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Elinor
I always liked Elinor better than Eleanor. Even though they sound the same they feel completely different to me. I don't even like Eleanor, but I love Elinor.What do you think? Which spelling do you prefer? Is the name getting too common in general? Can you see it making the top 100?Oh and a new Summer combo. Summer Rose. Too kitschy/room freshener like? I can't help it, for some reason I always want to combine Summer with another word name. I also love Summer Rain. Argh. I don't usually like word name combos. I never try to combine another favorite, Meadow, with another word name. But I can't help it, I just love Summer Rain and Summer Rose.Do you think it would be that bad? I mean only her friends would know her middle name anyway. Opinions?
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I, too, like the Elinor spelling, but that's mainly due to Jane Austen. I still have Eleanor as a middle name for one of my favorite combos, though. I just like the name in general.If the popularity charts are any indication, than I do see Eleanor becoming quite popular, though I don't think it will become as overused as Sophia, Olivia, or Lily and all its variants/derivatives.Summer Rose is sweet, but a little hippie-ish.
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I like Elinor. I agree, it has a very different feel then Eleanor. I think my favorite spelling is Elanor though.Summer Rose is cute, but I don't think I'd use it. I love Summer Rain though (and Autumn Rain!) In all honesty, if I had a daughter right now and her other parent wanted to use Autumn Rain, I'd probably go for it. :P I think Summer Rain sounds better than Summer Rose (even though the r's mesh together, I think it sounds better. Somehow they sound like SummerRain and Summerose, making Summer Rain more usable and better sounding.)I don't think it would be an issue. Most non-namenerds would just think the double word name was cute, and some namenerds would too. I knew a Sky for 4 years before finding out that her middle name was Elizabeth and that her mom had originally wanted it to be Nature. If it had been Sky Nature, I wouldn't have known since I didn't know her mn anyway!
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Completely agree [m]Elinor is great, but I'm not so keen on Eleanor. The former just sounds so much sleeker and more modern, even though it's got so much history. Unfortunately, I'd never use it- I ABHOR the nickname Ellie, and it would inevitably be used right away. Summer Rain/Rose are both pretty, but... they kinda sound like Bath and Body Works lines. Summer sounds quite fluid and natural with other word names, but I do think it benefits from a first/middle name that's a little more traditional.
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I was long a stickler for the Eleanor spelling but have lately come around to finding Elinor quite lovely. Playing with pairings, I found that some names felt "right" with both spellings while others seemed "right" with one or the other. So, I now use whichever suits the feel of the name for me.Regarding Summer, if I truly loved Summer Rose or Summer Rain infinitely more than any other names, I would not let others dissuade me from using them. It's true that most folks won't know the child's middle name and I've always felt that's the best way to incorporate something very uncommon/unexpected/"kitchy". That said, it sounds as though imagery and feeling are really what you are after and I would explore looking for something, even a word-name, that gives a more abstract or poetic sense of your desired image. For example, do you see a red rose symbolizing love? If so, something like Summer Carys or Summer Valentine might give you same feeling or image without the "kitchy" effect. Just an idea to play with. :)ETA: Summer Tahlia might be an option you'd like. Tahlia means "dew from God" and there are variant spellings.

This message was edited 6/8/2012, 1:10 PM

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Hi Lily. hmm, I've never cared for Eleanor, (or Elinor) it seems TOO understated and slightly homely to me, but I can see why others might like it as he has a certain simplicity and that lovely L in the middle (a feature I really like in names) and it's mature sounding. I do love Summer but also like it spelled Somer (as you may recall I unofficially changed my middle DD's middle name to Somerset). Summer does have a certain vibe that could either go preppy or tacky-but I still like it. I do like Summer Rain as "cheesy" as it may seem to some, I think it is adorable and a middle name is a place to be whimsical if you like. It's not too GP-ish for me. I personally dislike Rose as a middle name. (in fact, I just dislike Rose, period).I really like the idea of doing what feels right and you seem drawn to this. I think I actually like your combo because of, rather in spite of, its descriptive nature. Of course I'm the one who was briefly entertaining Indigo Violet so I may not be the person to ask, lol! Rain is just beautiful. I like it as a first name.

This message was edited 6/8/2012, 6:49 AM

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I tend to write Eleanor when I write the name, but the only thing with Elinor is remembering to use an alternate spelling for me. I suspect that others would have the same problem, but after seeing Hailey, Hailee, Hailie, and Hayley at work, alternate spellings aren't a big deal to me. I don't think it's that common, but wouldn't be upset if it did get in teh top 100. Summer Rose doesn't bother me, since Rose is a filler mn in my area. If you and your SO really love the combo, I don't see why not.
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I like it. I prefer Eleanor, but simply because I'm more familiar with than spelling, Elinor looks fine too. I don't know how common it is, although I'd imagine Eleanor is more common of the two. Summer Rose and Summer Rain are both a bit too wordy for me, so it sounds cheesy. Maybe if you put another middle name in there, such as Summer Eleanor Rose or something like that, it breaks up a bit.
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Oh, I like that idea of adding another mn! Works! :)
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I far prefer Elinor, but don't mind Eleanor. I also prefer Eleonore to Eleanor (I know they're pronounced differently). Elinor is in my top 5.I really admire the character Elinor Dashwood, and have often turned my thoughts to her in situations where my romantic feelings could have led me to embarrass myself had I not used Elinor-style restraint and preserved myself from said embarrassment. "Elinor would not approve," has become a motto for me. For this, I honor her, and I love the name.

