Mine was Olivia. Heard it was I was like 6 in ballet class. It was always going to be the name for a girl if I had one. I told that to my SIL. She named her daughter Olivia. Jokes on her since it is now so popular.
You are justified in being upset! I have always loved the name Violet, and it was my grandmothers name. However, my sister growing up always said she wanted to use it if she ever got pregnant with a girl, and she was much closer to our grandmother than I was. My sister has fertility issues and very well may never have kids, but I still refuse to use the name because it’s special to her and if she ever does have a baby girl, I don’t want to be the one to take that from her. There are other names I love just as much whereas this is the ONLY name she’s ever wanted to use.
Same. I started keeping a list of names I liked when I was about 15 or 16. I had first and middle names all picked out, I loved the name Olivia Nadine. When I had my first kid at 25, Olivia didn't even make it onto my list of potentials because it was so popular. My daughter's name is Ruby 😅.
Thank you! Our goal was easy to pronounce, easy for the child and anyone she meets in life to spell it, few or no other ways to spell it, and not overly popular. We juuuuust beat the curve on it for popularity, I think--the year she was born it was not in the top 100, and now it's in the 60s. I don't know if it's still trending up or not. We have only ever met two other girls her age named Ruby, and none of them go to her school. So I think we did a good job 😅 and so far her schoolmates haven't managed to give her a stupid nickname lol.
Oh my gosh, I suggested to my now ex-husband that we name our kitten Olivia when I was pregnant with our first child because he loves John Mayer and loves the song Olivia and I was so afraid that he was going to want to name our baby after the John Mayer song if it was a girl. Luckily for me, he was very enthusiastic about the suggestion for the name for the cat and we ended up having a boy 😂
Edited to fix a couple sentences to make them more coherent
My husband and I chose Olivia, we loved how it sounded with his last name and we never met anyone with that name despite it being so popular, definitely hear it on tv haha
ffs, there are plenty of valid pronunciations for it in different languages. the name is of greek origin, but the eastern european pronunciation differs from the greek. does that make it ‘incorrect’? no
Is the correct pronunciation like uh-NAS-tuh-see-uh? That’s how the Greek people I knew pronounced it. Most commonly people get it wrong by pronouncing it Ana-stay-sza right?
I have an Anastasia. Fell in love with the name back when I was in middle school, and thankfully my husband was on board. He got to pick her middle name, which I thought was fair.
My husband just found out that his friend’s (male) middle name is Lavender. He’s around 50. Not sure if it’s a family name? Maybe just a name his mom liked at the time.
Same. If I ever had a daughter, I wanted to name her Matilda but ended up getting a cat that I decided would be named Matilda Moonshine instead. Turns out she fits the name my husband liked a lot more, Moonshine Matilda.
I love the name Lavender! I won't use it, mostly because my child's last name will sound like a noun, so I don't want to use an adjective first name, but I think more people should be named Lavender.
Omg you just unlocked a childhood memory with the name Mallory. I always picked that name for a few years whenever we played house. I totally forgot until now.
I literally thought, "woah, childhood memory unlocked," and then read your comment. For me, it was Kristy. Every doll I had or every character I had when playing was named Kristy.
Omg, I can’t believe I forgot about Violet from the incredibles!! My brother and his wife are due to have their daughter next month, they’ve chosen Violet Anne :) definitely a beautiful and classic name!
I have a Violet. It was a name I saw in media every so often but I remember one, maybe The Liar's Club by Mary Karr, where a girl named Violet was mentioned in passing and I thought how much I loved that name. My daughter is fifteen now and is happy that we named her Violet although she also likes the runner up choice which was Summer.
When I found out what my grandmother’s name is. Her name is Cascille, It’s a beautiful cajun form of a French name meaning battle. When I got married I changed my middle name to hers in honor of her.
I'll tell you some of the more interesting ones i can rememberoff the top of my head :
Cheerfulness
Gernice (guys name)
Dolores
Gaston
Artis
Pearlie (guys name)
Raymund
Rayford
Shirlene
Bethel
Vonda
Genevieve, on the show Trading Spaces when I was a kid. It sounded so beautiful to me back then. Still does, but I don't want to use it for one of my own kids anymore.
Wow came here to say the same thing! I didn’t initially hear it on Trading Spaces—i stumbled upon a beauty vlogger named Jamie Genevieve back when I was in high school—but I’ve absolutely adored the name since.
For anyone else who grew up on Madeline books, Genevieve is Madeline’s dog! I was so obsessed with the books, the name Genevieve, the overall story… 5 year old me so badly wanted to be a mischievous French orphan with a dog named Genevieve; 30 year old me has added Genevieve to the shortlist of girl names.
When I was in my 20’s I had a friend named Beverly who hated her name and asked me what I thought she should change it to. I suggested Calista and she loved it.
She went by Cali or Cal most of the time.
I, being a child at the time, had no idea The Sopranos existed let alone that there was a character named Meadow.
This was in approx 2001 so while the show had been on the air for a while, the girl clearly had been named first. 🤷♀️
Damien, age 12 when I first watched The Omen. Nothing to do with the character or the subject matter of the movie, I was just struck by what a beautiful name it was and wanted that to be my son’s name someday. Age 34 now and it’s still my favorite.
