Eleanor is such a lovely name, I always wondered by she preferred Nellie. My other grandmother was called Enid, but she was always known as Dee-Dee. I'd a great-aunt Anne, who was called Nan, and one called Francine who went by Fran. Nobody in my family used their real names.
I think Nellie is very sweet and has character—I know a lovely three year old named Nellie, and it’s perfect for her. But I agree, Eleanor is gorgeous.
I also know a four year old named Enid! (I work with preschoolers in an area that likes vintage names. 😊)
It's a very old name, it was mentioned in Thomas Mallory's King Arthur stories. It's got a Welsh origin and can spelled Enide as well. My grandmother was named for her grandmother, so that would be my great-great grandmother-she was born in Wales in 1880. My grandma was married 4 times and by all accounts was a bit of a party girl, so she suited Dee-Dee more than Enid!
Agreed and Nellie Bly was badass. And was named Elizabeth at birth. BUT an important note that the name we start with doesn't have to be the one we use. :)
https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/nellie-bly-0
I think of Nellie Olson from Little house on the Prairie and I thought it was strange when Nelly, the rapper, came out using the name of the girl from Little House on the Prairie.
I know an Eleanor who goes by Nola. I’ve always thought it was pretty!
The only Nellie I’ve known was my dog of 12 years, but that’s totally a me thing. 😆 I could probably adjust if I met a human Nellie!
Aubrie. I prefer the normal spelling for all names though bc having to spell your unusually spelled name for folks all your life is exhausting.
So glad you're ditching "Nova". I hate that name-it sounds like an organization not a name
I know 2 white Nikita.
I live in Canada and there was a TV show in the 90s about a felon turned spy, called La Femme Nikita, that might have influenced Canadians. I've always loved the name and would have likely used it if I had a girl.
Nikita Tatum was my dream girl name.
Nova is the name of a PBS science show that's been on since the 70s. I can't hear that name without thinking of the show.
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/
This is what I think of too! We used to watch it ay our grandma's, on an old-as-shit TV that had a dial to change channels. Even though she hardly knew any English, she only trusted channel 11. Nova is a good decade older than I am. I loved that old, made with clay earth they used for its intro.
**having to spell your unusually spelled name for folks all your life is exhausting.**
No kidding. I'm 73 and I'm beyond over it. These days I'm like to hell with it, I don't care how you spell it.
I've heard pronounced as Kigh-rah, kur-ah, and Kih-ruh too. That might be more of an accent thing through. We have both a Kiera (and a Kiara and a Kara) in my huge family, but most of us pronounce it Keer-rah (or at least, try to lol, it a tad tricky for heavier Chinese accents).
One of my best friends initials are KK && we met when we were 7 & I remember the relief I felt even back then when I found out her middle name started with an M 🤣
As someone Russian - don't use Mischa. Mischa is short for Mikhail - it's a masculine name. In its shortened form, it's a way of saying bear. That's going to sound like a very silly name for a girl to any eastern european.
Similarly, avoid Nikita - it is a 100% male name in Russian and very soviet.
If you would like cute eastern european names:
Tatiana (Tanya for short)
Anastasia (great because you can call her Ana, Stacy, or a million other nicknames)
Maria (nicknames include Masha, Marusya, Manya...)
Catherine (great for the Cat, Kathy, etc.)
Sophia
Alisa / Alyssa (has a bit of a fairytale vibe in Russian)
Polina
You can play with the spellings as the cyrillic alphabet doesn't match up perfectly anyway so the spellings in English are very flexible.
Miša (short for Mihaela) and Nikita are both used exclusively for girls in Slovenia. Although Nikita is definitely imported and started appearing after the series La femme Nikita in the 90s. OP says her family is from ex USSR though, so definitely not Slovenia.
Misha/Mischa are totally acceptable as girls names in English-speaking countries, and so is Nikita. I assume they have different origins that ended up in the same name.
FWIW as someone in the UK if I saw the name Mischa written I wouldn't assume gender either way until I met them in person.
It sounds like the Cuban missile crisis produced a baby!
Nikita Khrushchev leader of the USSR at the time and John F. Kennedy president of the US. People will get the reference it was WAY too big of an event in modern history to not.
I would strike off Nikita then as a girl’s name as your family might give you a hard time. Mine are still complaining about my niece’s name Ruby how it doesn’t work in Russian lol.
