Help with a Name!

[IA_Seth]

Ok, so I am having a little girl, and while we are SO very excited with the news, we are also a little caught off guard (I guess our psychic powers weren't all that we thought them to be). We were SURE we were going to have a boy...women's intuition...hmph.

Anyway, we want some good names for an intelligent, atheltic little girl... can you help us?

How does everyone feel about the name Avery? Im open to any other suggestions ya got!

[AllegroRondo]

1. Avery is nice!

my only suggestion, dont go with a "cutesy" name that she will have to spell for everyone she meets.

[malta blue]

2. I had a friend named Avery in high school - quite uncommon

back then - not sure about now, but I always thought it was a great name.

Congrats!

[ironflange]

53. I knew an Avery too

He was a real jerk, so the name has negative connotations for me. You're not me, though, and looking at it objectively, I think it's a really nice girl's name.

[huskerlaw]

3. I LOVE it!

Avery for a girl...very, very cute! Modern, without being obnoxiously trendy.

As for other suggestions...I'm personally fond of:
Hayden, Allison & Natalie

I really like Avery, though!

[idgiehkt]

4. Avery is nice and Mallory is very nice too

I tell you though, I have a friend named Shannen that is an amazing girl. She was valedictorian of her high school class and is in medical school, is a personal trainer, has a brilliant mind, and is a feminist and about a million other wonderful things. So that name is special to me.

[JVS]

5. Isn't it a bit early to start imposing charactaristics like intelligent and athletic?

Avery sounds fine though

[IA_Seth]

8. Oh jeez...

I should have figured there'd be at least one silly response, right?

That's like saying it's too early to 'impose' wishes of a great education and opportunities for success? My lord, it's not like I said my child has to be those things.

[Radio_Lady]

33. "My little girl, pink and white as peaches and cream is she...

My little girl gets hungry every night
And she comes home to me.

I've got to get ready before she comes
I've got to make certain that she
Won't be dragged up in slums
With a bunch of bums, like me..."

-- Billy Bigelow in "Soliloquy" from the 1950s musical "Carousel"

His daughter starts out... in his imagination, as a little boy named Bill -- it's really a delightful progression. All the lyrics are at:

http://www.stlyrics.com/lyrics/carousel/soliloquy.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carousel_%28musical%29#Musical_Numbers

IA Seth, parents all do this. I'm happy for you -- just enjoy it while it lasts. The dreams of parents are sort of a fantasy, as you will learn later, but this is how it all begins.

I'm so happy for you both. May all your dreams of children come true.

Another Grandmother for Peace

Radio Lady in Oregon

[IA_Seth]

41. Thanks!

I'm actually pretty familiar with the song, but the version I know is a Sinatra version!

Thank you for the kind words, they are appreciated.

[Orrex]

6. Well...

In my life I've known two people Avery, both of them male.

And so are Avery Brooks and Avery Arable (the latter of Charlotte's Web fame).

But that's hardly the be-all and end-all of naming. I think that it's still a lovely, euphonious moniker!

[IA_Seth]

15. Unisex

Yeah, I do believe that the usage of Avery for females is relatively modern. Those women are stealin everything I tell ya!

Oh, and thanks for the vocab lesson, I never knew the word euphonious until today!

[Blue-Jay]

7. Avery:

[IA_Seth]

14. yeah...not quite the look I was goin for. n/t

[barb162]

40. whoa! That's a funny looking girl :)

[amitten]

9. Toonces. n/t

[YDogg]

10. Lisa. She could be an astronaut.

;-)

[IA_Seth]

11. Lol

Now THAT is a suggestion.

[meegbear]

12. Play it right and you could get corporate sponsorship

[IA_Seth]

13. Sweet!

This birth brought to you by Avery, makers of fine self-adhesive and pressure-sensitive technology.

[LibraLiz1973]

16. Avery, Jensen or

Seven.


(The last is a joke from Seinfeld)

[IA_Seth]

19. I was thinkin Soda...

S-O-D-A

------

I love that episode!

