Help us choose a middle name « Hellobee Boards

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Help us choose a middle name

By loki Jan 28, 2015

So I THINK we are decided on Willa as a first name... We are still considering Gemma because my husband LOVES it but I think it's more likely it'll end up being Willa.

My faaaavourite name for a long time was Rose and my DH loved it too but recently has decided he doesn't want to even consider it anymore and thinks we should just use it as a middle name. Willa Rose (or Gemma Rose) does sound beautiful but it has no meaning to us and I love the idea of a family name.

My Auntie Dawn passed away Boxing Day 2013 and I like the idea of using Dawn as a middle name. I don't love the name at all (in fact it's part of my name and i was going to drop it before she passed away). But I love the meaning and I think it would be really special for my parents. My DH is against this because he thinks Willa Dawn sounds like a dinosaur and he isn't all that keen on honouring a family member (although he used to be all about family names!!!!)

What would you do? Use a name you love more/sounds prettier? Or a family name? Help!

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poll: Which should we go with?
Willa Dawn : (23 votes)

19 %

Willa Rose : (95 votes)

80 %

I have another middle name idea I'll tell you about in the comments! : (1 votes)

1 %

119 votes

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58 comments

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autumnlove
hostess / wonderful watermelon / 39513 posts

Jan 28, 2015

I like Rose!
blackbird
wonderful grape / 20453 posts

Jan 28, 2015

I go for honoring family over "pretty" any day.
loki
pear / 1787 posts

Jan 28, 2015

@blackbird: does it sound like a dinosaur to you? haha. i know the middle name isn't THAT important.. which is why i'm leaning towards Dawn.
Synchronicity
grapefruit / 4089 posts

Jan 28, 2015

I love the idea of the middle name being a family name! I'm with @blackbird:, I'd choose family over pretty hands down. I don't think Willa Dawn sounds like a dinosaur at all... what a weird comment! Haha.
coopsmama
cantaloupe / 6059 posts

Jan 28, 2015

Rose! But I'm biased as it's MY middle name!
Mrs. Jacks
blogger / pineapple / 12381 posts

Jan 28, 2015

Doesn't sound like a dinosaur (maybe a pre-historic mammal like mastadon, but it's a stretch). I think you use what you love.

We are currently grappling with the idea of dropping a family name in favor of a name we like more. Jury is still out. Do what feels right to you
Corduroy
pomelo / 5258 posts

Jan 28, 2015

I voted Willa Rose. I think it's really pretty.

I regret giving my daughter a name that means Dawn. We've woken up before dawn every day for 23 months and I've wondered if she's just living up to her name.
loki
pear / 1787 posts

Jan 28, 2015

@Mrs. Jacks: haha it's totally the way he says it. he's a weird dude.

do you guys think a double barrel middle name would be weird? i dunno if it would work because they're both single syllables... but Willa Rose Dawn? Is that too much name?
loki
pear / 1787 posts

Jan 28, 2015

@Corduroy: hahaha oh no!
Mrs. Jacks
blogger / pineapple / 12381 posts

Jan 28, 2015

@loki: Both our girls are double barrel
LBee
pomegranate / 3895 posts

Jan 28, 2015

We chose a family name and have no regrets. It was incredibly important to us and I think my son will love / appreciate the history.

This is so random but when I was in like 1st grade we had to research our name and find out why our parents had chosen it. I remember being so proud to say the history of my name (both family names). I thought about that a lot when I was naming my son.

With that said, Rose is beautiful too! You really can't go wrong.
loki
pear / 1787 posts

Jan 28, 2015

@Mrs. Jacks: we have a complicated four syllable Japanese last name so I wanted to keep it simple but I like the idea of using both. I have a feeling DH won't be on board though.
Mrs. Champagne
coconut / 8483 posts

Jan 28, 2015

I love family middles.

