Need Help with Baby Girl Name

Updated on January 20, 2011
B.B. asks from New Haven, CT
39 answers

I'd like to find a name that doesn't really have a formal name or nickname. For example, our sons names are Ryan and John - no formal (Benjamin) or nickname (Ben) - just a name!

One of my top contenders is Cara, but hubby isn't sold on it.

Just wondering if anyone has suggestions?

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So What Happened?

Wow!!! Thank you so much for all of your responses. I'll have to show this list to hubby and see what he says! I love Hannah and Anna too, but he didn't like them :-(

Featured Answers

A.S.

answers from Iowa City on

Helena, Charlotte, Zoe, Elle, June, Anna, Shannon, Lori, Summer, Julie, Autumn, Dayle. Those are the names I can think of at the moment that probably don't get shortened often.

1 mom found this helpful

S.F.

answers from New York on

I have a Lylah, and a Sabrina. So far no nicknames, and I can't think of any that would work. Good Luck!

1 mom found this helpful
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T.B.

answers from Miami on

I hate when people assume a nickname for someone. When I know someone's name, that is what I call them...unless they themselves otherwise tell me to call them something else. I have a friend whose daughter's name is Kara. It's a pretty name.

1 mom found this helpful

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L.S.

answers from Spokane on

Claire
Chloe
Rose
Lily
Lyla
Eden

2 moms found this helpful

S.P.

answers from Nashville on

my daughters name is Ava Marie. I am currently pregnant with our second and if its a girl we are going with Anna Claire. I get so many complements on my daughters name. Its so pretty!

2 moms found this helpful

M.L.

answers from Houston on

If you can't agree on Cara, how about Cora? Love that name.

2 moms found this helpful

J.G.

answers from San Antonio on

My neice is "Coral." I've also seen it spelled Koral.
Linda
Lara
Natalie
Sienna
Sabrina
Cory
Carrie
Carla
Sarah
Emily
Emma
Faith
Kate
Zoe
Lily
Rose
Shannon
Allison
(went thru my cousins and friends etc. Best names with no nick-names)

1 mom found this helpful

M.R.

answers from Rochester on

I really like Helen. It is coming back and was one of my grandmother's names. We're expecting our third boy and my husband never liked it. We had planned on Branwen Grace for a girl if we had one. I can't imagine nicknames for those.

Would your husband consider Clara? I suppose it could be shortened, but people shorten names strangely even if it is not "traditional."

1 mom found this helpful
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S.H.

answers from New York on

Margo/Margot/Margaux [all spelling variations]
Ava
Tabitha
Marlo

Good Luck!

1 mom found this helpful
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C.A.

answers from San Francisco on

My sister did not want a name that could easily have a nickname. She chose Natalie.

The funny thing is that her daycare immediately started calling the baby Nat....until my sister angerily took care of that.

By the way, my name does not lend itself to a nickname. No one has ever called me anything but C.. It's an very old French name. It's root chante means 'to sing'. And...I have a brother named John! :)

Good luck!

1 mom found this helpful

J.E.

answers from Los Angeles on

Cara is nice! Carrie is too, Chloe, Chelsea (my youngest daughter), Caitlin, I loved C names, my first girls are Emilie and Desiree, so keeping alphabetical lol

1 mom found this helpful
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J.M.

answers from New York on

I like Cara!

I've always loved the name Riley? You can have fun with the spelling if you don't like the original way, but its not a very common name, yet its nice.

Good Luck!

1 mom found this helpful

M.3.

answers from St. Louis on

Cara is very cute! The names we are considering are Taylor, Kate, and Carli. I think Avery is really pretty too.

1 mom found this helpful

K.B.

answers from Salt Lake City on

Cara is great. What about Claire, Paige, Ann, Lisa, Diedre (Diedra), Grace-though some might nickname Gracie, Sara (Sarah), Mary...names for thought.

These name ones are always "fun" to answer. All the best...

1 mom found this helpful
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M.S.

answers from San Francisco on

cassidy, casey,carley,cameron is really pretty too

1 mom found this helpful
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C.B.

answers from Cleveland on

My 7 year old dd is Taryn. Her middle name is Elizabeth. When my cousin heard what her name was, she said that we could call her Tara Beth. Uh, I don't think so.

My dh will sometimes call her Tare Bear and my sister will sometimes call her Tare Tare Baby but I don't really consider those nicknames just pet names that they have for her.

1 mom found this helpful
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S.S.

answers from Chicago on

Love the name Hannah Grace. I wanted another girl so bad so that I could use that name. but ended up with 1 girl and 3 boys. Then wanted my daughter to name her daughter that. but she ended up with 2 boys and 1 girl and already had Anna Paris picked out. sigh........Hoping one of my boys will name their daughter Hanna Grace for me lol.

1 mom found this helpful
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L.S.

answers from Jacksonville on

My daughter's name is Melisse (the end of her name is pronounced "lease"). I had never heard it before until shortly before she was born. Melisse is the Greek spelling of Melissa.

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L.W.

answers from Philadelphia on

We just named our daughter Olivia Madelyn.

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R.Y.

answers from New York on

I never had a problem with anyone calling me by a nickname and my name is R.. My daughter is Sarah, no nickname but too popular in my opinion (she is named after someone or I'd have picked something else). I like Leigh or Amy but anything short won't need shortening. Also my son has a name with a common nickname and we just never use it.

M.H.

answers from New York on

I love the name Autumn I wish I would have used it when I had the chance. My daughters name is Madison and some people call her Matty I always have to correct them.