[Maine-ah]

17. I have a nephew named Avery!

very versatile name.I wanted Kayla, but I lost the bet with Hubbie, so ours is named Raven.

I also liked Brianna

[IA_Seth]

18. Oh I like Raven

Kayla I like too, but there are so many Kylie, Kaylie, Kayla, names out there that I can't use it.

Me and the lil mama also considered Briella (her idea), but I am starting to shy away from that one.

[Sequoia]

20. Avery is a blue blood Ivy League name for a boy.

Wavy Avy

Avery Depravery

Avery and irony



think of the cruel nicknames.

Last names as first names for girls...isn't it out of fashion YET. Madison, Paige, Taylor. Makes me cringe.

[kath]

29. Me too - hate, hate, hate the

the last-names-as-girls'-first-names trend.

KENNEDY as a girl's first name?!?! Have encountered several of these while shopping lately. ACK.

Ditto MacKenzie (spelled in many different atrocious ways), Shaughnessy, Madison (also many cre8tif spellings), Presley and on and on and on. (the Madison thing started after the movie "Splash" - hello, people, in that movie the name was a big JOKE.)

YMMV, but methinks the following should be true for baby names:
Should be clearly identifiable as to what gender the name is (SO many are crossing over from male to female these days - ack!)
Should be a *real* name, not made up.
Classic is better than something that is clearly identifiable as "Oh, you must have been born in the 90s (or the 00s, or whatever)"
No cre8tif or cutesy spellings - keep it simple
Not real, real common but not too weird - kids hate going through life with either extreme, in general.


For some truly barf-a-trocious names there is a website called "Baby's Named a Bad, Bad Thing: A Primer on Parent Cruelty" http://www.notwithoutmyhandbag.com/babynames/
Also an ongoing thread at Salon's TableTalk about names.

Girl on my daughter's team is named Sutton. Previous teammate named Maesynne. Seen at a softball tournament: Brekyn, Aaron (a GIRL), Logan. At a swim meet: Spindrift.
And let's not even get into all the weirdass names that celebrities have been using lately. Apple????

[Sequoia]

54. More dreadful than I thought.

I have a nephew named Madison. Poor kid. The other one's middle name is Storm. I asked my sis why; Hurricane Andrew. A few years later: We named him after (get this) Desert Storm. I said, but you told me it was after the hurricane. Yikes.

[KenHodson]

21. Just name her "Homophobe" at birth, it would save a lot of time

[IA_Seth]

42. Eh?

What sort of idiotic nonsense is that?

[MrScorpio]

22. Betty

Always loved that name

[Left Is Write]

31. I like the name Betty.

It was once a common nickname for Elizabeth.

[Scarlett17]

50. Me too.

My grandma was Betty and her daughter (my aunt) is Betty Ann. So I named my daughter Elizabeth Ann in honor of both of them. We call her Beth Ann. Names like Elizabeth and Katherine have so many options. I like the classic names that don't automatically point to a specific time. My mother named me the most popular name of the year I was born. In my school, out of 100 girls, 6 had my name. Total bummer. With Beth Ann, she has never even gone to school with another Beth, let alone a Beth Ann. The name is unique these days, but requires no explanation or spelling. She likes it. And she's 13--she doesn't like much!

[ronnykmarshall]

66. Yes honey ...

but the true DIVA spelling is "Bette".

[AtomicKitten]

23. Fiona and Ella strike me as fabulous.

[IA_Seth]

44. Lil mama LOVES Ella...

I am not so sure yet. She also likes Briella...again, not sure on that one!

My nephew would get a kick out of Fiona, since that is the princesses name in his favorite movie, Shrek.

[RPM]

24. Delores

That's a cool name - but I have dibs on it.

[Arugula Latte]

25. How about "Mulva"?

(Sorry, another gratuitous Seinfeld reference influenced by "Dolores")...

