Name Idea's

Updated on March 01, 2010
H.J. asks from Saint Paul, MN
47 answers

So I know that in the end it is our decision but I would love to hear some input on names. We have two kids with very common names and I am hoping for a less common name this go around, the names we like so far although my husband still isn't in total agreement are.

Karli, Corinne (kohr-in), Carla, Melissa (common but hubbies choice), Adelina (ah-deh-leen-ah), Karalynn, Cassia. What do you all think? Do you have any other suggestions? I get so overwhelmed with the massive choices of names to look through in books and online.

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J.L.

answers from Davenport on

I like Corrine of Cassia. One l liked but couldn't get my husband to go with, (If he hasn't heard it everywhere, it's "too weird"), was Cambreya . Cammy for short. congrats on the baby!

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L.R.

answers from Madison on

Karalynn sounds very pretty.

There's a popular program now on nick, iCarly so I think there will be lots of Carli s out there which is similar to Karli.

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H.B.

answers from Sioux City on

My favorite girl's name is DANIELLE MARIE.......beautiful name.......but could call her Dani or Nellie even. tada!

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K.T.

answers from Minneapolis on

I like Corinne and Carla the best. Melissa probably isn't as common anymore and I do like that, too.
A couple of suggestions which are not on the Social Security top 100 list for 2008: Margaret, Mary, Catherine, Bridget, Rose, Anne, Eleanor

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K.M.

answers from Boston on

Here are some others that use the same sounds as the ones you like:

Callista
Cassandra
Cordelia
Carolyn
Madelena
Karin
Anais

D.V.

answers from San Francisco on

How about Cadence or Kali, also Kaylee is cute.. congrats!!

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C.K.

answers from Minneapolis on

I say go with your gut and don't worry if others cannot pronounce a name because you got creative with it because I have two old traditional names for my sons. A. People still have never heard of them. B. People think that one is a girl's name. In reality their names are both quite old (one is even Biblical (St. Matthias was an apostle). Anyway, I guess I'm trying to say that no matter what, people will not always "understand" your child's name, but it is important to you.

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A.L.

answers from Minneapolis on

I agree that it is nice to have a semi-unique name and I know the spelling thing can be a pain, but I doubt it is the worst thing that could ever happen to your child. (If it is then she had a pretty easy childhood. :) Anyway, I am partial to Corinne and Cassia as I have a Corynne and Acaycia (yup, we spelled them weird.) I also have a Jordyn and it has always bugged me that her name is as common as it is, but honestly, if you look up the meaning, it totally suits her. We have gotten A LOT of positive comments on how pretty Acaycia's name is. (I agree.) I also like Adelina for the uniqueness and because it sounds like a very pretty & feminine name and Karalynn for the more feminine spelling. You seem to be partial to Ks/Cs. Have you considered Kara? (Could be Kay-ra or Kah-ra.) This might be a little more "common" for your husband, but still somewhat "unique" for you.

J.B.

answers from Minneapolis on

I love names... Here's my favorite girl names...

Alana (Ah-lahna)
Elena (E-lane-a)
Colbi
Elsie
Elsa
Gracie
Winter (very new hip name)
Ellieanna (not sure how this one is spelled actually, but I've heard it a ton laterly)
Samantha (then Sammy or Sam for short)
Kember (another new hip name)
Essense (Essie for short)
Isabelle
Annabell

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S.L.

answers from Minneapolis on

I think all of the names are fine, but I really disagree with so many that say Corinne is prounounced "Core-een" and doing it differently would be "phonetically wrong." I know 4 Corinne's pronounced like you say, but I have NEVER met a "Core-een". I like the name. I do agree that there are going to be a lot of Addy/Addie names out there between Addison, Adeline, Adelaide (my 10 month old son has one of each in his daycare class), but it's similar to the Maddy/Maddie names out there from Madeline/Madison. I think Adelina is different and kind of cute.

I work in an infertility clinic that collects statistics on all of the babies born. At our clinic, which services much of the Midwest, the two most popular girls names recently are by far Isabella and Sophia. Almost every baby girl that comes in is one of the two. In fact, if a couple has twin girls, they are usually Isabella AND Sophia. I was not surprised in the slightest when babycenter.com named them the top two girls names of last year. There are also a lot of Ava's, Addison's, etc.