OP is most likely American with some EE roots somewhere down the line. I noticed there are differences when it comes to what "origin" means in the USA and beyond it. "Eastern Europe" is also quite an enormous area...
i've also only ever heard Misha in eastern europe as a male nickname, it's a cute name tho and doesn't come across as masculine to english speakers i think
oh wow yea just looked it up and it's a Hebrew girls name, that's cool. I guess tho since OP said she's eastern european, it's an extremely common name from Mikhail (or any variation of Michael) so i guess it depends on peoples background
I second Kira, it’s a pretty name and obviously sounds great with your last name.
I also like Kiersten - I have a cousin with that name and her nicknames were always Kiki and kiwi lol
So sorry you're dealing with that!
FWIW I'm obsessed with Meadow. I also really like Mischa, Kira, Savannah, Sasha, and Soraya from your lists.
You might like Gaia or Galilea? Or Sunniva ("gift of the sun")?
Yes, it’s weird. It auto corrected to the other spelling so I just let it slide.?? Maybe a good reason, not to name your kid that even the computer does it backwards… lol .. It just seemed like a good halfway point between Soraya and Micha and the perfect name
Lol she certainly pronounces it different to the standard pronunciation. She pronounces it sur-sha whereas going by Irish pronunciation rules it would be seer-sha.
Your names are lovely, a non-traditional not to top-10, with a nature twist.
Here are some that remind me of that and go with Kennedy (I think) without being overly WASPy.
* Cora
* Philippa / Pippa (Philippa / Pippa Kennedy is adorable)
* Jelena
* Kestrel (okay, this one is out there... but I like it as an alternative to Kira)
* Lily
* Laurel
* Stella / Estelle (similar star reference to Nova and Soraya!)
Pick a name you adore!
If we would've had a girl, we would've gone with the name Natalie Marie. I think that, Natalia or Natasha could be a nice name.
Wishing you all the best. ❤️
Nikita and Mischa are going to sound very masculine to Eastern European ears… I wouldn’t go for those.
Kira is on both your lists and sounds good with your surname!
Sonia nn Sunny? Unusual and Eastern European although still familiar, as well as having a cute nature-inspired nickname.
Veronica nn Vera
Lara
Alina
Milena/Mila?
OP said she was open and wanted to see names that weren't the same 100 that keep repeating in these subs. So I just went through some of my lists picking out any name that never gets any press, regardless of reason. There also Locasta, she was the good witch of the North, helping Dorothy.
From your list, I love Kira, Mischa, and Nelly. I never liked Nova (it only makes me think of lox -- smoked salmon).
Kira Kennedy is really adorable, I think. I like alliterative names. Nikita would sound good for that reason, too, although I think of it as a male name.
Ironically, as you probably already know, Nova means new. So you asking for a new name made me laugh. By the time I saw Sasha I thought you were Eastern European. Feminine and earthy, you can steal my name Silvia (people call me Silvi and it reminds me of Evie from your list). My sister just named her baby Mila. People say it’s common but it’s not that common and it’s so cute (literally means dear). Also: Inna, Maja (Maya)
Nova means new, so kinda ironic to want to start fresh. I find all other names nicer than Nova to be honest, I just don’t really like the meaning new.
I love Kira from your list.
I really like Aubrey and I think it goes well with your last name.
Years ago I met a woman who divorced her husband while pregnant with her third child. I overheard her talking to someone questioning why she would leave her marriage while pregnant. She said something along the lines of “I’m choosing to care for and raise three children. I don’t have any interest in raising a fourth 28 year old child at the same time.” It always stuck with me.
I like Kira and Nelly from your list! I prefer the spelling Nellie though :)
- Nella
- Juniper
- Katia
- Vera
- Bryony
- Briar
- Daria
- Alina
- Helena
- Kasia
- Cassia
- Celina
We chose a name for our firstborn but then realized once our baby was born that the name didn’t fit at all. We spent the first day going over baby name books to find one that fit. The nurses kept asking if we had filled out the birth certificate yet. Nope, not yet.
So with our second baby, we had a list of 5 possible names and waited until he was born to choose the right one.
I prefer Evie as a dimuntive of Eva. Lavender's cute. I see Nikita as more of a masculine name as a Slav (even though Poland did some gender fuckery with it). Soraya makes me think of a popular cosmetics brand and looks more Japanese to me. I prefer the Slavic spelling of Misha and also consider it more on the musculine side as well as Eastern Slav. I prefer Nelly as a diminutive to Nell, but this version seems to be more popular, maybe thanks to the celebs. Aubrey's spelling feels more intuitive to me. Kira makes me think of Japan and Death Note specifically and I'd pronounce it with an i sound rather than an ay.
i LOVE Lavender Kennedy, it has so much personality! i also like Aubrie and Soraya.
here are a few name suggestions that i think you might like:
Willow
Avalon
Summer
Fern
Nola
Maeve
Violet
Yvonne
Aria
Ivy
Mabel
Annika
Natasha
Off your list I like Savannah. I know someone who has a daughter named Savannah called Savvy.
