Old-Fashioned Baby Names, or Old Ladies?
Filed under: Baby Names
I love pretty names for our daughter, but also "cute" and old fashioned names. My favorites are Mae, Delia, and Daisy. My husband says that all he can picture when he hears these names is a little old lady. He likes more familiar names like Elizabeth, Lisa, Sarah, or Samantha. I want something with more of that cute quality as well as an old fashioned feel, but also something that doesn't bring to mind an old lady.
- Yet another Jennifer
Curious, isn't it? Men seem fine with girls' names that are sleek or frilly, casual or formal. But the minute a name carries the slightest whiff of old lady, they run scared. I'll leave it to the reader to probe this psychological tidbit. In the meantime you need a name, and we can't have your poor husband checking his baby's head for gray hairs. So are there sweet, old-fashioned names that won't trigger grandma-phobia?
Let's take a closer look at your husband's favorites for a clue. The #1 thing that Elizabeth, Lisa, Sarah and Samantha have in common is that they're all common names among women your age. (That's not a bad thing for your husband to be drawn to!) Next up is that they're classically feminine names -- not androgynous, and not little-girly. (Again, hard to fault a mate for that kind of taste.)
Now let's fit that into your cute, old-fashioned dreams. Your secret weapon is nicknames. All of the names on your list -- Mae, Delia and Daisy -- can be used as either given names or nicknames. And there are plenty more like them: Maisie (Margaret), Sukie (Susana), Tess (Theresa). Dig into almost any traditional name, including some of your husband's favorites, and you'll find cute and quirky old nicknames to choose from.
Use the classic full name on the birth certificate for your husband's sake, and take the nicknaming rights for yourself. There's no rule that says you both have to use the same form of the name every time. Just promise not to fight, and your daughter will enjoy having different forms of her own identity to play with.
Did you and your partner disagree on names? Share how you resolved your differences! And if you have a question of your own to Ask the Name Lady, drop her a line!
Your<span>Voice</span>
Ask Us Anything About Parenting
Recently Asked
- Would you want to to pick your own security . ? im sure they get homes paid for by the state or political party also. 18 =20 votes before 98
- Do people ever get a civil trial this is too many dismissals with out a response from defendants
- Derian d hickman v. Internal revenue service superior court dc 2012
TheTalkies:RelatedVideos
-
Mom-To-Be Wins $5,000 In Exchange For Letting The Internet Name Her Baby
What's in a name? Five thousand dollars for one Los Angeles mom-to-be. When 26-year-old teacher Natasha Hill began searching for baby names online, she came across a contest on Belly Ballot, a social naming site that allows friends and family to vote for their favorite names. The site was offering one expectant mother $5,000 to let the masses choose the new baby's name.
-
Chantelle Houghton: 'I Still Don't Know What to Call My Baby'
Chantelle Houghton and Alex Reid still haven't named their two-week-old baby girl, because they can't agree on a title that they 'really love'.
-
Expectant Mom Sells Baby Naming Rights For 5K
It's a challenge all prospective parents face — picking out the right name for their child.
One enterprising Los Angeles mother-to-be is outsourcing the big decision, but she's also getting some flak for it.
26-year-old Natasha Hill is due in September.
She won a contest through the website Belly Ballot, a company that allows family and friends to help select your baby's name.
Only Natasha is being paid $5,000 to let complete strangers make the choice for her.
-
Rare Baby Pygmy Hippo Gets A Royal Name
A rare baby hippo born in South Africa is a massive attraction at a wild life Ranch in the Karoo. But this cute little hippo at just one month old, has received a noble and royal name- “Prince Harry”.
SitesWeLove
- Site Map
- |
- Staff
- |
- Terms of Service
- |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Trademarks
- |
- Advertise With Us
- |
- About Our Ads
- |
- AOL Downloads
- |
- Contact Us
- |
© Copyright 2012 AOL Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Aol Family
ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)
4-06-2009 @ 12:07PM
Jamie said...My Husband and I could not agree on a girl name. The good news for us is that we had a boy. I have a friend who has a girl named Veronica and they call her "noni" for short. You really can find a nick name out of any name. I like that idea. My husband liked Dominique but wanted to call her Domino for short. I just could not do that. I had a slight preference for Jessie (not Jessica). Our challenge was snuffed out early as we knew 18 weeks into our pregnancy that our agreed upon boy name would be just fine.
