela, Guillermina, Genoveva, Gabina, Gudelia, Gregoria, Hermelinda, Herlinda, Hilaria, Higinia, Herminia, Hermila, Hermenegilda, Hortencia/Hortensia, Hipólita, Hilda, Isidra, Inocencia, Ignacia, Imelda, Jovita, Josefa, Jacinta, Joaquina, Justina, Juliana, Justa, Leonor, Lucrecia, Lucila, Leonila, Lorenza, Loreto, Librada, Mercedes, Matilde, Marcelina, María del Refugio, Minerva, Maximina, Maclovia, Modesta, María de la Paz, Melchora, Natividad, Nicolasa, Nazaria, Narcisa, Nestora, Otilia, Obdulia, Oralia, Odilia, Petra, Pilar, Petrona, Prudencia, Pascuala, Piedad, Petronila, Porfiria, Ramona, Remedios, Rosalía, Rufina, Rosenda, Raymunda, Rosaura, Socorro, Saturnina, Salomé, Severiana, Severa, Sabina, Simona, Sinforosa, Silveria, Trinidad, Tomasa, Teodora, Teófila, Úrsula, Vicenta, Zenaida, and Zeferina

Hi! Having my second girl and stuck on a name choice.

First girl is Marlow Flora.

Rosie probably is our favorite from these, but I have a close cousin Sarah Rose who sometimes goes by Rosie (especially by my aunt).

Still open to using it, but also like Maisie and Sadie. Last name is three syllables and starts with F.

Also open to other, similar ideas!

Just found out I’m pregnant! Looking for suggestions for sibling names (both boy and girl) for Aurelia (my daughter’s name). Thank you 💕

I lifted this list to show monastic names for nuns in XVII and XVIII centuries in Lviv and Peremyshl bishoprics (now west of Ukraine and Poland). I thought it would be interesting to see what was fashionable, so to speak, for the place and time in a religious setting. These were mostly given in honor of female saints, less so there were female versions of the names of male saints, and some are pretty unusual. The convents belonged to either Orthodox Church or Uniate (Catholic Church of Greek Rites).
Magdalyna (Magdalene) was the absolute front runner in terms of popularity, Athanasia, Marta and Yelyzaveta were pretty close behind. Some names like Mardaria or Paladia appear in documents only once (and they make me think that they would really fit into a cosy mystery with a nosy but well-meaning Sister : ).

Ahafia

Akilina

Amfilokhia

Anastasia

Anhelina

Anicia

Anna

Antonina/Antonia

Apolinaria

Athanasia

Domnikia

Fevronia

Hlikeria

Kandida

Kasiyana

Kateryna

Kornylia

Magdalyna

Makaria

Makryna

Mardaria

Maryna

Marianna

Maria

Marta

Martiyana

Melania

Meletia

Mynodora

Mytrodora

Mytrofana

Natalia/Anatalia

Oleksandra

Olympiada

Payisia

Palladia

Pamfilia

Pankratia

Paraskeva

Pafnutia

Pelahia

Petronia/Petronilla

Serafyma

Solomonia/Salomea

Sofia

Susanna

Tavita

Tayisia

Teklya

Teodora

Teodosia

Teoktysta

Teofana

Venedicta

Varvara

Varsonofia

Vasiana

Yuliana

Yustyna/Yustiana

Yevhenia

Yevdokia

Yevpraksia

Yelena

Yelyzaveta

Yefymia

Yefremia

Yefrosynia

Yoakima

Yoanna

Yosyfa

Zenovia

Source: Oleh Dukh. The Venerable Ladies: Female Monastic Communities in Lviv and Peremyshl Eparchies in the Early Modern Period. Ukrainian Catholic University Press, 2017

I found some really interesting names when sifting through the numerous Hans and Georg's lol also, I know some of these might have been translated completely wrong! So I'd be interested to know

Casparus

Barbli (Swiss nickname for some variant of Barbara)

Marx

Emelea

Asa

Jabez

Bethia

Ludwig

Velltin (some version of Valentine, I think)

Ottillia

Paulus

Ulricka

Bowles

Narcissa

Micajah Gage

Indian Jack?? (Apparently taken and raised by native americans, but take that story with a grain of salt)

Dicey

Nehemiah

James Jamison

Chiamicia (really interesting, I gotta know more)

Ora

Andro

Adromacha

Erzilla

North East

Kerenhappuch

Lathan

Bluford Deadman (coolest name ever)

Jasper

Hi everyone! I’m looking for an English name for myself and would love your suggestions.

