What do you think of these unusual girls names?

Question

Sabriel
Petal
Linxi
Arabella
Marielle
Reviva
Maemi
Neve/Niamh
Tullia

If you don't like these or disapprove then please move on to a different question.

You won't find any meaning for Sabriel as it is a title of one of my favourite books (Sabriel is the lead character, she is very strong, smart and magical which is what I'd like my little princess to be!). I'm not a fan of Gabrielle/Gabriella/Brielle.

Answer 1

my favorites are arabella you can call her bella for short , followed by petal, follwed by sabriel. btw i think you have every right to ask for no rude comments. i wish some of those people would just crawl in a hole somewhere and save us from their own misery. didn't they have parents to teach them "if you don't have something nice to say don't say anything at all"?

Answer 2

Hmmm ... this is an interesting list.

I think Arabella, Neve/Niamh and Marielle would make great names. In fact, Marielle has always been on my list.

Petal is probably too cute - it's as if she'll be five and frilly forever. Linxi has a whiff of stripper about it. And Maemi and Tullia look a bit awkward.

Sabriel has, I think, some real possibility. But I'm not sure I'd use it as a first name, mainly because the only nickname options - Ella and Ellie, Bree - will take your extremely unusual name and turn it into one in the crowd. With all the Gabrielles, Isabellas and Breanna/Briannas running around, she'll blend in.

And I think you want her to stand out, right?

So I'd use Niamh Sabriel or Marielle Niamh, Arabella Niamh or possibly Arabella Sabriel. (That last one assumes your last name is relatively short and simple.) I'm neutral on the Neve/Niamh spelling, BTW.

All three of those names work well for a girl or for a woman, and the longer ones can be shortened - Mari, Ari - to nicknames that are as distinctive as their formal names.

Good luck!

Answer 3

Interesting choices, at least some of them. I don't like all of the names you've picked, but I think you'll benefit from some constructive criticism. ;)

Sabriel as a name I find beautiful, but as a given name for a baby girl? I wouldn't go there. It's too similar to Gabriel and has the fantasy connotations, isn't Sabriel a male name in the book? I may be way off here though. You could go for Gabrielle or Brielle instead.

Linxi? Oh dear... It would be a cute name for a pet perhaps, but a baby will grow up and with a name like LInxi when she's 45... you get the idea. It would be a cute nickname as well, but much too childlike as a given name imo. Linxi would be an original nick for Alexandra for example.

Now Arabella I adore. Classic, sort of Victorian. Distinctively feminine and classy. Great choice. Could go by Bella, Ella, Ari and so forth.

Marielle is okay, a little less common than Marianne perhaps, but not very original or unusual. Would make a lovely middle name but imo a little bland for a given. Pretty nevertheless.

Reviva is not ideal for a girl child I think. Who/what is she reviving? Sounds a bit too much of a statement to work as a name. If you like the strong V's you could consider Viviane instead. Or perhaps Ravenna as a softer alternative for Reviva. Also Evita, a strong, yet demanding name.

Maemi has the exotic ring of Naomi, but is too close to 'maim', depending on the pronounciation it would be almost 'maim me'. Definitely a risky name. If you like Naomi, but want something less common consider the Spanish Noemi.

I like the name Neve, especially with the original spelling Niamh. If you're not Irish however go with Neve, since the spelling Niamh differs a bit too much from the pronounciation for people not familiar with the workings of Irish names. Less trouble.

Petal is a bit too much of a pixie name for girl child. It has the floral air, but is not the prettiest choice imo. If you like outdoorsy names there are tons of flowers you can name your girl after. Lily and Rose are the obvious choices, but there's also Iris, Violet, Daisy, Jasmine, Hyacinth, Myrtle, Heather, Blossom, Fleur [!]... you get the idea. :) Also lovely trees such as Holly, Rowan [which I personally adore] and Willow. Sorry, got a bit carried away. LOL

Tullia is alright, classy in a Romanesque way, but might be a bit severe for a child. She could be called Tilly or Leah though. Thalia and Dahlia are nice options, with similar flair.

All in all, some interesting choices. Real gems among them and others that need some work. Hope you didn't find my criticism too offensive. ;) Good luck!

Answer 4

Sabriel is very pretty (I've seen it spelled Sabrielle too).

Petal is a no-go. I don't care for it at all.

Linxi sounds cute when you say it, but it seems better for a nickname than a given name.

Arabella is nice.

Marielle is pretty (I like Mariella too).

Reviva is awful. I really, really don't like that one.

Maemi.....well, I'm not even 100% sure how to pronounce it. May-mee? Mee-mee? My-mee? Not a huge fan of it regardless.

Neve/Niamh sounds pretty, but if you use the original Irish spelling, most people won't be able to pronounce it.

I really don't like Tullia. I just think of the unflattering moniker "tool".


Sabriel is the best one on the list, in my opinion.

Answer 5

First off, congrats! You are the only one on here that has come up with an "unusual" list of names that are, for the most part, pretty nice. I like several of them but my favs are Arabella (because I LOVE Bella) Sabriel (love that it means something to you) and Neve (however I do think of Neve Campbell). Great choices!

Answer 6

The only name I really like on there is Marielle. That is a pretty, unique name. Maemi sounds like Mommy, FYI. Tullia is a close second, then Sabriel. I like Petra better than Petal, but that's just me!

Answer 7

Whilst I personally am not keen on either Linxi or Reviva, I love all the other names... most of really unique and beautiful. I couldn't even come across meanings for Sabriel and Maemi which goes to show how unique they are - my personal fav.: Niamh... sounds feminine, graceful and unusual.

Answer 8

Marielle

Answer 9

Ok you just asked what we thought and then you suggest if we don't like them to move on? That's pretty gay! Who are we to disapprove we're not the judge and jury slow your roll pump the breaks if you want and opinio then take um' all the good bad and ugly. Anyway they are all just strange they sound like bad gas or diarrea in 10 different languages!

Answer 10

They sound like prescription medicine names. If you don't want dissenting opionions, why did you even post in the first place? You only want people to agree with your choices or they can walk the plank, right? Grow up. I'll be danged before i move onto another question before i give you my honest opinion. Why don't you name your baby Celexa, or Effexor? Or howabout Viagra, Albuterol, or Boniva? Why don't you save your child the shame of having some made up sounding name and name her something legitimate like, Mary or Susan? Don't put your desire to escape from the confines of normality upon your newborn. Remember, they are the ones who will have to live with the name you give them and live with the insults in the play yard they will certainly recieve if you name them one of those names. You are not some movie star who can name her daughter Apple. You need to think about what your child will have to live with.