I have had the same girlie name picked out for my imaginary daughter ever since I was about 8 years old and I heard it on Little House on the Prairie. No, don't you worry. It isn't Nellie. ;) It is Grace. Baby Grace. The minute I heard it I fell in love and said, "I want a baby Grace!"
For a long time I never thought I would get the opportunity to use that beautiful name. And now I have the opportunity, and guess what. I don't know if I'll use it! Todd loves it, and I still love it too. But now that I have the chance to name a baby girl all these beautiful names keep popping into my head. The list seems never-ending. Where did all these gorgeous names come from? The possibilities are endless!
So, for today's Thursday Thirteen I thought I would give you the top thirteen on my list and have you help me to narrow it down. Only a couple months to go and we have to have a name ready! Help me out!
Here they are:
1- Grace: Still in my favorites list. I love all of the different meanings of the name; God's blessing, graceful, God's favor, quality pleasing for it's charm or refinement, seemingly effortless beauty or charm of movement. So pretty! And I love the nickname Gracie. So sweet. The only drawback is it's recent popularity. When I first heard the name it was very old-school and seldom used. Now it is really gaining popularity. It isn't in the top ten, which is good, but in the top twenty. Hmm...
2- Bella: Yes, I am hugely obsessed with Twilight, but that is not why I love this name. I love the name meaning on this one too. Beautiful. Very sweet and feminine. And I like the possible nicknames of Bells or Ella. The drawbacks are that people will assume I named her after the Twilight character, and that I know so many people who are naming their pets Bella. Is it more of a pet name? I don't know.
3- Lauryn: This one has been at the top of my list since high school when I was obsessed with Lauryn Hill of The Fugees. Love her (although I recently heard that she has gone kind of cuckoo). And I think it is such a pretty name and I love "L" names. I like the Lauryn spelling better than Lauren (remember I spell my name Kathryn, so that is kinda cutsie, huh?) too. The drawback is that the meaning is "from the laurel". Lame-o. Name meanings are important to me and that one I don't like. Plus I am not a huge fan of any of the nicknames for Lauryn, and I am a big one for nicknames.
4- Sabrina: I love the movie Sabrina. And I think the name is just lovely. However, it is well known because of the super depressing poem Sabrina Fair. So I'm not sure how I feel about that. Plus it means From the River Severn. What the crap is that?
5- Layla: There go the L sounds again. Just a pretty name. The meaning is night, or black. No great nicknames either. Plus Todd immediately thinks of the Clapton song and it puts him off a bit. Still, I think it is pretty.
6- Lola: See what I mean about the L names? Love them. Unfortunately the name means sorrow. Don't like that. Plus Todd says she would have to be a showgirl (the Manilow song). "Her name was Lola, she was a showgirl". ;)
7- Lily: That is a great L name. But it is SOOOO popular where we live. I do love flower names for girls. I think that is very sweet. It doesn't really have a nickname though, does it? And Todd isn't a super fan.
9- Rose: This one is the boys' favorite. They love the name Rose. I like it too, but not as much as the others. Another pretty flower name. Todd doesn't like it at all because it makes him think of Rosie O'Donnel (who he can not stand).
10- Audrey: A very old school name. I think my interest in it is strictly because of Audrey Hepburn. Can ya blame me? Love her. And it means Noble Strength. How cool is that? Very. Can't really think of any nicknames for it though.
11- Anna: Just such a sweet name. And it works great for a little girl or a grown up. It means Gracious or Merciful. That is beautiful. And I love my biblical names (as you can tell from my boys' names). BUT, my sister's name is Anne, and I don't know if I'd want to give her a big head. ;)
12- Elizabeth: Always a classic. Means God is my Oath. Very nice. So many nicknames to choose from too. Just a great name all around. Very old school, but not widely used right now. I'm not even sure I've brought this one up to Todd so I don't know how he feels about it. I think it is very pretty.
13- Sierra: A bit more modern than the rest of my old school list. I think it sounds exotic and beautiful. Todd doesn't like it that much. It means mountain. Umm. Okay. Not great. And nicknames? Can't think of any. Still, very pretty name, though I'm not sure it works well with the boys' names.
Okay. There you have it. I'm sure I'll think of more names down the road. Todd and I always take a name list to the hospital and then pick a name from the list once we see baby. But I think only once was the name that we chose high up on the list. It seems like once we get to the hospital we think of a name that has not come up before or that was lower on the list. We're weird like that.
We are thinking the middle name will be Marie, after Todd's grandmother. And Hello! We are Catholic, people! Have to get that in there somewhere. ;) If we chose Grace, baby girl would have the same initials (GM) as my mom. I love that. But if we chose Bella than we might change the middle name to Grace because Bella Grace just sounds so good. Decisions, decisions!