Good luck! I think choosing names is fun. I HOPE that someday I might be able to choose a girl's name (I have 2 boys). :)

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J.W.

answers from Denver on

OK- first of all I love your name, It is the name of my daughter! There is a kids show on Nick called Icarly so I think of that for Karli and the younger generation might relate it to that, but I like the spelling... I have a neice named Chella - very different - we like it. I also heard the name Paisly. Cassia is cool, Carla makes me think of Carla on that old show with Sam Mallone - can't think of the name right now. The one about a bar. Corinne is beautiful and Melissa is an older name so you probably won;t hear it very often. I had a horrible time with boys names! When my second son was born, he was 3 days old before he had a name. I was so stressed and then after I got to see him and got to know him a little bit, one just came to me and my husband loved it. Maybe pick out a couple you like and wait until she is born????
Hang in there!

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S.P.

answers from Minneapolis on

Corrine is one of my favorite names of all time. I don't like Adelina - it's increasingly common, as well. Other names I love... Chloe, Phoebe, Talia, Melia, Kylie, Fiona, ....

This is kind of a cool site because you can search by country of origin. It might give you some cool, kind of unusual names.
http://www.babyhold.com/

Good luck and congratulations!

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T.N.

answers from Minneapolis on

My only advice is to go with a name that doesn't need to be phonetically spelled out like Corinne and Adelina. Go with a name - common or unique - that can be pronounced correctly without explanation or spelled (at least almost) if it is heard. It is tiring to go through life constantly having your name mis-pronounced and having to correct everyone. You'd be surprised how often in a day your name is said by someone new. At school, on the phone, in groups, in meetings, etc etc.
Congratulations.
T. (Tam-are-ah, not Ta-mare-ah) :-)

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B.W.

answers from Salt Lake City on

In my opinion, don't give your baby girl a name that you have to phonetically write out the pronuncitaion for people to get it right. That's going to be a pain for her for all of her life....She'll spend her whole life saying, "It's not Adel-eye-na, it's adel-ee-na"...that sort of thing. I'm just thinking this for her sake!!
Let's see....I like Paige, Zoe, Violet, Kelsey, or Molly. Good luck! Baby names are fun!

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D.P.

answers from Pittsburgh on

I have a friend with a daughter named Carissa, which I have always liked!
Also, if you go with Catherine, she could go by Cassie. I have a good friend with four children and her daughter's names are very unusual: Presley and Elliott.

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S.

answers from Spartanburg on

How about a Juliet? Is not common, it's sweet and historical (in literature that is)..there's also a song from a famous band, I can't recall now. Also Angelia and Carrie have their own songs (Richard Marx and Europe in the 80's), it could be nice to pick a name celebrated by a song...just something different to think about!

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S.R.

answers from Detroit on

Our girl names aren't very exciting but recently I heard a girl name that I love...Emmerson and call her Emmi...Good luck :)

M.H.

answers from Raleigh on

I love that you are trying to pick different names! Corinne is pretty, but know that it could become Cori with your younger ones (I know two who that happened to). My personal favorite is Karalynn, who I think that they are all nice choices, and I don't meet many Melissa's who are younger than 15, so it may be less common than you thought! (I sympathize with the hubby problem...he and I can never agree on boys names that we like)!

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S.S.

answers from Chicago on

How about Karina? Good luck!

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C.O.

answers from Minneapolis on

Jocelyn Ann - is one of my girls names (named taken from mine - C. Ann). My youngest is Reanna Lynn - taken from a Stevie Nicks song Rhiannon that both my husband and I loved and heard on the way down to the hospital while I was in labor. My suggestion - pick a name that has a meaning to you - a story. My girls both love that there is a "reason" for their name. Jocelyn being named to resemble mine and Reanna lights up anytime we hear the song on the radio. Look at family names and/or variations. Pick a name so that when your child asks you why you picked that name for them - you have a "story" instead of "because it was different".

Best of luck with your name search.
C.
www.snowflakegems.com

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J.G.

answers from Boston on

i love the name anberlin, or Anber Lynn. emma, leila, jae, ariela..all beautiful and soft baby girl names!

