30+ Girl Names I Like But (Probably) Won’t Be Using

I’m 23 weeks pregnant with our second girl and we’ve been chatting baby names around our house for a couple months now (and we think we may have a name picked out!). Naming a baby is a much more challenging task than I ever would have imagined before having my first, and I severely underestimated how much time and consideration it would take for my husband and I to come to a decision. It’s felt a little easier this time around!

My suggestions for any of you who are pregnant and picking out a baby name:

• Don’t tell anyone the name — you can do what you want of course, but I’m so glad we did this. We didn’t tell anyone Clay’s name, not even our families, until she was born. I couldn’t bare the thought of anyone saying they didn’t like what we picked out (especially as a hormonal pregnant woman), giving a reaction I didn’t like or suggesting other names instead. It’s so much easier to stand firm in your decision when you don’t have to worry about pleasing anyone else. It’s also pretty cool that Clay was the first one to know her own name. 🙂
• Write all of your prospects (including middle name combos and potential initials) on something like a white board where you can prop it up and look at it all the time. This lets you and your partner see every name option all in one view so you can easily compare each. This time around, I also added their popularity and meanings.
• Where to find baby names: blog posts like this, Pinterest lists, baby name YouTube/TikTok videos, TV shows and movies, or your family tree

My name style:

• Short, 1-2 syllables
• Easy to spell and can only be pronounced one way
• Nicknames for first names
• Gender neutral names, but also short feminine names
• Somewhat unexpected, but not unheard of

Here are names I like for girls that we probably won’t be using: