So after many nights of spending three hours plus looking for names my DH might like, we've hit a compromise on....

Elliott Sophia

Love Sophia but it's too popular for us, so even though the name doesn't flow as much as say Elliott Grace etc, we're putting it in the middle because we both love it. Had a brief fling with Elliotte (just so on paper people would know she's a girl!,) but have reverted back to classic spelling.

Plenty of people passionately dislike the name, which freaks me out a bit, but only makes DH happier! As much as it is thought of as a boys name, saying it out loud sounds really feminine to me. And those who don't like it can call her Ellie I guess.

Farewell Stella, Emery, Emmeline, Beatrix, Indah, Leila, Maya, Myla.

Are we doing the right thing?????

Did your partner have a name he hated growing up? Does he still hate it?

Because that is likely how your daughter will feel.

At least I suppose she has Sophia to fall back on.

Noooooo..please put an e after it if you insist on a boy's name. Like emmeline, Stella, Leila, Beatrix though.

I'm glad you've found your DD's name OP.
I don't mind it, but it's better than Indah.
All the best on her upcoming arrival.

I think its gorgeous, OP

It only sounds like a girls name if pronounced Elli-ette, but with your spelling, it's sounds like a boys name.
I'm sorry, but I don't think you're doing the right thing.

No, please, please, please NO!

Congrats on deciding on a name. Probably best not to check on people's opinions in that case.

Though for what it's worth I think it's alright. I really like 'Elle' for a name which I guess is a likely NN.

Happy birthing! ))

Oh such a shame, you had some beautiful names on your list too.

Sophia is gorgeous though

Not my cup of tea, and if you have truely decided on it then i agree with some pp that you perhaps should not ask the question as you may not want to hear the opinions of a whole pile of people that do not matter to you IRL (like really) People will be much more tactful to your face when you tell people her name once she has arrived.

Have to add that we are polar opposites when it comes to name selection as i like girls names to sound and be TOTALLY feminine, but thats just me and the world would be boring if we were all the same!

Good luck, happy birthing!

Great name! Congrats on choosing!

Interesting responses! That's what I like about EB is that people can tell you how they really feel!

My first daughter actually has the most feminine name and middle name you could possibly think of, so it's not that I particularly like masculine names on girls.

I guess names are very subjective. I don't really understand how the sound of names like Mackenzie, Bronte are feminine, but everyone is happy for them to be a girl's name. To me Elliotte/Elliott is a far softer sound, with a bit of funk. How is Elliotte so different from Charlotte?

Anyhow, that's just my two cents worth. Each to their own. It's nice when people like the name you choose, but I guess DH's opinion is probably more important. Thanks for the opinions though.

Thats just going to make Elliott look even more masculine on paper.

Don't do it OP, it's just wrong.

It's a boys name turned into a name for a girl. It's going to confuse a hell of a lot of people her whole life. If you're happy with that, then ok.

What about Etienne ?

I have herd worse I guess.
But really?
Elliot!
Sorry but that poor little girl she is going to be jealous of her sisters feminine name.

People have always known Elliot to be a boys name, so that is why it is perceived as masculine iykwim, doesn't matter if you think it sounds feminine.

In all honesty, if you AND you DH like it then go for it, doesn't matter what we think. Just be prepared for a lot of people thinking you have a son!

I love it!

Mckenzie doesn't sound feminine. It actually sounds fugly for either sex as it is a harsh, consonant heavy surname.

Charlotte is a traditional girls' name with an extremely long history of usage and many derivatives.

Elliott is a traditional boys' name. They are nothing alike.

Eliotte can go and sit in the fugly corner with Mckenzie.

Along that line, would you call your boy Charlotte?

It's awful. Especially if your other dd has a more feminine name. DD2 will wonder why she got the short straw!

Don't do it.

Etienne is lovely. So is Elle. And Ellie. So are a million other names for girls. Not Elliot

Isn't that french for Steven?

Elliot (whatever way you spell it) is different from Charlotte in that it's by and large a boys name.

I try not to make negative comments on names but I did want to say this OP. When you choose a name, don't do it on principle because no one else likes it. Think of the person who has to live with it. If you are prepared for the fact that on paper, everyone will assume she is a boy, and think she will be ok with it, then go for it.

All the best OP.

I love Elliott... for a BOY only.

Please give your little girl a little girls name.

Congrats on deciding on your girls name..

There is a female Elliot on Scrubs so you might find that people will connect her name to the show.

I know you haven't asked for other name suggestions but thought as you have said 'I think' in the title, I would offer some alternative names that can have 'Ellie/Elle' as nicknames.

Eliana
Elena/Elina
Eleni (I knew a girl with this name and she pron. it 'El-ah-ni' )
Eliza

All the best

Hey there OP....

I dont mind it all! But here is my piece of advice... If you & DH LOVE it then use it...

DH & I Loved Quinn for our little Twin Girls name the whole pregnancy but I listened to people on here that it was a 'BOYS' name & that people on paper would think Id had 2 boys... not B/G!