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S.K.

answers from Minneapolis on

One suggestion - If you have to offer a phonetic spelling for all of us to even know how to pronounce it you probably shouldn't name your child that name. What is cute at 3 if often not so cute at 33 and imagine spending your entire life having to clue people in on how to say your name....

I also think it's important that someone know what sex your child is simply by looking at/ hearing their name. Names like Cameron, Avery, etc. are so confusing. One poster mentioned having a personal meaning behind the names.. our girls names reflect out Irish heritage and my husband's family takes the first letter of the first and middle names of aunts and uncles and duplicates them in a new name for the new baby. It's nice to be able to tell your children that their name connects them to past generations, often people they will never meet.

Jeanne G is spot on.. what a hassle for someone re: legal information not being entered in correctly. Read her posting again, and then a third time!!!

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S.W.

answers from Minneapolis on

You are getting so many suggestions! Out of your list I like Karli, but would spell it Carly.

Corinne is pronounced (kohr-een), don't care for Carla, Melissa, Adelina, Karalynn (is common when added to Kaitlyn, Caitlyn, Kaylyn, etc.), Cassia (would always be Cassie).

If you don't want common, don't pick anything starting with "Em" - Emily, Emma, Emmerson (??), etc.

I like the Social Security Baby Names (google it) information for determining popularity. Good luck!

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J.F.

answers from Minneapolis on

We are in the same boat! We were really considering Adeline, but may have to change our minds after reading some of your responses. Someone made the point that there will be a zillion Addie's out there. :(

I think Karli is cute, but is becoming overdone.

My favorite of your choices is Corinne.

Good luck! :) I know how hard it is.

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B.N.

answers from Los Angeles on

The names on my list for girls are Garnet, Emmeline (em-e-line), Edie (ee-dee), Emily, Clarabelle, Greta, Vada, Zora & Georgia. I often look at the credits on TV to find different names and I love the classics. I agree that having a different name is fun. I named my son Marley and it suits him very well.

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J.K.

answers from Mansfield on

We name all K's so our choices are getting limited! I liked Corrine (but would spelling it Korren) I do have a Kaylyn and although I hear it more now that we have one then before.... it is not very common.
Karli, Carla and Melissa are all very common names. There is a website babynamesworld.parentsconnect.com that listes names and meanings. Maybe you should find something you really like the meaning of... or search for a name with that meaning. They also have popularity rank so you will know if it has been a common name recently. Also you can so an advanced name search and pick a certain origin (like if your husband is german decent and you are czech, etc.) I know it is overwhelming but it will come. My kids pretty much named themselves (Although we believe that God named them.... their names match their meanings and I didn't bother to look up what they mean until about a year ago when doing a Bible study). I planned my entire pregnancy to skip the whole K name thing (a tradition started by my husbands grandfather... and name him Austin Michael (after my dad Mike) but right before labor I came across what is his name now and it just struck me as correct... and it is a K name.
My daughters teacher named her new baby caroline (not really a common name anymore- old fashioned I think). Which maybe a good thing for you... find a pretty name of an ancestor that isn't very common. Monica made a good point about how things get shortened. My sisters name is Victoria and my mother hated the thought of it being shortened to Vickie so to nip that in the bud before she was born she was nicknamed Tori. That is the name she goes by.
Tess is not a common name I don't think. Some more random off the top of my head- Ashton, Ashlyn, Avery, Adele, Alina (a lee na) Isabelle, Belen (bay len or ba leen), Blair, Kadence ( I liked this one too) Karra (car-a not kara) cecelia (my favorite baby doll name as a girl), Fae, Gina, Gisselle (?Sp) Giana, Haydee, Hayden, Haven, Heavenly, Nevah (heaven spelled backward... new somone who named daughter that), Mallory, Toni, Jean, Elsa, Freesia (like the flower).
Hope this helps :) I know I just gave you like a full page of a baby book but I love naming babies (especially getting to think of not K names! LOL)

L.C.

answers from Kansas City on

My daughter is Cayla. other names that we considered for her were Ciara, Carmen, Cassidy, Charlotte, Cynthia, Charity and Candace. (my husband insisted on C names)

But other names that i like that dont start with a C or that my husband wouldnt consider are Tabitha, Piper, Adeline, Evelyn, Cody, Olivia, Cassondra, Clarissa, Anastasia, Madeline, Ashlynn, Payton,

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H.M.

answers from Omaha on

Think about if people are going to be able to pronounce it or not. I changed my sons name around a bit as is the new in thing. Every single time we go to the doctor's office they mispronounce it and I get annoyed. I can now see why my SIL named Kaffi gets ticky if you say kathy. I get it completely now! She'll say no it's KAFFI and she's not rude about it just matter a fact and people look at her like oh sorry miss high and mighty. I think they do it because they are embarrassed and their response is to get rude instead of embarrassed. I've seen it time and time again since she came around nearly 20 years ago.

