I have a dilemma:
Gwendolen Eve or Arletta anotherfamilyname?
I really want to use Arletta (nickname
Letty), as blatantly unfashionable as it is. Arletta is the name of my great grandmother, whom my mother Arla was named after.
My first two children have family names, and I want to continue that connection to the past. Problem is, I only love the name because of the connections and for the nickname, so I'll most likely use
Letty exclusively in addressing her. Not only that, but I'd be surprised if it doesn't raise all sorts of eyebrows and questions and comments.
For the longest time my DH and I also really, really want to use
Gwendolen Eve. It's such a perfect name: it flows, it has multiple nicknames that she could choose from, and her initials would be G.E.M. It won't require any explanations, other people will appreciate it right away, ... and it has absolutely no connections to her heritage whatsoever. She'd have one
Eva 10 generations back, and that's about it. Heritage-wise, the name just doesn't compete with the names of my first two children, which may make her feel left out.
Tell me what you all think.