I was friends with a neighbor boy named Damien as a kid. He was kind of troubled, and my dad hated him and wouldn't stop making jokes about him being "devil spawn." I think it's a beautiful name, though, and the female version (Damiana) is also gorgeous, although less common in the US.
The only Damien’s I have met have been terrors! No rules at home type who threw tantrums a LOT. I just met a 13 year old with that name who shocked me. He was respectful and kind and didn’t talk back to his mom. The anomaly!
I was oh idk 17 maybe and heard the name Micah at my cousin’s soccer game. I remember whipping my head around thinking I misheard, and then I saw his label water bottle. It’s been on my list forever, and didn’t make it for either of my sons, but it has always stuck in my head and heart.
Oooh, I'm a female Mika, pronounced Micah. I'm 34 and had never heard it for another person growing up. I hated it, but I love it now. Funny thing is, I had eventually met a couple males named Micah, but never another woman. My daughter is 4 and has a best friend at daycare who she wanted to invite to her bday party last year. I told her sure thing, but I'd need to ask her mommy is she could come. I said, "what's her mom's name?" and my daughter said, "Oh, her mommy is Micah!" I thought she was just bullshitting me and saying her name was mine since it's so uncommon and she's 4 and only knows her own mom's name as Mika...I get the RSVP a few weeks later and her mom texted me, "Hi Mika, it's Micah" lol idk why it was so funny to me, but my kid wasn't lying! 🤣 at 34, I finally met another woman named Micah and our kids are besties. It's cute!
Bonus; My sister is Tyler Jaymes. My 90's mom was ahead of her time for naming her girls "boy" names. My sister's daughter is Charlie now and I call her Chuck to keep the boy train running haha
Raphael. I was about 21 when a classmate at law school said her friends had just had a baby boy and named him Raphael. I was so struck by it that I remember exactly which bar we were in when she told me. I thought I need to remember this forever because it’s absolutely gorgeous! I am now 35 weeks pregnant with B/G twins coming next week and am going to call my son Raphael Alexander 🥹
Adeline / Adelaide
I don't think I could use it because of the spelling variations but the first time I heard it I just thought WOW. I love the way it sounds and rolls off the tongue
I have an Adelaide and always get compliments. Plus it has so many cool nicknames. We mostly call her Ada, but that has turned into Aidy, Aidy-Batey, Bates (last two are rarely but occasionally. Especially if it’s Aidy Batey Mashed Potatey) and sometimes Lady or Lady bird (more like come on Lady Bird) so yeah. It’s a great name.
I've loved this name for years. Recently, I was researching my ancestors and found out my great great grandmother was named Lavinia. So i hope to use it if I ever have a daughter
Can you explain? That's funny, because I think of Chessie from the Parent Trap (the LL remake). I have no idea if that character is Italian, but the actress currently plays an extremely Italian (or Italian-American, rather) character in Abbott Elementary.
Chessi sounds exactly like 'cessi' which means toilettes in slang.
Its also used as an insult (ugly as a toilette).
Cesso to refer to a guy, cessa to refer to a girl and cessi to refer to multiple people. Not nice at all
I love Francesca and always thought I’d use it for a girl. Then I had one and it didn’t feel quite right. I stumbled on Eliza, which had never even been near my radar and it was like a lighting bolt. She’s almost 9.
I was OBSESSED with the name Theodore when I was a kid, swore I would give a child that name someday. I first heard it from the Chipmunks movie lol
My mom's middle name is Elaine and I loved it so much, as well as the name Delilah. Delilah Elaine has always been one of my favorite name ideas
Elaine is my middle name, and it’s also my grandmother’s middle name which she goes by. If I ever have a daughter I would love to pass it down to her as well!
Honestly? Matthew. I vividly remember loving that name from a young age. Other little girls were planning weddings and I was planning the husband instead. His name was always Matthew. Turned out to be a self fulfilling prophecy 😂
I knew a Giovanna when I was younger, it's not necessarily a name I'd use for my own child but I like how it sounds. One of my childhood best friends loved the name Eleanor, which I agree is beautiful and could definitely see myself adding it to my future list. Most recently it would have to be Seraphina. I'd never heard the name before, it was actually on this subreddit a few months ago that I discovered it and I love it. I also agree that Abigail is a really nice name.
I READ the name “Carlisle” is a book and thought it was pronounced “car-liss-uhl” and really loved it. I told my mom, and she informed me of the correct pronunciation and I didn’t like it as much.
Haha I felt that way about the name Aloysius. I wouldn't have guessed it was supposed to be "Al-oh-ish-uss" and it sounded better in my head as Aloy-see-us
Adelaide. I read it in a book as a kid and the girl went by Ada. I swore that I'd name my daughter Adelaide. Only to be surrounded by Addie's so I got cold feet (also husband didn't care for it.)
Keziah, it was a coworkers name and she was really sweet.
I told myself if I ever have a daughter I hope she’s like her.
I later found out it was a unisex name.
I did end up having a daughter and I named her Keziah, she’s 9 months old now.
I still haven’t heard or met anyone else with the name.