If you don't love dawn what about her middle name? Or her last name or maiden name?
loki
pear / 1787 posts

Jan 28, 2015

@LBee: oh interesting. my entire name (hyphenated first name AND middle name) is family names and i never really loved not having my own so that is kind of playing into my decision... maybe too much!
dc yoga bee
grapefruit / 4770 posts

Jan 28, 2015

Rose!!!
loki
pear / 1787 posts

Jan 28, 2015

@Mrs. Champagne: Dawn actually is her middle name but what she went by her whole life. Her first name was Gloria which doesn't flow well and is noooot my fave. Her maiden name is the same as mine... Thomas. So pretty masculine and we'd like to save it in the event of a future boy. My whole family hates her late husband so we'd never use her last name!
LuLu Mom
GOLD / wonderful olive / 19030 posts

Jan 28, 2015

Okay I prefer Willa Rose however I'm all about honoring family and I would choose that over a "pretty name" any day.
LuLu Mom
GOLD / wonderful olive / 19030 posts

Jan 28, 2015

@loki: Also, I actually like masculine middle names with a super girlie middle name

We are actually planning on using Michael for our daughter's middle name (to honor her uncle who passed away when DH and him were kids) She will most likely be our last so we aren't going to "save" for a boy, we are just going to use it because it means a lot to us.
Astro Bee
pear / 1503 posts

Jan 28, 2015

@Loki: we'd consider / are considering a double barrel name to accommodate our traditional family names.

My middle name was my grandmother's, who died a month before I was born. I never liked it, especially once I learned that she was a hard woman who was physically abusive to my dad's family. I think it would depend on your relationship with your aunt, and how much you like the name yourself. In the end, do what feels right.
loki
pear / 1787 posts

Jan 28, 2015

@LuLu Mom: i generally do too actually. my middle name is Mitchell (my mom's maiden name!). for some reason Thomas isn't as pretty to me as say... Michael, Ryan or James. ya know? and maybe just because i know it as my last name it will feel like she doesn't have a middle name and just has a hyphenated/double barrel last name. I dunno! It doesn't feel right to me.

@Astro Bee: my aunt was reeeeeally important to me. I have Dawn in my name after her and she was very special so it would be to honour the person she is, not just the name, ya know? the only reason i'm considering it is because she's lovely. i don't like the name at all unfortunately
Mrs.Scientist
cherry / 211 posts

Jan 28, 2015

I voted Willa Rose. I think that's a beautiful name. I have to be honest, one of my best friends growing up had the middle name Dawn and it did always made me think of a dinosaur when I heard her family call her by her first + middle name. That being said, I always think it's lovely to honor family members.

One thing to think about is whether or not you think going with a family name will cause any drama. We ultimately went against a family name with our LO because it would have caused drama on my in-laws side, specifically with my overly dramatic GMIL. Stupid, I know, but she apparently still holds a grudge over my MIL because they chose to name two of their kids after people in her own family rather than my FIL's family.
Astro Bee
pear / 1503 posts

Jan 28, 2015

@Loki: that's a really tough choice, then. I'm sorry for your loss. It's always hard to lose someone around the holidays.

I think Willa Rose Dawn Lastname is fine. Really, though, she will go by Willa Lastname, so even though your last name is complicated by multiple syllables, it shouldn't make a different. Just the first name has to go well with it. At work my signature block is Firstname Initial Lastname. She will have that option, too.
loki
pear / 1787 posts

Jan 28, 2015

@Mrs.Scientist: oh my goodness, that is awful. if we had boys we had decided on two names that both incorporate only my family names haha. so i can see my in laws maybe secretly being a bit resentful but... i doubt they could say anything about me honouring my deceased aunt! they better not! haha. that's funny you thought dinosaur too, glad to know my DH isn't just a huge weirdo.
QBbride
pomegranate / 3192 posts

Jan 28, 2015

I think Willa Rose sounds prettier but I think if Willa Dawn has more meaning you should use it. Bonus that it's in your name.

