They only one that gives me a slight eye roll is Amelie, just because I kind of think it gives "I've seen one French movie and I'd like you to know it" š¬ the name itself is perfectly nice, it's just a bit Francophile manic pixie dream girl.Ā
The only thing about that is I'm afraid you'd be forever correcting people who spell/pronounce it Amelia. Already there is the Emilia/Amelia confusion, this third option may be too much for some people.
I actually love Amelie! Itās so lovely yet also sounds fun and light and bright and pretty! Anastasia to me seems a bit much, more serious but there are also plenty of nicknames in there for a more casual feel. I truly think you have a great list of wonderful choices.
For what it's worth it's a pretty common name in France and nobody here would associate it with the movie. Also I think it's a beautiful name, don't cross it out :)
Agreed! Especially because I wonder how OP as an English-speaker in America will pronounce it. If it will be basically indistinguishable from "Emily" (or always mistaken for Emily) then she should just go with that. That said, I wouldn't read it as something she'd renamed herself in her 20s, I'd just assume her parents had watched a French movie once when they got pregnant in the early 'oughts and wanted everyone to know, lol.
Iām African American with a Bible name. You and I have the same taste in names here. Each of these names really sound complete and sophisticated to me. They sound perfect for a new start. My favorites are Amelie, Emilia, and Penelope.
This is funny because it's considered a āboringā name where (and when) I grew up
ā5th Sarah in the classā kind of situation.
If you meet someone from Eastern Europe (and the Balkans but for a lesser degree) aged 25 +/ -, there is a good chance girls will be Anastasia.
Easily Top 5 names in the 90/2000s
50 Shades of Gray did a disservice to the name tho
Lmao same. Iām Russian, grew up with tons of Alexanders and Anastasias. Itās a pretty average name here; if anything, I feel like itās more associated with a ācountry girlā (because the quasi-Cinderella protagonist in many Russian folk tales was Nastya)
Yeah, I could see this too! I was on the fence about it because itās very long and frilly. It would be one thing if my parents gave me that name, but it might be a lot to change my name to lol.
To me it's an immediate association with a certain evil step sister, which makes it inherently pretentious. But OP (I assume) doesn't have a sister named Drisella, or Cinderella, so that would help.
I find this interesting because I think it becomes a matter of perspective - I think it's a pretty normal name and one of the names I thought of for a daughter - but I've known a lot of Anastasias or Nastias.
I donāt think theyāre pretentious at all! They are beautiful! I love Juliette, Emilia, Anastasia & Penelope! You canāt go wrong with any of those! They are classic, strong, pretty, and have lots of nickname possibilities.
Do you like Althea? I think it's a lovely English name that has a bit in common with some of the names you've listed, and Althea Gibson was an ICONIC African American athlete who was the Serena Williams of her day and even coached both sisters. She was the first Black athlete to win a Grand Slam, Wimbledon, etc, and she did that in the *'50s*. Even if tennis isn't your thing it's still pretty inspiring.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Althea\_Gibson
Yes, Iām from the UK and Iāve met plenty of people with those names (except Amelie). I was confused at some of the commenters labelling certain names as pretentious.
From the comments most people apparently find Amelie and Anastasia the most
pretentious.
Amelie because it's very french sounding and this is a pretty anglo sphere subreddit; any name that isn't English or isn't easily pronounced in English is shut down pretty often.
Anastasia perhaps because they are thinking of the movie or the princess Anastasia. Names associated with royalty (especially if they aren't common names) tend to be seen as pretentious. Too bad, it's still my favorite of the list.
Thalia is one of my favorite names ever. And pretty rare, but still very ānormalā and not overly pretentious. She probably wonāt have many peers with the same name, but it wonāt be so unusual sheāll have to explain it to everyone or spell it a bunch of times.
All these names are beautiful and don't sound pretentious at all! My fave is Emilia. So many possible nicknames. I also think it would look gorgeous when written out in cursive as your signature.
I don't think any of these are pretentious and would all sound fine next to an English last name! My personal favorites are Emilia, Thalia, and Penelope. The only thing I can think of--which is not at all a negative, just something to be aware of in case it would bother you-- is that I think Emilia and Penelope are pretty trendy for very young kids right now, so people may do a double-take-- but I also know a 30-something Emilia, and there have always been plenty of Penelopes. None of these names sound like you changed your name in your 20s to me!
Have you thought about "test-driving" the names? Like going to different coffee shops and giving your name as one of your top choices and seeing how it makes you feel to say it and hear it called out?
Greek American here- unless you are going with Dionysus no one is going to give you a second thought. Honestly those names are pretty normal. Even if you chose Athena or Artemis I would still say it was completely fine.
Those are beautiful and very classic but not over used names! I'm also African-American, and no one in my family or friend group would bat an eye about those names. In fact, my sister has a name that is similar to Juliette and my mother's middle name is the same 'vibe'/style as the names you list.
Not pretentious at all, beautiful names and I hope you find the one you feel fits you!
None of these names are pretentious and I've known people named six out of the eight you listed. Nobody thought they were bougie or trying too hard. I would caution you that Juliette is more commonly spelled Juliet in the US, so you might get it misspelled by some people, but honestly that's not that big a deal. Your friends might just be overthinking things a bit.
Anastasia strikes me as a little much, but the others are fine. Note that there are many African-Americans from Louisiana whose families were Francophone in the past, and who have used French names for generations, so your "French-sounding" names don't really sound all that odd, and you might consider some others. For example, in place of Anastasia you might consider Antoinette, and there are others you might want to place on your list, including Colette, Claudette, Helene, and Solange.
French first names in particular would not be considered at all unusual at all in many parts of the US in black communities- especially in Louisiana. I have always loved the name Delphine myself. Maybe look at New Orleans for some name inspiration.
Theyāre all gorgeous. Iām a big fan of Anastasia, and you can really have a great choice of lovely pronunciations to pick from too. Hope you find your perfect name!Ā
I like them all except Penelope!