So, what are your favorites from the list? Are there any names that I should have put on the list? Any personal favs of yours that you'd like to share?
I will take the top 5 or 6 names and put them in a poll on my sidebar next week. Thanks for your help, all!
65 comments:
Oh my goodness, what a wonderful dilemma! I love Grace. Very, very pretty. I still regret we didn't go with that for Julianna's middle name.
I also love Sabrina, Lily, Anna and Elizabeth. Really? With a list like yours you can't go wrong. How fun. :-)
I'm partial to Grace because I have one of my own. I have always loved Elizabeth, too, for the nicknames potential.
Ah, the beauty of a name. I think whatever you pick will fit her. Mothers know.
My daughter's name is Grace Elizabeth, so obviously, I love those names. :) You've got a great list of names here.
My husband has always wanted to name a daughter Layla. It is because of the fact that it is a Clapton song. I used to hate it but it has grown on me a bit.
My favorites are 1,2,4 and 10.
I do love the Bella Grace combination! And I wouldn't fear the name coinciding with the Twilight fad. My name is Alexis and I was born at the height of the Dynasty series. When people asked if I was named for Alexis Carrington, my mom just said she picked a beautiful name for a beautiful girl. Some people ask me if I was named for her, but most people have long forgotten the show.
I am with Alexis- I like Bella Grace. :)
We are thinking of boy names... just in case. I have the same girl name, that I've had picked out since Adam (and we are going to use it, if our little one is a girl!). But man... I am not coming up with anymore boy names that I just love. Hopefully we won't have to worry about it! ;)
I adore the name Lily Grace. It was my first pick before I got married, and everyone expected my baby to be named Lily Grace....but instead, she was Abigail Marie. The nickname Abby fits her perfectly.
I like Maria...you get the Mary/Marie, but it's a bit different.
Just like you are with the "L" names, I'm a fan of the German names--Bridget and Gretchen. I also like Evelyn and Eleanor. Ah, to have a baby girl to name and dress in petal-pink cardigans...
Lots of good names in there. I love Grace and Audrey.
Some girl names I had, but obviously never got to use LOL, were Olivia, Jaden, Madeline, Kira, Avery. My neice's name is Ellie and I love that.
I would go with something a little old fashion to go w/ your boys names (I love their names, very strong names). But, I also like it when little girls have boy's names like Charlie, Billie, Ryan, Presley, Blake, and I even know a girl named Michael Ann!!! I'm sure you probably want a girlie name though considering you already have 3 boys!!!
Hattie- Haha! It is funny that you mentioned that. I used to LOVE the name Samantha, but after having three boys there is NO WAY I'm going near a name that is in any way masculine. ;) Though I do think Charlie for a girl is adorable I just CAN'T do it. ;)
My sis in law's name is Elizabeth and most of her friends call her Liz but her dad and brother call her Ellie. I hope you find a name you like and my hubby wanted our littlest girl to have the middle name of Grace but I wanted her to have my middle name and I won.
Grace is extremely popular over here; I know several little Graces firsthand. And I predict Audrey is going to be a top 25 name in the states within the next 2 years; look at the SS website; it's been screaming up the charts the last few years.
We don't have a name picked out for our girl yet either; I thought it would be easier than the boys' names, but it's not! All we have is a list and my waffling. I was going to post on this later, too, if I can find the time! :-)
I named my daughter Lorelei and have never regretted it. Very uncommon yet beautiful and would go very well with Marie or Grace or Marie-Grace or Grace-Marie as a middle name.
P.S. A name that I think is really really pretty but won't use because one of Ramekin's best friends right down the street goes by it: Violeta. So pretty and sweet.
I think they are all great names and really if Grace is what you have always wanted, I think you should go with it. It is a beautiful name!!
Funny how you mention that about Bella... When Ross and Rachel were sitting there naming their baby, I was screaming at the TV "Not Emma, not Emma!" and of course they picked Emma. So now when I introduce my daughter, I always let people know she is a pre-Ross and Rachel baby ;-)
I love Bella Grace. I don't think people will think it is from Twilight as Bella is a pretty popular girls' name and has been for a few years even before Twilight (at least down south). Miss A's middle name is Isabella and we sometimes call her Bella. She likes it because it is like Belle from Beauty and the Beast. Really, they are all pretty names. It is so hard to choose!
Jessica- I have always LOVED the name Lorelei, but my hubby is not a fan. He likes it, but not as much as others. I still think it is gorgeous. :)
Amy- I am a HUGE fan of Friends (have all the episodes on DVD) and I don't think of Friends when I hear the name Emma. I just always liked the name I guess.
