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A friend of mine just had a baby and named her Holland Fae

Rose is the only one of those I would be likely to use. I think it's a really strong and deep name. Too bad these days it's fillerish.
Second choice: Grace. A good name.
Remotely: May is a nice name. Joy, too, but for me to use it, it'd have to refer to someone, in addition to flowing and having a good meaning.
Jade and Sage are decent, but not appealing to my taste. They seem slightly desexed and they fail to give me a positive vibe.
Hope isn't pretty imo, also rarely flows, and I feel like the concept is a little odd for a person's name, too.
Pearl and Fay, I dislike the sound of them a lot, and the images I have as well. I would never use Fay, that's the worst one here imo.

Best to worst:
Jade (love gemstone names and the sound and spelling of this one)
Sage (really like the sound and plant association)
Joy (guilty pleasure, reminds me of happiness)
Hope (its okay, kind of corny)
May (boring, but pretty, is also a good month.)
Fay (I like the fairy imagery but prefer Faye - looks more like a name)
Pearl (pretty gemstone, not the prettiest gemstone name. SpongeBob character, who is a brat, does not help).
Grace (corny and unrealistic, but admittedly... kind of nice)
Rose (boring, don't like the sound that much. Other names containing Rose are much better (Rosemary, Rosemarie, Rosa, Rosalind, Rosamund, etc.)

I like all but Sage

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I'd choose may, Grace and Hope

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I'd add Ruth, Claire, Anne, Beth, Kate, eve, Faith, Joy, Maeve

Rose makes everything sound good, but that's why it's too popular. Jade also makes everything sound good and is less popular, so I'd go with that.

Pearl!! I love Pearl so very much. It's retro and has that great versatility - it's wholesome but also kind of raunchy, it's kitschy, it's classic, it's got personality without being too kooky. It's cute but also not fussy. It's strong but not haughty. It's perfect!

My favorite on this list is Fay, however I much prefer the Faye spelling. It is a spunky, one-syllable name that pairs with most of my favorite names.

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My least favorite is probably May, as it's the name of a month; I do enjoy the Mae spelling, however!

Favorite: Rose

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Least Favorite: May

Grace & May are my favorites on your list. The former for its meaning and the latter for its softness.

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They sound best with first names that don't have an "a" sound. Grace looks best with names that contain a hanging letter (eg. y, g, p etc...) whereas May (and Joy, Hope & Fay for that matter) works well with a first name that doesn't have any hanging letters.

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My least favorite is Sage and then Jade.

This message was edited 4/21/2024, 5:32 AM

I would choose Joy: easy choice, because I'm not keen on virtue names, jewel names, flower names ...

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My list of four one-syllable mns that I'd acually use or have used: Anne, Clare, Joy, Ruth