Brittney writes:
I really need your help! Here’s our story. We are due December 12th with our first bundle of joy. We are not going to find out what we are having, but don’t worry, I only need your help with a girl’s name. If we have a boy we will be naming him Luca Michael last name sounds like Chan-Choo-Lee with lots of Italian vowels. My husband and I are both Italian and with such a strong last name think it would be nice to stay within that theme. So here is our dilemma. Our name choices couldn’t be more different. I LOVE vintage-ish sounding names while my husband is stuck in the 80’s. We do have about 2 we agree on and I just wanted to know your opinion if you like the flow or any other suggestions you have. Our TOP contender right now is Emilia with a nickname of Mila. My grandfather’s name was Emil so I like the twist on the spelling of the ever popular and rising name Amelia. Here’s what we have so far.
Emilia Clara
(his grandmother’s name is Clara and would like to use that as the middle name)Emilia Grace
Our other top contenders are:
Natalie Clara
Adrianna GraceMy top names:
Charlotte (although I don’t love how popular it is now)
Grace
Harper
EllaHusband’s Top names:
Heather
Alexandra
Tiffany
Pretty much anyone that was featured on Saved by the Bell.So I guess my real question here is how do you feel about Emilia and Clara and/or Grace as the middle names?
Thank you!!!
“Anyone featured on Saved by the Bell” is my new favorite way to categorize the way some men seem to latch onto the names of the cute girls from their high schools.
Well, it’s very good news that there are a few agreed-upon names; if I’d just seen your list and his list, I would have felt we had a long road ahead of us. I love the Emil/Emilia link, and I love Emilia Clara because then it’s your grandfather and his grandmother and that just seems very nice.
All three choices go well with Luca. I notice Natalie has the same ending as Chan-choo-lee, which knocks it down a notch for me—so I think my first choice is Emilia, second choice Adrianna, third choice Natalie.
One thing about Claire/Clara as a middle name is it can lead to The Éclair Situation. This is when the first name and middle name flow together in such a way as to allow the word éclair to form. So whenever I see Claire or Clara suggested as a middle name, I run The Éclair Test, which has two steps:
1. Does this combination make me hear the word éclair?
2. Do I mind? I mean, éclairs are awesome. If my name sounded like éclair, I would make a policy: every time someone pointed that out to me, they would owe me an éclair. The main problem would be an insufficiency of éclairs, since it’s so rare to say the first and middle names together. I’d have to go around introducing myself that way, emphasizing the éclair sound so that people would notice it, THEN I’d demand my éclair.
On that note, let’s have a poll (and perhaps an éclair)!
Emilia Clara Chanchoolee is marvelous.
Mila Chanchoolee. Yep, I’m in love.
I agree. I think that is a really wonderful name!
I love the nickname and family link you have Emilia!
If it doesn’t work out, you could suggest Alessandra. It’s similar to Alexandra on his list and Italian, plus for short you could call her Aless/Alice.
Emilia! Wow! If your baby is a girl and you pick Emilia Clara Chan-choo-lee, she will be lucky enough to go through life with a gorgeous name. Luca is equally handsome. I’d say stop right now– don’t worry any longer– if DH agrees to Emilia, you are set. Emilia Chan-choo-lee is just beautiful.
As far as your other faves– Charlotte bugs me a little in combo with your surname. I don’t like the repeated Ch- sound that is actually not quite repeating because Charlotte is more like a “shhh”. I also think Natalie is too sing-songy with Chan-choo-lee. (Woe is the surname that ends in -lee… my partner has one as well and I’ve waved farewell to some of my favorites, like Polly and Cecily, because of it.)
All the women I’ve known named Adriana spelled it with one n. Any particular reason why you are thinking Adrianna instead? (Now I’m thinking sibling names for Emilia down the line, etc.) With a last name that is already quite long and multisyllabic, I encourage you to look to the first name for places to trim letters. Adriana seems better with Chanchoolee both because it is the more standard spelling, and because it cuts down on the bulk of the name overall.
