Pandora

Yes, I know the myth. I think she was gypped, myself and isn’t my first thought in any case. Pandora is the long suffering “almost” mother in law I have. She is an awesome lady and absolutely deserves to be honored in some way.
Now, I have Pandora in the middle of our top combo: Cecily Pandora Jane but decided to pair it with *my* Mother’s pair of names, Frances & Jane. Pandora’s up front & in the middle here, so would you be so kind & humor me ? I’d love to know how crazy I am, thinking of Pandora up front!

!Fanfare!

Cecily Pandora Jane or:

Cecily Pandora Frances
Pandora Frances Jane
Pandora Frances Isobel
Jemima Frances Pandora
Pandora Margery Frances
Pandora Lucy Frances
Winifred Pandora Jane
Pandora Lilia Frances
Beatrix Pandora Jane
Pandora Guinevere Jane

So… how crazy am I, really? I firmly like Dora/Dorrie and think Panda is a cute enough nickname for while she’s little, at least!

I’d love to hear your thoughts on Pandora, if you’d be so kind!

As always, comments or not, thanks for stopping by!

Marilyn

Marilyn is my favorite Auntie. She’s the exact same age as my lovely (long gone) Mother which makes me think of her as a sort of surrogate Mom.

I’ve been toying with Marilyn for awhile now, thinking it would be nice to honor her (her girls, my cousins, haven’t yet, and between the 3 of them, they have 3 kids, two girls & a boy). I think she’d be tickled pink even if I used it as a middle. So I mixed it up:

Iris Marilyn
Elinor Marilyn
Ivy Marilyn
Marilyn Isis
Jane Marilyn/Marilyn Jane
Marilyn Ruby
Marilyn Primrose
Marilyn June
Viola Marilyn
Juno Marilyn
Esme Marilyn
Marilyn Anoush
Lucy Marilyn
Flora Marilyn
Marilyn Poppy
Saffron Marilyn/Marilyn Saffron
Isobel Marilyn
Cleo Marilyn
Marilyn Plum
Ottilie Marilyn
Xanthe Marilyn
Lily Marilyn
Daisy Marilyn
Violet Marilyn/Marilyn Violet
Sylvie Marilyn
ETA: What about Winifred Marilyn/Marilyn Winifred?
I surprised myself a bit, there are a few up there that are quite pleasing to me. What I’m asking is this: Are there any up there that please you in any way? Do you think Marilyn’s ready to come back?
I’d love to hear opinions!

As always, thanks a million for stopping by!

Loverly Elspeth!

I’m completely taken with Elspeth. Sweet, pretty and fun to say & spell, the possibilty of Elsa or Elsie just makes me sing.
So I sat down the other day and came up with something like three dozen combos. Then we weeded through them, tweaked a few and the following (that I’d like you to look at) are the ones that survived. A mere 6 combos. Would you please give me your thought on them or at least tell me which one You’d choose & why?
I’d appreciate it immensely!

Without further ado, Elspeth:

Elspeth Coralie Jane
Elspeth Violet Elinor
Elspeth Cleo Violet
Elspeth Poppy Elinor -my favorite
Elspeth Honey Ophélie – his favorite
Elspeth Honey Aurelia

And that’s all folks. I really appreciate the time it takes to comment or just read, thank you so very much!

The Trouble with Lucy & why Lucretia!

Beloved little Lucy. It was my Mother’s nickname for me from birth to her death. I can count on two hands the times I answered to my own name or my standard nickname. My problem with Lucy is multiple: Lucy ends the same as my surname and is a bit short next to Josephine. With Josephine & Lucy, I feel one of them is going to end up hating me for the length of her name!

So I turned to my favorite longer Luc- name, Lucretia. I am a big fan of Lucrezia Borgia, misunderstood woman that she was. Of course, Lucrezia doesn’t go over well, spelling-wise. That ‘z’ is cool, but clunky. Hence Lucretia. Yes, I know it reminds folks of ’secretion’ and in general doesn’t appeal to many but I adore the name.

I had Lucretia Ruby Iris on my list until I realised her initials would be LRIM… so I went looking for a more fortuitous pairing. I came up with a good double handful that please me in various ways. Without further ado, Lucretia!

Lucretia Iris Valentine
Lucretia Ruby Elinor
Lucretia Elinor Maud
Lucretia Elinor Valentine
Lucretia Elinor Jane
Lucretia Iris Jane
Lucretia Romilly Jane
Lucretia Maud Viola
Lucretia Sylvie Violet
Lucretia Violet Elspeth

I have two up there that really make my heart race, can you tell me which ones do anything for you?Keep in mind Lucretia, like Josephine, would go by a nickname 98% of the time (Lucy or Lulu for sure).

