Hi Duana,
We are expecting Baby #3 in early 2015! Our son's name is Timothy, and our daughter's name is Anna. The boy's name is decided - it was set the last go-round (Henry Xavier) - but we are having some trouble with a girl's name. My husband wants June, but if we do use it, we'll likely use that as a middle name. Our surname starts with a W and is a three-syllable name ending in -ski. We both have very large families - each of us has more than 20 first cousins - and trying to stay away from duplicate names is proving quite the challenge. For example, we've had to cut out all variations of Katherine, Elizabeth, Monica, and Margaret. We prefer classic names, and if it's a saint's name, that's even more of a bonus. Any thoughts?
Signed,
It'll Probably be a Boy Since I Wrote All of This Down.
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Okay, your guiding principle here is “Who did they go to school with?”
Here’s what I mean. All the Katherines and Elizabeths and whatnot in your family tree were probably named after people, or after earlier holders of the name. So you have to think, who were they in school with who might have a name that was similar for the time?
Here are my best guesses, and point taken about the saints.
Clara – often talked about, rarely chosen. St. Claire/Clara, depending on who you ask, is the patron saint of television. Did you know Adela was a saint? Me neither, and I feel like it might sound good with Anna (which I love, even though it maybe sounds narcissistic) without stepping too closely on her heels.
I know there was sort of a premature backlash to Lucia, but it seems like it would work so well with Timothy and Anna. Any love there? If not, how about Louisa? Coming up in popularity but still so classic and stately, it could be lovely for your little girl and is the patron saint of Social Workers.
There are certain names that just announce piousness loud and clear. Some people think of Veronica that way but I never have, there always seemed to be an element of drama about her. But I do feel that way about Therese and Teresa, which is maybe unfair because they’re empirically lovely. Is there any room in there for your daughter to find her name?
I’m shying away from suggesting some of the longer, fancier names since your older children are kind of no-frills, but I am compelled to suggest Georgina. Georgina June is almost too cute but I kind of love it, all the same.
Lastly, if you want to go NOT a Saint’s name, ask me about Philomena, who was disbarred, or whatever the term is. Sure, it’s long, but it gets you to that great ‘Mena’ nickname and I’m sure it hasn’t been used in your family yet. Check and tell me if I’m right.