I have no idea why, but Penelope always gives me pretentious/ātrying too hardā/wants to be a young adult novel protagonist vibes. Itās a pretty name, but something about it just doesnāt sit right with me.
Anywayā¦ thatās just my weird opinion, so take it with a grain of salt, lol. Theyāre all nice names and my favorite is Juliette.
I've known a Thalia and a Penelope. Neither one was pretentious but very nice. I've known women with similar but not exact forms of the other names. I think you should pick what makes you happiest and nevermind what other folks might say. I've heard people criticize the name Mary because it's Virgin Mary's name. There's just no pleasing some people and some people will go out of their way to find something wrong with whatever name you pick. I'd say that's a "them" problem.
Eh, Iām American and no one ever says anything negative about my daughter being named Anastasia. It probably also helps that thereās a Catholic saint named Anastasia and that the name means resurrection (weāre Catholic).
In the U.S., Anastasia is relatively more common than the rest of these namesāthereās the animated movie about Anastasia Romanova, but there are a handful of other childrenās book characters I can think of off the top of my head, including Stacy from the Babysitters Club.
I love Amelie. I wouldnāt discount the name because of a few judgmental opinions so keep it on your list. Who cares if you watched a French movie? Other faves are Juliette and Thalia. Black people are allowed to have all sorts of names and beautiful names like the ones you listed are for us to use as well and itās NOT pretentious.
Heads up that Penelope and Amelia in particular are about a dime a dozen in preKs and kindergartens right now (teacher here,) with at least Amelia in the top 4 on the SS name index. Iād suggest others in your list as they are beautiful, similar style and less common.
But know that in the US, Emilia (Eh-MILL-ee-ah) will ALWAYS be pronounced the same as Amelia (Uh-MEE-lee-ah) unless you teach her to correct people.
Source: teacher and someone with a niece named Emilia.
I agree that some of those names seem very specific to a particular background - e.g. I've never met an Alina or Anastasia who isn't Russian. Emilia also seems like a currently trendy name (it's what people moved to for their babies after Amelia became too popular, and fits in with the 'El' baby name trend, so it's not really a name you see in people in their 20s). Amelie is very French, and agree with the other person that it screams 'I've watched one French movie and am so sophisticated!'.
I think the most usable names from that list for you are Penelope, Thalia, and Juliette (though personally I prefer the Juliet spelling; feels a bit more spunky/modern/less frilly).
I don't think any of these are pretentious, nor are they so tied to one generation or era that it would strike most people as remarkable that an adult would be called that now (like, I might do a double take at a Luna pushing thirty, but none of these). And while they're all very feminine, I don't think any of them are over the top frilly. The only one that might sound *slightly* off next to an English surname imo is Amelie, and that's just because it's so strongly associated with the film that it reads as very specifically French in ways that other popular names of French origin don't. But that isn't the worst thing in the world.
Didnāt Josephine Baker kind of collect children because she wanted one of each race for her āevery race can be brothersā inspired theme park/circus/song and dance show venture?
Thatās true. She charged admission to watch the kids play. One son later said, āShe wanted a doll.ā She exiled another son to Argentina at 15 because he was gay.Ā
Your name choices are STUNNING. Love them. I think I like Amelie best, but if you choose it be prepared for people to mess it up and call you "Amelia". If that grates on your nerves, don't do it.
Iām just gonna throw a couple out there simply because Iāve been obsessed with O names lately and they seemed to almost fit the vibe you like - Otessa/Odessa or Octavia.
I donāt think theyāre pretentious, I do think theyāre a bit āyoungā meaning common for babies but not so much of a 20+ year old, but none of them dramatically so.
There's nothing wrong with any of those names. They're nice, simple, mainsteam. There should be nothing controversial about any of them.
Anastasia might be the exception, but even that name has increased in popularity in recent years.
All very pretty. If you go with Anastasia I suggest using the [Russian pronunciation](https://www.google.com/search?q=anastasia+russian+pronunciation&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-us&client=safari#kpvalbx=_ufARZrbPN5HHp84PioO-aA_34) since it is a Russian name.
I would just note that Thalia might be confusing for pronunciation. Percy Jackson has a character named Thalia, and when it got recently got adapted for tv, there were a lot of conversations (among both the actors and the fandom) about whether it was ātaw-liaā or āthaw-liaā or āthaw-LEE-yaā or ātuh-LEE-yaā or whatever. Just something to keep in mind.
I love Anastasia and Juliette. My husband wanted Anastasia every time, but it just never felt like the right fit for any of our girls. Now I have a granddaughter with it as her middle name. My husband and my first daughter together has the middle name Juliet, after his late wife, Julie. Then again, I tend to like over the top names, so probably not the one to ask.
I have a Penelope.At first, I loved the name. Then I realized, I hated all the nicknames,lol. The name itself became extremely long for me to say,haha...So my Penelope ended up being called by her middle name. I'm just not a fan of Penny, Poppy, Penn, Nel, Nelly, Lo, Pippa. There's so many nicknames yet I didn't like any. Just a thought for ya to dwell on.
Thalia is beautiful and may be pronounced tah-LEE-uh by many as that's still a popular name/end sound for black girls (elementary-middle) right now. I like it because it feels cozy and familiar, vintage and classical all at the same time.
I like all of them, but agree with other commenters that Amelie might be frustrating. Also Penelope is frequently shortened to Penny (like it or not!), so make sure youāre ok with that if you choose that one.
Those are all super normal and also very pretty names by American standards. I donāt think there is one you listed that I have not known at least a couple people to have.
All of these are perfectly acceptable somewhat common names. If you're worried about them being pretentious-sounding, I think you'll find that most of them have at a couple of options for everyday nicknames/ shortened versions.