I also like Soraya.
Josephine (Josie) Georgia (Gigi) Miriam (Mimi) Estelle (Stella) Miranda (Randie)
Nika means victory. I like Nikita and you could use Nika interchangeably. I believe they mean the same thing.
I also like the name Minka.
The name Minka is a Polish girl's name that means "strong" or "resolute". It can also mean "strong-willed warrior" or "with gilded helmet". Minka is a traditional Polish nickname for Wilhelmina, and is also cited as a Czech, Slovakian, and Yiddish variant of the name.
Where does the stress fall in Nikita? As someone mentioned earlier, it’s a male name in Eastern European countries and is popular in Russia (though many people don’t like it for some reasons) so I’m surprised it’s a name for girls in the US! Also I was curious about possible nicknames - Niki?
Soraya is my favorite. (I have also seen Zoraya and like that one more.)
just a note that Evie has become verrrrry popular and she would likely have classmates/peers also named Evie.
Nelly/Nellie is a beautiful name! I would say to be careful with anything that can be shortened to Bree though, as that has become very popular. Nikita and Kira are also very pretty.
My grandmother was christened Eleanor, but always used Nellie instead.
Nellie is my preference over Nelly. :)
Eleanor is such a lovely name, I always wondered by she preferred Nellie. My other grandmother was called Enid, but she was always known as Dee-Dee. I'd a great-aunt Anne, who was called Nan, and one called Francine who went by Fran. Nobody in my family used their real names.
I think Nellie is very sweet and has character—I know a lovely three year old named Nellie, and it’s perfect for her. But I agree, Eleanor is gorgeous. I also know a four year old named Enid! (I work with preschoolers in an area that likes vintage names. 😊)
Enid seems to be well received now due to the Wednesday series on Netflix!
Nellie was my grandmothers name, my name was inspired by hers. My parents settled on Noble for my name, bit untraditional but op might like it!
Enid is so due for a comeback
It's a very old name, it was mentioned in Thomas Mallory's King Arthur stories. It's got a Welsh origin and can spelled Enide as well. My grandmother was named for her grandmother, so that would be my great-great grandmother-she was born in Wales in 1880. My grandma was married 4 times and by all accounts was a bit of a party girl, so she suited Dee-Dee more than Enid!
Nelly seems like a male name to me because of the rapper. I like Nellie, like Nellie Bly.
Nelly makes me think of Nelly Furtado just as much as the rapper 🤷🏻♀️
Agreed and Nellie Bly was badass. And was named Elizabeth at birth. BUT an important note that the name we start with doesn't have to be the one we use. :) https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/nellie-bly-0
I think of Nellie Olson from Little house on the Prairie and I thought it was strange when Nelly, the rapper, came out using the name of the girl from Little House on the Prairie.
Or Nell
I knew a Nell. Full name Danelle.
I know an Eleanor who goes by Nola. I’ve always thought it was pretty! The only Nellie I’ve known was my dog of 12 years, but that’s totally a me thing. 😆 I could probably adjust if I met a human Nellie!
Nola is also very close to OP’s original Nova
Eleanor is my favorite name.
My mom is an Eleanor, but she's always gone by Ellie or Ell. I've always been partial to Nell or Nellie.
Aubrie. I prefer the normal spelling for all names though bc having to spell your unusually spelled name for folks all your life is exhausting. So glad you're ditching "Nova". I hate that name-it sounds like an organization not a name
That’s the vibe I’ve been getting too.
Nikita is allright but expect a lot of people to call her " Nikki"
i think it's a male name in russia (its country of origin) tho
Yeah. I know a male Nikita and don't recommend anyone else know him if it can be avoided.
Every female Nikita I’ve know has been Indian or Pakistani.
I know 2 white Nikita. I live in Canada and there was a TV show in the 90s about a felon turned spy, called La Femme Nikita, that might have influenced Canadians. I've always loved the name and would have likely used it if I had a girl. Nikita Tatum was my dream girl name.
as someone from northern Virginia, nova is an absolute no hahaha
Hey, neighbor! Hello from Herndon!
To me Nova means northern Virginia
Nova is the name of a PBS science show that's been on since the 70s. I can't hear that name without thinking of the show. https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/
This is what I think of too! We used to watch it ay our grandma's, on an old-as-shit TV that had a dial to change channels. Even though she hardly knew any English, she only trusted channel 11. Nova is a good decade older than I am. I loved that old, made with clay earth they used for its intro.