Reply
4-06-2009 @ 12:30PM
Joni said..."The #1 thing that Elizabeth, Lisa, Sarah and Samantha have in common is that they're all common names among women your age. (That's not a bad thing for your husband to be drawn to!) Next up is that they're classically feminine names -- not androgynous, and not little-girly. (Again, hard to fault a mate for that kind of taste.)" WOW - it's like a whole new level of understanding for me! I've always wondered why so many of my husband's favorite names (as well as the names of my friend's hubands) are so 'dated'.
Reply
4-06-2009 @ 1:58PM
Liz said...We chose the name Molly for our daughter. We wanted a traditional name that would "fit" at any age. We didn't want any trendy names because as it is, there will be enough women named Tiffany, Britni, and Ashley in the nursing homes when our generation is old! A few other traditional names we considered were Lilly and Elizabeth (my name).
Reply
4-06-2009 @ 2:39PM
Karen said...Another way to incorporate the feminine is to use something frilly as a middle name, like we did for our daughter, Molly Mae. My family can call her "Molly Mae," while she can call herself "Molly" when she feels the need to sound more serious. Lisa Mae sounds good, right? :)
Reply
4-07-2009 @ 4:26AM
Dorothy said...We have names our daughter Loretta-Mae....we wanted something feminine and old fashioned....mostly she gets called Lolly.....so sweet...just like her...she is.15months and I don't think there will be another name like her in Australia...and not in her old folks home.....
Reply
4-07-2009 @ 3:03PM
JRE said...I don't think they're as far off from each other as they think.
Sarah has the nn Sadie
Elizabeth has oodles of nns, some of them more quaint than the typical Liz and Beth: Bess(ie), Elsa, and Elsie for example.
Sadie, Bess(ie), Elsa, and Elsie all have the same feel as the Mae, Delia, and Daisy.
Reply
4-09-2009 @ 5:28PM
CM said...Dear Name Lady,
I love the way you broke that down into categories, it seems that is the hardest part for me, girls names.......and breaking them into categories. Perhaps you can dive deeper in this subject of what names fall into various categories and what ones fall into both. Also a name that has been on my mind lately is Ava....for me that one is complicated........I cant decide whether the simplicity of it makes it boring............and also whether the root of it is the same as Eva........I have seen Eeva pronounced as Ava and for some reason I just am not keen on Eva........the sound nor the spelling yet Ava doesnt bother me as much. Another name that really gives me mixed feelings is Addison. I used to like the name, but then after reading so much on the internet about Addison being the name of a disease and many people referring to it as super masculine, it sort of was wrecked for me. Do you see Addison as masculine or do you see it as feminine? I am pretty sure it is pronounced with a syn at the end rather than a son. I would love to hear your thoughts on this....PS I am very impressed with your name knowledge, thank you for doing what you do............
4-14-2009 @ 7:59PM
Theresa said...Hi Name Lady! How can we convince my husband about the merits of nice, classic girl names? Penelope, or Eleanor, or any other name with a great nick name.
Reply
11-26-2009 @ 7:06PM
Jen said...I really like Elizabeth Mae. You could call her Besty Mae.
Reply
11-28-2009 @ 3:58AM
Heather Sedlock said...I had wanted to name my oldest son Tristan, if a boy. My husband said no, because kids would tease him. I said "what could they say about that?" First, he says, it sounded girly. and then he said "Besides, i can't name my son after a cracker." And I had to think about that one... and then realized he was thinking of Triscuit!
Yeah, he won the argument and we have Thomas today :)
Reply
1-11-2010 @ 11:12AM
Stephanie said...When we were expecting our first child we knew we wanted family names. So we chose Amelia Margaret (for each of our grandmothers) and Carl Joseph (for my grandfather and hubby's great grandfather). My mother was shocked that we would use Amelia as a name and Millie as a nickname. It's what my hubby's grandmother was called, so it fit for us. My mother was adamant that she would never call her granddaughter Millie and asked if she could use Amy. We told her to wait until after the baby was born then we could talk about it. All the discussion was for naught when I delivered Carl Joseph. And he's the only one in his school. Perfect!
Reply
1-11-2010 @ 10:41PM
linda said...Name Lady, What can you tell me about the names Linda and Kaylee?
Reply
10-22-2010 @ 5:42PM
LexiMae said...My middle name is Mae, and I love it! I was named after my great-grandmother, Mable and possibly my great-grandmother's sister. It is such a pretty name, in my opinion and I was born in May, so it works out well. :)
Reply