Feel any better? ;)
I say Grace!
I love the names Grace and Bella. My bestest friend named her daughter Isabella but we always call her Bella and I think it's the cutest. I've had a name picked out for a daughter for many years now, so if I'm having a girl I know the name but I can't decide on the spelling, it's driving me crazy!
I like Lorelie, too, as well as Leilani (can't you tell I spent a number of years in hawaii??) ; but my husband also said no to these lovely names. :-(
If I lived in the states, I would have gone with Freya, hands down. I adore the name, and it doesn't even make a top 1000 appearance in the states, which I don't understand at all because it's a perpetual top 20 name in Scotland and England. (And Freja in Norway.)
I think I will try to post on this as well tonight... ;-)
I love Grace...I have an Emma Grace. We sometimes called her Gracie. I do like Elizabeth. You could call her Ellie. Audrey is cute. You have a great list. Oh and Lily...love it!! I noticed someone said Eleanor...my friend named her little girl Nora.
L-o-l-a Lola... just think of the Kinks. Elizabeth was on our list too. Sierra pretty. Weird that you listed Rose and Audrey together since either name reminds me of that creepy movie about Audrey Rose. What was that called? Lily-- as in Allen? Love her music.
My absolute fav is Lauryn with your spelling. Love that. And don't worry about the Twilight connection for Bella, that will all die down by the time she's 20 or so ;-)
I love the name Sierra and grew up vacationing int he Sierra Nevadas. So I vote for that one. But it was nixed from our list when I saw how popular it was. Our criteria for baby #1, no name that is within the top 1000 on the SS website: http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/babynames/
With baby 2 we loosened our restriction to no name in the top 600. ;)
Neither myself nor Professor X have names in the top 1000 so we had to stick with the trend!
Anna. Grace. Elizabeth. Audrey. All of these are very nice. How about Anna Grace? Or Grace Anna-Marie? Or what about Darcy? We really liked that name for our daughter, but Rachel won out in the end. We were thinking Darcy Kate. I still think it's sweet.
I loved picking girls' names, though, we honed it down pretty quickly.
i like rose and audrey
my fav girl names right now are evelyn and collette
Ok, well Little House on the Prarie is so my favorite TV show. Of your list, I think Rose is my favorite...and it's just a bonus that it's from LHOTP too! lol Layla is also beautiful as is Grace. Elizabeth is the name we had picked out had Jack been a girl. We would have called him Libby. Instead we used it as a middle name for Melody. Honestly, I love them all though...you have fabulous taste in baby names!
Hi~ I like:
Layla Marie
EMily Grace?
Gracie Rose?
or Rosie Grace
Marie Elizabeth Grace
Elizabeth Marie
Anna Grace
Gracie Maria
(although I think ,Marie means bitter ..not sure??)
I have a few names on your list that are favs just because they are members of the fam, but I really love the fact that you have always loved the name Grace and that the initials would be the same as your Mom. Go with what your heart tells ya!
I love almost all of them. I tend to gravitate towards the traditional and timeless. And, I have an Isabelle (close to Bella), and a Natalie Grace...so take that as you may.
I like the matching initials, though.
I say Grace, Lily or Anna (just not Lily Bella).
Your first instinct was a good one: Grace is a beautiful name!
They are all lovely names. Elizabeth was on our shortlist as well.
All of them are great names - which ever you choose you won't go wrong.
Names are difficult - everyone has an opinion on them. I loved the name Sophie / Sophia but was trumped by my cousin... so now I have a Riley. We're big fans of names that can be either first or last... and Irish!
Of your list, I like Sierra or Elizabeth. My new niece's name is Sierra. Our girl name was Madison but we had two boys.
We have very similar taste in names.
LOVE the name Grace, and I have a feeling that if you don't use it, you'll regret it, since you've loved it for so long.
I love the name Bella, but it is also one of my dogs' names (Isabella)!
Sabrina makes me think of Sabrina the Teenage Witch.
I like Layla a lot.
LOVE the name Lilly, and it's my cat's name. lol I love Anna and Elizabeth, too.
Sierra makes me think of the hip-hop singer, Ciara. Not a very good person to be named after, ya know? =O (she sings some racy songs)
I think Audrey Grace sounds nice, too. But Grace Marie is probably my top choice.
If it makes your husband feel any better, I HATED Lorelei when we decided to use it. It was supposed to be the middle name and she was either going to be Grace, Madeleine or Molly -- instead, she's Lorelei Shae.
