Saturday, July 16, 2011

Name Considerations

We all know that for several months - for most of my pregnancy - Baby Girl was going to be named Avery Jane.  Recently, you also know, I have been reconsidering, but I have not revealed the new name that I really like.  I'm not sure why I didn't want to reveal it...I just didn't want to...but now, I think I want to share it with ya'll, tell you what I'm thinking, then get your opinion.

So.

The new name that we are thinking of is Mila Jane.  (Pronounced like Mee-luh.)  I have a couple questions for you; I want your opinions, so leave me a comment and let me know what you think.

I'm really concerned that Avery is getting too popular.  In the year 2010, out of the top 1000 baby names, it is ranked number 22.  Mila is ranked in the 360's, so it's much less popular, which I tend to like.  I just don't want to name her Avery, then have her grow up and always have like 3 other Avery's in all her classes in school, you know?

However, my biggest reservation about Mila is that people will always mis-pronounce it.  When you see it, do you think it should be pronounced like My-luh?  I don't want people to constantly be slaughtering her name, and her ALWAYS having to correct them.  I've thought about trying to spell it differently, but Meela just looks wrong to me, and honestly, I think Mila looks really pretty.

So, dearest readers, what do you think?  Avery Jane or Mila Jane?  Please vote in the poll at the top of my blog page, and I'd really really appreciate your comments and thoughts.  The only thing I ask is that you keep your comments respectful, as no one want to hear that the names they're thinking of for their daughter are ugly.  In my vulnerable pregnant state, I think that'd send me over the edge!  ;)

So, thanks!  :)

38 comments:

Devon said...

I'm all for Mila. I think it's short, sweet, and pretty. I hear you on the mispronunciation problem though. As one who gets my name mispronounced...meh - not that big of a deal so I wouldn't let that be what stops you from naming her Mila.

I do also know several little Averys so I get where you're coming from with not wanting to have it be too common.

Go with Mila :D

Stevie Jackson said...

Hey Brie,

If I were choosing, I'd go with Avery, but not for any real reason. I just like it better. But that's just me. The only (female) Avery that I know personally is 22 so the name's been around a while. She seems to like it fine.

Having said that, Mila is also pretty. One of my friends has a one-year-old named Mila, and she is super-cute. :) As for the pronunciation, I wouldn't worry. I think Mila looks like it should be "mee-la" anyway. Also, there's a reasonably famous Mila (as in Kunis, from Black Swan and That 70s Show, etc) so the name is out there and I think people will know how it's pronounced.

Go with your gut. Or decide when you see her. They're both great names.

Stacy said...

I like them both. Mila is very pretty and if you are thinking of another spelling you could always do Miela? Mila is simple and beautiful to look at and say...
Maybe you should just ask her what she thinks when you meet her :-)

Amanda said...

I am with Stevie on this one.....go with your gut when you see her.
We know two Avery's. One is a girl and one is boy. Do you mind have a unisex name or are you looking for something more distinctly feminine?
If you do go with Mila, it will always be pronounced wrong, but that doe not have to be a negative thing. With our last name (Kissell) we taught our kids to laugh at the jokes that people make up about it. You will have a great opportunity to teach her how to meet people because of her name. You get to teach her tolerance when people say her name wrong.
But wait till you see her to pick. You will know exactly what her name is when she is looking right at you.

Keely said...

I LOVE Avery. I just really do. The mispronounciation part of my name bugs me a little- just because it is so frequent. I am Kelly 90% of the time. And because my name is (somewhat) different, I ALWAYS have to spell it. Or reference it to someone who has that name, which for me is Keely Smith, the 70's singer who sung with Louis Prima....

April said...