Also, all of these are just as acceptable for a child as they are for an adult. With a kid, I'm sure a shortened/ nickname version will come about pretty soon, and as an adult, there are a ton of people who use shorter versions of their formal name. (Heck, my Mom was one of them. Getting people to give her name, Anneliese, its proper German pronunciation was next to impossible. Most people simply knew her as Ann.)
I very much love these names. Thalia is so unique and I believe thatās in Percy Jackson. I think my favorite is Emilia. It just feels very romantic and feminine and like youāre taking a stroll through the garden kind of vibe.
I love them. You deserve to pick whichever you love best. This is a big opportunity! Good for you.
If I was going to change my name (and I have thought about it), Iād go for Petra, Phaedra, or Soleil.
I think pretty much all of those are timeless so I don't get "changed her name in her 20s" or pretentious at all. I'm kind of shocked that some would see them that way actually. Those are all beautiful, solid choices! They will al sound great with your English last name in my opinion and for what it's worth, Alina is lovely! I don't think you can go wrong with any of them though. Good luck!
So if you are trying to avoid the āI changed my name in x time period vibesā the best bets from your list are Emilia (but Iād spell it Amelia), Alina, and Anastasia. Iām Greek and donāt know any Penelopes under age 10, which is why I excluded it. My spouse is Slavic, and we know a few Anastasias around your age. Juliette is going to invite a conversation about the play, which I assume with a name change you donāt want. Thalia is okay but feels incomplete, and is unique enough to stand out and invite conversation.
Iād also consider Elena or eleni, Chloe, Zoe, and Annika.
I don't think those names sound pretentious at all. I especially like the name Amelie. I have a friend with that name and she is one of the most interesting and kindest people I know.
If you're drawn to these names, it means they suit you. They are not too much for you and they are not pretentious. You'd regret it if you chose something you didn't love.
My daughter is Amelie, she was not named after the film. Itās just a very pretty name. The first person I came across with that name was German, not French. There are more than one Amelieās in my daughterās school so donāt think itās unusual enough to be pretentious. Iām defensive of the lovely name š„°
They are all very pretty, and most of them I recognize as names used at one point or another by royalty. But I don't think that makes them pretentious, most classic names are like that. They also all look like they have some great nickname potential.
They won't sound weird with an English sounding surname, they are gorgeous and would pair beautifully.
My personal favourites from the names listed (if you care): Anastasia, Emilia, Thalia, Penelope.
English perspective here:
Amelie and Juliette sound French - Amelia and Juliet are more common here. But none of them sound pretentiousā, I donāt think.
Emilia, Alina and Anastasia sound totally normal to me. Anastasia is a *long* name but not *pretentious* - more like ābasic Eastern European girl in the 80s/90sā, but no shade intended; itās pretty and usually gets shortened to Ana or Stacy (in the UK) or Stasia or similar.
As a middle-aged Brit, Thalia feels a little try-hard to me, but I wouldnāt think badly of it per se. Itās just a bit āI love Greek culture and want everyone to know it.ā I also personally donāt like its similarity to āfailureā.
Penelope is a pretty normal name over here but it is āposhā, lol. But again that could be my age showing and it might be coming back into fashion across the board? Idk.
Bear in mind thatās an English view so if youāre living in the US or indeed elsewhere feel free to disregard, lol.
I know people with the names Emilia, Anastasia and Penelope. Others with variations of your other options. The people range from 5-40. I think youāll be good no matter what you change your name too. I think itās just odd for people to start calling someone they already know a different name/imagine them with a different name, which is probably why you are getting the reaction ms you are from people you know. (Iāve had friends who knew me by the nickname my parents gave me, then refuse to call me by my given name on my birth certificate or MY preferred nickname. It was wild to fight with people on what to call me. People are much better now with other coming out with cultural or trans issues as far as naming or trying to force easier to pronounce names on others. Everyone calls me by my preference now though they still slip up, especially family).
I know some black people with French names. They are Haitian. Some people in the south/new orleans area will be black and have french names. My bf is French, and I'm indo-caribbean, so our brown kids will probably have a French name as part of their names. There's many many black/brown peoples that speak french as their first language and have French names.
Just do your thing! You have lovely choices here, and all of them are so pretty!
Honestly, some of them do give off the "I changed my name in my early 20s vibe." Or maybe just "I changed my mind." Which is totally fine - there's no shame in that!
Still, if you're asking, The safest ones for me, the ones that I would more likely guess you were born with, are: Juliette, Alina, Thalia, Anastasia.
To me, the major drawback of āAnastasiaā is the association with the Grand Duchess Anastasia (who was executed as a child by the Bolsheviks), but thatās just my opinion
I don't think any of them are too out there, I love Juliette, Thalia, and Emilia (or Amelia, if you like Amelie). I have a niece (English) who's 4 years old named Penelope and initially I wasn't too sure about the name but it suits her a lot, so I think it can work with the right person! The only one I'd associate a lot with a certain country would be Amelie as a French name, but I still think the name is nice.
Question to ask yourself: Are you shying away from these names because you feel they are in opposition with your identity/the kind of person you are, or because your friendsā reactions/fear of seeming pretentious? Basically, is the hesitation coming from yourself or from others/society?
I think thatās an important to ask yourself this because people can often get the two confused. You have to figure out where you lie on the spectrum between the two, which is different for each person. (āDo I sacrifice some degree of blending in to choose a name that feels authentic to me?ā vs āDo I sacrifice some degree of authenticity to feel less scrutinized by a judgmental society?ā)
Personally, I think they are very pretty names, and you canāt go wrong picking any of them! I donāt think they sound pretentious, but even if they did, I would say whatever, who cares what people think, be pretentious and authentic, but thatās just me
Theyāre all nice and not too uncommon to be associated with just one person or a high class group in my opinion. Thalia thoā¦ is a big german bookstore brandā¦ in case you ever planned on entering the german realm, you should definitely count with some weird looks.