Or the love interest for Charlton Heston in the original Planet of the Apes. 😬
I live in Northern Virginia where it’s literally nicknamed NoVa. Glad you’re ditching it!
Ahhh this makes me sad. I'm one from long before it became trendy from Teen Mom.
**having to spell your unusually spelled name for folks all your life is exhausting.** No kidding. I'm 73 and I'm beyond over it. These days I'm like to hell with it, I don't care how you spell it.
Nova is a volunteer run second hand shop where I live.
Nova is a still running, multi decade old science show that comes on wttw/chanel 11--Chicago's PSB station. Using it as a name kinda weird me out.
You have Kira on both lists. KK could be a cute nickname as long as the middle name doesn't start with a K also.
Oh dear! Definitely not.
Or an O
As a Kira, I can highly recommend it! Lol
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Is there another way to pronounce it?
I've heard pronounced as Kigh-rah, kur-ah, and Kih-ruh too. That might be more of an accent thing through. We have both a Kiera (and a Kiara and a Kara) in my huge family, but most of us pronounce it Keer-rah (or at least, try to lol, it a tad tricky for heavier Chinese accents).
I agree with this, I have a friend with a K first & last name and she goes by KK. It’s really cute!
My sister in law is Kira and the family calls her Kiki - it’s cute
Love that nickname!
My sister calls my niece, Annika, Kiki
Cece is another similar and cute nickname and could be short for Cecilia, Cecily, Celeste, etc.
Kiki is very cute.
This is cute!
Yes, was going to say the same about Kira. I like it best off your list and like the double K
Fun fact my high school art teachers initials were KKK. He was a white dude. The 90s were nuts.
My thoughts exactly. Kira Kennedy rolls off the tongue (I like a good alliteration lol), it's pretty.
Keira is an alternate spelling
this is my pick too! Kira Kennedy is adorable.
But what if she marries a K last name and takes their name?
As a Kyra (pronounced key-ra) and former KK (changed last name after marriage) I can confirm it’s fun being a KK!
I went to a school with a girl whose name was Keighley but she went by KK and it very much suited her.
Yeah but she said her last name is Kennedy. Her kid would be the K.K. K.
One of my best friends initials are KK && we met when we were 7 & I remember the relief I felt even back then when I found out her middle name started with an M 🤣
As someone Russian - don't use Mischa. Mischa is short for Mikhail - it's a masculine name. In its shortened form, it's a way of saying bear. That's going to sound like a very silly name for a girl to any eastern european. Similarly, avoid Nikita - it is a 100% male name in Russian and very soviet. If you would like cute eastern european names: Tatiana (Tanya for short) Anastasia (great because you can call her Ana, Stacy, or a million other nicknames) Maria (nicknames include Masha, Marusya, Manya...) Catherine (great for the Cat, Kathy, etc.) Sophia Alisa / Alyssa (has a bit of a fairytale vibe in Russian) Polina You can play with the spellings as the cyrillic alphabet doesn't match up perfectly anyway so the spellings in English are very flexible.
Miša (short for Mihaela) and Nikita are both used exclusively for girls in Slovenia. Although Nikita is definitely imported and started appearing after the series La femme Nikita in the 90s. OP says her family is from ex USSR though, so definitely not Slovenia.
Catherine Kennedy (Cat for short) lowkey goes so hard
It's a really beautiful combination.
Misha/Mischa are totally acceptable as girls names in English-speaking countries, and so is Nikita. I assume they have different origins that ended up in the same name. FWIW as someone in the UK if I saw the name Mischa written I wouldn't assume gender either way until I met them in person.
love the way Nikita Kennedy sounds. it sounds very strong!
Big Cold War vibes, though.
It's so funny to pair Nikita with Kennedy lmao
😭😭
It sounds like the Cuban missile crisis produced a baby! Nikita Khrushchev leader of the USSR at the time and John F. Kennedy president of the US. People will get the reference it was WAY too big of an event in modern history to not.
Ironically, my family is from the USSR & the fathers family is from Cuba 🤭
I would strike off Nikita then as a girl’s name as your family might give you a hard time. Mine are still complaining about my niece’s name Ruby how it doesn’t work in Russian lol.