Great list of names... I also love Grace. Bella Grace is beautiful too. Here are a few more that I like....Elle (instead of Ella or Bella), Genevieve, or Elizabeth. I'm sure you will find the perfect name for that little sweet pea!
I love all your names. Grace and Rose are probably my faves. We wanted to name Sam Rose if he was a girl, but Rosey Ramsey? It was a little too sing-songy.
Love all your name picks but if I had to choose one it would Bella Marie Rose!!
i really like Grace & Lauryn.
According to what my Mom told me, my Dad always wanted to name me Elizabeth and always referred to me, prior to birth, as "Lizzie" because his one sister (with whom he was very close) was named Elizabeth, nicknamed Lizzie. But my Mom decided I would get a name starting with J so as to be considered to be somehow in honor of my Dad's mother, whose name was Janet but always was called "Jen." However my Aunt Lizzie's daughter was named Janet so I ended up with Jennifer and my nickname has always been Jen or Jenny or Jennie Wren! (Go figure the last one, huh?) I was a senior in high school before I actually realized that my Grammy's nickname had been Jenny and so I changed the spelling of it a tad to Jeni and I use it with pride ever since knowing I am named for a really brave and strong-willed, stong-minded Scottish lady! With my kids, none of them ended up with the names I liked way back when! LOL. Older daughter almost became Elizabeth Joan or Elizabeth Mae -after my aunt and my best friend in the first case and after my two of my dad's sisters in the second. Instead, she became Carlyn Ellen -aka Carrie -after my Great-Aunt Carrie who never had any grandchildren and who was a favorite of my aunts to me. The Ellen was my Grandmother on Mom's side's name. I had always said if ever I had a son, he would be named David but somehow that got morphed (strange morphing, I know) into Clayton as it was the only name his Dad and I could come to terms on. The younger daughter ended up as Amanda Lynne but initially she was supposed to be Vanessa Eileen (if my son had been a girl) or Courtney Lynne which turned into the Amanda. Mandy says she is ever so grateful we didn't follow through with either of those choices and furthermore she is triply happy that she was a girl because had she been a boy, she says she would have hated being named Clinton! Over the years though before my kids actually came into being, I liked loads of other names too though -Jessica, Justine, Jordana and Julie were my choices in my early twenties when I hoped some day to have four daughters and boy, am I ever glad no that didn't pan out! Girls can be a royal moody pain in the behind at times to deal with! My granddaughter though -since Mandy was convinced until a week before she was born that she was having a boy was named after my great-Grandmother -a Swedish name but Mandy opted for the more American spelling of Maya as opposed to either Maja or Myja in the Swedish and I love that name, also one very appropriate some how, or so it seems, for this little girl here! With my other two grandchildren, we knew in advance both were boys so no girls names were considered at all then! Now, if only my son would get married in time to hopefully have a child or two of his own and we can go through the name game and suggestions all over again. By the way, my niece (but on my ex-husband's side so no connection there to my aunt) named her older daughter ELizabeth which had actually been Mandy's first choice and ny niece's baby who is now 18 months old is named Gracie but I don't recall her middle name right now. Elizabeth is called Lizzie though and is quite the little charmer too -four days younger than my granddaughter, Princess Maya!
Names, meanings, how well they "fit" together and such -so much fun, isn't it?
Having a 3-year-old "Grace" of my own, of course my vote will be Grace!
It is becoming popular, but every time you tell someone her name, they always 1)love it 2) say how pretty that name is 3) have a story about a Grace they once knew!!
I have to say that I love Audrey and Grace. Those are my favorites from the list. I also love the old school names. We gave our daughter an older name as well :)
OhMommy- Thanks for telling me your daughters names. They are beautiful. And just so you know, I am pretty sure I started liking Lola because of your blog. ;)
Your comment has been deleted now. :)
Thanks again!
I am partial to Rose. Our daughter's name is Katie Rose and it fits her perfectly. I also like Grace. A beautiful name and when I look at the pictures of your boys, I could picture you with a little girl named Grace.
I think Audrey and Grace are such beautiful names. Flower names are so nice, too, they seem old-fashioned and lovely to me...Violet, Lily, Rose, etc.
I love the name Grace and my husband doesn't so he let me name my dog Gracie. LOL.
I am pregnant too and we are thinking about Anne Morgan. Wondering if Anne is too boring? We might go with Jocelyn. Who knows. I am pretty stressed about it. We have about 7 weeks to go! Keep us posted.
I do love the name Grace. I have a niece named Grace Anne and we call her Gracie all the time. But I have to warn you, you could "jinx" her if you name her that because my niece is the LEAST graceful child I've EVER known! tee hee!