As always, I massively appreciate you stopping by and any thoughts you care to share ! And Thank You!

Rex is King!

I’ve been mildly obsessing over Rex the last few days and am attempting to put him in front, which is proving difficult.

Now, I’ve had Rex as a nickname for Remy Edward Xavier (read the initials) and Remy is not leaving my lists anytime soon. Remy is fabulous with my surname!

But I digress. Rex. Rex is simple, strong, snappy and above all, regal. I like all that. So, here are my first attempts to pair Rex:

Rex Peregrin James
Rex Edward Valentine
Rex Alasdair John
Rex Willem James
Rex Willem Wilder
Rex Henry Gavriil
Rex William Valentin
Rex Aurelian Edward
Rex Taliesin John
Rex Valentin James
Rex Alasdair James

So, anything up there jump out at anyone as pretty good? Do I need to hit the lists again? I know Rex is not everyone’s cup of meatloaf, but really…talk to me! I’d love to hear opinions!

As always, Thanks a million for stopping by.

Rethinking My Top Girls

My top girls have been ordered & reordered for months and I’m thinking of reordering them yet again. Here’s what I’ve got (& why):

Clementine – I just love her sprightly sound and the fact that she feels perfectly matched with Josephine. Her combo: Clementine India Jane is divine!

Winifred – Honors and I love Winnie. I have to admit the potential for Freda/Frida thrills me too. Her combo: Winifred Elinor Plum is sheer perfection.

Cecily – Again, honors, feels pretty but I’m worried about a possible rise in popularity also. I love her combo: Cecily Pandora Jane but I’m toying with a newer combo love: Cecily Oona Violet.

Maud – My favorite favorite. She honors the same relative Josie’s middle does and I adore that link between possible sisters. I love the delicate sound & the simple simpatico of four letters. Absolute perfection. She’s remaining on top, her combo makes me swoon: Maud India Scarlett.

Beatrix – I love Trixie! And her combo is sweet & her middles honor: Beatrix Violet Jane. Simply perfect.

Zelda – Don’t care about the video game, Zelda’s been my favorite name forever! And her combo makes me feel like singing: Zelda Violet Blythe.

Ottilie – Has been my # 1 or 2 for years. still deciding on combos, Ottilie Alice Ghislaine is lovely but Ottilie Frances Valentine, Ottilie Frances Godeleve & Ottilie Frances Loveday thrill me a bit more (while honoring too).

Jemima – The name on my list that’s been there near as long as Zelda! I love her nn potential: Jemma/Jem & Mimi. Her combo is perfect for us too: Jemima Lucy Maud.

Imogen – I love the quiet, regal feel of Imogen. And Immy’s cute, even if it’s not my fave nickname possibilty. I’ve got a couple of combos I love equally: Imogen Violet Mathilde, Imogen Ottilie Frances & Imogen Violet Ophélie.

Edith – Love Edie’s funky, starchy feel and her combo is divine: Edith Ottilie Violet.

Look for the Wildcards (read: runners up) in the next day or so!

Working on Cecily Again

I’m still loving Cecily to honor Babci Cecilia/Cecylia. I’ve had a lovely combo for awhile now too: Cecily Pandora Jane. As you might recall, Pandora’s his Mom’s real first name and Jane was my Mom’s middle.
But I’ve been rethinking a bit.

Cecily Violet Petronel is a combo I’m revisiting. I love Cecily Violet together and Petronel not only honors great uncle Pyotr, I love Petronel’s fairytale feel.

I’ve also got:
Cecily Scarlet Godeleve (he Loves this one)
Cecily Winifred Malu
Cecily Scarlett Matilde
Cecily Petronella Grey
Cecily Violet Elinor (is almost too bland for me, but he rather likes it)
Cecily Valentina Grey
Cecily Oona Violet (I’m loving Oona in the middle!)
Cecily Esmée Violet (which honors as well: Esmeralda/Esmée/Esme. I prefer the girlier Esmée.)
Cecily Violet Raube (Raube is my Grandma’s maiden name)
Cecily Violet Odetta

So, do you think I should stick with Cecily Pandora Jane or do one of these newer thoughts strike you more? I would love to know! And as always, thanks for stopping by.

Harold & Philo

You read that right. Harold & Philo are the newest dudes on my “thinking” list right now.