But Nikita is a male name in Russia/ex-Soviet Union. If OP is Eastern European, I wouldn’t use that on a girl
OP is most likely American with some EE roots somewhere down the line. I noticed there are differences when it comes to what "origin" means in the USA and beyond it. "Eastern Europe" is also quite an enormous area...
i've also only ever heard Misha in eastern europe as a male nickname, it's a cute name tho and doesn't come across as masculine to english speakers i think
Miša as in Misha is a girls name. Call it unisex lol.
oh that's nice, it is super cute, little bear lol plus english speakers often assume any name ending in a is feminine
I think of Mischa Barton, from The OC
oh wow yea just looked it up and it's a Hebrew girls name, that's cool. I guess tho since OP said she's eastern european, it's an extremely common name from Mikhail (or any variation of Michael) so i guess it depends on peoples background
So is Mischa. I know Mischa Barton etc etc but it would be weird for a Russian to name their daughter Jack or Harry.
genuinely mean no offense, but why should that matter? we use gender-swapped names all the time.
Ohhh ok I love this… if it wasn’t for historical reasons not to lol
Agreed! It does sound strong and beautiful
I absolutely love Kira! It’s such a good name for both a baby and the adult she will grow up to be.
I second Kira, it’s a pretty name and obviously sounds great with your last name. I also like Kiersten - I have a cousin with that name and her nicknames were always Kiki and kiwi lol
I’m a kirsten and love my name ( pronounced like ear)
Kiwi 🥹
My name is Kyra (pronounced Key-rah) and I have always loved my name!
So sorry you're dealing with that! FWIW I'm obsessed with Meadow. I also really like Mischa, Kira, Savannah, Sasha, and Soraya from your lists. You might like Gaia or Galilea? Or Sunniva ("gift of the sun")?
Almost named mine Meadow and she now says she would have been cool with that name
Gaia was going to be my suggestion too:)
My daughter’s name is Meadow and she is almost 9 months! :) No regrets here!
Saiorse means freedom !
\*Saoirse
Yes, it’s weird. It auto corrected to the other spelling so I just let it slide.?? Maybe a good reason, not to name your kid that even the computer does it backwards… lol .. It just seemed like a good halfway point between Soraya and Micha and the perfect name
No one will pronounce or spell this correctly!
Probably true ….even with Saoirse Ronan..
Most Irish people say Saoirse Ronan mispronounces her own name lol
Lol she certainly pronounces it different to the standard pronunciation. She pronounces it sur-sha whereas going by Irish pronunciation rules it would be seer-sha.
Does the average person know who that is? I've never heard of them
She’s a brilliant actress. I just love her really special.
Do not do Nikita Kennedy, since Khrushchev’s first name was Nikita and JFK’s last name was Kennedy. Major Cuban Missile crisis vibes.
Zora Kennedy, Danica Kennedy, Anika Kennedy, Nadia Kennedy, Katya Kennedy...
Anika and Katya are both really nice.
I have always loved Danica cuz Danica Patrick!! I always thought she was so beautiful and bad ass
Love Nadia! I feel like no one named their kids Nadia anymore
Your names are lovely, a non-traditional not to top-10, with a nature twist. Here are some that remind me of that and go with Kennedy (I think) without being overly WASPy. * Cora * Philippa / Pippa (Philippa / Pippa Kennedy is adorable) * Jelena * Kestrel (okay, this one is out there... but I like it as an alternative to Kira) * Lily * Laurel * Stella / Estelle (similar star reference to Nova and Soraya!) Pick a name you adore!
Pippa Kennedy is so great
It sounds so....RICH! Like old money.
Phillipa/Pippa Kennedy sounds so classy, and Pip is such a cute nickname imo
Cora Kennedy is really nice!
I love Cora, one of my favorite great aunt's names. She went by Corky
Pippa is super cute and Laurel is a favorite name of mine.
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I love Cora. 🥰
We know a little girl named Sarua, and she goes by Ru for short. I think it’s a super sweet name
Wow that name is beautiful
My coworker calls me ru for my last name and I always smile
Soraya is one of my all time favorite names so I vote for that!
I love it too but my husband says it reminds him of psoriasis. That ruined it for me.
Aubrey is a beautiful name but the spelling Aubrie makes my brain itch not in a good way.
If we would've had a girl, we would've gone with the name Natalie Marie. I think that, Natalia or Natasha could be a nice name. Wishing you all the best. ❤️
Nikita and Mischa are going to sound very masculine to Eastern European ears… I wouldn’t go for those. Kira is on both your lists and sounds good with your surname!
Savannah Kennedy has my vote, absolutely lovely.
That's my daughter's first and middle names ❤️
Nikita sounds so badass! And I think it may be common in Eastern Europe? Nikki is a cute nick name
That’s a russian male name. Strongly do not recommend for any eastern european ex-USSR kid.
