Emily writes:
I can’t believe I am writing to you because I feel like this is a problem I really should be able to solve myself (or at least in conjunction with the hubs), but my due date is approaching and no name has been locked in, and I’m starting to FREAK out. Baby girl Campbell is scheduled to be delivered 10/18/2010. She has an older brother Kellen Christopher (soon to be 3). I guess my real problem is that WE LOVE Chloe, but feel that it’s much too popular.
Anyway, other front-runners that we agree on are: Kyla/Kyra, Keira, Casey, Claire. I feel like no name from this list is special enough, and I do not like any of these names as much as Chloe. It doesn’t help that I told Kellen her name was Chloe early on and he refers to her as such, and just says it sooo damn cutely.
MY other front-running options that he has rejected but that I still hold a shred of hope for are: Ellery, Kenzie, Carley, & Quinn. Ellery is my most recent favorite discovery.
I like alliteration in general, and want her name to coordinate with Kellen. I also want it to be as special/equally unused as his, but my husband really doesn’t like names that are “last names” “made-up names” “highly unusual names”, although it’s worth pointing out HE suggested Kellen, and I had never heard of the name when he did (I guess a few football players have it.) I guess it’s also worth noting that we will probably use Jaine as a middle name as it’s a nice “mash-up” of our mothers’ names – Janice & Lorraine.
Any help would be appreciated! Thanks –
I am going to tell you what to do. It’s rare that I INSTRUCT rather than SUGGEST, but here I go: use Chloe. You love it. It meets all your requirements. Your son is using it, adorably. USE CHLOE. YES, it is common; I care not, because I think love trumps it: “a name my parents LOVED” is better than “a name my parents settled on because it was less common than the name they loved.” Not even 6/10ths of 1 percent of girls were named Chloe in 2009, or not quite 6 Chloes per 1000 baby girls. For comparison, nearly SEVEN TIMES that many girls per thousand were named Jennifer in 1974: over 40 Jennifers per 1000 baby girls. (Source: Social Security Administration.)
USE CHLOE. You know you want to. Doooooooo ittttttt.
Fine, I will list a few names in case you can’t bring yourself to use the name Chloe:
Camilla
Carissa
Carys
Clara
Clarissa
Cleo
Cora
Corinna
Kara
Karenna
Kiana
Kiara
Phoebe
Zoe
Cleo may be the best option on the list, since it’s the same sounds as Chloe but in a slightly different order—and yet it’s not even in the top 1000.
Name update! Emily writes:
Dearest Swistle, I know I already replied in the comments at how delighted I was that you posted my question and gave me the final push in the right direction, but I thought I’d give you the official word (and include a pic – Is that allowed? I don’t recall seeing many people doing it). Anyway, you & all your readers were right, we totally loved & wanted to go with Chloe, and we did, and we are very happy. There were a few duplicates of OTHER names on our short list in the maternity ward while we were at the hospital – and all the nurses said Chloe may be popular nation-wide, or in my state, but that it was not popular AT ALL in my area, so I was even more delighted. I also thought about how that was a research route I never even tried, finding out name popularity by hospital, and thus kids we are likely to encounter at the playground/go to school with etc. Anyway, great advice – THANKS SO MUCH TO EVERYONE =)
I think you should use Chloe too.
Alternately, I love the name corrine with a nn cori. Good luck.
Use Chloe.
I’ve been a parent for nigh on seven years now and have NEVER met a little Chloe. Never. Not even in passing. It’s still utterly fresh in my world.
Go for it. Don’t deny yourself a terrific name that you love!
I’m going to vote for Cleo in this situation. I think it’s absolutely adorable, but has potential to be used on a teen or older adult when she grows up. I’ve also seen this name spelled Clio.
BUT. This is not my baby. This is your baby, and it sounds like your heart is set on Chloe. If that’s the case, go for it! You already love the name, so what does popularity matter, anyways? I’ll tell you, as one of 5 Melissas in my graduating class, I never had a problem with it.
Chloe is a great name, and I don’t know any young Chloe’s, the only one I know is in her 30s. Does that help?
Cleo and Cora would have been my brilliant suggestions, and of course Swistle thought of them too. Kellen and Cleo is too cute!
Or Karan? Claire?
Good luck!
I’ve only met ONE Chloe in my life, and it was last year, she was 7 years old and was from Korea. Her family had just moved to Canada.
I’m a teacher, too, so I come across a lot of names every day.
I really don’t think Chloe is uber popular, and I really DO think you should use it! Kellen and Chloe are are GREAT sibling set!
I’m with everyone else. Use Chloe. I’ve only met one ever.
Marla @ http://www.asthefarmturns.wordpress.com
I agree with Swistle and everyone else who has commented: name your baby Chloe. You can ask that she is called “Chloe Jaine” if there’s another Chloe in her class sometime. I love the way you came up with a middle name that honors both of your moms.
Best wishes!
Count me in the “Name her Chloe” crowd.
I do like Claire and Coral and Caroline, too, but I think you should go with your heart.
I just noted that your surname is Campbell, a fine Scottish name, so I want to suggest Catrina too. Catrina is a form of Catriona (which is usually pronounced as ‘Catrina’), the Gaelic form of Catherine. Catrina is unusual, like Kellan, and has the option of the nn Catie/Cate. Kellan and Catrina both have Gaelic roots.