Harper seems like an outlier name for you because all of your other favorites are more feminine, less surname-y or masculine. I know what that’s like. I love the name Rowan for a girl but it is the only gender ambiguous name on my list of top 5 faves and I highly doubt I will ever use it for that reason– it is just too much of an outlier.
Ella is nice, but not as memorable as Emilia or Mila. Also: popularity. I’m from NY and I feel like I meet so many girls under 8 named Ella– not all of them have Ella as a full name either. Ella is used as a nickname for everything from Isabella to Gabriella to Elizabeth, Eloise, Eleanor, Elisa, Elena… If you are worried about the popularity of Charlotte, I guarantee you Ella is even further up the charts in reality when its full use is considered.
As far as your husband’s choices… oh dear. I hear about so many men like this! Their naming style is stuck in high school. Oh well. Alexandra is OK, but if you don’t love it, then keep talking. If he likes Emilia enough to use, that is fantastic. Would he consider Alessandra down the line? It is beautiful and goes with the Italian heritage. I like it a wee bit more than Adrianna too with your surname. Also, Chiara could be a consideration (Italian form of Clara).
Good luck!
Emilia Chanchoolee is absolutely stunning!! Lovely that it honours someone, too. I think Grace flows a bit better than Clara in the middle name spot, but if honouring Clara is important, go with it. Luca Michael is a really nice boy name, but Emilia Chanchoolee is so beautiful that it makes me hope you have a girl!
I also don’t love that Natalie ends in the same sound as Chanchoolee, so I wanted to suggest Natalia as an alternative (if you don’t go with Emilia, or if down the road you have another daughter). You avoid the “-lee / -lee” endings, plus you end up with the beautiful Talia as a possible nickname. Also I’ve encountered a fair number of Natalies but few-to-no Natalias if popularity is a concern for you.
And I think I too would spell it Adriana rather than Adrianna – I think it’s more likely to be spelled correctly.
As to your husband’s choices, I love Alexandra and… obviously the others are of a particular vintage. My name is from my mom’s generation and I’ve now made my peace with it but I really hated it growing up. If he’s really stuck on Heather, Tiffany, and the Bayside gang’s names, you might consider telling him that using names that were only popular for a specific but different generation mess with people’s expectations of how old this person is – for example, I met someone when I was 22 who, having heard my name in advance, thought I’d be 55. The other main reasonI disliked it: I felt kind of alienated from the Jennifers, Jessicas, Brittanys, etc. (which I acknowledge isn’t fully because of my name, but growing up I felt like it made a big difference).
But enough of that! Go with the beautiful Emilia and none of this will be a problem for you. Cheers!
I too have a name very popular in my mom’s generation, and disliked having it until recently. I also run into people expecting a 60 year old, and getting a 30 year old…
I like Emilia Clara a lot…but I actually like Clara Emilia even better, if there’s a chance you would consider that.
How is it that so many men like 80s names but so few baby girls end up with them? (Oh weird, Tiffany is actually still fairly common at number 370)
I know, right? I think it is because ultimately men are usually the passive ones when it comes to names. I’ve seen/heard friends’ husbands nix currently stylish names they think are “weird” or “old” (like, say, Penelope or Hazel) but not necessarily press hard for their own hopelessly outdated “Saved By The Bell” choices (brilliant name for a name category, OP!) like Jennifer, Ashley, Crystal, Lauren. So I imagine the compromise is what keeps long familiar names like Elizabeth, Grace, Hannah, Emily, Emma, etc. in the top 25. They are stylish/not-dated enough for the moms, but still familiar enough for the dads. I think of them as great compromise names.