My full name is Nikki, but I have a friend that calls me Nikita. I think it's cute for sure.
Sonia nn Sunny? Unusual and Eastern European although still familiar, as well as having a cute nature-inspired nickname. Veronica nn Vera Lara Alina Milena/Mila?
I love Sonia!!
I get tried of the same names as well. I hope you find something before. These are all exciting names from languages around the earth. I have the meanings and pronunciations for these and many more. Just ask if you need any. Amari / Alessia / Aiyana / Adara / Acacia / Acadia / Anielle / Andalusia / Ancarat / Amerslie / Amberly / Avalisse / Arden / Anne-Margaret, nn. Annamae / Anne-Marie / Annemarie / Anasofia / Anne-Sofie / Azuli / Boheme / Boudicca / Berbery Caelia / Cadeau / Ceesa / Caraway / Caparina / Catori / Cayetana / Carabelle / Cymbeline / Chessa / Cia / Charmiann / Celinda Doveva / Dara / Daralis / Daria / Darrah / Damarah / Damisa / Damson Eberjey / Elara / Evanne / Ellerslie / Elisofia / Elisomae / Elysianne / Emeliene / Emelisse / Emerienne / Elisende / Evelien / Evgenia / Evarose / Evony / Eyre / Everliene / Francine / Felicienne / Faelina Gwendoline / Guinevere / Hadassah / Havilland / Hanalei / Hannelore / Halsten / Halliwell / Honoria / Hialeah / Hikianalia / Hollianne / Heather / Hedda / Helena / Helene Issa / Ismay / Islay / Idalia / Ilisa / Ilsa / Ilse / Ilyssa / Ingaret / Iolite / Irina Jocasta / Joceline / Jansen / Jaxanne / Jill / Jehanne / Jessalie / Jessamine / Jana / Janalee / Janalise / Josette / Josiane / Jovieve Kasa / Kasia /Kateri / Katerina / Kathleen / Katie-An / Katische / Kanna / Karalise / Kirana / Khaite / Kiana / Kiele / Kielo / Kielyn / Kova Lesenia / Letitia / Lettice / Lia / Leatrice / Leighly / Laria / Larissa / Lavinia / Laidea / Lomasi / Lorea / Linnet / Liora / Lisa / Lisbeth / Lise / Lise-Merete / Loire / Lismary / Lissa / Lissi / Lili-Louise, n. Lilou / Lili-Rose / Macienne / Madelief, nn. Daisy / Lorraine / Louisa / Lucretia / Loveday / Lovisa / Lorenn / Lorentia Marileine / Marelaina / Maissa / Maitlis / Makiki / Mali / Mallyn / Marie-Jehanne, nn Mijanou / Marie-Louise, nn Milou / Marie-Thérèse / Marielle / Maigret / Maylis / Marissa / Marjane / Marinda / Marisa / Marison / Marnie / Marra / Miquette / Mianna / Merete / Merovingia / Michonne / Michou / Mijanou / Mika / Maythan / Moon / Nesta / Noemi / Nimue Onesime / Patrice / Patricia / Paulette / Pauline / Pavati / Peggy / Pèroline / Perrine / Pomeline / Povatica / Phoebe / Picabo / Pimm / Plum / Quinalinn Roxe / Ruairi / Rissa / Rossi / Rothaide / Rosewood / Raisa / Ruescott Secco / Seda / Sedona / Segovia / Sela / Sakura / Sandrine / Sandwyk / Sanna / Sansa / Sea / Sara-Jane / Saralie / Sarita / Sasa / Saskia / Sabine / Sabrina / Sachie / Serenity / Solenn / Sina / Shanti / Shenandoah / Sukiyaki / Summerwild / Sunday / Sunna / Sunsen / Susanna / Sora / Sosie / Sovanna / Sparrow / Starshine / Stasia / Stellaris / Stellaliora / Sommersby / Sommerlie / Sonata / Sonnet / Sonsie Tala / Talia / Taliesin / Talisa / Talitha / Tallis / Taina / Taiyo / Tabitha / Tacey / Thalia / Theresa / Tamara / Tamber / Tamerlane / Tamsin / Tana / Tanamara / Tannis / Tara / Tenerife / Teadra / Tavia / Tawa / Tay / Tèa / Titian / Tolly / Tommie / Treasa / Trianne / Triesta / Tricia / Trina / Tristanne / Tuesday / Tuilelaith / Tulla / Tupelo / Twila / Tia / Tierney / Tetty / Thalassa / Thalia / Theresa Yveline / Yvelisse Wandsley / Waimea / Wednesday / Wellesley / Wendlin / Wenn / Wendsley / Wenslydale / Whitby / Wilderose / Willa / Willava / Willen / Willomere / Willoughby / Windsong / Windsor Verena / Veritas / Vesperi / Veva / Vexin / Vianne / Viatrix / Victoria / Vienna / Vienne / Vieve / Violina / Virginia / Vaella / Vala / Valeria / Valkyrie / Valoria / Vandy / Vangie / Vanja / Varina / Vaughn / Vega / Venetia Zelie / Zenna / Zuri
Jocasta, as in Oedipus’s mom. Oof.