PS. Willa is my favvvvvve name. It's my cousin's name (she's 24 years younger) so I don't think I could ever use it.
Astro Bee
pear / 1503 posts

Jan 28, 2015

@Loki: have you considered other names that mean Dawn? Like Aurora?
loki
pear / 1787 posts

Jan 28, 2015

@QBbride: aw i love hearing that. my biggest hesitation is worrying that people won't "get" it. so i love hearing people like it!

@Astro Bee: i did, i even looked up Welsh & Japanese names meaning Dawn and Sunrise... but came up pretty empty handed. Aurora is the middle name of a girl we know that we don't love. and it's also a town right beside where we live! haha. (i made a thread about using Dawn and got lots of great alternative suggestions but decided against all of them for various reasons)
QBbride
pomegranate / 3192 posts

Jan 28, 2015

@loki: we were in a very similar position as you. My Dad passed away suddenly on Boxing Day 2012 and I was pregnant at the time. So we used his name (Michael) as a middle name even though I don't especially like the name. It was worth it for us. Sorry about your loss
blackbird
wonderful grape / 20453 posts

Jan 28, 2015

@loki: lol no!
loki
pear / 1787 posts

Jan 28, 2015

@QBbride: so sorry for your loss, i can't imagine the loss of a parent.
TemperanceBrennan
pear / 1998 posts

Jan 28, 2015

I like Willa Dawn because of the honor. I like Willa Rose Dawn the best. I don't think it is too long even with a long unique last name. It breaks up the "dinosaur" sound.
Mrs. Jacks
blogger / pineapple / 12381 posts

Jan 28, 2015

@TemperanceBrennan: Once you hear it, you can't really unhear it, can you?!
Grace
cantaloupe / 6730 posts

Jan 28, 2015

@loki: Haha, well now that you've mentioned it, all I can think it Willadon. So yeah, I do think dinosaur. If you had said nothing, I don't think that would have crossed my mind. Willa Rose is very pretty though.
TemperanceBrennan
pear / 1998 posts

Jan 28, 2015

@Mrs. Jacks: It's funny, when I first read the post, I had no idea what "sounds like a dinosaur" meant. I was even thinking back to the names of the characters on Land Before Time because I did not get it at all. When you mentioned mastodon it clicked, lol.
Mrs. Jacks
blogger / pineapple / 12381 posts

Jan 28, 2015

@TemperanceBrennan: Same. I was like, "Huh? I don't see the connection." But then I did. And can't unsee/unhear it. Adding the Rose makes it very non-dinosaur
loki
pear / 1787 posts

Jan 28, 2015

hahaha ya i definitely see the dinosaur but i really think it's how he says it. like he says willadon. i think i enunciate the Dawn more so it's more distinct. somehow he doesn't mind Gemma Dawn but I think that can sound like a dinosaur too!!!
PawPrints
pomegranate / 3658 posts

Jan 28, 2015

I like Willa Rose and Willa Dawn, and I'm also all for honoring family, particularly someone you were close to, BUT I don't think that makes up for giving your LO a name that you strongly dislike. I think that's a very important factor and is more than just a matter of "sounding pretty." I don't think you should give LO a middle name you really don't like.
loki
pear / 1787 posts

Jan 28, 2015

@PawPrints: that's my hesitation. i reeeeeeeeally don't like it but love the meaning behind it and honouring her. but do i wanna saddle my child with a name i hated having my whole life?! seems kinda cruel!
simplyfelicity
cantaloupe / 6634 posts

Jan 28, 2015

This is a toughie! I looked up names that mean dawn in other languages and fell short. In the end, what is more important to you? Honoring a family member with a name which is a *bit* more clunky? Or, having the soft cadence of a name which is beautiful but not as significant? I don't think you can go wrong! In the end, her name will be significant because it is her's.
wrkbrk
pomelo / 5084 posts

Jan 28, 2015

@loki: my friend had this same dilemma - use a family name that was fine but they didnt LOVE it or just choose the name they loved that had zero meaning. they chose the name they loved