Baby Girl Names I Love, But Won’t be Using
Happy November friends! I can’t believe we’re almost at the end of 2018. If you’ve been following my blog since the beginning, you know November is one of my favorite months. If you’re looking for a few ways to spice up your November, check out my Newvember post from last year. I challenge you friends to NOT wait until the new year to make changes. Try something new without the “pressure” or the “hype” of the New Year’s resolution frenzy. Remember, there’s no time like the present. While you’re trying to figure out your “Newvember” challenge, I’m bringing you one of my highly requested baby girl name blog posts! Since I’m pregnant with a baby boy, I’m starting with “baby girl names we love, but won’t be using.”
The Baby Name Process for a Baby Girl (that we aren’t having, yet)
Oh, the naming process. What a trip. I never realized how difficult it would be to name a child. In my naive, pre-baby mind, I thought it would be as simple as naming Barbie dolls. The problem: I didn’t have to worry about nicknames, the popularity of the name, what my friends named their Barbies, the flow between first and last names (FYI: Barbies don’t have last names), and of course, what my significant other thought about the name. There are so many factors that come into play when you’re naming a child. I mean, this person will carry the name (most likely) for the rest of his or her life. That’s a HUGE responsibility and not something to take lightly.
When I started my baby girl name list, Matt and I agreed on a long list of names. For some reason, it was a lot easier for us to agree on girl names. However, I’m sure that if we ventured farther down the road of actually deciding on one, we’d run into some familiar challenges. That being said, we don’t know what the future holds for us, so to preserve the secrecy of our potential baby girl names, the following list will be names that we will not be naming any future children.
A few rules if you’re going to read this baby girl name list:
- The purpose of this list isn’t to offend anyone. Remember, I love these names, but for one reason or another, they don’t work for us. Please don’t get upset if your name or your child/spouse/family dog has this name.
- If you leave any comments on this blog or my social media posts, please keep rule number one in mind. I don’t want to hear nasty comments about the names I’ve put on here. You don’t know who’s reading the comments. Be respectful.
- These names are in no specific order, so we don’t like one more or less than another.
- Name origins and meanings are VERY subjective. You’ll find a lot of ambiguity in your name research. Trust me. At the bottom of the page, I’ve referenced some digital resources I used in my baby name research, but there is a plethora of resources out there. Don’t hesitate to do some added research if name meanings are important to you 🙂
- All popularity dates refer to the 2017 Social Security Administration database.
Baby Girl Names We Love But Won’t Be Using
Savannah:
Meaning: “from the open plain”
US Popularity: #38
Origin: Spanish
Perhaps it was my tenure in the south (Go Dawgs!), or my fascination with different aspects of southern culture, but I love this name. It’s soft and elegant with an added touch of “sweetness.” Of course, I naturally think of Savannah, GA when I think of this name and scenes from Gone with the Wind play in my mind; which, is probably why Matt and I won’t end up using this name. It’s a little “too southern” for us. Not that anything is wrong with that. But, as two-born New Englanders, it seemed a little out of our element to name our child a VERY southern name.
Livia
Meaning: Blue, envious (I’m sure you can already see why I didn’t select this name)
US Popularity: #733
Origin: Italian
As a former Scandal-devotee, Olivia has been one of my faves for quite some time. I especially love the nickname “Liv.” Unfortunately, much like the show, Olivia is SUPER popular now and, while I try not to let numbers affect my decision too much, I wanted something a little different. Enter Livia. My great, great aunt’s name was Livia and I still think it’s beautiful. However, the meaning threw me off. Do I want my child to have a name that means “blue” or “envious?” If that wasn’t enough to sway my decision, Matt and I just started watching the Sopranos right around the time I narrowed down my baby name lists. Livia was the name of Tony’s mother and she was not exactly a peach. I still think it’s a beautiful name and, again, I love the nickname Liv. So if you can get over the meaning, then I think it’s a great alternative to the ever-popular Olivia.
Sophia
Meaning: Wisdom
US Popularity: #5
Origin: Greek and Roman
If you’ve known me for a while, you may know that Sophia has always been one of my favorite names. It’s classic, timeless, and can transcend age boundaries (because yes, one day my child will be an adult). Plus, it means “wisdom.” COME ON. How perfect is that? I’m not alone in my love for the name Sophia (or Sofia). In 2015, it was the number-one name in the world! Which, unfortunately for me, veered me away from my favorite name. We also have Sophia in our family, and we’re trying to veer away from any first-name similarities. So, unfortunately, Sophia will have to remain the name of Barbies 3-5.
Eliza
Meaning: from Elizabeth, consecrated to God
US Popularity: #140
Origin: Hebrew
Where are all my Audrey Hepburn fans? I’m talking to you right now. One of my favorite characters of all time, Eliza Doolittle from My Fair Lady, planted the seeds for this name. I love the sense of feminine strength this name evokes. Again, it’s a very “ageless” name in that children, adults, and “classic adults” can carry this name. Unfortunately, this was not a “Matt-favorite.” I have not exposed him enough to My Fair Lady, so we’re permanently ejecting Eliza from the game. However, for all of you “Elizabeth” fans out there looking for an alternative, Eliza is a solid option. Nicknames like “Liz,” “Lizzy,” and “Elle” can still apply to this slightly less common name.
