Tuesday, January 27, 2009

What's in a name?

Mark says that it is my job to think up names for Maybe the May Baby, and his job to veto them. So far he's done a pretty good job shooting my suggestions down. For the name to fit in with Alexander and Sophia, it must be a strong, old/ancient (perhaps even Biblical) name. I don't have a preference for length or letters that it must start with. To have a good name meaning or famous people in history is a plus, but not a deal breaker.

My favorite two are Elizabeth and Katherine. Just think of the gazillion nicknames that she can choose from if she so desires? However, these are the names of my 2 younger sisters. So, according to Mark, they are currently used names and are out.

The name we agree on the most is Heleana or Helena (Hel-A-nuh, not Helen-uh). Think of the beauty of Helen of Troy, or Saint Helena, the mother to Emperor Constantine the Great (first Christian Roman Emperor) who is credited with finding the relics of the true cross. Nicknames could be Lanie or Lana (L-A-nuh) but not necessarily Helen (after all Alexander is Alexander, not Alex). It means sun ray or shining light. To say the name you have to exhale the Hel part (breathy) and the rest is melodic and pretty.

I also like Magdalene but Mark prefers the version Madeline, which is pretty good too. Maddy, Maggie, whichever would be fine. Sarah (previously Sarai before she and Abram had name changes in the Old Testament) is also good, but is already a cousin's name. Kennedy is good too, but is not really ancient enough. Still, they're on the list.

So, do you have a suggestion for a name that might work for this little girl? Maybe just isn't cutting it anymore. I've looked through baby name books and searched on line until I can't see. Leave a comment but please refrain from telling me why you DON'T like the names on our list.

Oh and Mark's only contributions so far have been Nicole, Amabo, and Seven. Help!

6 comments:

RK said...

Awwwww...you take all the fun away. We can't criticize? :o) Tee hee.

And hello...seven? My M thought that was a good option too. Where do they get this stuff. Oops...not a criticism, really, it wasn't! (And am I one who has room to talk about names? don't think so.)

One of my faves in the classic category was Annalise. And I think the combo of Katherine Elizabeth is really regal and gives kudos to the sisters...that's the way we went this time, props to the fam.

Michelle said...

I have a friend who has a daughter named Helena, and I think it's such a beautiful & unusual name.

Good luck finding the perfect name - I always loved that part :)

Anonymous said...

Actually, it was "Sevin." Like Kevin or Devin... not that it matters in the end. There were other suggestions, too--Violet, Willow, etc. And then there are the "just joking" alternatives that I won't even post! =)

-Mark

Larkinsmom said...

Larkin had 3 alternatives

Larkin - mine
Carson - Chase
Cameron - Andy

Yes we knew she was a girl. Violet was my grandmothers name and if I had thought she looked like one I would have named her that. She came out looking like a "Larkin" which is my great-grandfathers name.

I am not sure I should be trusted because I really want to use the name Clyde. That was my grandfathers name. I miss him everyday.

Family names anywhere that fit the bill??

Amy Flege said...

oh wow. names are sooo sooo tough!

Anonymous said...

TULLIA f Italian, Ancient Roman
Feminine form of Tullius (see TULLIO).
VICTORIA (1) f English, Spanish, Romanian, Ancient Roman
Feminine form of VICTORIUS, though later it was regarded as coming directly from Latin victoria meaning "victory"...
I also like Abigail, Anglicized form of Hebrew Abigayil, meaning "father rejoices." In the bible, this is the name of the wife of King David

My cousin has a Sophia, Francesca and Cecilia. Good luck! The prairie
These are what I have come up with so far!