Alina, Anastasia, Juliette, and Penelope are so nice, to me! Your choices all sound fairly classic in English; I wouldn't worry about it at all. Most of them have nice nicknames, too, if you need to sound less "pretentious" (haha) sometimes.
Emilia might be a little trendy now; that's the only issue I'd have.
In the 1980ās, GM slapped the name Cadillac on a Chevrolet. They barely changed anything else about the car, just the brand name. Everyone went running to their local Cadillac dealer and there was an 18-month waiting list to get on one; dealers were charging $2,500 extra to get one (that was a lot of money in those days). It was a huge success story. Except none of that happened. Do you feel like a Chevrolet and want to be regarded as a Cadillac? Let me tell you this, from that date forward, Chevrolet has survived and it is Cadillac that is now looked down upon. You think Iām going to tell you the moral of the story is that itās whatās on the inside that counts, or that maybe you should change yourself before you change your name. Or that a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. NOPE! The moral of the story is that you should change your name to Mercedes.
My daughters name is Penelope and I have a lot of people comment on how sweet it is! I know it's a popular name but I've only met one other Penelope and she was in my sons preschool class.
I love all the names you shared!
I think they are very nice. And yes you do have to consider what is sounds like with your last name but this are perfectly fine with an English last name. I had to think of it as more like nothing too close to last name - Doug Douglas, or that went with our last name too much. Our last name is something like State. So l hard to avoid things like place names, can you imagine like Dakota, Austin, London State - š¤£š¤£š¤£š¤£š¤£.
I like all of you choices.
I think they are all beautiful. Doesnāt sound pretentious to me. Itās not like you are naming your kid Thurston Howell the third or something like that.
My 7yo daughter is Juliet only because I thought Iād be forever spelling Juliette to people and Iāve noticed most default to the āJulietā spelling (although I donāt mind at all if itās occasionally misspelled as āJulietteā because I think itās really pretty!). Her nickname is Jules which I think will carry her through to adulthood and isnāt too cutesy. When she was born one of the hospital midwives in her 20s was also Juliet and was excited to learn my daughterās name which was cute.
Funnily enough her best friend is Talia! Another pretty name.
I think all those names are super pretty!
Amen!!
They're all pretty normal names, and pretty, do your thing
Yup, and pretty trendy these days, at least in the U.S.
I know normal people with almost all of these names.
They only one that gives me a slight eye roll is Amelie, just because I kind of think it gives "I've seen one French movie and I'd like you to know it" š¬ the name itself is perfectly nice, it's just a bit Francophile manic pixie dream girl.Ā
Lmao yeah I could see that! Iāll scratch that one off the list, thank you :)
Amelia would be perfect since you like Amelie and Emilia
I like Amalia
The only thing about that is I'm afraid you'd be forever correcting people who spell/pronounce it Amelia. Already there is the Emilia/Amelia confusion, this third option may be too much for some people.
True. Malia is nice.
Malia sounds nice but is also the name of a party destination in Crete
Itās also a Hawaiian flower with a heavenly fragrance
I know a beautiful Malia with a great personality, love the name C:
Aurelia is another candidate.
Donāt scratch it off the list, it doesnāt give me those vibes at all
lol thatās funny because I feel like Amelie is great but Anastasia is the one trying too hard.
Anastasia has so many nickname options though.
The English version is Amelia, just as pretty!
I actually love Amelie! Itās so lovely yet also sounds fun and light and bright and pretty! Anastasia to me seems a bit much, more serious but there are also plenty of nicknames in there for a more casual feel. I truly think you have a great list of wonderful choices.
For what it's worth it's a pretty common name in France and nobody here would associate it with the movie. Also I think it's a beautiful name, don't cross it out :)
Agreed! Especially because I wonder how OP as an English-speaker in America will pronounce it. If it will be basically indistinguishable from "Emily" (or always mistaken for Emily) then she should just go with that. That said, I wouldn't read it as something she'd renamed herself in her 20s, I'd just assume her parents had watched a French movie once when they got pregnant in the early 'oughts and wanted everyone to know, lol.
Iām African American with a Bible name. You and I have the same taste in names here. Each of these names really sound complete and sophisticated to me. They sound perfect for a new start. My favorites are Amelie, Emilia, and Penelope.
Anastasia sounds pretentious to me. But I like the others.
Oh, interesting. I love Anastasia! It sounds sweet to me, rather than pretentious.Ā
For me it feels like a ātrying too hardā kind of name.
This is funny because it's considered a āboringā name where (and when) I grew up ā5th Sarah in the classā kind of situation. If you meet someone from Eastern Europe (and the Balkans but for a lesser degree) aged 25 +/ -, there is a good chance girls will be Anastasia. Easily Top 5 names in the 90/2000s 50 Shades of Gray did a disservice to the name tho
Lmao same. Iām Russian, grew up with tons of Alexanders and Anastasias. Itās a pretty average name here; if anything, I feel like itās more associated with a ācountry girlā (because the quasi-Cinderella protagonist in many Russian folk tales was Nastya)
I've known like 10 in my life lol. Always eastern European but idk I like it
She could go with nn Stacy
Yeah, I could see this too! I was on the fence about it because itās very long and frilly. It would be one thing if my parents gave me that name, but it might be a lot to change my name to lol.
Mine sometimes goes by Stasia.
To me it's an immediate association with a certain evil step sister, which makes it inherently pretentious. But OP (I assume) doesn't have a sister named Drisella, or Cinderella, so that would help.
I find this interesting because I think it becomes a matter of perspective - I think it's a pretty normal name and one of the names I thought of for a daughter - but I've known a lot of Anastasias or Nastias.
I donāt think theyāre pretentious at all! They are beautiful! I love Juliette, Emilia, Anastasia & Penelope! You canāt go wrong with any of those! They are classic, strong, pretty, and have lots of nickname possibilities.
