Carmen is simply stunning.
It's been used in my family a fair bit, but that won't stop me - it's still one of my top picks if I ever have a daughter, and one of my most constant favourites. It's strong, feminine but not girly, beautiful but not frilly, and classic but not dated.
Specifically in the UK, it's very rare. It's not so rare elsewhere, part of my family is South American, so I know it's not rare *there*, of course, but I think I've heard of or come across 2 or so Carmens in my life living here. Anyway, it's a pretty name which I think has a lot of character, and being less common here just makes me like it more.
It's also a name which I really struggle to find a good middle name for. I think it needs an equally strong middle name, but as I live in a culture where Carmen is unusual, I have to strike a balance between 'strong', 'unusual names I like' and 'not too strong/exotic/unusual', which is difficult.
This message was edited 3/26/2017, 1:15 PM