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S.B.

answers from Redding on

I've always loved the name Cara. I had a best friend growing up with that name and I don't know anyone else that's had it.

My daughter just found out she is having a boy in May so the name thing is SO hard. She doesn't want anything too common and all the names she likes really are.
Her grandmother's name is Chloe, but pronounced Clo, and I had never even heard it when I met her. I work with 3 Chloe's. It's amazing how the name tides change.
I know 5 Kylee's.
I do birth certificates at a hospital and all the names are the same over and over.
I can understand why my daughter is having a hard time.

I have to say....
I haven't heard a Cara in many years and I really like it.

Just my opinion.

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K.C.

answers from Norfolk on

My sister is Karra (care-uh). I always liked Jane. Short and sweet!

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A.U.

answers from Detroit on

I have 3 daughters and I like traditional names... So, mine are
Emily Renee
Samantha Lynn
Abby Ann

I just heard a name on American Idol that i really liked .. Brielle (pronounced Bree ELL)..I really like that, very pretty!
Another name I've always loved but couldn't use it was Cambria .. I have a nephew on my husbands side of the family named Kameron, so it was kinda to close..
Couple others i like that i couldn't use also because of other people (lol)..
Mia, Katie, Kayla, Caitlyn(or Katelyn), Ella, Lillian(or just Lilly) & Alena
Good Luck and Congrats!

K.M.

answers from Chicago on

Michaela-- Me-kai-aay-la "italian" or Mikayla for the "english/american" version

S.D.

answers from Phoenix on

Taylor, Kyler, Kelee, Joy, Hadley , Teah

K.V.

answers from Lansing on

I had the hardest time picking out my daughters name. I didn't want something that everyone else had.

My 4 choices that I narrowed down to her name were:

McKenna
Peyton
Addison (hated the nickname Ady tho reminds me of a dog)
Kasen

I went with Kasen, just because I thought I made it up myself (which I later found out I didn't lol) I figured I'd stay with a K name, because my name starts with a K...so I took everyones name I knew, and put a K in front of it. My bil's name is Jason and well, when I finally got to his name, I came up with Kasen. She goes by her middle name alot tho, Mae. If you ask her what her name is...she says 'MaeMae'

Everyone HATED that name when I had a bunch of names written down. Now, everyone loves it and couldn't imagine her being named anything else!

B.K.

answers from San Francisco on

Hi Mama
Cara means "friend" in Irish.
I also like Amber, Naomi ,Mary
Best of Luck
B.

D.S.

answers from Los Angeles on

There is Haley, Kaley, Cindy, Linda, Lynn, for just a few. There are many on line baby naming sites.

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J.H.

answers from Dallas on

i love the name jacie leann, kenzie grace, heaven faith,emily brook, shelby leann,are selby brook,my daughter is chasidy brook, good luck let us know what u decide on:)

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T.Q.

answers from Albany on

Hi There,
We have 2 children and a third on the way also... the name thing is so hard. We also have very common names (my son is Ryan also!) and our daughter is Kathryn, but goes by Katie... it is funny because when we came up with names, I just wanted her to be Kathryn, no nickname, but as soon as she was born she became "Katie Bug", now she is just Katie and barely knows her name is Kathryn! So, for number 3 we want a name that isn't so common... we like Kyla, Alessia, Natalie for girls names (though Kyla and Natalie are pretty common these days).... we are pretty set on Camden for a boy... then just the other day I thought, Camdyn is a really pretty/different name for a girl... though is could turn into Cam I suppose. Anyway, nicknames aren't always a bad thing... my little girl is such a Katie, and I can't imagine calling her Kathryn now! Funny story is, my brother's name is Tony (well, Anthony) and he was ALWAYS Anthony when we were little. Then in 6th grade when he got a baseball jacket he had "Tony" written on the sleeve..... my mom was devastated!! But the nick name stuck and now he is known as Tony and nothing else... even by my mom. Just make sure if there is a nickname associated with the name, you could live with it even if you don't think she will go by it!

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L.H.

answers from New York on

They forgot about Erika/Erica.

Erika or Erica
Sarah
Sally
Joan
Kelly
Megan

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A.D.

answers from New York on

Hi B., I love the name Cara.... my name is Mary... I know it is an oldie but it has no nickname..... Grandma Mary

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T.J.

answers from Seattle on

I like Cara! Clara or Kara better though. I like Amelia, Avery, Bailey, Brooke, Camille, Daphne, Emma, elle, Georgia, grace, Hadley, Jocelyn, Kendall, Kyla, lane, Lila or Lyla, Mallory, Mikayla, McKinley, Naomi, Olivia, Peyton, ruby, Taryn, and vivienne. Little girls are fun, congrats!

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R.K.

answers from Chicago on

My daughter is Taylor Rose and none of her friends shorten her name. My 1 year old niece calls her Tay Tay but I think that is because she can't pronounce the whole name. We have daughter #2 on the way and are thinking of going with Kayla Nicole.

Good Luck- I know how hard it is!

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M.D.

answers from Pittsburgh on

I love Cara, if you feel this is the name for you then talk to hubby about how you feel. Perhaps you have time to help him love it too.

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K.S.

answers from New York on

Hi! I happen to love that name...of course it's the name of my oldest daughter! HAHA She actually has 2 first names (long story) Kara Lynn and my youngest daughter is Dakota. You can go with nicknames or not on them which is what I liked about them.

Congrats and good luck!

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J.M.

answers from Kansas City on

Our daughters name is Kimberleigh, couldnt imagine her named anything else. Good luck it took us all 9 months to decide on it.

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