View Message

I like Celestine the best of the three you listed. For Celestine, such a long name with emphasis on the first syllable, I personally would go with either a one-syllable mn (the two I like would be Claire and Joy; I admit that Rose fits nicely, decide for yourself if the "Everygirl's mn" is for you), or a two-syllable mn that has emphasis on the *second* syllable. I offer a list that meets this limited set of criteria. There are a few that sound alike due to same or similar endings, and I have grouped those together. The ones I like have the * symbol:

---

Celestine Caresse
Celestine Cecile
Celestine Chantal*
Celestine Corrine (like "begin")
Celestine Leanne
Celestine Lorraine
Celestine Louise
Celestine Marie*
Celestine Michelle
Celestine Sarai*
Celestine Tamar

---

Celestine Caprice
Celestine Cherise (shuh-REESE)
Celestine Elise
Celestine Patrice

---

Celestine Annette
Celestine Jeanette
Celestine Lysette*
Celestine Miette
Celestine Suzette
Celestine Yvette

---

Celestine Simone*
Celestine Siobhan
Celestine Tatiane (tat-YAHN)
Celestine Yvonne

---

The following you probably want to approach with care, for the rhyme-y-ness:

---

Celestine Christine
Celestine Eileen
Celestine Helene
Celestine Jacqueline (zhahk-LEEN)
Celestine Kathleen
Celestine Marlene
Celestine Selene*

---

I also found the Chinese name Meiying which meets my suggested criteria, two syllables with emphasis on the second, appears on a list of currently popular Chinese names, and means "beautiful flower."

---

I will not try to tell you or your husband how to choose a Chinese name for your baby, as it seems that is quite a big deal. I understand that he seems uninterested in using Chinese names, so perhaps it is a moot point. But I would probably, as I suspect you do, want to honor his heritage, which is also part of the baby's heritage as well. So I would want a Chinese mn, and run with the idea if he is neutral. (If he is against it, I personally would not push the issue.) Doing a quick search I found these links, which you may already have seen.

---

http://www.pshrink.com/chinadopt/NameYourBaby.html
http://www.chinasprout.com/html/naming.html
http://www.mandarintools.com/chinesename.html

---

Good luck!

---

~Lillian~
Proud daughter of Ann and John
Proud sister of Lauren and Leah
Proud wife of David
Proud mother of Alexander, Scarlett, Sophia, and Gideon

This message was edited 5/12/2006, 8:07 PM