Vida and Tim are awaiting their first child -- gender a surprise. Their surnames begin with an F and they are particularly keen on having an alliterative name.
Vida writes: We’re looking for both boys and girls names that are alliterative but there just aren’t that many ‘F’ sounding names that we can find that we like, or aren’t very common.
The only two on the shortlist so far are Fox for a boy, and Phaedra for a girl (which I think people could shorten to Effie even though technically it's not a diminutive of Phaedra).
For a middle name we’re looking for unusual or less common names (not alliterative). We’ve been considering giving a middle name that’s linked to/gives a nod to the names Gary or Jane, as that’s my husband’s parents names and they both died suddenly within the past couple of years. However, neither of us want to use those exact names as we think they’re quite outdated now.
In terms of the kinds of names we like, for non-alliterative names which we think we might be stuck with if we can’t find an alliterative one I love Arlo and Jude but they’re incredibly popular now and we know a fair few people who’ve used them (my husband’s not too keen on either though!). We also like Ellis, Coco and Parker for girls names and Aneurin and Rafe for boys ones."
Names already considered:
Felix, Fiona, Flora, Fleur, Felicity, Fred -- "we don’t really like flowery names and felt the others were too boring."
Their ideal name would be:
"Unusual, not a huge number of syllables, alliterative and not religious but at the same time not so far out that it’s unpronounceable."
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Oh I do love Phaedra! It's a real favourite of mine (but then most Ancient Greek names are!) and I absolutely think sweet Effie works as a nickname. I'm also a massive fan of Rafe and Aneurin, but I can tell that your ideal would be to find the perfect 'F' name so let's not give up the search yet.
F Names:
Flynn – Dashing Flynn has Gaelic charm and swashbuckling panache. It is easy to spell and pronounce, but at #186, is quite underused.
Fletcher – A stylish and sleek surname which brings to mind the skill of medieval archery (it literally derives from the Old French fleche "arrow"). It is a familiar name, but below the top 200.
Fraser – A cheery Scottish Clan name which sits below the top 200 and sounds decidedly distinguished as a given name.
Franklin – A presidential name with heaps of charm and vintage style. It has never been extremely popular in Britain (it remains below the top 200), but it is familiar and cosy.
Forrest – Like Fox, Forrest is a both a surname and nature name in one. It only ranks at #943, but is perfectly familiar and accessible.
Flint – Another surname/nature name which has an innate strength and cool sound. It ranks below the top 2000.
Finnegan – A Gaelic surname with strong syllables and a quirky, chirpy style. Finnegan is the type of name which makes you smile when you say it. It ranks below the top 2000.
Finlo – As you like Arlo, perhaps zippy Manx Finlo will appeal. It derives from the same route as Finlay -- as is the similar English surname Findlow.
Finnian – Another sleek Finn- name worth considering is Finnian which only ranks at #1627, despite its accessibility.
Faolan – Meaning "little wolf" in Irish, Faolan is an ancient Gaelic name. In Ireland it's pronounced FWAY-lan, but in Northern Ireland, it's FAY-lan and ranks in the top 400 in both countries. In England and Wales, however, it is rarely in the top 5000.
The Old Irish spelling is Faelan.
Fern – A non-floral nature name which feels soft but not frilly. It ranks at #472. Fearne (#442) and Ferne (#836) serve as alternate spellings.
Frida – A gentle-yet-strong Scandinavian and Germanic name meaning "peace" which (at #740) is far from common but perfectly familiar. The spelling Freda is even rarer at #2090.
Fallon – Akin to Ellis and Parker on your list, Fallon is a sleek Celtic surname which moved into first name teritory in the 80s thanks to Dynasty. Though familiar, it has never been common in Britain and ranks at #1457.
Farah – Meaning "joy" in Arabic. Farah ranks at #733 and alternative spelling Farrah is #899.
Finola / Fenella – Both Finola (below the top 5000) and Fenella (#2706) are anglicised forms of the Irish Fionnuala - a name seeped in legend and borne by real historic Irish queens. Fenella itself was popularised by Sir Walter Scott in Peveril of the Peak (1823).
Felicia – At #1512, Felicia is a more unusual form of Felicity that retains all the same jovial charm.
Philomena – A lady-like name with a hint of sass and spunk. It ranks at the uncommon #2502.
Phyllida – A variant of Ancient Greek Phyllis meaning "foliage" that is more unusual and not dated to one era in the way that big sister Phyllis is.
Philomel(a) – Philomela is an ancient Greek name meaning "lover of song" who features in mythology. According to the myth, Philomela was turned into a nightingale by the gods to save her from her vengeful brother-in-law. The simplified spelling Philomel is a poetic term in English for the nightingale.
Fallow – Both a nature name and surname. Fallow is farmland which has been left to grow back in its natural form.
Middle Names to honour Gary:
Gary is a Norman surname and place name which derived from Gari, the Norman form of the Norse name Geiri, ultimately from the Proto-Germanic word ger "spear."
Sound-alikes:
Gray
Grayson
Grahaigh – A Manx name meaning "lovable" pronounced GRAY-a.
Cooper – Gary became a popular name from the 1920s onwards thanks to actor Gary Cooper.
ger "spear" names:
Gerard
Geir
Gervaise
Garrett – An English surname derived from Gerald.
Giroux / Geroux – A French surname derived from Gerulf ("spear + wolf").
Jarrett – This may be a good way to link both Jane and Gary in one name.
Middle Names to honour Jane:
Jane is the English form of the Old French Jehanne, itself a feminine form of Iohannes (John). Here are variant forms in other languages:
Janna – Scandinavian
Ivana – Slavic
Gianna – Italian
Giovanna – Italian
Zhanna / Zanna – Russian
Sinead – Irish
Sioned – Welsh (SHON-ed)
Sian / Siani – Welsh (SHARN(EE)
Sheena – Scottish
Evan – Welsh
Ian – Scottish
Ivan – Slavic, Scandinavian, Russian
Jowan – Cornish
Yanick – French
I hope this has been of use. Best wishes for finding the perfect name.