Hi you don't know me, but I follow your blog. I like the name Mila a lot more than Avery. Avery is cute but I guess I like how Mila sounds and looks more feminine. I think it will get pronounced wrong... I even thought it was pronounced My-lah until I read your post, but I had already voted for it to be Mila when I thought it was pronounced the other way, so even as My-lah, I still thought it was cuter than Avery. Oh and the other thing I was thinking: My friend was just complaining like a week ago about how her daughter's name (Ava) is now one of the top ten most popular names, but when she named her that it wasn't nearly as popular. And then my other friend said that when she named her son (Cohen) it wasn't even in the top 100 and now it's 18. I guess if all you're worried about is the names of the other girls in her class then watch out for the top 25, but if you're worried that kids of her generation will have the same name, I think that's somewhat unavoidable unless you name her something like Brittany or some other name no one in our generation likes. That's just my opinion... I can see Mila getting just as popular as Avery pretty soon, pretty sure I've read about the name already (I'm pregnant too and look at name lists a lot).

Telstaar said...

It's a bit of a tough choice and either would be good and you never know once, she's born you might throw BOTH out the window and end up with another name (I know that happened to my name, I was meant to be barbara (eep!) and then Amanda and then it was changed to my name when i was born) BUT I think if I was leaning one way or another, I'd go towards Avery, I think there are lots of cute nicknames you can make that are still respectful of the name and I think I like it better overall.

At the end of the day I don't mind because I'll love either one simply because she's your child!!

Love YOU and her and little C and Big B!

xo

Sarah at Journeying With Him said...

One of my favorite women EVER (a wonderful mother and one of my role models) is named Avery. One of my least favorite actresses is named Mila Kunis (girlfriend seems so sleazy!) So I'm a little biased.

I've always been one of several "Sarahs" in most settings. It does bug me occasionally, but not because I feel like I don't have my own identity or anything--it's because I don't actually like the name Sarah very much. (Geez, could this comment be any more biased towards my own opinions?) But I guess this goes to show you that if your daughter thinks she's special (which I bet you guys will instill in her,) she should be fine regardless of her name.

Bottom line, the important thing is what you guys think when you see her AND what you think will help her get jobs and be taken seriously when she's older! D and I plan to name our daughter Zoe. The spelling "Zoey" is SO cute for a little girl, but we don't want my 22 year old to be applying for her first job with "Zoey" listed on top of her resume, so we're going with the more serious spelling.

Shelly said...

Mila!

Sarah at Journeying With Him said...

Hit return too soon. So in conclusion, just don't name her "Averieee" or "Meihla" and I think you'll be fine.

Jinii said...

Brie...I like both names but as someone whose name is mispronounced all the time I have to say it is a pain in the butt and I hated that growing up. That is the reason I voted for Avery. Someone did mention Mila Kunis so the name is more out there and more people will know how to pronounce it because of that. Either way both names are adorable!

Traci said...

I like both names. Avery is quite popular but I still like it. I also don't think Mila will get mispronounced.

Cindy said...

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Avery! I liked it when it was popular when Whit was a baby and now that it's come around again, I love it even more! It radiates the utmost femininity and class to me. Mila is beautiful too, but I think you are right about the pronunciation. My guess is that he will be inadvertently renamed My-la by almost everyone. The fact remains that whatever name you give her will be perfect for her! Good Luck!!

DPG said...

Hi, Brie,

I haven't commented before but very much enjoy reading your blog!

I like both name options, but do agree that it could be less-than-ideal to share a name with several of one's classmates.

You mention that you aren't super excited about the alternate spelling "Meela". I wonder whether you've considered another alternate spelling, "Miela". I just looked this up to see whether there are others who use this spelling. In doing so, I learned that this spelling, just like the name "Melissa", it's quite similar to the French/Latin/Romanian words for "honey" or "sweet as honey". Just a thought.

Best wishes as you look forward to Mila/Avery Jane's arrival!

-Diane

The Kind Life said...

Let's be honest. I want to name my children the following: Novemtree, Tree-Hugger, Peace-Rock and... Lucy. Yes... One normal name within them all. So... Perhaps I would not be a good judge of character on what you should name you kid. However- I think both names are genuinely super cute!

Sairs said...