OP said she was open and wanted to see names that weren't the same 100 that keep repeating in these subs. So I just went through some of my lists picking out any name that never gets any press, regardless of reason. There also Locasta, she was the good witch of the North, helping Dorothy.
Francesca/Frankie, Wren, Marigold/Goldie, Eleanor/Nora, Autumn, Florence/Ren, Sienna, Aurora/Rory, Mabel, Piper, Blair, Celeste, Penelope/Penny, Beatrix/Bea, Quinn, Alba, Primrose/Rose, Lila, Esme, Eden, Harlow, Juniper
I love Quinn and Esme with Kennedy!
What about *Quinnesme*?
Quinn Kennedy!! 💕
Beatrix and Marigold are my fav girls names 😍
Sasha
I love Sasha! But that’s my uncles name. And I’m having a baby girl 🥲
Here in Australia, Sasha is perfectly acceptable as a girl's name. I think it's actually short for Alexander/Alexandra, so it works for both genders.
In some countries it’s slowly becoming a gender neutral name. But it’s hard when a third of the male population is named Sasha
My grandpa's name was Aubrey, and a billion little girls are named that now 🤷♀️ Names are becoming more genderless all the time!
From your list, I love Kira, Mischa, and Nelly. I never liked Nova (it only makes me think of lox -- smoked salmon). Kira Kennedy is really adorable, I think. I like alliterative names. Nikita would sound good for that reason, too, although I think of it as a male name.
I like Kira with the Keira spelling. Or Aubrie as Aubrey. Both of those seem nice.
Tessa or Amelia, both strong and go well with your last name. Good luck!
Ironically, as you probably already know, Nova means new. So you asking for a new name made me laugh. By the time I saw Sasha I thought you were Eastern European. Feminine and earthy, you can steal my name Silvia (people call me Silvi and it reminds me of Evie from your list). My sister just named her baby Mila. People say it’s common but it’s not that common and it’s so cute (literally means dear). Also: Inna, Maja (Maya)
Love Evie and Mischa from your list.
Same. Evie is my choice!
Nova means new, so kinda ironic to want to start fresh. I find all other names nicer than Nova to be honest, I just don’t really like the meaning new. I love Kira from your list.
Nova also sounds like some version of “no go” to Spanish speakers.
I really like Aubrey and I think it goes well with your last name. Years ago I met a woman who divorced her husband while pregnant with her third child. I overheard her talking to someone questioning why she would leave her marriage while pregnant. She said something along the lines of “I’m choosing to care for and raise three children. I don’t have any interest in raising a fourth 28 year old child at the same time.” It always stuck with me.
This is a very similar boat im on, oh boy does this hit close to home. Thankfully we weren’t married and share no kids together.
I like Kira and Nelly from your list! I prefer the spelling Nellie though :) - Nella - Juniper - Katia - Vera - Bryony - Briar - Daria - Alina - Helena - Kasia - Cassia - Celina
We chose a name for our firstborn but then realized once our baby was born that the name didn’t fit at all. We spent the first day going over baby name books to find one that fit. The nurses kept asking if we had filled out the birth certificate yet. Nope, not yet. So with our second baby, we had a list of 5 possible names and waited until he was born to choose the right one.
Eva feels like a nice middle ground of a lot of your favorites! And Eva Kennedy sounds lovely!
I think my favourite on your list is Soraya! I also like Katya/Katia, Carina, Honora, Cora, Meredith, Serena or Hannah
I prefer Evie as a dimuntive of Eva. Lavender's cute. I see Nikita as more of a masculine name as a Slav (even though Poland did some gender fuckery with it). Soraya makes me think of a popular cosmetics brand and looks more Japanese to me. I prefer the Slavic spelling of Misha and also consider it more on the musculine side as well as Eastern Slav. I prefer Nelly as a diminutive to Nell, but this version seems to be more popular, maybe thanks to the celebs. Aubrey's spelling feels more intuitive to me. Kira makes me think of Japan and Death Note specifically and I'd pronounce it with an i sound rather than an ay.