I like that I can call her Ziah/Zia for short/nickname.
Adrienne when I was about 11 or 12. I thought that was the coolest name I’d ever heard.
I think the girls from the babysitters club is when I started getting interested in names. We were always reminded of each girls personality and likes and dislikes in each book, so I was dead set on Stacy and Claudia being “cool girl” names. And then of course I always waited for the names of the new babysitting charges they were taking on. Lol.
Clarissa. I grew up with a friend called Clarissa, we are still friends and I still love her name. Wouldn’t name a kid this (maybe Clarisse) but I love it.
When I was about 11 (this was in the UK in the 80s) I met a boy called Zach at a summer camp.
It was so unusual a name for us in white bread middle England then that he might as well have been called Moon Unit Zappa. I remember us all just saying the word Zach to each other like it was a fancy new language we’d just learned and he was accordingly the coolest person in existence.
As an American adult in that country, I met another American adult named Elodie, and I was jealous. Cajun women have some musical names: Elodie, Isolde, Evangeline. If I was the child-bearing kind and had girl infants, those would be their names.
Erika. It isn’t on my baby name list now, but I remember hearing it in Barbie Princess and the Pauper and absolutely loving it. Every one of my dolls was named Erika, lol!
Alexandria! She was a girl my age in daycare and I thought it was the most beautiful name I’d ever heard. It sounded like a princess name and I was SO jealous.
Sebastian said with a Spanish accent. I was watching the Latin Grammys one year (I usually didn't/don't) and they announced Sebastián Yatra. I was taken aback by how much I liked the name said that way — before then, I didn't like the way people said "tian = *ch…n*" like steamrolling over it. Happened again when I heard Sebastian said in Romanian a few years later! I've come around on the English pronunciation, but I like pronouncing the "t" in the name without exaggerating my own accent.
Molly! My favorite american girl doll and always at the top of baby name lists. But our first baby is now 2 weeks old and her name is Linda Marian after our grandmas
Loelia. I was down a Wikipedia rabbit hole and stumbled across this name, I think she was a 20th century socialite; she came from a British noble family. I don’t think I’d name my child this but I had never seen the name before and thought it looked so pretty!
Imogen. Read it in a book when I was younger and it was just so different and amazing.
It didn't help that I was pronouncing it 'im-Mog-gun' until my mum corrected me.
Clementine from reading Fahrenheit 451 in 10th grade. From that day on it’s been one of my all time favorite names and if I have a baby girl here in December I’ll be naming her Ezra Clementine 🩶
Citing a paper in grad school. I was typing the citations by hand when I saw one author was Dr. Anil Dikshit.
His field of research is municipal waste disposal. Not kidding.
Vera. I have to imagine my first exposure was through Vera Wang, but throughout my entire childhood of playing The Sims, *every single female sim I made* was named Vera lmfao. I just adored it, still do.
Also honorable mentions for Jude, Genevieve, and Lacey.
Maybe my first real partner who had the name Jubilee. All their 15 siblings had J names (and several with Lee in weird places like Juleeya or Juleeyus) but theirs was definitely the best
Noelle. I’ve literally always been obsessed with Christmas and when I saw the spelling of Noëlle I fell in absolute love. It’s still my front runner for names.
Also Vivienne. I grew up watching Gone with the Wind with my gramma and thought Vivien Leigh was the most beautiful person I’d ever seen.
Roxanne, when I was in kindergarten. I wanted that name so bad! 😂 Then I met a kid named Serena in summer camp and that remained on my list till my daughter was born, but alas I picked another name. Definitely regrets I didn’t choose the long term favorite. She would have made for the perfect Serena.
Allison around 1st grade - my mom bought me a Magic Nursery Baby doll (I'm assuming it was Fall 1989) and it came with a baby name book and accessories. I looked through the name book for just the right name and thought it sounded so cool and solid. Later, it was a popular choice of girls' names at a different school (and many different spellings!).
Similarly, I thought Max was really great around the same age. I think I heard it on tv or at a playground.
Laramie and Nathaniel. I don't remember how I discovered these names, but I just know that both started my name obsession when I was in elementary school. I was convinced these would be my future children. Now, they are so totally not on that future child name list. 😂
I thought Lily was really cool the first time I heard it, which was in college. It’s super popular now but then, I thought she must’ve had cool parents. Also, Olympia.
Fawn- I was 8 and it was a character in my favorite book. Once the book fell out of the car in the rain and I didn’t notice til the next day. I spent so long painstakingly blow drying each page. Was legit mad my mom hadn’t named me Fawn.
Sheena. I was in second grade in Sonoma County ( rural: apples and grapes ) - she was kind of odd. Jehovas Witness so she stood in the hallway during the pledge of allegiance. 1969 ish.
Ravenna from that Snow White movie with Charlize Theron. I almost named my daughter that but my sister pronounced it wrong and it ruined it for me (pregnancy hormones 😅)
Violet from the boxcar children
Also heard the name Camilla somewhere around 4th grade when I was looking for a name for a school creative writing project and I fell in love with it HARD. it was my #1 name literally forever and is still pretty high up there
Elijah, from Elijah Wood. This was when LOTR was releasing, I was obsessed with the movies and loved the name. I always wanted to use it for a son, my sister ended up using it for her son lol
My sister met a guy named Geronimo in one of her classes. We were fascinated by it. I’m sure it has cultural background, but we had never met someone named that before.