[wildhorses]

26. that is an old family name and my mother named my baby

brother avery. i always thought it would be a beautiful girl's name. didn't murphy brown name her son avery also?

best wishes and post some pix:hi:

[VenusRising]

49. Yes.

Murphy named her son after her mother, Avery.

[Xipe Totec]

27. Diana

the huntress

[Flaxbee]

28. I've always liked Elinor and Marianne, but then again, I love

Jane Austen (Sense & Sensibililty).

My name is Erin, and while it's the traditionally feminine spelling, people always heard my name and thought I was a little boy ("Aaron"). I was a shy kid, with very supportive, loving parents, so it didn't bother me too much (though it took me a while to stop flinching when people would say "Erwin" or "Erwood"). But unisex names can cause a tender or shy child some grief.

Avery is lovely, but perhaps a feminine spelling? Like "Averie"? "Averey"? I have a friend named Allyne, and she hasn't had too much trouble or grief in life.


BTW, I'm with you. Don't really like "Briella". Too much like Brillo.

[Radio_Lady]

35. I love Elinor, because that's my former college roommate's name. And, yes, she spells it that way.

[IA_Seth]

45. Erin!

Erin is a name being tossed around right now as well, I am glad you responded! If our child is anything like me, she will already be a little on the shy side (I was when I was young anyway, now - not so much).

As for the spelling, I just used the most common and we are considering other ways...we just don't want to go overboard with the whole creative spelling thing.

Avriana was recommended by a co-worker yesterday, and I really like that...but I have a neice named Keana already. I dunno.

[femmocrat]

30. On behalf of her future teachers, Avery is a lovely name.

Thank you for not selecting one of the 900 variations of Michaela, Cheyenne, Caitlin, or Alicia.

[philosophie_en_rose]

37. You mean you don't recommend Duhcoetaw, Quelli, Myshelle, or Joohlee?

:rofl:

[Scarlett17]

51. Don't forget Lynzee

[Left Is Write]

32. I tend to think of Avery as a boy's name.

I have a fondness for Daphne; it was my grandmother's middle name.

Other names I like: Audrey, Kelly, Julie or Julia, Jane, Fiona, Christine or Christina, Angela, Diane, Margaret, Adrienne

[Radio_Lady]

34. Me, too. Avery Fisher Hall, NYC, pops into my head. There was a funny male comedian

named Avery ??? I can see his smiling face in my mind, but I can't remember his last name.

[Left Is Write]

52. Avery Schreiber?

[Radio_Lady]

55. Thank you, thank you, thank you... "The multiple mind of the DU has won again!"

Y'know... all our brains together... on the Internet. What I don't know, you know, and vice versa.

So what ever happened to Avery Schreiber? I'm going out to dinner at a neighbor's home so don't have time to check it out now.

You're terrific!

[Left Is Write]

67. He passed away five years ago.

I actually didn't know that myself until I looked it up on IMDB.

[Radio_Lady]

73. Sorry to hear that... I appreciate your efforts to find that out.

RIP, Avery. You gave me a lot of moments of laughter!



http://www.improvreview.com/news_features/schrieberobit.htm

[philosophie_en_rose]

36. Incontinentia Buttocks, Speedy McSmartass, Barbara Bush

or maybe just go ahead and name her Doctor Olympic Medalist Cheerleader, M.D., J.D., Ph.D., T.N.T., O.P.P., G.O.P.

:crazy:

Just kidding!

Maybe Madeline or Amelia, instead?

[mentalsolstice]

38. Madeline!

That's my favorite name for a girl, based on the books I read as a child. Now we have a 2 y.o. niece with this name (we call her Maddie) and she's smart as a whip!

[Critters2]

60. I like Madeline, too. nt

[barb162]

39. Avery is nice, but sounds like a male name

[Callalily]

43. Avery would be quite

suitable, but I've always been partial to Grace. Just my opinion.

[IA_Seth]

47. I like Grace.

Thanks for the tip, I got a new one to take to the bargaining table! ha ha.