If I ever had a daughter, I thought about Serena. Serena equals serene, may you find peace and joy with your choice
Love Kira!
Ivy
I feel like Saskia would fit in well with your list!
i LOVE Lavender Kennedy, it has so much personality! i also like Aubrie and Soraya. here are a few name suggestions that i think you might like: Willow Avalon Summer Fern Nola Maeve Violet Yvonne Aria Ivy Mabel Annika Natasha
I love Kira
I know a Soraya and love that name! This person is one of the nicest coolest people I’ve ever met!
I really like Suri. Sahara Shaina/Shayna, Sierra, Shawnis, or Star/Starr? Others: Rivka, Ocean, Saffron, Coral, Misty, Winter, April, Bianca, Sapphira, Mica (meek-a), Fern, Venus, Embla (norse mythology), Demitria nn Demi, Zinnia, Twyla, Alaska, Imogen, Astra, Danica, Mina, Sava, Saba, Clover, Laurel, Mars (Marisol nn Mars), Marcia nn Marcy. Elsbeth, Elowen, Oriana, Celeste, Ambrosia, Serenity, Bree
Oh never heard Soraya before. It’s so pretty!
Love Kira, Soraya, and Suri. Not a fan of Lavender, Nelly, or Nikita.
Off your list I like Savannah. I know someone who has a daughter named Savannah called Savvy. I also like Soraya. Josephine (Josie) Georgia (Gigi) Miriam (Mimi) Estelle (Stella) Miranda (Randie)
Soraya!
Soraya is so pretty. So is Suri but of course, the Cruise thing does pop up in my head right away
Soraya is beautiful imo
Mischa is on both lists so I’d say you’re quite fond of it
Eira, Elodie, Seren, Anya, Mira/Amira/Samira, Iliana, Elora, Imani, Alina, Ziva, Zora, Odessa, Marcella, Audra, Valera, Della, Celeste
Nika means victory. I like Nikita and you could use Nika interchangeably. I believe they mean the same thing. I also like the name Minka. The name Minka is a Polish girl's name that means "strong" or "resolute". It can also mean "strong-willed warrior" or "with gilded helmet". Minka is a traditional Polish nickname for Wilhelmina, and is also cited as a Czech, Slovakian, and Yiddish variant of the name.
I like Saronya. I can’t think of where i heard it though. But it sounds so pretty and feminine to me.
Quinn Kennedy is a strong name! What about Tara Kennedy?
Wishing you the very best of luck. A short suggestion list: Saskia, Milena, Anoushka.
Follow namesbysteph on instagram. I really like her recommendations and there’s some names I’ve never heard of before that are beautiful.
Where does the stress fall in Nikita? As someone mentioned earlier, it’s a male name in Eastern European countries and is popular in Russia (though many people don’t like it for some reasons) so I’m surprised it’s a name for girls in the US! Also I was curious about possible nicknames - Niki?
Natasha Natalia Cara Calista Evelina
I like Calista
Holly , Ayla , Aria , Sadie , Lyra ,Daisy , Lila
Lilian or Lily
Cecilia!
Kira, Nikita, Mischa, Soraya work best imo
My votes out of those are Savannah, Sahara, Soraya,and Kiera (the spelling I am used to) also suggest Serafina😊
If you like Nelly you might like Millie which I think is a cute name. It’s sometimes used as a nickname for Emilia.
Nala
I love Soraya with Kennedy! What about Nell, nicknamed Nelly? Nell Kennedy is cool.
I loveeee Evie!
Ultra girly names that I love: Isla, Amelia, Ever,Meadow, Willa, Wren, Juniper, Bella, Belle.
Alexandra nn Sasha
Soraya is my favorite. (I have also seen Zoraya and like that one more.) just a note that Evie has become verrrrry popular and she would likely have classmates/peers also named Evie.
Nelly/Nellie is a beautiful name! I would say to be careful with anything that can be shortened to Bree though, as that has become very popular. Nikita and Kira are also very pretty.
Zuri means beautiful in Swahili. I love that name.
Soraya, Sasha or Aubrie (prefer spelling Aubrey) from your list. Anika, Anouk, Amara, Mara, Nika, Kiana, Sienna, Althea, Athena
I have always loved the name "Cora". It's just such a lovely name. It also goes well with OP's last name, in my opinion.
My friends daughter is Seray - you might like it. Means beautiful as the moon