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It sounds sixties to me, as if it should be the full name of Wavy Gravy. But where I live it used to be a brand name for household textiles, especially woollen blankets. And then there are the Waverley novels, and Waverley station in Edinburgh ... I suppose if it doesn't make you think of any of those, it might be a possibility.

Well it really does sound made-up and trendy to me. There is a girl in my town named Waverleigh and I cringe every time I see it. It also makes me think of that Disney show Wizards of Waverly Place. It sounds like a street name to me.

My association with Waverly has always been from "The Princess Bride" and I've always had a fondness for it. I do like how it sounds, and think of it as similar to Kimberly, which I also like (most here seem not to). I agree that Waverly does fit in with the made-up/trendy names but it also fits in well, I think, with Heidi and Rhys. All three have a youthfulness and spunky energy about them. :)

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ETA: Just read your other responses and noted one comment that Waverly doesn't fit in with "earthy" Heidi. Just wanted to say that Waverly makes me think specifically of ocean waves on the shore, due to the word "wave", the "motion" of the name when said aloud, and my association with the character from "The Princess Bride" who was born on an island and played on the shore. I consider Heidi's earthiness a very nice complement to that image; it doesn't clash for me at all.

This message was edited 8/23/2012, 11:10 AM

Well, there are worse names of course - it's decent. And if both parents really like a name, it's in your comfort zone, there really isn't any reason not to use it. But I happen to really dislike it, so I will give you a list of "cons" anyway, and you can figure that mine is one of the worst reactions you'd get.

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If a friend said "This is my daughter Waverly" or introduced herself as Waverly, I'd just nod and try not to flinch. Much like if she said her name was Greenleigh or Carrington.
Fabric for home fashion.
Has "waver" in it, so it sort of sounds like a word describing someone who is very hesitant, or very unreliable.
Surnamey - surname names for girls fit a style that connotes the namedropping or sucking-up of relatives of socialite families. Surname names also evoke men calling one another by their surnames familiarly, and I think that's why people think they sound "strong" etc.
It's a fairly common place name.
It does sound trendy, like a phonebook surname chosen just for the spunky sound.
It doesn't go with Heidi and Rhys.
It was in Joy Luck Club which is from 1989.
It sounds like a name of an 80-year-old man.
Would you want to be called Waverly?? I sure would not.

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I don't class Nevaeh and Madison at all together. Nevaeh really is made up, and very recently. Madison at least does have a long history as a last name.

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I think Waverly is very pretentious and phony. It doesn't at all go with the down-to-earth Heidi, but it does seem to fit with Rhys.

It sticks out like a sore thumb in the sibset but not all sibsets are perfect and every child is an indivudual so you should pick the name you love based on your feelings towards it not on what your previous children are called. The only thing I have against is it that to me it sounds not made up, but too surname-y. Are you thinking boy or girl because personally it could work for either. Go for it :)