Down to last two, help us choose

[calendula]

Due with a girl, and our two options are Flora Joy or Louisa Joy. DH and I are set on the middle name.

Our thoughts on each:
Flora was the name DH's grandmother was known by, so it would honor her, although she is no longer living and already has several namesakes by her given name, which was not Flora. DD will be born right around the first day of spring, and after many years of IF, there is a certain sweetness to a name that calls to mind abundant life. This was our girl name for DS, so we have loved it for a long time and DH is very much in love with this name. My biggest hesitation about Flora is that there aren't any real nicknames that I like, and especially after having our son, I really love having a diminutive version of a full name for a child. Classic little kid nicknames make me happy, with the understanding that they can outgrow them and use their full names eventually if they want to. Flora is kind of a grown up name from the start. 

Louisa isn't a family name. It was on my list of potential names, and DH didn't love it right away but it has grown on him a lot. Mostly because DS (5 yo) has been ADAMANT since finding out he had a baby sister on the way that he wanted to name her Lucy. I think once we realized we could use Lucy and/or or Lou as nicknames for Louisa, it grew on both of us, because DS's enthusiasm for his little sister is so, so sweet. I kind of like DS being a part of the story as to how we named our daughter. We also love callbacks to strong women throughout history, and Louisa May Alcott as a suffragette, abolitionist and literary figure is cool. 

[joy]

Flora for the family reasons - they always get me. And Flora does have nicknames! Flo, Lora, Lori. You could even spiral off from there and I’d maybe get to LoLo and then LuLu. Lol. Anything goes with nicknames.

[polson]

i am torn between the family connection with flora and my love for he name louisa. i think the story with your son and the name lucy is pretty darn adorable though! i think i tend to lean towards louisa joy.

[charlotte]

I really love Flora.

[girlmom]

I like the family significance in Flora, but I LOVE Louisa. I would probably end up calling her Lou or Lulu as a nickname, and I think both of those are so cute too. Both good name choices though!

[tiffrobot]

I have a 2 year old Louisa myself and it still makes me so happy that that is her name ☺️ she gets tons of compliments on it too which is fun! So I have a soft spot for that

[sunshiney]

Louisa is my dream name that DH vetoed...while we were dating lol. So I voted for it! It's beautiful, classical, unexpected. The nn's are gorgeous.

That said, your reasons behind Flora are really special and important. It sounds like your only concerns are nn's and how mature it sounds. Well, I don't think it would sound too mature...once you see a little girl named Flora, it just sounds like a whimsical girls name! (Well, it does to me. I had a fabulous 4th grade student named Flora.) There are also lovely nn's that may not be as automatic to people as Andrew/Andy/Drew, but could catch on very easily - my favorite would be Lola or Lo. Maybe Fay? I looked up Flojo just because it sounded fun but it means "loose" in Spanish so maybe not....

[honeylemon]

Flora!!! I love it so much. Nicknames will come to you. Don’t let that be your reason for not using such an amazing name.

[Deleted]

Both are beautiful! I voted Flora.

[mintyblueair]

I like Louisa better. The nickname Lou is adorable!

[wineallthetime]

I like both, but love Louisa! I have a Lue.lla who we call Lue or LueLue and I wanted her name to be Louisa SO bad, but I couldn't get MH on board

[shadesofgold]

Add me to the long list of ladies obsessed with Louisa but married to cruel men with terrible taste.

[Deleted]

So this is an older post, but you have me torn! Great name choices! Joy is one of my absolute favourites and a subtle nod to a great-aunt who did a lot for my family... But our last name is literally one letter off so I can never use it. SaveSave

[Dramaphile]

Jan 13, 2018 14:58:29 GMT -6 @kore said:

So this is an older post, but you have me torn! Great name choices! Joy is one of my absolute favourites and a subtle nod to a great-aunt who did a lot for my family... But our last name is literally one letter off so I can never use it. SaveSave

What about Joy in a different language?  Like Alegria/Allegra (Joyful) or Felicity/Felicia (means happiness) or Jubilee.  Jolie is another, it sounds similar, but means lovely or nice.