We have a baby name! need middle name

sc+fm · January 2011

We have the first name picked out!! Yah! It'll be Genevieve, but no middle name yet. (Our 2nd choice was Charlotte)

Can you guys think of any good middle names for Genevieve? Here are some I came up with-

Marie - thought it might be too predictable

Renee-my mom's middle name

Madeline- don't know if it's too long

Lydia - H's grandmother's name

Some other family names - Julie (mom), Josephine (MIL), Jean (GM), Lulu (GGrandmother), Alice (GGrandmother) Summer (my name-H's choice)

Also, would it be crazy to use my mother's maiden name as her middle name (it is greek. I've always been close to my grandfather and there's no boy in the family to pass on the name)

BTW our last name is only 4 letters- 2 syllables

Temp778367875008010 · January 2011

Yay, I love Genevieve! I'm a big believer in passing on at least one family name, or having one name mean something, but that's just me. Having said that, I would go with Renee, Lydia, Alice, or Summer. I think Madeline and Josephine are too long and Julie doesn't flow.

I also don't think it would be weird to give her the maiden name. That definitely means something and I'm sure your mom's family would love it.

SouthSeasBride · January 2011

Something short with maybe only one syllable would sound best, IMO. Pretty name choice though!

sc+fm · January 2011

SouthSeasBride:
Something short with maybe only one syllable would sound best, IMO. Pretty name choice though!

Thanks! I forgot about Claire & Kate as some of my other choices.

tashaandsage · January 2011

Love, love, love Genevieve! As for middle names, I really like a lot of the names you suggested, but I agree on going with something short to balance out the 3 syllables. I don't have any suggestions that pop in my head at the moment.

Once we came up with the first name, I had a hard time because none of the possible middle names I'd originally thought of and loved worked, so I went back to the drawing board and just started pouring over names and wrote down anything thing sounded good with the name, whether it was a "favorite" or not. Then I wrote a list of the whole name out using every middle name I'd come up with, and it was immediate clear to H and I (and the few others we polled) which one the winner was.

jen812 · January 2011

What a nice name choice! Thanks for sharing.

I have a friend who's middle name is her mom's maiden name. It's one syllable & is also used as a first name.

Not knowing your last name or your mom's maiden name, my choice would be Summer for a middle name.

HappyMrsK · January 2011

I like the sound of Genevieve Renee the best of your choices. Lydia sounds nice as well. I love Madeline but I think paired with Genevieve it's a bit long. I think the "J" middle name ideas sound too similar to the "G" sound in the first name so the flow isn't that great. However, the signifigance of a family name may override the flow of a name.

Personally, I don't know if you plan on having more children or not, but I would probably wait to see if I had a son to use your mother's maiden name just because surnames tend to sound more "masculine" IMHO. But if this is your only/last child then go for it. HTH and GL!

BullsBride2009 · January 2011

I love your name choice! I like Genevieve Renee or Genevieve Claire. Tough choices!

InTheSun · January 2011

I have my grandmother's maiden name as my middle name!!!! It is definitely not a name that could be used as a first name and it's kind of odd. I've lived my life trying to conceal it. As a kid, I was always embarrassed. I can appreciate it as an adult BUT I don't like it at all!!! It may mean a lot to you, but consider your child being saddled with it for life.