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In the UK, Imogen has been very popular in the last five to ten years. In my mind, Imogen is an evolution from the hyper-popular Emma, Emily, Amelia, etc, and fits in with the general feel of those names- I do think there's a difference, but not so much that it's outside of the trends. I also live in Canada, but have lived almost equal parts of my life in the UK- which may skew my perspective. I have noticed, though, in the last decade or so that the naming trends in the UK and Canada are moving closer together (less of a lag or difference in tastes). Scarlett and Imogen are both in the 30s on the UK list (both moved up about 10 places from 2006), and so if I met sisters named Scarlett and Imogen I'd think brit-chic here, and mainstream (but pretty!) there. Scarlett and Elspeth, however, I would probably just be struck by the lovely names.

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Until a generation or so ago, Jean and Elspeth would have been typically Scottish sisters, so I especially like that- it's a subtle connection. I understand the similarity to Ella, Eleanor, etc, but I think it's more akin to Elsa and Elsie, which while they're rising, are not yet on everyone's radar. Elizabeth's common, but it's a timeless name, and helps to familiarise the otherwise very unusual Elspeth.

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Elspeth, I think, has a whiff of the highlands left about it without feeling forced in an anglo context- it's a "still waters run deep" sort of name. Imogen and Rosaline are both more overt in their beauty- more brightly coloured- gorgeous English gardens in full bloom.

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In the end though, it's best to pick the name you love, and not bow to the family pressure! Imogen, Elspeth and Rosaline are all very lovely names- you can't really go wrong.

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Sorry for the essay! And best of luck.

This message was edited 1/25/2008, 7:21 AM