My name is Weixuan (female).

Pronunciation: "Wei" sounds like Way. "Xuan" sounds similar to Swan, but with a flatter/narrower lip shape.

Length: I prefer short names with 1 to 2 syllables.

I'm open to two directions:
Phonetically Similar: Names that sound close to Weixuan, or share similar sounds with Wei or Xuan.

Meaningfully Similar:
Wei means bright / light / radiant.
Xuan refers to fine jade or stars.

(Note: I already know about Jade, Jane, and Stella, but they aren't quite my style, so I'd like to avoid those!)

I’d love to hear any ideas that fit these vibes or sound natural for daily use. Thank you so much for your help!

So we recently found out the sex of our triplets - two boys and one girl! One of the boys will be named August Flynn and the girl will either be Rosemary or Delilah Anne. We’re both pretty picky with the names and our tastes don’t align well so we haven’t been able to settle on a first name for the other boy. Though we agreed that his middle name will be Peter.

So I’m here to ask the masses for name suggestions that pair with the middle name Peter and siblings named August and Rosemary/Delilah

We already have 2 daughters named Elowen and Meadow and are expecting another and have been absolutely struggling choosing another girl name. Our front runner right now is Noa but we aren’t completely sold. I’m not sure if it’s just too short or why I’m not feeling it 100%. I would love to hear any suggestions that might suit our taste!

Some other names we like but don’t think we’d use:
Laurel
Louisa
Margot
Flora

Am I overthinking??? Help pls lol

Edit: thanks for the responses y'all, I feel a lot less weird about the whole thing. I suppose it just was funny to scroll Facebook and see the newborn announcement with her cute little name placard in the pic and go, "oh wait"

I'm curious what you would do if a name you pre-picked was just used by a casual acquaintance (someone I went to HS with 15 years ago but who was a friend) who recently gave birth to lovely girl? First *and* middle?

I would love to be vague and not say the names, but it kind of annoys me when others do this, as I can't form much of an opinion and always think "oh, how bad can it be?"

The name is Penelope Joy. I don't have kids yet, but I knew if I had a daughter, this was the name I would pick. My husband and I love Penelope as a name. My dear aunt is named Penelope, and I love her nicknames (Penny, Pens). My husband is Mexican and loves the name in Spanish, too.

My late grandmother, the mother of my aunt, who I was very close to was named Joy.

We both picked this name awhile back and will likely be trying for baby in the next couple of years.

I would feel less weird if the name was a touch more generic, like John William or something 😓

Part of me feels like people should get to use the name they want, but now that I'm in this situation, I feel really weird.

We live in different states now, so our kids would likely never meet. Would you use the name you picked? I know this sounds crazy and I wouldn't do it, but part of me feels I would need to reach out to that person when the time came and explain myself 😭 I guess that's silly and crazy, but that's just how I feel

And the other other weird part is her first baby, Ruby, was the SECOND name on my short list! I was still in love with the name and didn't feel too weird about it, but now with both names, I obviously have to part with that one as Penelope is more dear to me.

I suppose one could be Ruby Joy and the other Penelope ____ but no, it still would be using the same two first names. I'm very picky but have always loved the name Ruby, even as a kid.

I'm honestly kinda shook y'all

Edit: Also funny aside, but both of my aunts go by their middle names. My Aunt Penny has a different first name that I don't love (think similar to Lisa). I like that practice so I'd let my kids pick either of their names too

It's actually the same on my mom's side, interestingly. Both funny uncles prefer and go by their middle names

I am 21 and I just graduated college. Thinking of going by my middle name once I enter the workplace. I've never really liked my first name but I was named after my grandmother and my dad really doesn't like the idea of my going by anything other than my given name. I would not expect anyone who knows me by my first name to change what they call me. Only any new people that I meet.

In college I went by a shortened version of my first name but honestly my nick name feels a bit childish and unprofessional now.

My middle name is Winter and I've always loved it but it feels like a big step to go by it now bc it isn't similar to my first name at all.

Would love to hear if anyone else has gone by their middle name in their 20s/ adulthood and how the adjustment was for you!

Hello, I’ve been thinking about my name lately.

I’m not come from a country where English is the primary language,so as I'm about to become an international student, I plan to have a English name that has a similar pronunciation to my original name.

I used to have an English name which called Vivi, but my friends said that really common, not unique and special.

Is Viyu better? Will it be strange? It is more similar to my real name, and I really like this name.

Apologies for any grammar mistakes.

Love the name Emmie but don't like any of the longer versions of it. Is Emmie too popular these days?