As far as Tiffany– what might keep it so high (relatively speaking) is that it is popular among Asian-Americans. You can see here in the 2012 NYC data, which is broken down by race, that Tiffany is a staggering number 7 for Asian-American baby girls: http://www.nyc.gov/portal/site/nycgov/menuitem.c0935b9a57bb4ef3daf2f1c701c789a0/index.jsp?pageID=mayor_press_release&catID=1194&doc_name=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nyc.gov%2Fhtml%2Fom%2Fhtml%2F2012b%2Fpr311-12.html&cc=unused1978&rc=1194&ndi=1. I’ve heard it sounds really pleasing in Chinese, as does Fiona (number 9).
Also, are you as shocked as me that Tiffany was actually used for baby girls in medieval England? http://appellationmountain.net/tiffany-baby-name-of-the-day/
I like Emilia Clara a lot…but I actually like Clara Emilia even better, if there’s a chance you would consider that.
How is it that so many men like 80s names but so few baby girls end up with them? (Oh weird, Tiffany is actually still fairly common at number 370)
I don’t think I would look any further than Emilia Clara either. Grace is a lovely and acceptable middle name but to me it feels sort of like a big yawn between first and last, in the same way that Nicole or Marie was when I was growing up. Emilia Clara is enviably pretty, I love when two ends-in-a names work that well together.
Haha, I love that my once-overused name still gets the husband vote ;) Let me be the first to apologize on behalf of all the Heathers of the eighties for being so prevalent as to engrave our moniker into your husband’s subconscious.
Oh, oh, also! Clara is the name of the girl from the Nutcracker. Since you’re having a December baby it might be a nice “extra” excuse.
If I had to change my name I would change it to Emilia Clara. Gorgeous!
I AGREE with all the above. Emilia is absolutely gorgeous, goes well with Luca as it has the same feel to it, and love the family link. I’d stop and go with Emilia! I do like Ella and Grace as well, but by far my favourite is Emilia! Other names I love: Isabella, Emmeline (various spellings), Gabriella.
Good luck and keep us posted!
I want to second “Natalia.” I knew a few girls in Europe with this name and it comes off as gorgeous.
I think Emilia is a perfect name for you! I voted for it and think it’s beautiful.
BUT, how perfect would Natalia be for a Christmas baby? Just saying!!
Good luck : )
If you don’t go with Emilia Clara (which I love!), consider other wonderful Italian name, or possible future sibling name: Giana. I know a sibling set Giana and Luca.
Another vote for Emilia Clara! It’s a lovely, feminine, distinguished-sounding name with so many fun nicknames for a child. I adore Mila, and since I’m from the south, I wouldn’t hesitate to throw her middle name in there on a daily basis.
Like someone above me said, if I were changing my name, Emilia Clara is so wonderful, it’d be a contender. :)
I also like the suggestion of Natalia and Gianna, but for future siblings. Emilia Clara is too perfect to pass up!
Emilia Clara is a beautiful name with great family connections!
Yep, I say stop where you are and go with what’s working! I think the Eclair test is cute and helpful in some cases, but I think it might actually make a cute nickname for Emilia Clara. E-clare Chanchoolee! Or Emilia or Mila or Emme or any of the beautiful names you could call her. Beautiful!
I love Emilia Clara, as well as Emiliana Clara :)
I think the honor names are too good to pass up, especially since you both like the names. Mila is adorable as a nn.
“So I guess my real question here is how do you feel about Emilia and Clara and/or Grace as the middle names?”
As others are saying, Emilia seems perfect for you, it honouring your grandfather. Truthfully, I like it better this way then with the A- beginning. It looks more sophisticated and streamlined. Mila is sweet, such a darling name, and innovative nickname.
Emilia Clara sounds like a winner. It is beautiful, lilting flow and all. Emilia Grace is touch more boring. Less syllables to lengthen the flow. But also a classy, elegant choice. If you truly love both so much, have you thought about Emilia Clara Grace?
Best luck!
Saved by the Bell… hahahahaha! I am so going to reference this from now on.
I was going to pipe in with Natalia as well! Such a pretty name, although Emilia is darling too. Can’t wait for the update on this one!