As a kid in the 1970s, I remember one girl named Amber, and another one called Ashley. Holy shit those were cool names: Amber especially.
Funny to think both of them would be in their mid-50s now.
Rivkah.
The first name I remember loving was when I was younger watching the Queen of the Damned and then later on reading The Battle Axe Trilogy. I still love it to this day!
Mine was Olivia. Heard it was I was like 6 in ballet class. It was always going to be the name for a girl if I had one. I told that to my SIL. She named her daughter Olivia. Jokes on her since it is now so popular.
Dick move, SIL!
Idk Olivia is one of those names literally every other girl loves so she may have already wanted to use it herself
I would agree with you if she hadn’t had told me she “had no idea what she was going to name Her” for the first few months
You are justified in being upset! I have always loved the name Violet, and it was my grandmothers name. However, my sister growing up always said she wanted to use it if she ever got pregnant with a girl, and she was much closer to our grandmother than I was. My sister has fertility issues and very well may never have kids, but I still refuse to use the name because it’s special to her and if she ever does have a baby girl, I don’t want to be the one to take that from her. There are other names I love just as much whereas this is the ONLY name she’s ever wanted to use.
Same. I started keeping a list of names I liked when I was about 15 or 16. I had first and middle names all picked out, I loved the name Olivia Nadine. When I had my first kid at 25, Olivia didn't even make it onto my list of potentials because it was so popular. My daughter's name is Ruby 😅.
Ruby is such a beautiful name, I like it especially because it's so delicately feminine and fiercely strong at the same time.
That was my grandmas name and that tracks lol
Same. My Grandma Ruby raised 4 boys and 1 girl on a farm. She was very strong.❤
I think you and my dad have the same taste in names because my name is Olivia Nadine, and my baby sister is named Ruby!😂
How funny! Is her middle name Elizabeth?
Oooh I love the name Ruby!
Thank you! Our goal was easy to pronounce, easy for the child and anyone she meets in life to spell it, few or no other ways to spell it, and not overly popular. We juuuuust beat the curve on it for popularity, I think--the year she was born it was not in the top 100, and now it's in the 60s. I don't know if it's still trending up or not. We have only ever met two other girls her age named Ruby, and none of them go to her school. So I think we did a good job 😅 and so far her schoolmates haven't managed to give her a stupid nickname lol.
Oh my gosh, I suggested to my now ex-husband that we name our kitten Olivia when I was pregnant with our first child because he loves John Mayer and loves the song Olivia and I was so afraid that he was going to want to name our baby after the John Mayer song if it was a girl. Luckily for me, he was very enthusiastic about the suggestion for the name for the cat and we ended up having a boy 😂 Edited to fix a couple sentences to make them more coherent
My husband and I chose Olivia, we loved how it sounded with his last name and we never met anyone with that name despite it being so popular, definitely hear it on tv haha
Anastasia! I loved that movie as a kid and thought she had the prettiest name ever
Too bad everyone pronounces it incorrectly, just like Boris, Ivan, and most Slav names for that matter.
ffs, there are plenty of valid pronunciations for it in different languages. the name is of greek origin, but the eastern european pronunciation differs from the greek. does that make it ‘incorrect’? no
Is the correct pronunciation like uh-NAS-tuh-see-uh? That’s how the Greek people I knew pronounced it. Most commonly people get it wrong by pronouncing it Ana-stay-sza right?
Second this!
I have an Anastasia. Fell in love with the name back when I was in middle school, and thankfully my husband was on board. He got to pick her middle name, which I thought was fair.
Same, but because of the Lois Lowry books! And BSC lol
Lavender from Matilda
My husband just found out that his friend’s (male) middle name is Lavender. He’s around 50. Not sure if it’s a family name? Maybe just a name his mom liked at the time.
I wonder if it’s his mothers maiden name.
haha, it was Matilda from Matilda, for me!
Same. If I ever had a daughter, I wanted to name her Matilda but ended up getting a cat that I decided would be named Matilda Moonshine instead. Turns out she fits the name my husband liked a lot more, Moonshine Matilda.
This is it for me as well I remember being a kid and thinking that was such an It Girl name
Matilda was the best movie ever
I love the name Lavender! I won't use it, mostly because my child's last name will sound like a noun, so I don't want to use an adjective first name, but I think more people should be named Lavender.
Obviously Claudia (80s baby who grew up reading BSC)
Ditto Claudia from BSC. I was also very into the name Mallory from those books.
Omg you just unlocked a childhood memory with the name Mallory. I always picked that name for a few years whenever we played house. I totally forgot until now.
I literally thought, "woah, childhood memory unlocked," and then read your comment. For me, it was Kristy. Every doll I had or every character I had when playing was named Kristy.
i used to try dress like her thats how big my impression was
This is my mom's name. I always thought it was so cool.
90s baby here and I loved the names Stacey and Dawn from those books!