[Critters2]

58. Grace is my favorite name

And thus, the name of my beagle. Still, it works for humans, too.

[VenusRising]

46. Although we don't have kids

hubby and I talk about names. The hardest thing for us is girl names. We don't want something cutesy and "spelled with an i". Anyway, I threw out Liberty as a girl's name, and it's been growing on me. It's a principle I believe in and it can always be shorted to Libby.

Just my 2 cents.

[Deep13]

48. Isn't Avery a man's name?

There's the actor Avery Brooks. Also it's the name of Patrick Stewart's character on Family Guy.

Some odd suggestions:

Artemis: Greek goddess of the moon and hunting.

Annapurna: 10th highest mountain in the world.

Minerva: Roman goddess of war, wisdom.

[Pacifist Patriot]

56. I love the name Avery.

I had three chances for a Lillian, but alas...three boys. Love them all, but the name wouldn't have fit. I might have entertained Avery for a girls' name if I'd had more than one of that gender.

Best wishes!

[struggle4progress]

57. You can always go classical. Diana, say.

Antiope or Penthesileia might be a bit over the top

[Critters2]

59. I don't know anyone who agrees with me, but for some reason,

I've always liked the name "Martha". Precisely because it strikes as sounding strong. Every Martha I've ever known was a strong woman. If I were to have a little girl, I'd name her Martha. Since I named the beagle Grace.

[Connonym]

61. Love Avery, it's my daughter's middle name

:thumbsup: Congratulations on the baby

ETA: I was born in Cedar Rapids

[Bunny]

62. What about Penelope?

Feminine, unusual but not freakishly so, I really like it. My two girls have feminine names that are common, but no so common that there are six other girls in their class with the same name. Come to think of it, they're the only ones in their class with their names! Oh, and no weird spellings, please. I loathe that.

Are you or your wife of a particular ethnicity that would lend itself to a pretty name? For example, if you're Italian, I think the name Gianna is just beautiful. Plenty of nice Irish girl names, too. Good luck and congrats on your upcoming baby!

[nuxvomica]

63. What about "Atlanta"? She was athletic.

In Greek mythology she beat her boyfriend in a foot race and I think oranges were involved.

[ronnykmarshall]

64. I love that name.

That was "Murphy Brown"'s mother and her son's name.

[Cairycat]

65. Avery is becoming more and more common

there are a couple in the elementary school where I work, male and female.

I'm a fan of old fashioned, more formal names that have several nicknames - for example Elizabeth, Margaret, Katherine, Patricia. With these names, you as parents and she have more options.

My kids each have one name from my family, one from my husband's family and one we just liked (thus two middle names) - took awhile to find just the right combinations but that makes their names more distinctive and again, gives them more options.

Congratulations, BTW!

[dropkickpa]

68. I'm a big fan of "classic" names

Dropkid is Maire (irish Mary) Elizabeth. What's funny is I've had a lot of people say to me "Oh, what an unusual name!!" :rofl: I know at least 10 Mary Elizabeths, but they are all 40+ years old. If I ever have another girl, I am leaning towards Lenore or Adaline or Brighid, or Epona (all old family names) I'd have to see the (theoretical) kid before I decided which.

[Critters2]

69. Brighid. Good name.

My next beagle, if she's a girl, will be Bridget.

Cuz I don't have kids, you see.

[suzbaby]

70. I've had a few fantasies of naming a girl

Hannah Rose.

But I like Avery!

Something similar and equally pretty (to me) would be Ava.

[hellbound-liberal]

71. I always liked Alex, as in Alexandra..

though Avery is nice too.

[styersc]

72. My Daughter's name is

Sinclair.

[yellowdogmi]

74. Miranda

would get my vote. Although Avery is nice too. One of my friends mothers did something very neat. She just gave him a middle initial and let him pick his own middle name. I like Miranda Quigley but have been voted down several times.

[XemaSab]

75. I like the name!

:D

[ThatsMyBarack]

76. Jaryn Grace

I tried to "feminize" the boy's name Jaron.