Francesca
Meaning: From France
US Popularity: #435
Origin: Italian
If I happened to be the sole decision maker in baby naming, Francesca definitely would have remained a top three contender for a baby girl name. I am BIG into Italian girl names; with a last name like “Sgambato,” it feels only natural. Francesca has this sass that I adore. I think “Frankie” and “Chessy” are super cute nicknames. Matt begs to differ. He liked the name Francesca, but when I mistakenly mentioned the nickname “Frankie,” he completely nixed this name.
Giulia
Meaning: Youthful
US Popularity: (not in the top 1000 in the US)
Origin: Italian
Another Italian girl’s name that I love. Extra points for not being in the list of top 1000 names in the US (although, its American counterpart “Julia” is ranked 93). Here’s the thing though. I only like it spelled with the “G.” My husband, on the other hand, just can’t get on board with that. Don’t ask me why. It’s Italian. We’re Italian. It makes total sense…but not in his eyes. So, to proactively prevent more arguments, we’re tabling this beautiful name.
Annabelle
Meaning: derived from, Amabel, an Old French variant of the Latin “amabilis” meaning lovable (bet you didn’t know that one!)
US Popularity: 118
Origin: Anglo-Norman
How adorable is this name? Does it not just scream Southern Belle? This is a newer addition to my list of names I love, again stemming from my short stint in the South. Of course, I love this name for the same reasons I love Savannah, but I found this name extra special because of the Edgar Allen Poe poem “Annabelle Lee.” In case you are unaware, Edgar Allen Poe was born in Boston and died in Baltimore. Baltimoreans alike share a special bond with this American author, often considering him a staple in Baltimore history.
For the same reason we dumped Savannah, we also said “bye” to Annabelle. It didn’t feel like it blended well with our name, nor did it reflect our own history. Also, a YouTuber and blogger I follow named her daughter Annabelle. Thus, I am once again plagued by my efforts to avoid names recently used.
Quinn
Meaning: Counsel
US Popularity: 76
Origin: Irish/Gaelic
Another Scandal-influenced name that I just love. As a child, the name Quinn reminds me of a cute, yet highly intelligent/somewhat sassy little one. As an adult, the name is powerful. Again, the agelessness of the name is prominent here. If you’re a big fan of gender-neutral names, give Quinn a thought. I still love this name, and who knows…maybe I can get over the following issues I have with the name:
- Daria. Yes, I can thank my pre-teen obsession with Daria for “Quinn” getting the boot. The character Quinn is a snobby airhead (for lack of a better term) and I can’t get past her character when I think of this name. So if you ARE a fan of the name Quinn…don’t watch Daria.
- It’s rising in popularity. Sure, it may not be SUPER popular now, but gender-neutral names like Quinn are growing exponentially on the popularity list.
- Quinn is pretty Irish, and Sgambato is, well, not.
Luciana
Meaning: Light
US Popularity: #398
Origin: Italian and Spanish origin
By now, you can probably tell I have an affinity for Italian names. Luciana is another one of my faves. This name-checked a lot of boxes for me. I loved the meaning; it isn’t super-popular; Italian origin; I loved the flow with our last name. With a meaning of “light,” and the soft “L” at the beginning, Luciana has a very angelic connotation. At first, I even loved the nickname Lucy. Then, I met 100,000 dogs named Lucy. Because Luciana is so unique, I feel like people would opt to use her nickname and, now thanks to a handful of dogs, I will never be able to get past that. Crossed off the baby girl’s name list.
Angelina
Meaning: Angel
US Popularity: #199
Origin: Greek, Italian, Spanish and Russian
This name has a very special place in my heart, as it’s my Nonna’s middle name. I can honestly get past the Angelina Jolie relationship of the name. I can even ignore that some of my friends have used this baby girl’s name within the past ten or so years. It’s not super common and I don’t mind any of the nicknames like Angie or Lina. What I can’t get past is the Jersey Shore. Guilty of watching it and guilty of letting it influence my naming process. I won’t go into details, but as one can imagine, class isn’t exactly a term one would associate with the Jersey Shore.
There you have it! Ten names I love but definitely will NOT be using, if we ever have a daughter.
If you’re a mom-to-be, struggling with finding a name, these are a few sites I found helpful:
- Social Security Administration: https://www.ssa.gov/cgi-bin/babyname.cgi
- This site is helpful if name popularity is important to you. Another cool feature is searching names by decade. Perhaps you love the 50s and want to choose a name from that generation.
- Nameberry: https://nameberry.com/
- They have so many random lists of names that are fun to look through. For example, you can search for anything from “Italian Baby Girl Names” to “Rockstar baby names.” There are SO many lists, even user-generated lists. This is a GREAT starting point if you have no idea. You can also create a log-in and store names that you like. There’s a nifty little name-generator feature that I also found rather handy.
- YouTube/Blogs: I suggest YouTube a lot because there is so much accessible (and free) content. I’d listen to “Baby Name” videos while working out or in the background while cleaning. If one stuck out to me, I’d record it on my Trello board. Again, it’s a great starting point to generate some ideas. The same goes for other blogs like this!
In the next month or so, I’ll also reveal the baby BOY names we love but won’t be using. As you all know, we’re having a boy, and the struggle was real during the name-selection process. Stay tuned for all the runners-up that didn’t make the cut. Now, without further adieu, our baby name hint of the week!
Baby Name Hint #3:
Hint: Once upon a time, Pistachio’s middle name was considered ROYALLY important. Just ask the British!
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