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I'm more confused about your perception of Evelyn. To me it fits right in with all the soft satiny names like Ava and... Avalynn... it's just the name that people who secretly want to use Avaleigh or whatever use if they want to pretend they're tasteful, it's totally fashionable phonetically. However, I do remember feeling this way about Isabella, in, like, 2005.

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Lillian is a little more dowdy and mealy than Evelyn. It doesn't seem particularly surprising to me... I just think of parents who want something more formal for Lily.

I dislike all the Lily names; Lilian looks neater and tidier with one L, but I'd never use it. My dear friend Lilli is actually Elizabeth, and got her nn because her elder siblings couldn't pronounce the real thing. Eva is a family name, but if anything I'd use Eve. Not Evelyn - its history is too complicated for what you get.

I think Lillian is quite timeless and lovely. I do prefer just Lily, but have nothing against Lillian at all. I love Evelyn too!

I love Lillian. It's elegant and understated, nothing like Evelyn. It's a firm, strong name - far better than Liliana or Lilia.

One of my friends, interestingly enough, had Lillian & Evelyn as her favorite girl names for a lot of years. She ultimately used Evelyn for her child, but picked the spelling Evalynn because she thought it was more "unique". I don't care for Evelyn but I really dislike Evalynn, it looks like it's Evil Lynn.

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Lillian I don't mind too much. I had a rotten coworker named it once and it was the only adult I knew with it thus far in my life so it's slightly tainted. But overall I do like the name by virtue of the children I know with it. It has a delicate and upper class feel to it. I'm not sure if I prefer it in comparison to Liliana or not. I think I like them about the same, which is to say mildly but not enough to make any of my favorites lists. But I am pretty partial to the somewhat similar Lelia.

This message was edited 10/27/2021, 8:13 PM

I don't like Lillian. It sounds like a combo of Lily and Ann, neither of which I like. I do like Evelyn when it's pronounced eh-va-lin, but not when it's pronounced like Eve + Lynn - I don't like either of those names.

This message was edited 10/28/2021, 2:04 AM

I think it gives me a bad impression because it's so close to Jillian, which I've never liked much, although I do like Liliana and Cillian in a vague way, and also Florence, which seems a similar age group.

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I warmed up slightly to Lillian around the same time I started liking Marion. Those both have a staid, 1920s librarian kind of vibe to me...and I appreciate that, about Marion. But Lillian's still meh.

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My instinct is to pronounce Lilian differently. I might like that more, but it seems almost like a different name to me.

This message was edited 10/27/2021, 7:14 PM

It will never really seem youthful to me even though I've met several young Lillians. My stepfather's mother is named Lillian and she's 94 (and sharp as a tack) and the name just feels like it's every one of those 94 years old itself.
But it's at least got more spine than Lily.

I like Lilian! Without the double ‘l’ please. So fresh, mature, and lively. Out of the Lily family this is my 2nd favorite. Lilia being #1.

I like it and Evelyn and Lily