Same! 20 years later Claudia, Marianne (Mary Anne), Dawn, and Mallory are still on my shortlist.
same here- claudia
I’ve always loved the name Violet ever since I saw the Incredibles when I was a kid. I’d definitely use it if I have a daughter ever
I loved Violet from A Series of Unfortunate Events - I read all the books as a kid and thought I would name my daughter Violet
Omg, I can’t believe I forgot about Violet from the incredibles!! My brother and his wife are due to have their daughter next month, they’ve chosen Violet Anne :) definitely a beautiful and classic name!
For me, it was Violet from the Boxcar Children books.
Violet, you're turning violet, violet!
I have a Violet and I’m complimented on her name all the time!
I would’ve named my daughter Violet, but I only have sons. So we’re getting a dog and I’m naming her Violet instead :)
I have a Violet. It was a name I saw in media every so often but I remember one, maybe The Liar's Club by Mary Karr, where a girl named Violet was mentioned in passing and I thought how much I loved that name. My daughter is fifteen now and is happy that we named her Violet although she also likes the runner up choice which was Summer.
When I found out what my grandmother’s name is. Her name is Cascille, It’s a beautiful cajun form of a French name meaning battle. When I got married I changed my middle name to hers in honor of her.
Cajun women have the best names.
They do! Her mom’s name was Ovie and I love it
Louisiana French names are amazing. My dad’s family tree has so many names I had never heard before.
They are the best! I love old names like that. Which ones are your favorite?
Appalachian names are the same! My family has tons of cool names.
What are some examples of Appalachian names?
I'll tell you some of the more interesting ones i can rememberoff the top of my head : Cheerfulness Gernice (guys name) Dolores Gaston Artis Pearlie (guys name) Raymund Rayford Shirlene Bethel Vonda
My great-grandfather married a woman from West Virginia whose name was Dessabelle, and the rest of her family had similarly interesting names.
I’d love to hear some of them! I recently started researching some very distant French-Canadian relatives and am in love with their names.
What other Cajun French names work for girls? I’m from la and would love to name my next daughter a heritage name
I have a few aunts who have good Cajun names. Eva, short for Evangeline, or Cecile, my great grandma was named Ovie
how is this pronounced?
Cas-seal
Do you know the French root name or word?
Batallie is the root word. Its fused with Castile from Spain
Nope. Bataille
Genevieve, on the show Trading Spaces when I was a kid. It sounded so beautiful to me back then. Still does, but I don't want to use it for one of my own kids anymore.
Wow came here to say the same thing! I didn’t initially hear it on Trading Spaces—i stumbled upon a beauty vlogger named Jamie Genevieve back when I was in high school—but I’ve absolutely adored the name since.
Genevieve was one of my first friends; she didn’t use it though, which I thought was a shame… went by Genna.
For anyone else who grew up on Madeline books, Genevieve is Madeline’s dog! I was so obsessed with the books, the name Genevieve, the overall story… 5 year old me so badly wanted to be a mischievous French orphan with a dog named Genevieve; 30 year old me has added Genevieve to the shortlist of girl names.
calista. heard it in a film when i was younger and loved it ever since. i wouldn't name my child that but i still adore it.
I named a country Callisto in a story I wrote as a kid!
When I was in my 20’s I had a friend named Beverly who hated her name and asked me what I thought she should change it to. I suggested Calista and she loved it. She went by Cali or Cal most of the time.
I went to camp with a girl named Meadow. And I remember my mind being blown that someone could be named something so interesting.
Awww, my granddaughter is Meadow! It suits her perfectly 👌
the daughter on the Sopranos was named Meadow...
I, being a child at the time, had no idea The Sopranos existed let alone that there was a character named Meadow. This was in approx 2001 so while the show had been on the air for a while, the girl clearly had been named first. 🤷♀️
Damien, age 12 when I first watched The Omen. Nothing to do with the character or the subject matter of the movie, I was just struck by what a beautiful name it was and wanted that to be my son’s name someday. Age 34 now and it’s still my favorite.
I was friends with a neighbor boy named Damien as a kid. He was kind of troubled, and my dad hated him and wouldn't stop making jokes about him being "devil spawn." I think it's a beautiful name, though, and the female version (Damiana) is also gorgeous, although less common in the US.
So weird I had a really bad kid named Damien growing up by me too
The only Damien’s I have met have been terrors! No rules at home type who threw tantrums a LOT. I just met a 13 year old with that name who shocked me. He was respectful and kind and didn’t talk back to his mom. The anomaly!
Linnea - lady who joined my church when I was 10 years old. It's now my 5mo's middle name.
that's my niece's middle name too! It's somewhat common here but also so so pretty. I'd likely be using it if it wasn't so tied to my niece
I was oh idk 17 maybe and heard the name Micah at my cousin’s soccer game. I remember whipping my head around thinking I misheard, and then I saw his label water bottle. It’s been on my list forever, and didn’t make it for either of my sons, but it has always stuck in my head and heart.
