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Eloise / Elodie thought bubble
Question: now that my niece is now officially an Eloise Victoria "Ellie" is it now time to retire my second favorite girl choice Elodie Anastasia from the roster of possible name ideas for a daughter of my own? I had intended to use Ellie as well, though I suppose "Didi / Deedee" would be a nickname option for distinction among extended family, though I'm only half-heartedly into it. I could always call her Ellie at home but the other family call her Didi. And I would also suppose an Anastasia diminutive could be on the table as well if it were her middle name. I could be open to Annie if it isn't too much of a stretch. I'm also not super close with this sister and we live several hours drive apart in different cities so it's not like they'd be around each other that much, and since I don't intend to have kids until I finish both undergrad & grad school: kids are still about 3 years minimum out for me so there'd be an age gap as well. It could also potentially cause some confusion among the extended family I imagine. I'm envisioning people saying "EloISE or EloDIE?" to each other to clarify in conversation. It wouldn't be the most earth shattering inconvenience but it would be there. My father, for one, has his good qualities but he 100% would get these names mixed up with regularity.
Plus there could be the potential of people saying I was "stealing from my sister" if I call her Ellie. I don't really believe in such a concept since people don't have ownership over a names use but a few of my female family do and I can consider it a notable possibility. It wouldn't be the end of the world but it would a little bit ruffle my feathers as a long time fan of Ellie and a long time name nerd in general.But at the end of the day, I really really love Elodie and have for several years over now. And unless their dad completely hated it I'd still be open to using it for daughter #2 if such a person exists in the future. My 3rd favorite choice is of course Seraphina Louise "Sera /Sara" but I am always second guessing myself if it's too "over the top" or not for actual use on a real human being. Whereas Elodie still feels very realistically usable to me at all times. The floor is open to thought & opinions, please and thank you for your articulations on the matter.Please rate my "Names I would Use" list & "Backup Favorites" list. Feel free to rate some of my other lists too if you have the time.
https://www.behindthename.com/pnl/223226/138473

This message was edited 12/21/2021, 5:27 AM

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I think this is a “cross that bridge when you get there” type of issue. This is all hinging on so many things: you have kids at all, you specifically have two girls, your taste remains the same, and your partner has the same taste in names (or recognizes your name nerdiness and gives you full rein). Also, who knows what social phenomena will come up: will an infamous political or entertainment figure rise up making certain names less desirable? Will a literary character drive up the popularity of a certain name? All of that being said, I have a friend with two nieces named Adelaide. Sister A had long loved the name and mentioned she would give her daughter this name to Sister B who was further along in her pregnancy than Sister A. Sister B chose that name when her daughter was born, which was seen as a jerk move by most of the family. Rather than be deterred, Sister A still used the name. I think the grandparents refer to them as the full name - Adelaide (middle name A) and Adelaide (middle name B).
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Wow kinda Jerky move on that one sisters part. Unfortunately not the only time I heard that story from other families. You make some good points, I'll keep them in mind. Thank you.

This message was edited 12/22/2021, 1:16 PM

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You could literally still use Elodie and Ellie. It's okay.
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Sure, those not paying attention could confuse them but it's not like they are sisters, just cousins. It should be fine. Personally, I think Elodie is much better than any nickname you could give it. Grandparents always seem to "call role" regardless of the names. My husband's grandparents do that all the time. They have Nick, Blaine, Kendall, Cole, and Jarrod... It doesn't matter that none of those names are similar, they are going to get called another name first.
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I'd keep it on the list. Ninor has some great points
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I think it would ultimately be a bit weird/confusing to use it, but there’s no need to come to a decision right now.
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Keep it on the list. There's no need to remove it from the list now since you're not having kids for another few years. Your taste might very well have changed until you actually have kids, and you might have a boy instead of a girl. Any potential partner might not like it either, so maybe it will all solve itself without you removing it from the list now,
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Good points, thank you Ninor
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