I really love Avery. I also have had one of my names misprounced all the time and spelt wrong and it drives me mad. I get so annoyed when people say it or spell it wrong. Or when I try and spell it for them or say it to them, they still get it wrong. When I was born I was meant to be "Kevin" but I turned out to be a girl, so that went out the window, lol. You might find that happen too, not the wrong sex, but that the name just doesn't fit her and you come up with something that does when you see her cute little face. Good luck :)

it's me, t said...

Personally, I like Mila better because it sounds more feminine, and cute for a little baby girl. For some reason Avery just reminds me of birds. But no matter what you name her, you're only gonna think of your baby girl.

CG said...

I think you should decide when you see her. :)

My immediate reactions to the names:

Avery - yes, popular now for little girls, which may 'date' her as a 2010s baby in the same sense that many Jessicas/Jennifers/Laurens seem very 80s and Doreens/Debbies/Lindas seem very 50s, but it does not make it less of a cute name. It was originally an English man's name, which gives it a touch of masculinity, but also strength and spunkiness, if that makes sense. I do think of the boy from Charlotte's Web.

Mila - seems European and exotic...an air of mystery almost. I think I would have been more inclined to pronounce it with a short i-vowel sound, as in "Mihla", but who cares - she can correct people. It's a beautiful name, and I can see it fitting a baby, girl and older woman nicely.

I think I would see her little face and then choose. xoxo

Shanllleigh said...

I LOVE both but I vote for Mila. I love it. My daughter is Aislinn and it gets mispronounced a lot. It doesnt really bother me as much as I thought it might. I think either name is really beautiful.

Alexandra Rising said...

Apparently baby names bring me out of the woodwork and back in to the blogosphere!
I like both, but I do like Mila quite a bit. Also, I think with the actress with the same name...people won't be as bound to screw up the pronunciation as they may have been 10 years ago.
Either name is lovely, though! I do like the sound of 'Mila Jane'!

i love bows:) said...

i think both names are so pretty :)

i love Mila, and probably like that more-but the spelling does make it look like it should be said my-luh, which might drive you-and her crazy. my friend is names Mia, and cannot stand it when people say it as me-a. my name is as common as mud, and that annoys me a little-but not as much as when people spell it wrong!

ok, im not being helpful here. I guess I thought i should say that as pretty as both names are, they are both going to have little niggles with them. I say go with your gut!

Melanie said...

I totally pronounced it My-luh until I read your post. Mila is a beautiful name, Avery is a beautiful name. And I've always had an affinity for the female nickname AJ (which your Avery Jane could be).

alison said...

I like Mila, but I wanted to note that I have a friend named Mila, and she pronounces it "My-la", so I think your concern about mispronunciation is valid. Good luck in making your choice!

Tiptoe said...

I like both names. Avery Jane has more ring to it as a first and middle name, but I probably favor Mila more due to it being less popular. I did think you could possibly change the spelling and make it Milla. But then I realized, people might want to pronounce it "Mil-la."

One thing one of my former English teachers used to say is whatever you do, do not make the spelling really weird. Otherwise, it makes it really hard on the kid on how to pronounce the name at all as they are older.

But then again, my name is only 3 letters, and people still do not know how to pronounce it until I give them some sort of common day language reference.

In whatever you choose, she is your baby, so go with your first instincts.

Erin said...

I was going to be a Kevin, too! You know what I like best about names? When your parents have a story about it. Either they knew someone, or they loved what the name meant, or whatever -- they were trying to make the names having meaning. For me, (according to my mom who is sometimes flaky with details), she wanted a girl with a first name that matched the heritage of the last. I'm not sure she even knew what Erin meant ("Girl from Ireland"). Well turns out my last name isn't even Irish -- it's Scottish! But they didn't know that for a long time. My dad's family was from Ireland so they chose Irish names. As for my middle name, my dad's name is Michael and I guess I looked a lot like him when I was born so they gave me the middle name Michelle. I really don't think they had thought it out. But Erin Michelle has a nice flow to it.

Names are cool. It's just cooler when there's some background story I think.

Erin said...

There's also the famous actress Milla Jovovich (who pronounces it Mee-lah). I bet hers got mispronounced a lot more.