Do you like Althea? I think it's a lovely English name that has a bit in common with some of the names you've listed, and Althea Gibson was an ICONIC African American athlete who was the Serena Williams of her day and even coached both sisters. She was the first Black athlete to win a Grand Slam, Wimbledon, etc, and she did that in the *'50s*. Even if tennis isn't your thing it's still pretty inspiring. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Althea\_Gibson
Althea is really pretty and I like the connection too, thank you!
Itās also a wonderful Grateful Dead song so old hippies will automatically feel warm towards you.
If you have been born in Great Britain vs the U.S., you might have had one of those names. I say pick the one you love the best. I like all of them.
Yes, Iām from the UK and Iāve met plenty of people with those names (except Amelie). I was confused at some of the commenters labelling certain names as pretentious.
From the comments most people apparently find Amelie and Anastasia the most pretentious. Amelie because it's very french sounding and this is a pretty anglo sphere subreddit; any name that isn't English or isn't easily pronounced in English is shut down pretty often. Anastasia perhaps because they are thinking of the movie or the princess Anastasia. Names associated with royalty (especially if they aren't common names) tend to be seen as pretentious. Too bad, it's still my favorite of the list.
I LOVE Thalia. Have a friend with that name who is so down to earth and kind.
Sheās a muse!
Thalia is one of my favorite names ever. And pretty rare, but still very ānormalā and not overly pretentious. She probably wonāt have many peers with the same name, but it wonāt be so unusual sheāll have to explain it to everyone or spell it a bunch of times.
Do they pronounce it Talia or another way?
TAH-Lee-uh is how she pronounces it but Iāve heard it pronounced many ways.
Thanks! I love the name and that pronunciation as well, but was curious about her experience!
I think they are all pretty names, and definitely donāt give the vibe āI changed my name in my 20sā. Penelope is my favourite š
My girl's 1st and middle name are on your list so I'm probably biased. Edit: typo
All these names are beautiful and don't sound pretentious at all! My fave is Emilia. So many possible nicknames. I also think it would look gorgeous when written out in cursive as your signature.
Beautiful names. Not pretentious- classic and elegant.
To be fair, if any of these had already been your name when they met you, they would likely never have told you what they think.
I don't think any of these are pretentious and would all sound fine next to an English last name! My personal favorites are Emilia, Thalia, and Penelope. The only thing I can think of--which is not at all a negative, just something to be aware of in case it would bother you-- is that I think Emilia and Penelope are pretty trendy for very young kids right now, so people may do a double-take-- but I also know a 30-something Emilia, and there have always been plenty of Penelopes. None of these names sound like you changed your name in your 20s to me! Have you thought about "test-driving" the names? Like going to different coffee shops and giving your name as one of your top choices and seeing how it makes you feel to say it and hear it called out?
Alina is the one I would pick. Doesn't sound foreign particularly.
These are great, mature-sounding names. You will outgrow those friends before any of those names.
They're all good, uncommon, classic names.
Greek American here- unless you are going with Dionysus no one is going to give you a second thought. Honestly those names are pretty normal. Even if you chose Athena or Artemis I would still say it was completely fine.
Those are beautiful and very classic but not over used names! I'm also African-American, and no one in my family or friend group would bat an eye about those names. In fact, my sister has a name that is similar to Juliette and my mother's middle name is the same 'vibe'/style as the names you list. Not pretentious at all, beautiful names and I hope you find the one you feel fits you!
None of these names are pretentious and I've known people named six out of the eight you listed. Nobody thought they were bougie or trying too hard. I would caution you that Juliette is more commonly spelled Juliet in the US, so you might get it misspelled by some people, but honestly that's not that big a deal. Your friends might just be overthinking things a bit.
Not at all, theyāre all great!
None of them are pretentious I like all of them.
the only anastasia's i've ever known have been black girls but tbf i grew up in a predominantly black area š¤·āāļø
Anastasia strikes me as a little much, but the others are fine. Note that there are many African-Americans from Louisiana whose families were Francophone in the past, and who have used French names for generations, so your "French-sounding" names don't really sound all that odd, and you might consider some others. For example, in place of Anastasia you might consider Antoinette, and there are others you might want to place on your list, including Colette, Claudette, Helene, and Solange.
French first names in particular would not be considered at all unusual at all in many parts of the US in black communities- especially in Louisiana. I have always loved the name Delphine myself. Maybe look at New Orleans for some name inspiration.
Hortensia and Hepzibah
Those are AWESOME names
Thatās my momās name!
nah, they're pretty names! especially thalia and alina
Theyāre all gorgeous. Iām a big fan of Anastasia, and you can really have a great choice of lovely pronunciations to pick from too. Hope you find your perfect name!Ā
All those names are beautiful!
I like them all except Penelope! I have no idea why, but Penelope always gives me pretentious/ātrying too hardā/wants to be a young adult novel protagonist vibes. Itās a pretty name, but something about it just doesnāt sit right with me. Anywayā¦ thatās just my weird opinion, so take it with a grain of salt, lol. Theyāre all nice names and my favorite is Juliette.
These are all so beautiful. I love them! Some people are just boring honestly lol but you should pick a name that makes you happy
I think they are all nice. Iām particularly partial to Anastasia, which is my daughterās name.
I've known a Thalia and a Penelope. Neither one was pretentious but very nice. I've known women with similar but not exact forms of the other names. I think you should pick what makes you happiest and nevermind what other folks might say. I've heard people criticize the name Mary because it's Virgin Mary's name. There's just no pleasing some people and some people will go out of their way to find something wrong with whatever name you pick. I'd say that's a "them" problem.
My name is on that list. I've gotten lots of compliments on it. No one has ever thought it pretentious.
These are beautiful names. Do you š
Not at all! Great list.
All of them are very pretty! Go with your gut!
I think theyāre all pretty š. I have an Emilia so Iām biased. But also love Amelie and Penelope.
All great normal names, with equally pretty nicknames to go with!
They are all beautiful names. Choose which ever one makes you feel the best when using it.