Now Harold is one I know is not going to get much love from anyone. But I’m loving his starchy feel. And his nickname Hal is absolutely the bees knees for me. I loathe Harry. It sound sloppy coming out of my mouth but Hal snaps. I’m wild about Hal.

Thinking about Philo too. Philip’s been a fave forever but I mostly love Phil. I know, and I cannot make myself use just a nickname on the birth certificate. And Philip makes him make faces, he also hates the Phillip spelling. So I’ve been thinking of Philo as a jauntier Philip and an equally easy way to get Phil, should I want to.
I’m working on combos as I type. Thinking along the lines of Harold Xavier John or Harold William George. Not that I’m wanting to bury my beloved George in third place but there he fits.
Philo’s trickier to pair. More uncommon middles don’t help him any. So things like Philo Willem James or Philo George Stephen perhaps. I really need to work more on these two handsome guys. Well, I think so. What about you? Any thoughts on either of them? I’d love to hear if you do!

Quickly!

I’m heading out the door in a few, taking Josie to her first birthday party. The birthday boy is Blake and I’m already gearing up to collect all the rest of the names I hear today. Wish me luck and check back later for an update!

Alright, we’re back! Josie had a blast; climbing “rocks”, sliding, bouncing around and playing laser tag!

As I said, Blake was the birthday boy (what a sweetie!), but there were a good bunch of well named kids (I think) there as well. Here they are:

Blake
Dylan (x2)
Wyatt
James
Nathaniel (went by Nate almost exclusively)
Frankie
Thomas
Steven
George
Will
Vincent
Xavier
Alexander
Peter
Matthew
and the three girls: Genevieve, Megan (I asked about the spelling) and of course, Josephine.

It was a fun party, hope the next one’s not too far in the future!

Most Recent Loves

Here for your perusal are the names that sit highest in my estimation right now, wanna give me your thoughts on them?

Without further ado:

Araminta
Jemima
Lettice (Leticia)
Ottilie
Sibyl
Xanthe

Cosmo
Rufus
Angus
Fergus

Yeah, all those -gus names thrill me. I must really be liking Gus as nickname option!

So, what do you think? Anything up there you’d like to see used? If I ever get a positive, this kid is going to get a name I love, to heck with convention! So, talk to me!

The Girls in my Head

After taking a break and trying not to think about names (Ha!), I find these name combos still in my head. Any here that catch your eye?

Ottilie Frances Jane – Tillie still thrills me, and I’m charmed by the thought of Josephine & Ottilie sisters.

Wilhelmina Esme Jane – Yep, Mina is darling. Esme & Jane are pretty light and tiny next to weighty Wilhelmina, whose solidity makes me smile.

Araminta Lucy Violet – Again with Mina/Min possibility, I’m enchanted. I also think Josephine & Araminta are pretty stunning sisters.

Cecily Pandora Jane – Remains at the top of my “emminently usable” list. And Cecily is charming, if a bit confusing in my Cec- loaded family (yet Cecily remains unused!).

Clementine India Jane – Yep, Clementine thrills me. Cleo/Clio are possible nicknames but like Josephine, she’d be Clementine most often.

India Mehetabel Jane – India’s short but three syllbles, which makes her sit well with Josephine in my head. The middles, as always, honor.

And still tops after the break: Maud India Scarlett. Yes, India & Scarlett together. I like colors but find them a bit too much, the double ‘t’ makes it more namey, less color-ish for me. And India is one he adores, but I’m not thrilled with “Indy” potential.

Any up there that you prefer over the others? Or just let me know what you think of them. I’d love to hear!

As always, thanks for stopping by, I appreciate it!

Better late than Never!

Sorry for the long break, Josie started school this September and I’m enjoying the bustle & routine. I have been storing ideas and finally can expand one: Josie finally came home with her class list! Without further ado, here they are:
Reid
Samuel
Edward
Alyssa
Wyatt
Mark
Blake
Dylan
Noah
Genevieve
Cora
(Josephine)
Monica
Philip
Lionel
Steven
Cassandra

And that’s them. Josie’s particular favorites are: Genevieve, Cora, Alyssa & Cassandra from the girls & Reid, Edward, Dylan, Philip & Lionel from the boys.

With the girls, I want to play “One of these Things is not like the Others” with Alyssa, whose name feels trendier & fluffier than the others. But other than that, I have no problems with any of them.

What do You think and which are your favorites up there, if any? Sorry for the huge lapse, hopefully I’ll be a bit more regular again now. Take care all and Thanks!