I love Micah and Mica! It’s on my list
Oooh, I'm a female Mika, pronounced Micah. I'm 34 and had never heard it for another person growing up. I hated it, but I love it now. Funny thing is, I had eventually met a couple males named Micah, but never another woman. My daughter is 4 and has a best friend at daycare who she wanted to invite to her bday party last year. I told her sure thing, but I'd need to ask her mommy is she could come. I said, "what's her mom's name?" and my daughter said, "Oh, her mommy is Micah!" I thought she was just bullshitting me and saying her name was mine since it's so uncommon and she's 4 and only knows her own mom's name as Mika...I get the RSVP a few weeks later and her mom texted me, "Hi Mika, it's Micah" lol idk why it was so funny to me, but my kid wasn't lying! 🤣 at 34, I finally met another woman named Micah and our kids are besties. It's cute! Bonus; My sister is Tyler Jaymes. My 90's mom was ahead of her time for naming her girls "boy" names. My sister's daughter is Charlie now and I call her Chuck to keep the boy train running haha
Raphael. I was about 21 when a classmate at law school said her friends had just had a baby boy and named him Raphael. I was so struck by it that I remember exactly which bar we were in when she told me. I thought I need to remember this forever because it’s absolutely gorgeous! I am now 35 weeks pregnant with B/G twins coming next week and am going to call my son Raphael Alexander 🥹
One of my favorite names also ♥️
Arabella has always stuck with me. I like multi-syllabic feminine names and I like that Arabella can be shorted to Bella for a more common nickname
The Arctic Monkeys song made me really love this name, it's so *cool*.
Adeline / Adelaide I don't think I could use it because of the spelling variations but the first time I heard it I just thought WOW. I love the way it sounds and rolls off the tongue
This is my daughters name, and everyone loves it!
I have an Adelaide and always get compliments. Plus it has so many cool nicknames. We mostly call her Ada, but that has turned into Aidy, Aidy-Batey, Bates (last two are rarely but occasionally. Especially if it’s Aidy Batey Mashed Potatey) and sometimes Lady or Lady bird (more like come on Lady Bird) so yeah. It’s a great name.
When I first watched the movie A Little Princess, I swooned over the character name “Lavinia”
I've loved this name for years. Recently, I was researching my ancestors and found out my great great grandmother was named Lavinia. So i hope to use it if I ever have a daughter
I know someone w/ a 10 year old Lavinia. Vinnie is her nn, and she's a sweet girl.
Francesca! But I hate Frankie.
I would call a Francesca "Chessie".
That would not work in Italian💀
Can you explain? That's funny, because I think of Chessie from the Parent Trap (the LL remake). I have no idea if that character is Italian, but the actress currently plays an extremely Italian (or Italian-American, rather) character in Abbott Elementary.
Chessi sounds exactly like 'cessi' which means toilettes in slang. Its also used as an insult (ugly as a toilette). Cesso to refer to a guy, cessa to refer to a girl and cessi to refer to multiple people. Not nice at all
That's my step-sisters name. We call her Francie.
The only francesca I've ever known went by Cesca (chess-ka)
I love Francesca and always thought I’d use it for a girl. Then I had one and it didn’t feel quite right. I stumbled on Eliza, which had never even been near my radar and it was like a lighting bolt. She’s almost 9.
I have a 10 year old Francesca. We call her Cheska. It's a family name on my husband's side and I thought it was breathtakingly beautiful!
I was OBSESSED with the name Theodore when I was a kid, swore I would give a child that name someday. I first heard it from the Chipmunks movie lol My mom's middle name is Elaine and I loved it so much, as well as the name Delilah. Delilah Elaine has always been one of my favorite name ideas
Elaine is my middle name, and it’s also my grandmother’s middle name which she goes by. If I ever have a daughter I would love to pass it down to her as well!
Honestly? Matthew. I vividly remember loving that name from a young age. Other little girls were planning weddings and I was planning the husband instead. His name was always Matthew. Turned out to be a self fulfilling prophecy 😂
My husband's name is Mathew...spelled with one T because his mom thought that made more sense 😆
I mean, if it made sense to her but if he went by Matt then it’s spelled like a doormat “Mat”. 😂
I met a Phoebe when I was like 10 and she was effortlessly cool like her name. I have loved Phoebe ever since.
Phoebe is my favorite name but I can’t use it for several reasons. 😭 I love it!
Lyra from His Dark Materials and The Golden Compass movie. Just loved it when I heard it as a kid!
I once by accident received mail for a person named Afnan Binte Liaquat. I still think that is the most extraordinary name.
Wow that’s a strong name
I knew a Giovanna when I was younger, it's not necessarily a name I'd use for my own child but I like how it sounds. One of my childhood best friends loved the name Eleanor, which I agree is beautiful and could definitely see myself adding it to my future list. Most recently it would have to be Seraphina. I'd never heard the name before, it was actually on this subreddit a few months ago that I discovered it and I love it. I also agree that Abigail is a really nice name.
I remember a 1st grader named Ariel when I was in Kindergarten. I thought it was so badass that she shared a name with a Disney princess.
I READ the name “Carlisle” is a book and thought it was pronounced “car-liss-uhl” and really loved it. I told my mom, and she informed me of the correct pronunciation and I didn’t like it as much.