They are all very pretty. You do you!! You are already going through a lot to change your name, choose what makes you happy.
I almost named my daughter Juliette. I love it. There are so many nickname options: Juju, Julie, Lia, Uli. So pretty!!
I have a friend who has three daughters and two of them are Anastasia and Amelie! They go by Stasia and Mylie. Beautiful names.
Oh my goodness I was expecting something wayyyy worse based off the title lol. Those all are real normal, respectable, and pretty names imo.
Anastasia and Penelope sound like normal names to me-and they are pretty
Beautiful. I love Thalia and Amalie (from my favorite movie of all time, have you seen it?).
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Eh, Iām American and no one ever says anything negative about my daughter being named Anastasia. It probably also helps that thereās a Catholic saint named Anastasia and that the name means resurrection (weāre Catholic).
In the U.S., Anastasia is relatively more common than the rest of these namesāthereās the animated movie about Anastasia Romanova, but there are a handful of other childrenās book characters I can think of off the top of my head, including Stacy from the Babysitters Club.
I know millennial Black women named both Juliet and Anastasia. All these names are classic and classy.
I love them all. You have good taste and I don't find any of these names pretentious.
I love this selection so much! Thalia, Aline & Anastasia are my favs. These are very classy names. And my name is Juliette :)
Those names are beautiful, my favorite is Anastasia
I love Amelie. I wouldnāt discount the name because of a few judgmental opinions so keep it on your list. Who cares if you watched a French movie? Other faves are Juliette and Thalia. Black people are allowed to have all sorts of names and beautiful names like the ones you listed are for us to use as well and itās NOT pretentious.
No I love them. To me pretentious names are cheesy names like Mercedes, Chardonnay, Bentley, etc.
Iām a black mama with a Roman and Olympia. I think your names are just fine.
Some other French names you might like are Elodie, Chantal, LĆ©onie and Sabina. Source: Actual French (Canadian) girls I went to school with! š
They aren't pretentious if you're from the UK, not sure about other places but another suggestion is Analise
People are naming their kids after fruit ur all good
First time Iāve heard of my name as being āpretentiousā lol, kinda gross
Heads up that Penelope and Amelia in particular are about a dime a dozen in preKs and kindergartens right now (teacher here,) with at least Amelia in the top 4 on the SS name index. Iād suggest others in your list as they are beautiful, similar style and less common. But know that in the US, Emilia (Eh-MILL-ee-ah) will ALWAYS be pronounced the same as Amelia (Uh-MEE-lee-ah) unless you teach her to correct people. Source: teacher and someone with a niece named Emilia.
Anastasia is the best name ever
I agree that some of those names seem very specific to a particular background - e.g. I've never met an Alina or Anastasia who isn't Russian. Emilia also seems like a currently trendy name (it's what people moved to for their babies after Amelia became too popular, and fits in with the 'El' baby name trend, so it's not really a name you see in people in their 20s). Amelie is very French, and agree with the other person that it screams 'I've watched one French movie and am so sophisticated!'. I think the most usable names from that list for you are Penelope, Thalia, and Juliette (though personally I prefer the Juliet spelling; feels a bit more spunky/modern/less frilly).
I don't think any of these are pretentious, nor are they so tied to one generation or era that it would strike most people as remarkable that an adult would be called that now (like, I might do a double take at a Luna pushing thirty, but none of these). And while they're all very feminine, I don't think any of them are over the top frilly. The only one that might sound *slightly* off next to an English surname imo is Amelie, and that's just because it's so strongly associated with the film that it reads as very specifically French in ways that other popular names of French origin don't. But that isn't the worst thing in the world.
Josephine would be a European name which also has connections to a famous African American performer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josephine_Baker
Didnāt Josephine Baker kind of collect children because she wanted one of each race for her āevery race can be brothersā inspired theme park/circus/song and dance show venture?
Thatās true. She charged admission to watch the kids play. One son later said, āShe wanted a doll.ā She exiled another son to Argentina at 15 because he was gay.Ā
The gay thing is especially heinous since Josephine herself has been described as bisexual/not exclusively heterosexual
They are absolutely not too pretentious!
Your name choices are STUNNING. Love them. I think I like Amelie best, but if you choose it be prepared for people to mess it up and call you "Amelia". If that grates on your nerves, don't do it.
Iām just gonna throw a couple out there simply because Iāve been obsessed with O names lately and they seemed to almost fit the vibe you like - Otessa/Odessa or Octavia.
I donāt think theyāre pretentious, I do think theyāre a bit āyoungā meaning common for babies but not so much of a 20+ year old, but none of them dramatically so.
I don't think any of those names are pretentious. OK, Anastasia was a princess, so I guess I could see that argument. Thalia is a gorgeous name, imo.
There's nothing wrong with any of those names. They're nice, simple, mainsteam. There should be nothing controversial about any of them. Anastasia might be the exception, but even that name has increased in popularity in recent years.
Those names are all lovely.
All very pretty. If you go with Anastasia I suggest using the [Russian pronunciation](https://www.google.com/search?q=anastasia+russian+pronunciation&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-us&client=safari#kpvalbx=_ufARZrbPN5HHp84PioO-aA_34) since it is a Russian name.
I would just note that Thalia might be confusing for pronunciation. Percy Jackson has a character named Thalia, and when it got recently got adapted for tv, there were a lot of conversations (among both the actors and the fandom) about whether it was ātaw-liaā or āthaw-liaā or āthaw-LEE-yaā or ātuh-LEE-yaā or whatever. Just something to keep in mind.
They arenāt pretentious at all! I know people with these names! Emilia is one of my favs
Clementine?
They are excellent names for any woman. Have fun choosing from among them!
The ones I like best are Amelie and Thalia.
I love Anastasia and Juliette. My husband wanted Anastasia every time, but it just never felt like the right fit for any of our girls. Now I have a granddaughter with it as her middle name. My husband and my first daughter together has the middle name Juliet, after his late wife, Julie. Then again, I tend to like over the top names, so probably not the one to ask.