But I'm just warning you I would mispronounce Corinne, Adelina and Cassia. The way you want them said I would say them completely differently. I would just take a stab at them... as would pry the nurse at the doctor's office calling you in, the child's teacher, a potential employer, the restaurant calling you for your seat ... and everyone else who you come in contact with for the rest of your life. It gets VERY annoying to correct them and then next week have to do it all over again.

So if that is something that would bother you, and definately your child or even just something that you think might bother you... might want to give them a second look.

My childs name I'm thinking about no longer pronouncing it the way I want to and just the way everyone else does so he doesn't have trouble in life. Sad but true.

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M.A.

answers from Minneapolis on

I like Karalynn. Classic name, unique spelling - best of both worlds. Very pretty name. Ggreat list! I'd try all the names with your last name to see how they sound. PS - I have a friend named Corinne, she goes by Cori.

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D.H.

answers from Toledo on

What is your middle name? + what is your husbands middle name= baby name, My middle name Kay, her grandpas middle name Lee= KAYLEE look into your grandparents names. I had a grandmother named Ilona,(which is a capital i and a small L) which is Helen in hungarian. Thelma Louise, my mothers mothers name. You can add or swap them as you like it is a very big honor to have a child named after you.

M.S.

answers from Columbus on

I like Karli and Corinne. I think Cassia would get shortened to Cassy, whether you wanted it to or not. Actually, I don't think Melissa is probably all that common right now. I think it was more so, about 20 years ago. I would add Caroline to your list. Katerina was on our short list for dd 7 years ago - hubby wouldn't go for it, but I would have loved calling her Kat.
I agree with the social security website. Certain names may not be all that common in your area, but on the bigger picture, there may be a lot more than you think.
Oh yeah, congratulations! :)

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D.W.

answers from Indianapolis on

I'd go to the Social Security Administration's website and doing a search for baby names there. We did it both times we were expecting. Some of the names we liked (and thought were uncommon) ended-up being really common. We wanted unique names and surely got them.

http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/babynames/

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M.O.

answers from Chicago on

I like the names you have! I will mention that I think having a name with an unusual spelling is a pain in the butt - my experience from a lifetime of correcting people.

I love Carly, Carla and Melissa. We also liked "uncommon" but not unusual names...as in something anyone can spell, pronounce and had heard the name before, but it wasn't on the social security administrations top 50 for the last few years. Our thought was there are too many beautiful names to give our child a name that's common right now.

I couldn't believe in our daughter's preschool class there were 4 "Madelines"! I agree it's a great name, but I think it's equally important to give your child a name that makes her feel special.

Finally, we found it helpful to have a reason for the name - Italian for my husband's family, starting with a particular letter for a Grandparent, etc. Those ideas helped us to narrow down some choices. What about one of the current Olympians? Or a character from a favorite movie or novel?

Good luck. In the end, you'll look at your new daughter and think, "How could we have named you anything else???"

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S.K.

answers from Rochester on

I think "Adelina" is the best of the options you gave!!!!!!!!! DO IT!!!!

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T.L.

answers from Dubuque on

My daughters name is Aneesah. I fell in love with the name the moment I heard it and knew if I ever had a daughter, that would be her name. It is an Arabic name that means "friendship." It is usually spelled Anisa, but we tweeked the name for pronunciation reasons. Turns out, in Arabic, it is the correct spelling. Her middle name is Serina. Aneesah is now 5 and she loves her name. She says it makes her feel like a princess.
Good luck picking a name.

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T.C.

answers from Lincoln on

I have a Karly, and a lot of people spell it with a C automatically, but I wouldn't change it, I think it looks prettier with a K.