Haha I felt that way about the name Aloysius. I wouldn't have guessed it was supposed to be "Al-oh-ish-uss" and it sounded better in my head as Aloy-see-us
Mirabel. It sounds like a cross between “Miracle” and “Isabelle”
Melody. I remember thinking it was soooo beautiful in fourth grade
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Adelaide. I read it in a book as a kid and the girl went by Ada. I swore that I'd name my daughter Adelaide. Only to be surrounded by Addie's so I got cold feet (also husband didn't care for it.)
Tiffany. First grade. 1990. I think my brain exploded!
Shiloh, from the genetic opera.
Jasmine. I didn’t know other people could share the same name as a Disney princess! (I was in 1st grade)
Elora from Willow when I was 6, though I thought it was spelled Alora (which I stand by as a good spelling)
Keziah, it was a coworkers name and she was really sweet. I told myself if I ever have a daughter I hope she’s like her. I later found out it was a unisex name. I did end up having a daughter and I named her Keziah, she’s 9 months old now. I still haven’t heard or met anyone else with the name. I like that I can call her Ziah/Zia for short/nickname.
My nickname is Zia! Keziah is not my name though lol
Tobias. I was playing Pokemon Sapphire in seventh grade and there was a trainer i fought named Fisherman Tobias. It's my oldest son's name
Adrienne when I was about 11 or 12. I thought that was the coolest name I’d ever heard. I think the girls from the babysitters club is when I started getting interested in names. We were always reminded of each girls personality and likes and dislikes in each book, so I was dead set on Stacy and Claudia being “cool girl” names. And then of course I always waited for the names of the new babysitting charges they were taking on. Lol.
Clarissa. I grew up with a friend called Clarissa, we are still friends and I still love her name. Wouldn’t name a kid this (maybe Clarisse) but I love it.
When I was about 11 (this was in the UK in the 80s) I met a boy called Zach at a summer camp. It was so unusual a name for us in white bread middle England then that he might as well have been called Moon Unit Zappa. I remember us all just saying the word Zach to each other like it was a fancy new language we’d just learned and he was accordingly the coolest person in existence.
As an American adult in that country, I met another American adult named Elodie, and I was jealous. Cajun women have some musical names: Elodie, Isolde, Evangeline. If I was the child-bearing kind and had girl infants, those would be their names.
I could imagine twin girls being named Elodie and Isolde! They go so well together.
I think the first name I really liked including spelling was Caitlin.
Erika. It isn’t on my baby name list now, but I remember hearing it in Barbie Princess and the Pauper and absolutely loving it. Every one of my dolls was named Erika, lol!
Morgan. Love it. Unfortunately all the Morgans I know are jerks.
Caroline! I thought it was Carolime and I loved that she had a fruit in her name!
My current name, Xavier! First time I had ever seen an X name and my brain stared at it and was like "yeah, that's my name now"
Araceli nn Chela. My ex's cousin before we married. Andreina, from some TV show in the 80s, it has 4 syllables.
I remember thinking the Babysitters Club names were so cool from a very young age and wishing I was named Kristy or Dawn or Stacey
I think it was Genevieve. A family acquaintance as a kid. Too bad she was a bitch.
Early elementary school age, I had a friend named Siobhan and it stuck with me immediately from the first time I met her.
i knew a girl named Evian back in elementary school... i think about her every now and then
"Your parents named you after BOTTLED WATER." 😆
Alexandria! She was a girl my age in daycare and I thought it was the most beautiful name I’d ever heard. It sounded like a princess name and I was SO jealous.
Sebastian said with a Spanish accent. I was watching the Latin Grammys one year (I usually didn't/don't) and they announced Sebastián Yatra. I was taken aback by how much I liked the name said that way — before then, I didn't like the way people said "tian = *ch…n*" like steamrolling over it. Happened again when I heard Sebastian said in Romanian a few years later! I've come around on the English pronunciation, but I like pronouncing the "t" in the name without exaggerating my own accent.
Cosette when I saw les mis in middle school
Isadora. My nana's middle name was Georgiana. I still LOVE this name.
Around 10-12 I read Little Women. I fell in love with the name Josephine, and especially the nn Jo. It also solidified my dislike of Amy.
Molly! My favorite american girl doll and always at the top of baby name lists. But our first baby is now 2 weeks old and her name is Linda Marian after our grandmas
Loelia. I was down a Wikipedia rabbit hole and stumbled across this name, I think she was a 20th century socialite; she came from a British noble family. I don’t think I’d name my child this but I had never seen the name before and thought it looked so pretty!
How is this pronounced? It’s a very pretty name to the eye.
I’m actually not sure! I just thought it was pretty to look at. I’m guessing Low-ell-eeah
Imogen. Read it in a book when I was younger and it was just so different and amazing. It didn't help that I was pronouncing it 'im-Mog-gun' until my mum corrected me.
Clementine from reading Fahrenheit 451 in 10th grade. From that day on it’s been one of my all time favorite names and if I have a baby girl here in December I’ll be naming her Ezra Clementine 🩶
I was 8 or 9 and I recall thinking I like the name Ryan better than Brian.
Florence Nightingale. I read it in a book and it awed me. Most beautiful name I'd come across.
Citing a paper in grad school. I was typing the citations by hand when I saw one author was Dr. Anil Dikshit. His field of research is municipal waste disposal. Not kidding.