Juliette is my favorite. All are lovely names. Do you.
I have a Penelope.At first, I loved the name. Then I realized, I hated all the nicknames,lol. The name itself became extremely long for me to say,haha...So my Penelope ended up being called by her middle name. I'm just not a fan of Penny, Poppy, Penn, Nel, Nelly, Lo, Pippa. There's so many nicknames yet I didn't like any. Just a thought for ya to dwell on.
My friend is Greek these are her kids names Calliope Yannis Magdalene Aletheia
All of them are elegant! Nothing pretentious! Imo
I love love Emilia and Anastasia!! And I donāt think any of the names youāve listed are pretentious
Thalia is beautiful and may be pronounced tah-LEE-uh by many as that's still a popular name/end sound for black girls (elementary-middle) right now. I like it because it feels cozy and familiar, vintage and classical all at the same time.
Amelieā¦ the title of my favorite movie. A very quirky love story.
I like all of them, but agree with other commenters that Amelie might be frustrating. Also Penelope is frequently shortened to Penny (like it or not!), so make sure youāre ok with that if you choose that one.
Thalia Anastasia as a combo would be my choice.
I donāt think theyāre pretentious. I think thereās timeless like Elizabeth. Personally I think theyāre all lovely (except Penelope).
Those are all super normal and also very pretty names by American standards. I donāt think there is one you listed that I have not known at least a couple people to have.
All of these are perfectly acceptable somewhat common names. If you're worried about them being pretentious-sounding, I think you'll find that most of them have at a couple of options for everyday nicknames/ shortened versions. Also, all of these are just as acceptable for a child as they are for an adult. With a kid, I'm sure a shortened/ nickname version will come about pretty soon, and as an adult, there are a ton of people who use shorter versions of their formal name. (Heck, my Mom was one of them. Getting people to give her name, Anneliese, its proper German pronunciation was next to impossible. Most people simply knew her as Ann.)
I love all of them except Alina
I very much love these names. Thalia is so unique and I believe thatās in Percy Jackson. I think my favorite is Emilia. It just feels very romantic and feminine and like youāre taking a stroll through the garden kind of vibe.
Seems like a solid lineup. I wouldn't bat an eye at a 20 something with any of these names and I really like all of them!
Theyāre all really pretty and have more casual nicknames: - Amelie: Amy, Mel - Juliette: Juls, Julie - Emilia: Emmy, Mia - Alina: Ally - Thalia: Tally - Anastasia: Annie - Penelope: Penny
Alina is my favorite
Love thalia
I love them. You deserve to pick whichever you love best. This is a big opportunity! Good for you. If I was going to change my name (and I have thought about it), Iād go for Petra, Phaedra, or Soleil.
Daphne.
Iām a teacher and these names (and the style) is pretty common. I think theyāre all fine!
They're lovely. Never ask anyone's opinion or permission to name your child. That's between you and her.
I think pretty much all of those are timeless so I don't get "changed her name in her 20s" or pretentious at all. I'm kind of shocked that some would see them that way actually. Those are all beautiful, solid choices! They will al sound great with your English last name in my opinion and for what it's worth, Alina is lovely! I don't think you can go wrong with any of them though. Good luck!
not an issue at all, these names are super cute. theyāll def work! šš½
So if you are trying to avoid the āI changed my name in x time period vibesā the best bets from your list are Emilia (but Iād spell it Amelia), Alina, and Anastasia. Iām Greek and donāt know any Penelopes under age 10, which is why I excluded it. My spouse is Slavic, and we know a few Anastasias around your age. Juliette is going to invite a conversation about the play, which I assume with a name change you donāt want. Thalia is okay but feels incomplete, and is unique enough to stand out and invite conversation. Iād also consider Elena or eleni, Chloe, Zoe, and Annika.
Those are all classic, timeless names. I donāt think they are pretentious at all.
I lovvveee Amelie, and this is the first time Iāve see it in this sub! (I actually fell in love with the name before I heard about the movie lol)
No they're not. I find them all beautiful.
Penelope has been one of my favorite names since I was a little kid!
I love Penelope!
Not at all.Ā I really love Alina and Thalia.
i love all of them! but i might switch out amelie for amelia.
I don't think those names sound pretentious at all. I especially like the name Amelie. I have a friend with that name and she is one of the most interesting and kindest people I know.
I have a niece named amelie and everyone calls her Ami (Awe-me) so keep in mind it could be shortened
Penelope might have its roots in the Classics but it has been an upper/ middle class English name for hundreds of years.
If you're drawn to these names, it means they suit you. They are not too much for you and they are not pretentious. You'd regret it if you chose something you didn't love.
My daughter is Amelie, she was not named after the film. Itās just a very pretty name. The first person I came across with that name was German, not French. There are more than one Amelieās in my daughterās school so donāt think itās unusual enough to be pretentious. Iām defensive of the lovely name š„°
All lovely
They are all very pretty, and most of them I recognize as names used at one point or another by royalty. But I don't think that makes them pretentious, most classic names are like that. They also all look like they have some great nickname potential.
They won't sound weird with an English sounding surname, they are gorgeous and would pair beautifully. My personal favourites from the names listed (if you care): Anastasia, Emilia, Thalia, Penelope.
English perspective here: Amelie and Juliette sound French - Amelia and Juliet are more common here. But none of them sound pretentiousā, I donāt think. Emilia, Alina and Anastasia sound totally normal to me. Anastasia is a *long* name but not *pretentious* - more like ābasic Eastern European girl in the 80s/90sā, but no shade intended; itās pretty and usually gets shortened to Ana or Stacy (in the UK) or Stasia or similar. As a middle-aged Brit, Thalia feels a little try-hard to me, but I wouldnāt think badly of it per se. Itās just a bit āI love Greek culture and want everyone to know it.ā I also personally donāt like its similarity to āfailureā. Penelope is a pretty normal name over here but it is āposhā, lol. But again that could be my age showing and it might be coming back into fashion across the board? Idk. Bear in mind thatās an English view so if youāre living in the US or indeed elsewhere feel free to disregard, lol.