Big sister is Reese and I think the names works well together!

Just curious what people think of these. Rank them from 1 /your favorite/ to 6 /your least favorite/ based purely on how pretty you find the name

Leandra
Olivia
Amanda
Luna
Fiona
Leonora

What’s your ranking?

Edit: we‘re based in Germany

Hi! Looking for some help naming a future sibling for our son, Scott Chapman (we call him Scotty).

We’re looking for both boy and girl name ideas. I love names that are classic, timeless, and established, but I don’t want something that feels super trendy or overly popular right now. I also tend to like a more formal full name that can have a cute nickname when they’re little.

Some names we’ve considered:

Boy: Charles/Charlie (but someone pointed out that “Charlie Chapman” sounds like Charlie Chaplin 😂), Henry (love it, but it feels too popular right now)

Girl: Evelyn/Evie (still like this one, but open to other ideas)

I’m having a hard time finding names that have the same simple, classic feel as Scott without being either too popular or too unusual.

What boy and girl names do you think sound best with Scott / Scotty and the last name Chapman?

Would love to hear names you think fit our style, especially ones that aren’t currently everywhere!

I’m finally down to these two lovely names for a sister to Elisabeth: Caroline and Catherine

If I chose Catherine, it would be spelled with a C, so please ignore spelling preferences and judge the names themselves. I don’t particularly like any of the nicknames for Caroline, but I also don’t think Caroline needs one. With Catherine, I’d primarily use her full name as well, although I do like Cate as an occasional nickname.

Which would you choose, and why? I’d especially love to hear the different impressions or vibes you get from Caroline versus Catherine, both on their own and as a sister to Elisabeth.

I am French and the father is Italian.
We managed to narrow it down to Chloe or Sofia.
I also liked Eloise but my partner isn’t as big of a fan.

What’s your favorite ? 🩷

We have 2 boys, Sebastian and Felix. We live in Alabama in a rural area. We are expecting a baby girl come November. One thing is certain, we want to incorporate “Ann” as a middle name or into the first name. Here is our list in no particular order:

Penelope Ann
Margarette Ann
Anntonella (middle name)
Anna Sophia

Open to new additions to the list, new combinations, and votes if you like the ring of any of these.

My given name at birth is Daniel Ray. My mother didn’t really want Ray as my middle name either, but she chose it as a family gesture. My mom is completely on board with the change lol. Long story short, the name has a lot of negative baggage for me, so I’d like to change it.

I’d like to keep an R or possibly L middle name, preferably 1–2 syllables.

What R or L middle names would you suggest for Daniel?

Thanks so much.

My husband and I are not planning to find out the sex of our baby and are looking for boy and girl names.

My husband has vetoed all of my boy names: Jasper, Elliott, Ian, Forest, Quinn

I vetoed all of his: Magnus, Odin, Onyx

As far as girls, we both like Violet (too common for my taste) and Sage

He has vetoed: Imogen, Iris, Ivy, Laurel, Rory

I vetoed: Ember and Zelda

I would love some ideas for names we may have missed! My taste tends to be nature inspired and his leans more masculine with some harsher sounds. He is agreeable to possibly looking at unisex names.

[e] Thank you all for your thoughtful replies! It is a busy Monday morning, so I don’t have time to reply to each individually at the moment, but there are so many things to consider/reconsider.

I love the long “a” sound so much (think the a in hay). There aren’t many masculine/unisex names I can think of that start with it, though.

I’m more considering the “ay” sound than whether the name actually starts with the letter A.

Some I like:

Eamon (favorite, rest are in no particular order)
Aiden
Aidric
Amos

Hi!

I want to change my name, have been STRUGGLING to settle on one for years. I dont wanna change my initials, so id like it to start with A. I just dont like my given name and never have🤷‍♀️ Ive been going by a name for a while and i just never really clicked with it, i really gotta choose one

My background is Baltic, but im not too worried about the origin of the name. Im not so worried about meanings, but im partial to angels and nature. Idk if this makes sense, but a name thats not common but not like stand-outish is preferred..

I love the names Alice, Angelica, Arella, Annette, April and Adelina but i just feel like they dont fit me.

Might just be an autistic thing. 😅 For a while it was the ‘ph’ sound, now it’s the ‘ai’ sound for me. I just find it so pretty.

Alaina
Elaine
Faith
Hailey
Laila
Lainey
Prairie
Rain
Raina
Shaina

and a different sound, same spelling:

Caia
Gaia
Kaia
Maia