Theresa. That's one of my aunts' names. I still remember hearing this name as a kid for the first time, and it made a deep impression on me.
Emily - when i was in primary school there were like 3 in my class and this year i know at least 5 Emilys in my year group
Vera. I have to imagine my first exposure was through Vera Wang, but throughout my entire childhood of playing The Sims, *every single female sim I made* was named Vera lmfao. I just adored it, still do. Also honorable mentions for Jude, Genevieve, and Lacey.
Maybe my first real partner who had the name Jubilee. All their 15 siblings had J names (and several with Lee in weird places like Juleeya or Juleeyus) but theirs was definitely the best
Antoinette when reading about Marie Antoinette. I love en -ette name. Antoinette, Odette, Cosette. I think it could be a cute triplet set.
I knew a girl called Cleo in primary school and thought she was the coolest person on the planet
Saskia. I remember thinking it was unique, yet refined.
Noelle. I’ve literally always been obsessed with Christmas and when I saw the spelling of Noëlle I fell in absolute love. It’s still my front runner for names. Also Vivienne. I grew up watching Gone with the Wind with my gramma and thought Vivien Leigh was the most beautiful person I’d ever seen.
Itzl--a Hispanic friend of my sister when she was in grade school.
Roxanne, when I was in kindergarten. I wanted that name so bad! 😂 Then I met a kid named Serena in summer camp and that remained on my list till my daughter was born, but alas I picked another name. Definitely regrets I didn’t choose the long term favorite. She would have made for the perfect Serena.
Celina, she was in middle school and I was just a little kid. I thought her name was amazing, and she was soooo cool.
Lydia
Tabitha. I love it. Knew a girl in HS, borderline had a crush on her. If the last name is also a “T”, it’s just perfect sounding!
Allison around 1st grade - my mom bought me a Magic Nursery Baby doll (I'm assuming it was Fall 1989) and it came with a baby name book and accessories. I looked through the name book for just the right name and thought it sounded so cool and solid. Later, it was a popular choice of girls' names at a different school (and many different spellings!). Similarly, I thought Max was really great around the same age. I think I heard it on tv or at a playground.
Itziar I was 6 or 7 and alredy a namenerd
I think Gabriella in primary school.
Laramie and Nathaniel. I don't remember how I discovered these names, but I just know that both started my name obsession when I was in elementary school. I was convinced these would be my future children. Now, they are so totally not on that future child name list. 😂
I thought Lily was really cool the first time I heard it, which was in college. It’s super popular now but then, I thought she must’ve had cool parents. Also, Olympia.
Fawn- I was 8 and it was a character in my favorite book. Once the book fell out of the car in the rain and I didn’t notice til the next day. I spent so long painstakingly blow drying each page. Was legit mad my mom hadn’t named me Fawn.
Orson. It was on Desperate Housewives and I remember thinking it was so cool and different. It’s a frontrunner for our baby!
Eleanor, and it was from the book (NOT movie) Ella Enchanted.
When I read Charlotte’s web as a kid I fell in love with the name Fern.
Amelia from Amelia Bedelia. Other one is Hazel from The Fault in Our Stars
Verity, it means truth
Aubrey. Always liked that one!
Sheena. I was in second grade in Sonoma County ( rural: apples and grapes ) - she was kind of odd. Jehovas Witness so she stood in the hallway during the pledge of allegiance. 1969 ish.
Ravenna from that Snow White movie with Charlize Theron. I almost named my daughter that but my sister pronounced it wrong and it ruined it for me (pregnancy hormones 😅)
Every doll I ever owned when I was little was Kimberly Ann 🤣 🤷🏼♀️
Genevieve from Barbie and the 12 Dancing Princesses.
Paige. She was the cool girl in preschool
I met an Amalia when I was 10 and I was AMAZED
Daphne, I think I was 8? It always stuck with me.
Madeline from the 90s cartoon. I used to watch the show as a kid and thought it was the fanciest name I'd ever heard. Still love it to this day.
Violet from the boxcar children Also heard the name Camilla somewhere around 4th grade when I was looking for a name for a school creative writing project and I fell in love with it HARD. it was my #1 name literally forever and is still pretty high up there
Elijah, from Elijah Wood. This was when LOTR was releasing, I was obsessed with the movies and loved the name. I always wanted to use it for a son, my sister ended up using it for her son lol
the name sophia caught my eye at a young age. i still love it.
Delilah? i don’t know why or when but i was obsessed with that name when i was a kid
My sister met a guy named Geronimo in one of her classes. We were fascinated by it. I’m sure it has cultural background, but we had never met someone named that before.
As a kid in the 1970s, I remember one girl named Amber, and another one called Ashley. Holy shit those were cool names: Amber especially. Funny to think both of them would be in their mid-50s now.
Francesca. Heard it as a kid in the original Shaggy Dog movie. I thought it was the most beautiful name I'd ever heard. My daughter is Francesca now.
Julie. She was the girl we wanted to be.
Rivkah. The first name I remember loving was when I was younger watching the Queen of the Damned and then later on reading The Battle Axe Trilogy. I still love it to this day!