I would recommend you read this article in order to make a reasoned and informed decision...

http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/families/article2167868.ece

I like Scandinavian and old German names . Shame that one of them isn't a boy, "Arvid" (the eagle's tree) is my favourite norse boys name........

Agneta Scandinavian F Pure

Anneka Scandinavian F Gracious

Astrid Scandinavian F Beautiful Goddess

Birgitta Scandinavian F Strength

Gudrun Scandinavian F Friend in war Old Norse

Hildur Scandinavian F Battle Old Norse


http://www.babynameguide.com/categoryscandinavian.asp?strGender=&strAlpha=H&strCat=Scandinavian&strOrder=Name

Amusing link wally!

Working in a school - for girls - and because they all do science I have come across loads of names. i would caution against the odd spellings (they always seem to be the naughty ones!) and things spelt with a K when they ought to have a C, they also drive teachers to distraction. Beware of anything too exotic for a first name as these can result in bullying, you can always use that as a second name so they can use it if they want, whilst at school children like to fit in with others. Pick a name that grows up, some names always remind me of little children rather than adults. Oh and nothing popular at the moment like 'pop stars' this will make them instantly datable in later life, which will be no joke if they want to claim to be younger/older than they really are. My daughters are called Jennifer, Georgina and Stephanie for their first names, but have another one in case they want something different.  whatever you choose though, its bound to be shortened even if you think it can't be done, or they get a nickname, which is how one of mine ended up being called ceebit (best not to ask :$)

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http://www.ssa.gov/cgi-bin/babyname.cgi

Tracks your name (or desired name) over time....


..and given that metro is the font of all peer-reviewed knowledge - the top ten kids names by "cleverness", "popularity"etc

http://www.metro.co.uk/news/732934-top-10-childrens-names-which-make-teachers-think-theyre-naughty-clever-or-popular

My pal has a little girl called Ilona, which I think is quite pretty. I like names that are a bit different but not too off the wall for girls, but prefer traditional names for boys. Not quite sure why. I would find it much easier to choose a name for a boy than a girl! Let us know what you decide! KB

That name keenbean, reminded me of the girls name "Isola" which is very pretty but strangely sad and melancholy too. I think a girl named that would probably have very introspective teenage years!

Oh, Isola is such a beautiful name!

Oh and I like Georgina. Gina is lovely, as, I think, is Georgie.

I also like Lenora and Ionna...like names that end in an 'a' sound but don't really like Isabella or Olivia - to me they're 'spoilt brat' names!

Thanks for all the suggestions! It's always nice to be thinking about naming my baby niece rather than working on a conference paper. Will let you know what I decide on! M,xx

Have you decided yet?
When we were choosing names for our children we wanted unusual but not weird, no dodgy spellings / pronunciations (I have Irish ancestry and we like a lot of Irish names but we rejected most because of the spelling problems), nothing that sounds weird with the surname, nothing too frivolous (I wouldn't have confidence in a surgeon or barrister called Pixie).  In the end we chose Dominic with Thomas (after my grandad) as a middle name (strangely even though we didn't know we were having a boy we didn't have a girls name) for our son. Our daughter is Kitty (but her birth certificate name is Caitlin so if she decides to be a barrister, surgeon etc she has a "serious" name) with Harriet as a middle name (my mother-in-laws maiden name was Harrison so it is kind of a tribute to that).  A friend gave me advice when I was pregnant - remember you will be yelling the name for the next 18 years so make sure you can live with that.
Let us know what you (and your sister) decide.

maria1 have you looked here http://www.kabalarians.com/cfm/surf-by.cfm?Baby=Yes
:-)
satchi

oops i meant to show u this one http://www.kabalarians.com/index.cfm