Sahara said...

I like Avery, the way it flows.

You could always spell Mila with one of those spanish i's that have the accent for the dot... granted it may not always show up on school rolls and such, but it might be a solution ;)

So exciting to have a girl! We love ours, and are happy you'll have a lady to balance out that little dude of yours!

Anonymous said...

Definitely Avery. Mila will mean a lifetime of correcting people's pronunciation (although it is a pretty name!), plus the nickname "AJ" is ridiculously cute, I think! Either way, your bubba will be so beautiful... Look how good Cade turned out :-)

Justine Taylor said...

I absolutely love the name Mila! It was one of my top choices for my daughter, but my hubby didn't like it.

Avery is definately too popular.. Maybe I'm just against the name in particular. My sisters have a Bratz (or whatever) doll named Avery & it's just... horrific.. Little slut dolls.. Also I used to know a girl named Avery who was [almost] as slutty as the doll.

Shawnee - Sassy in Sweatpants said...

I love them both! But I really, really love Mila. Avery is really popular and I think it is just becoming more and more popular...she may be one of three in her class. But even if you do decide on Avery, that's okay. When I grew up and had 3 Tiffany's in my class they were always the cool kids...I'm sure she'll be fine either way.

Mila is really unique, which is awesome. I love my name because it's so, so rare. People will know who she is without having to specify a last name (i.e. "Did you see Avery's amazing new haircut?" "Which Avery?" "Avery B")...you get the point.

Good Lukc, Brie!!!

Unknown said...

Funny! Mila is one of our top names at the moment. I heard it from the actress (whose real name is actually milena) but my one hesitant for this name is also people saying My-la. Avery is very popular...are you really sold on either?
Maybe come up with some more you like and then make it a game day decision.
Willa

MK said...

I ADORE the name Mila. It's absolutely stunning, not common at all, elegant and classic. And it sounds beautiful in English and French (I'm French so a name HAS to work both ways. Not as crucial to you I guess :) )

Avery is pretty too but I find that every mummy blog that I read is about their daughter Avery.

Either way, she'll be perfect and rock the heck out of her name!

Amanda P said...

As someone who has the most popular name, not only in her birth year, but in the year before and after her birth, I have to say this. I have never once had a problem with having a popular name. I had 5 or 6 friends named Amanda in high school and never once did I feel like I wasn't unique or wish I had a different name. So, don't worry about choosing a popular name. Personally, I prefer Avery to Mila, but that's because every time I see Mila I do think My-La. But, both names are lovely - and your little one will be, too.

jenny said...

i love the name avery.. but think that maybe you should wait until you see her and after seeing that sweet little face.. decide what you think suits her better.

you could always do a different spelling of Mila (Meela?) which isn't as pretty written out.. but would guarantee correct pronunciation. I guessed mee-luh though because of Mila Kunis.

either of the names are lovely.

Shannon said...

I love them both. Avery is a pretty popular name right now. There will almost definitely be fewer Mila's in her school than Avery's, but you never know. My name was never very common, but I ended up assigned a roommate my freshman year in the dorms who shared my name.

If I was picking I would go with Mila. I like different names. Plus I like the way it looks. I always write out my baby name ideas so I can see what it will look like when it's written out. Good luck deciding! I'm sure she will fit whichever name you choose perfectly.

Katie said...

I vote for Avery!

Ms. Jess said...

I prefer Mila for a lot of reasons. It's really beautiful and I wouldn't worry about mispronunciation. I think Mila Kunis is famous enough that most people can pronounce it correctly. Plus, I work in a peds office and I swear, every other newborn girl that comes in is named Avery. I've not met a single Mila yet.

Good luck on the last few days of your pregnancy and with the delivery! So excited for you!

The Archers said...

Both are beautiful, but I love Avery! My daughter's name is very popular and my son's is not at all (didn't even rank in top 1000 ever). But I loved my daughter's name and didn't care, and it fit her perfectly! And her middle name is Jane after her grandma! Go with Avery!!