From your list I also like Elizabeth and Lauryn (that is on our list as well but with the traditional spelling).
I'm also partial to Lily because my mother is Lillian and people have called her "Lillie" a lot. Different spelling but same sound.
I'm not big on Bella for the reasons you listed but it is a pretty name.
It is crazy to think about naming a girl isn't it? Crazy good that is! : )
I love the name Grace, and I think it would fit in beautifully with your boys' names. Like you, I'm a fan of fairly tradition boy names. (I have a Daniel.) And, like you, I have been fond of the name Grace ever since I heard it on LHOP! I also really like Elizabeth, and consider it a good alternative to Mary/Marie. (As you can guess from my own name, I'm also Catholic.) As for Bella... I don't care for the name, and now it is getting really, really trendy, along with "Lily" and "Ava." But, whatever name you choose, I'm sure that it will become special and perfect because it is attached to your little girl.
I have a special place in my heart for Sabrina and Audrey - because of the movie/actress.
I like them all, but my top picks are:
Audrey
Anna
Elizabeth
FYI, Isabella is HUGELY popular now, even before Twilight. I do believe it's in the top ten and holding strong...
I like Grace, too. It was always in my top choices but my best friend named her daughter Grace and killed the chance for me. It is also really climbing in popularity.
Tracey- Yeah. Isabella is popular, but I don't like that name. Bella is not in the top twenty yet. We would go with Bella, not Isabella. Though I'm sure Bella will gain popularity in the coming years.
Grace is popular, but not as much here as other parts of the country for some reason. Hmmm...
I may not be much help. I liked all those names, almost in the order given, I think. Grace is very nice, and so is Bella . Bella Marie sounds nice together. I almost think Marie Grace sounds better than Grace Marie m but I don't know how you feel about using the middle name instead of the first. That's a big no no in my husband's book so my second son isn't called Andres, by his middle name, which is his middle name because Andres anything sounds like it's in reverse order. Oh well. The final decision should be made when you see the baby. Want another name to consider? Eden. A friend named her baby that, and I really like it.
Lauryn Grace
Well gee your asking us? I liked almost all of the ones you picked.
I don't like Sabrina, don't know why just never have. I used to write out long list of names as a girl for the 12 children I was going to have. It's funny how names come into vogue and have trends. When I was little there were at least 3 Karen's in my classes in school. Then I named my daughter Jennifer and she had the same thing. I think your names are on the most popular list. Aside from that why not go with your childhood dream? Grace is a lovely name. Bella can have lots of nick names, Bellerini, like a little dancer.
My favorites are Bible names. Sarah, Hannah, Rachel, Rebeckah, Abigail, Elizabeth.
Katie Grace would be sweet.
I'm just getting excited to see her!
I like Lily:)
Obviously I really like Anna :) Funny though - a lot of the names on your list were on ours as well. Love Lauryn - and I really love that spelling too. And I really like Elizabeth, Audrey, Grace, and Layla/Lola. Ever thought of Leila? That went into the delivery room with us for Anna - Josh really liked Mary, I really liked Leila, but we both liked Anna. Whatever you pick will be perfect :)
I like Audrey Grace, but since you have that Marie for the middle name....
I like Sierra spelled: Ciera (my oldest daughter is Shantel Ciera. My second daughter is Savanna Grace and my youngest daughter is EmmaLece RyAnne) We have always picked out the name and stuck to it. (My boys are Cody Ray, Robert Ray and -- I was tired of Ray-- Scott MacKinzie). Good luck with the name game.
My daughters name is Lillian Rose and Lily could be a nice nickname, although we don't call her that.
And as for the meaning of the name Lauryn- just think about what laurel does. Just put one small bay leaf into a big pot and it adds its own flavor. Could be a good description of her role in your family
Well, I must say that I'm partial to Grace and Bella! My little 4-year-old princess is Isabella Grace, but just as much Bella. I do call her Bella Grace just as much too! Nice taste in names! ;) I'm all for the traditional, beautiful names!
Hi, Kat. I'm coming out of seclusion to comment. Lily and Rose are on my top list if we have a girl. Probably Rose would be a middle name. Even though it was my childhood dog's name, it is almost without a doubt Lily Elizabeth. Lily still fits with your biblical scheme as St Joseph is ALWAYS pictured holding a bunch of lilies. An option you didn't consider is a turn on your own name: you like Sierra - what about Sienna...like St Catherine of Siena? Then it's like it's a part of your name. Just something to consider. I hope you are doing very well.
I read this post second... after you have whittled down to 4 possibilities. I like "Elizabeth" that's my middle name, but all in all, I think your Grace Marie sounds like a sure thing.
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