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A.A.

answers from Chicago on

I like your names Carla and Cassia. I also like Charlotte, Colette, Claire, Carmen, Kerri, Caroline, and Cynthia. Best Wishes!

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J.G.

answers from Milwaukee on

I second Becca W, although she may have even understated the hassle it is for children to have a name with an unusual spelling. The more unusual, the worse it is. After teaching for 12 years, I can tell you that I have seen children in TEARS many, many, many times over their unusual name. It isn't that they don't like it, but that (particularly in the fall), they have to reiterate and spell out their name for everyone, sometimes multiple times. In one day, it may be for the office, the classroom teacher, other students, phy ed, lunch line, music, art, bus line and anyone else they come across. If the name is unusual, those of us who teach 400+ students may need to hear it and be 'taught' the spelling again and again, because your little darling would not be the only one with an 'unusual' name to learn and we don't carry reference lists everywhere we go. Yes, your family and close friends will get used to it, but what about the rest of the world? This trend of unusual names and spellings slows everything down as it adds to the difficulty in getting things right. Those names are the most likely to be entered into a data base incorrectly, so class lists are incorrect, name tags must be redone, and there is a potential hassle in the future with 'grown up' lists like eventual bank accounts, etc. One unfortunate child with a phonetically-incorrect name stated, "My mother didn't know what she was doing!" What a lesson to have learned by the age of 5! If only she could trade names (and the hassle) with her mother. She'll eventually have to pay the court system if she wants to change it.

I'm not sure what happened to the value placed on names as a reflection of a family's own traditions and heritage, but I will be glad to see the need to 'borrow' names from a different language (or culture) pass.

Parents who want to do something 'cute' or 'different' do well to limit that impulse to the room decor or clothing choices. It's much easier to change if the child later objects.

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M.W.

answers from St. Cloud on

Definitley choose names that people know how to say!

My cousin named her daughter Kyan. (NOT KY-ANN but Kyin.) She is contantly correcting people.

My friends sister named her son Cayse. (CASE, not Casey as everyone says it......)

A friend named her daughter Senora. It's a nice name BUT kids end up calling her Snora. (like Snore-a.......)

It gets old fixing people all day. And your child will probably get tired of people not saying it right either......

So, if you pick Corinne. Spell it Corin (or a way that shows how to say it.)

Jovie, Josie, Kaylen, Cadence, Lucy, Kate, Lilly, Alea, Layla, Lila, Teagan, Livi, Camryn, Caroline

A.S.

answers from Davenport on

I don't think any of the names you listed are strange, so to speak, so I wouldn't worry about that element of it. With Cassia I think of the tree and I personally do not like Adelina. I am 32 weeks pregnant with my second daughter and we are still trying to decide on a name ourselves so I know it can be difficult. Just remember to check the initials so it doesn't spell a word with a negative connotation.

I just read some of the other responses and though my name is super common I still had to spell it very, very frequently (still do, in fact) because most names have several different spellings and most people are aware of this.

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S.S.

answers from Minneapolis on

To get your husband on board why not try looking at old family names. I named my daughter after her great grandmother on her mom's side, Elethra. We call her Ellie for short. Her middle name is her father's mother which is a nice simple, common name, Jane. You may find some interesting names in your history if you look.

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N.K.

answers from Madison on

I like Carla and Melissa.

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K.W.

answers from San Diego on

Three of my favorites are Jordyn , Karisa and Lindsey. JKL (aphabetically). I just gave this website hugs4kids.com to another mom, which seems to have good choices.

Good Luck with your name choice and Congratulations!

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M.H.

answers from Sioux Falls on

We have a Sabrina :-)

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M.M.

answers from Jacksonville on

Brynne, Kalen, Amelie, Annaliese, Arlynn, Ashton, Alexa, Brielle, Beatrice, Carlyn, Indra, Isabelle, Madeline, Paige, Leanna,
I have very common named babies. Jessica and Sarah

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F.D.

answers from Milwaukee on

I like both Corinne and Melissa. Both are not common, but also easy to pronounce and spell. I wouldn't do Adelina because every person I know is naming their baby Adyson so their wil be a million and one Addies in kindergarten in five years. Good luck!

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C.R.

answers from Kansas City on

Hi H.,
Just a couple of ideas - Darcie or Kaci. Out of your list I like Karli.

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