Any old who... When the Twins were born we decided to name her Elena Quinn... Although I do LOVE her name, I Do regret not calling her Quinn Eloise as we had loved the whole pregnancy! And I sometimes feel that she is a Quinn... Atleast it is her middle name so she may end up being called Quinn as a NN anyway!

Just my 2 cents worth... LOL

I agree with these sentiments. Your DD will spend her life correcting people that she is in fact a female and may wonder whether her parents hoped their second born was a boy.

Good on you OP. I think it is a great name and I think it is wonderful you are sticking to your guns.

I like Elliot - for a boy, not a little girl. I love Sophia! Goodluck.

I would hate to be a girl named Elliot. You have some much nicer names in your OP, Emmeline in particular, or Stella.

There are other much nicer ways to get the Ellie nickname (Eloise, Eleanor, Elizabeth, Ellen, etc)

Sophie is stunning, by the way.

I picked up this thread from the recent topics and had to comment that I think it's a beautiful name.

.. but then I love Mackenzie and Bronte too!

All the best with your upcoming arrival.

.

I like it!

There are lots of gender neutral names and even masculine names used for girls (every Charlotte I know is known as Charlie!) and I'm sure it doesn't cause too much lasting damage. As for it not being "a little girls name" I believe this will only be a problem for a few years - they grow up into women pretty quickly!

It all comes down to cultural context really ... no matter how feminine or masculine the sounds are, if the name is widely known as a boys name, the majority of people will think it is a boys name.

Which can be fine .... I know in parts of the US it is quite common to give girls overtly male names (Reese Witherspoon springs to mind) (and Elliot Sophia is a far nicer name than that!)

However, it is not a common practice at all here, and I am concerned that while a very confident girl could carry it off, a slightly more sensitive, self-conscious child may find it more of a burden. I know that my 4 year old would be mortified if someone told her she had a boys name, especially if her sister had a very feminine name.

I know a lot of people say that all that matters in naming is that you the parents love a name ... I disagree. The most important thing is that your child has a name that they can live happily with.

I think its a great name. Don't listen to the nay-sayers. If you love it, use it. You don't want to regret not using an name you love based on the opinions of a bunch of people you don't know.

I dont mind it. Elliott is my favourite character in Scrubs and the name suits her totally! Having said that, I probably wouldnt do it myself....but I dont think its THAT bad Not that I'm a fence-sitter or anything...

I would have chosen Stella

I love it!!!! She will most likely be called Ellie as nn anyway. Either way its very cute

I don't mind the name either, i really like that she will get Elle, or Ellie, that's pretty cute. I can see how people don't like the whole boys name aspect, but really, its your baby. Good luck with the upcoming birth, and, in advance, Happy Birthday baby Ellie, lol

I think the name is ok, but i have only ever known boys by this name..... Be prepared later she may not like it much and use her middle name, like a friend of mine whos name is DYLAN she doesnt like it and uses her middle name of emily

Or she might turn out like my friend LEIGH who absolutely loves her name. She loves that she has never met another girl who shares her name and although traditionally a boys name is constantly told that its a very pretty name.

Elliot is a lovely name congratulations on your decision.

I wish you a speedy hassle free delivery.

When i read the name OP, i thought there had been a mistake and was wondering why a boy had a girl's middle name. It stuck out like a sore thumb. I fear your DD may have to deal with the consequences of this name choice her whole life.

But hey, if you both like it, that's all that matters right?



My 4 year old is a very girly-girl and would too be mortified if kids at kindy told her that!

Reese Witherspoon has a traditional female name - Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon.

i agree with others l looked at it twice and thought why would you give a boy a girls middle name and then saw no Elliot was meaning for a girl....

What a shame that your DH (and I don't mean that politely) is liking a name so much that everyone else will hate. Poor girl.

Sophia is elegant, classical and beautiful.

Elliot is a surname first and foremost and then DEFINITELY a boys name.

WHY WHY WHY?

Etienne is French for Stephen as pointed out by a PP...

I am not a fan of unisex names as I like to know the gender of a person when I am working when it is written down..... although I am hopeless with a lot of the non-Anglo names in picking gender so it is getting less of an issue.

If you love the name and don't mind some raised eyebrows (I know a Riley and Maison that are both girls) then go with it... if you are unsure, then perhaps look at alternatives as this will be a name that stands out!

Good luck with your coming arrival

Slightly off topic but.... MnM Greta is just beautiful What a cutie.

OP I don't love it, but equally don't hate it... I love sophia.

It's a boys name.

But if you HAVE to have it what about dropping the o and have Elliette. Still kind of pronounced the same way but looks much more feminine on paper.

Still not my cup of tea but better than Elliot.

J.T.

I love it. My DH cant stand it but I think it is lovely. We live in Australia where we shorten everything anyway. TBH she will probably be known as Elle or Ellie, which are also lovely. Good luck!

I don't hate it, but I don't really like it a lot.

My concern as PP have mentioned is that your little girly girl could get upset when people tease her for having a boy name, esp whilst she is still preschool / kindy age...

Isn't the blonde girl on Scrubs named Elliot???

I like it OP. Lovely choice. Good luck with the next few weeks.