I am 8 months pregnant with out third girl, and I am wanting an unbiased point of view of the name we have chosen. My husband and I both had very common names (Ashley and Jason), so we decided to choose more creative names when we had kids. There were always at least five Ashleys in my class growing up, and it drove me crazy! We named our first daughter Rhiannon. It took a while for everyone to stop calling her Brianna or Rhianna. Our second daughter we named Evelyn. We were crazy about both these names. When we found out we were having another girl, we didn't really have anymore names we were in love with. Finally, we both really like Madeline. Immediately, people started saying Madelynn. We really can't think of any other names that we like, and are still leaning towards Madeline and hoping, like Rhiannon, people will get the hang of it after a while. What do you think? Any other suggestions?
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The first girl I met named Rhiannon was in fifth grade, and I remember thinking that she was so sophisticated for not having a name that ended in “y” or “a” like the rest of us. I’ve always liked names for girls that ended in consonants, as it feels as though it gives them a certain gravitas (although the more I write this column the more I think this might be my own issue).
So Rhiannon and Evelyn are about to have a sister. What it sounds like you’re concerned with is that you want to call a daughter MadeLIGHn, and people are calling (the future) her MadeLYNN. I have to admit that even though I think it’s a nice name, she’s still going to wind up “Maddy”, which with the Madisons and Madelyns and etc is still going to be the most common nickname in her generation. Still, it’s clear you want to avoid ending in the “ie” syllable,
So, suggestions? You seem to like a longer name ending in “n” so – how about Bronwyn? Hard to mistake or mispronounce. Ditto for Tamsin – although I know that’s another one that tends to make people feel strong feelings, but I have no association with it.
How about Katherine? A little more traditional, yes, than your other two choices, but it allows you plenty of leeway for nicknames if that’s your thing, and it shares a sophistication with the other two.
If it’s the “ine” you’re looking for, there’s always the name spelled N-A-D-I-N-E. I do this because I thought the name was “Nah-DINE” while Sasha swears everyone pronounces it “Nay-Dine”, which I like less. Or, in the “extremely topical” area, there’s always Clementine.
Let me know if I hit this one at all – always like an update!
