For organization purposes, so far we agree on:
BOYS:
August - middle name
Patrick
Anthony
Mathias - I pronounce it muh-thigh-us.
Benjamin (nickname Ben?)
GIRLS:
Helena - middle name
Lynn - middle name first girl
Tempest
Catriona - I pronounce it cat-tree-oh-nah.
Amelia - middle name
Niamh
Kathleen
I understand your dislike of Estel, it’s a Lord of the Rings name. That’s fine by me! The rest of the boy’s I’m fine with not using! Ruth I have to insist upon as it’s the name of a favorite great-grandmother. The other girl’s ones I’m fine with not using.
As for your on-the-fences:
BOYS:
Diarmad - it’s Scottish, pronounces deer-mid. We don’t have to use it, though.
Eoin - we can just go with Owen if you’d prefer!
Tristan - this one isn’t a huge favorite, so we don’t have to use it.
GIRLS:
Sinéad - Irish, pronounced shin-ay-ehd (as best i can write it, anyway). This is a favorite of mine, so I’d prefer to use it.
Victoria - this one isn’t a huge favorite, so we don’t have to use it.
Combinations don’t matter much to me, as long as we don’t have too many of the same sounds. I especially hate two names ending in -a (for example, Victoria Amelia). Other than that, anything goes.
From your favorites, I like:
BOYS:
Thomas “Tam” - Thomas is fine, but I’m not sure if the nickname is a typo or if you meant to write Tam. I’d prefer this as a middle name, honestly.
Rafael
Evander
Nathaniel - I hate the nickname Neil for this one, though
Peregrine - only if we can call him Pippin. Another Lord of the Rings thing.
Jonah / Jonas - I prefer Jonas, but either work.
Edmund
Hugo
GIRLS:
Silvie
Maeve - just a question - how do you pronounce this one?
Fiona
Lucy
Matilda “Tilda” - I prefer Tilda for a nickname
Minerva
Diana
Guinevere “Gwen”
Thea - I love Thea! It’s fine as a stand-alone name in my opinion
Viola
Claire - I see this more as a middle
Bethan
Lyra - do you pronounce it lee-rah or lie-rah?
Juniper - better as a middle, in my opinion
I’m not sure about:
BOYS:
Isaac - it’s my cousin’s name, but I’m not sure if I like it enough
Gareth - the sound bothers me, but I love the way it looks
GIRLS:
Rosemary - I would personally prefer other names beginning with Rose, but if you’re set on this one, that’s fine!
Cecily - I’m just not sure if I like it enough
Sibyl - again, just not sure if I like it enough
I don’t like:
BOYS:
Alfred - too dated, makes me think of alfalfa and alfredo
Leander - I don’t like the sound
Fitzroy & Fitzwilliam - remind me of an ex-friend I’d rather forget
Cyrus - dated
Ellis - too feminine
A couple more:
Nora/Norah
River (male or female, though I prefer it on a girl)
Megan/Meghan/Maegan/any other spelling
Luna
Caspian
Rory (male or female, can be a nickname)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost" -The Lord of the Rings
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