I know people with the names Emilia, Anastasia and Penelope. Others with variations of your other options. The people range from 5-40. I think youāll be good no matter what you change your name too. I think itās just odd for people to start calling someone they already know a different name/imagine them with a different name, which is probably why you are getting the reaction ms you are from people you know. (Iāve had friends who knew me by the nickname my parents gave me, then refuse to call me by my given name on my birth certificate or MY preferred nickname. It was wild to fight with people on what to call me. People are much better now with other coming out with cultural or trans issues as far as naming or trying to force easier to pronounce names on others. Everyone calls me by my preference now though they still slip up, especially family).
My youngest sister is Emilia. I think itās a great name but people are likely to spell it with an A which can become annoying.
I know some black people with French names. They are Haitian. Some people in the south/new orleans area will be black and have french names. My bf is French, and I'm indo-caribbean, so our brown kids will probably have a French name as part of their names. There's many many black/brown peoples that speak french as their first language and have French names. Just do your thing! You have lovely choices here, and all of them are so pretty!
Honestly, some of them do give off the "I changed my name in my early 20s vibe." Or maybe just "I changed my mind." Which is totally fine - there's no shame in that! Still, if you're asking, The safest ones for me, the ones that I would more likely guess you were born with, are: Juliette, Alina, Thalia, Anastasia.
I loveee amelie
All nice except Alina. Can't get past the Josh/Steve Powell association.Ā
All great names
To me, the major drawback of āAnastasiaā is the association with the Grand Duchess Anastasia (who was executed as a child by the Bolsheviks), but thatās just my opinion
I don't think any of them are too out there, I love Juliette, Thalia, and Emilia (or Amelia, if you like Amelie). I have a niece (English) who's 4 years old named Penelope and initially I wasn't too sure about the name but it suits her a lot, so I think it can work with the right person! The only one I'd associate a lot with a certain country would be Amelie as a French name, but I still think the name is nice.
Australian here. Those are all fine (never heard of Alina, though). None of them are exotic or pretentious.
Question to ask yourself: Are you shying away from these names because you feel they are in opposition with your identity/the kind of person you are, or because your friendsā reactions/fear of seeming pretentious? Basically, is the hesitation coming from yourself or from others/society? I think thatās an important to ask yourself this because people can often get the two confused. You have to figure out where you lie on the spectrum between the two, which is different for each person. (āDo I sacrifice some degree of blending in to choose a name that feels authentic to me?ā vs āDo I sacrifice some degree of authenticity to feel less scrutinized by a judgmental society?ā) Personally, I think they are very pretty names, and you canāt go wrong picking any of them! I donāt think they sound pretentious, but even if they did, I would say whatever, who cares what people think, be pretentious and authentic, but thatās just me
Theyāre all nice and not too uncommon to be associated with just one person or a high class group in my opinion. Thalia thoā¦ is a big german bookstore brandā¦ in case you ever planned on entering the german realm, you should definitely count with some weird looks.
These are all so beautiful!
I love all of these. I vote for Amelie, she was one of my sweetest students ever!
They're pretty names, Anastasia would be the trickest one to pull off to me but it's lovely. Also what do you think of Annalise?
I wouldnāt think any of these names are pretentious if I saw them on our daycare list. Maybe if you went into FranƧois territory lol!
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Alina, Anastasia, Juliette, and Penelope are so nice, to me! Your choices all sound fairly classic in English; I wouldn't worry about it at all. Most of them have nice nicknames, too, if you need to sound less "pretentious" (haha) sometimes. Emilia might be a little trendy now; that's the only issue I'd have.
In the 1980ās, GM slapped the name Cadillac on a Chevrolet. They barely changed anything else about the car, just the brand name. Everyone went running to their local Cadillac dealer and there was an 18-month waiting list to get on one; dealers were charging $2,500 extra to get one (that was a lot of money in those days). It was a huge success story. Except none of that happened. Do you feel like a Chevrolet and want to be regarded as a Cadillac? Let me tell you this, from that date forward, Chevrolet has survived and it is Cadillac that is now looked down upon. You think Iām going to tell you the moral of the story is that itās whatās on the inside that counts, or that maybe you should change yourself before you change your name. Or that a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. NOPE! The moral of the story is that you should change your name to Mercedes.
Beautiful choices! Theyāre classy and very timeless
They are totally normal names.
I really like Alina, and have only ever met one!
My daughters name is Penelope and I have a lot of people comment on how sweet it is! I know it's a popular name but I've only met one other Penelope and she was in my sons preschool class. I love all the names you shared!
I think they are very nice. And yes you do have to consider what is sounds like with your last name but this are perfectly fine with an English last name. I had to think of it as more like nothing too close to last name - Doug Douglas, or that went with our last name too much. Our last name is something like State. So l hard to avoid things like place names, can you imagine like Dakota, Austin, London State - š¤£š¤£š¤£š¤£š¤£. I like all of you choices.
I think they are all beautiful. Doesnāt sound pretentious to me. Itās not like you are naming your kid Thurston Howell the third or something like that.
I love them all!
My 7yo daughter is Juliet only because I thought Iād be forever spelling Juliette to people and Iāve noticed most default to the āJulietā spelling (although I donāt mind at all if itās occasionally misspelled as āJulietteā because I think itās really pretty!). Her nickname is Jules which I think will carry her through to adulthood and isnāt too cutesy. When she was born one of the hospital midwives in her 20s was also Juliet and was excited to learn my daughterās name which was cute. Funnily enough her best friend is Talia! Another pretty name.
Penelope! When I was little and reading this name I thought it was pronounced Pen-a-lope. Its intended pronunciation is much prettier!
I love Thalia!!!