Catrina Campbell
Catrina Jaine Campbell
Kellen and Catie
This name comes highly recommended by my granddaughter
Catrina Jane C____.
She has always loved her name for many reasons, one of them being the uniqueness of Catrina. Now grown, she goes mostly by “Cate” but uses Catrina too.
I think your little boy would soon get used to calling his baby sister Catie, rather than Chloe, if you made that name switch.
Just an idea…
I would use Chloe, I think you want to. Here’s why: I don’t know any Chloes either, and I know a lot of little kids! Also, as soon as you pick a name, I swear to you, it will become more popular. When I chose my kids’ names, they were not popular and then they SHOOT up the next year. It will be fine. Use Chloe!
To be totally honest, Chloe’s not my favorite, but it yours. And since you guys love it, use it! I think it sounds nice with both Kellan and Campbell. I don’t know any Chloes at all. If you’re really paranoid, check the SSA website and check your state. I’ll bet there were no more than like, 50 born last year in your whole state.
I’m in the use Chloe camp! I don’t know any Chloes in real life either. I agree with a previous commenter that if another Chloe pops up in her class she can be called Chloe Jaine (love it!). I also like Cleo or Claire. I’m a big fan of alliteration names, so Chloe Jaine Campbell sounds amazing to me!
Chloe Campbell is adorable.
Chloe Jaine Campbell is perfect.
I know of one Chloe; she graduated from college last spring. She is charming, delightful, charitable, and creative.
So that’s where my vote goes!
Oh, for the record, just in case… I would never look at “Caroline” spelled that way and pronounce it “Carolyn”. They are two different names to me!
… I still say use Chloe, but I thought I better come back and answer that question for you too.
I agree that you should go with Chloe. :) I don’t think I know any babies / toddlers called Chloe either – and I’ve spent the past 5 years at playgroups & library storytime.
Chloe Jaine is great, I say go for it if you love it. CJ is a cute nickname too.
I am so happy! I am so relieved! I am so totally going to name her Chloe! – Thank you all so much. I think this is really what I needed to hear. I mean, I also know a gazillion little girls, none of them named Chloe. I don’t even recall even ever having MET a Chloe, so why let a SSA statistic keep me from that name? It seems so clear now. I am sure my husband will be extremely grateful too, because he’s be saying the same thing all along. I will be sure to keep you posted when it’s official (7 days to go!), but YES, of course, CHLOE :)
Chloe.
But, if not, i suggest Cana. or Kanah. (pronounced: KAY-NUH.)Best of luck!!
Chloe! It is great with your last name, and you love it. Done deal!
And for the record I’ve never met anyone with the name Chloe. Closest I’ve come is a little girl with the middle name Zoe.
Good luck!
I’m with everyone else here. Use Chloe. I have met A LOT of kids in my area, and not one has been named Chloe. Plus, you love it.
use Chloe, i have an 9 and 11 year old and i only know one chloe, she is in my 9 year old class, the only one in an elementary school of over 500 students
I see in the comments that you’re going to stick with Chloe and I’m so glad you did! Going with a name you love instead of going with something less common is definitely the way to go!! (coming from the mom of an Emma, the year after it was #1 on the SSA website!!) I only know of two Chloe’s – one is 6 and in Michigan, the other is 3 in Connecticut – both adorable!! I don’t think it’s too common for you and I hope that you are all happy with your choice :) good luck!
I’m glad to hear that you got the boost here that you needed to go with the name you LOVE — Chloe. I don’t think you’ll regret that, but you might have regretted choosing a different name based on concerns that Chloe might be too popular. Chloe Campbell is a darling name and goes well with Kellan too.
Awww! Love the pic! I’d love it if all the updates had a pic! I love those newborn photos! Welcome to the world, Baby Chloe! :)
Aw…such a bright-eyed little Chloe you have. Thanks for letting us know that you did indeed name your baby girl Chloe (Chloe Jaine, I’m assuming). Chloe was obviously THE name for your daughter. Best wishes to you and your husband, little Kellan and baby Chloe. And thanks for including a photo; that was a great idea and much appreciated!
PS My granddaughter Emma almost named her daughter Chloe Jane, and when that was what we were calling her unborn baby, I did extensive research on the name Chloe and shared some of that on the Baby Name Wizard Namipedia website (including the first five paragraphs under “Meanings and history of the name Chloe”). You may want to look at this and make a copy for Chloe’s baby book: http://www.babynamewizard.com/namipedia/girl/chloe
As it turned out, Emma named her baby Jane Violet instead of Chloe because Jane was the name she had chosen a few years before and realized that as much as she liked the name Chloe, she LOVED the name Jane and most likely would end up calling Chloe Jane by her middle name Jane anyway. There was a concern about the “plainness” of Jane with the baby’s very common English surname, but in the end, like you, Emma set aside her concerns and named her baby the name she loved most of all.
Chloe is a lovely name with an interesting history dating back to ancient Greece — and yet the name seems contemporary too.
Baby Chloe is so beautiful! It’s wonderful your favorite name worked out so well.