Rosamund is expecting a little girl: her ninth child and sixth daughter. Her other children are Gabriel, Lydia, Bethan, Lance, Tabitha, Annabella, Tate and Phoebe. They all have three names each, so Rosamund feels that she and her partner have exhausted most of their favourites and are now 'scraping the barrel'.
They had settled on Miranda -- but now they are having second thoughts. Rosamund likes unusual names with positive meanings -- preferably biblical -- wheareas her partner is more conservative.
Their list:
Miranda
Merewen
Cecilia
Clarissa
Clara
Esther
Winifred
Theodora
Dorothy
Dorothea
Primrose
Rosanna
Rosemary
Priscilla
Hermione
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Firstly, (I know I have already told you this, Rosamund) I am totally biased in Miranda's favour. It's my sister's name and she has always received compliments on it. While it was relatively popular in America and Australia in the 80s and 90s, it has always been a chic, rare and underused choice in Britain, that has the advantage of being well known. People know how to spell it and pronounce it -- but they often haven't met another.
The rest of your list is equally lovely -- so many great choices that will serve your daughter well.
In terms of more options, I must confess that I struggled to narrow down choices for this post. You have a preference for biblical names, yet your current list sways more Victorian antique, and your children's names a pleasing blend between biblical, antique and sleek surname. I could suggest Noadiah -- a truly uncommon biblical name -- but I feel that would be a step too far -- or I could suggest Victorian darling Iris -- but I doubt that has enough substance for you.
So, here are three lists which hopefully strike a balance.
Uncommon Biblical:
Jemima -- Underused, gentle Jemima has heaps of biblical charm and also feels sweetly antique with thoughts of Beatrix Potter and crinoline petticoats. A similar sounding but more daring biblical choice is Jedida
(or Jedidah), the upright mother of Josiah whose name means "darling of Jehovah."
Mehetabel -- A melliflous biblical name meaning "whom God makes happy." It's a long name -- but no longer to say than Isabella. Hettie or even Mettie would make a vintage-style nickname choice.
Hadassah -- The original name of virtuous Queen Esther, Hadassah wears well in 2015. Haddie would be an obvious nickname, but I don't think Hattie is too much of a stretch.
Atarah -- A stylish name from the Old Testament meaning "crown."
Adah -- Alongside Zillah, Adah is the first woman to be named in the bible after Eve. Her name meant "adornment, ornament."
Sarai -- The original name for Sarah, meaning "princess."
A similar biblical name is Serah meaning "abundance."
Kezia -- Named for the cassia (cinnamon) spice tree, Kezia (or Keziah) was one of the beautiful daughters of Job who, alongside her sisters Jemima and Keren-Happuch, became a symbol for women's equality. With its three syllable -ia ending, it makes an interesting twist on Sophia, Maria, Julia etc.
Keturah -- Like Kezia, Keturah is also a 'fragrant' name (therefore signifying beauty) meaning "incense, perfume."
Salome -- With a meaning of "peace," Salome was one of the faithful disciples of Jesus who went to his tomb to anoint him.
Magdalen -- Alongside Salome, was Mary Magdalene. The older English form is Magdalen which is now more common in the French form Madeleine. Other interesting international forms are Maialen (Basque), Magali (Provencial) and Malena (Swedish).
Thirza -- Meaning "pleasantness," Tirzah was one of the five daughters of Zelophehad who are yet again held up as examples of equality for women. The Victorians were quite fond of the name, but preferred the form Thirza.
Nearly Biblical:
Josephine -- As the Bible is rather low on female names, how about a femininised form. Josephine is a elegant choice with backbone and built in nickname Posy.
Thomasina or Tamsin is another great femininised biblical choice.
Anastasia -- A semi-biblical figure is Anastasia. Not only the name of a 4th century saint, people in the Middle Ages attributed the name to the midwife of the Virgin Mary.
Tatiana -- An exotic traditional choice, borne by a 3rd century saint and martyr.
Euphemia -- Meaning "good speaker, of good voice," Euphemia was a much revered early Christian saint, as was St Eulalia "to talk well."
Theodosia -- Etymologically the same as Theodora "gift of God," St Theodosia was an early saint and one of the most revered in the Byzantine Empire.
Verity -- Virtue names are very much akin in my mind to biblical names and Verity is an underused gem with a Victorian vibe.
I'd also add Clemency into the mix as well.
Aurea -- Another early Christian saint, Aurea is a pretty Roman name meaning "golden."
Marina -- With links to Roman mythology, early Christianity, Shakespearean plays and royalty, Marina is beautiful underused gem.
Antique Alternatives:
Rosetta / Rosina -- I notice you have considered Rosemary and Rosanna, which brings to mind two Victorian favourites Rosetta and Rosina.
Mireille -- A French name which shares Miranda's meaning of "admirable, to be admired."
Mirabel -- Derived from the Latin mirabilis "wonderful, marvelous," Mirabel is a medieval choice revived by the Victorians. It's also the name of a type of plum.
Leonora -- A medieval Italian variant of Eleanor which feels elegant and stately.
Sylvie -- The sleek French form of Latin Silvia meaning "of the forest, woodland."
Celestine - Another French name, akin to fashionable Clementine, which means "heavenly."
Romilly -- A surname-turned-first name derived from Romulus and, therefore, Rome. Both Roma and Milly are delightful shortforms.
Best wishes, Rosamund. Please keep us updated!