This message was edited 6/8/2012, 8:19 AM

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I like Elinor best too, but Eleanor is fine. It's top 100 here. My niece is one. When she was named (after a relative) they weren't so common, and it's still not as common as Ellie as a full name, which was super popular here for ages.Yes, Summer Rose and Summer Rain are cheesier than a dairy full of cheeses in Cheesetown. But a) who cares and b) I can't really comment as I secretly love Heulwen Haf, and Heulwen in general. :Deta full confession: and Enfys Haf!

This message was edited 6/8/2012, 1:11 AM

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You'll be in a position to know, Pie: is there any likelihood that a baby girl might have been born some time last weekend (nudge, nudge, wink, wink) and named Jubilee Summer Rain? It would go so well with a Corgi-shaped china ornament.
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According to my aunt it was more like Jubilee Downpour. She and my cousin went and were drenched. :)
1887 and 1897 saw a whole load of little Jubilees born - boys and girls, Jubilee James struck me as cheery. Several Jubilee Victorias, of course. Jubilee Diamond! Heehee and a Jubileena.eta Oh dear, Jubilee Fanny

This message was edited 6/8/2012, 2:42 AM

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Surely you jest? Or was she one of the 1887 crop, in more innocent days?Jubileena sounds like a wine-free wine gum.
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Oh all 1887 and 1897. 1977 scored hardly any Jubilee-names, and I can't see many happening this year in the UK - people naming now are just not as patriotic as the Victorians. Or as much fun!

This message was edited 6/8/2012, 3:47 AM

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I like Elinor slightly better, but I still like Eleanor a lot.Summer Rose is a bit too cheesy, as is Summer Rain. Though I do love the image that Summer Rain conjures. However I would be careful thinking that only her friends would know her middle name. My (awful) middle name comes up a lot, for some reason. And it's quite unique and therefore memorable (ugh).And on the subject of Summer word names, I know a girl named Summer Joy. It's about as cheesy as Summer Rose/Rain, though not quite as pretty (to me).
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I like both Elinor and Eleanor, but I currently prefer Elinor. Eleanor is becoming more used, but it's not too common.I think Summer Rose is pretty. I don't know why anyone would be embarrassed by it. Summer Rain seems more cheesy to me for some reason, probably because Rose is more "normal" and name-like than Rain.
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Elinor\Eleanor is okay to me, not bad, not wonderful. I prefer the Eleanor spelling. Elinor just doesn't look as elegant. I wouldn't carry it to the point that I'd say that I like Eleanor and dislike Elinor, though.It doesn't seem too common to me. I've never even known one.If you like Summer Rose and Summer Rain, go for it. I think it's equally likely that a Summer Rose or a Summer Rain will either love it, or be embarrassed by it, and if she loves it, she will love telling people her middle name, and if she's embarrassed by it, nobody has to know.
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Yup, yup. I don't mind Eleanor, but I'm firmly on Team Elinor. I agree that they feel totally different. Eleanor is somewhat cold and dour, while Elinor is so much warmer. It has a better personality. Summer Rose is corny and really does sound like a Glade Plug-In. I just don't think Summer can be combined with a naturey name like Rose or Rain without sounding silly. While you're right that not everyone who meets her will know her full name, middle names do come up, and I would personally hate to give a child a combo she would have reason to feel embarrassed about.
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True, the thing is you never know what a child will be embarrassed about. I didn't know for years that the first name of my friend is Mary. She went by her middle name because she hated Mary. I never found out because it didn't even appear on our class lists, just the name she went by. Personally, I would like to be called Summer Rain and would be embarrassed by something like Patience, Piper (I just think it sounds super silly) or Mckayla. And there are many people who think these names are perfectly fine. Piper is quite common. It just depends on what you like. As I can't know which names my daughter will like all I can do is choose one I like and explain to her why I love it so much in the hope that she'll love it too.Argh I wish I liked other combos, but the image is so beautiful. I've been trying to pair it with some other faves but it never seems right.

This message was edited 6/7/2012, 7:46 PM

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It would be too risky for me. To my mind, it's one thing to pick non-jokey, non-phrase name like Summer Annabel or Summer Zoe and hope she likes it and quite another to pick a name you already know has a high cheeziness factor and cross your fingers. Despite the fact that you like the combo and the images it invokes, you actually don't seem that comfortable with it. When your posts about a combo say things like only her friends will know her middle name anyway, I could hide my names if I wanted to/I have a friend who kept her name a secret--Summer Rose could do the same, and I'll just have to explain myself and hope she thinks like me, you might be looking at signs that it's a name best left as a GP. There are better Summer combos out there. You just haven't found them yet.
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I'm like you. I could never get into Eleanor, but I like Elinor. I've never met an Eleanor/Elinor before, so I don't think it will get too common, not in my area anyway.Summer is nms, but Summer Rose is pretty, I prefer it over Summer Rain. I don't think it would be bad, I went to school with a Summer and she was very popular, never got teased. :)
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Elinor is much better than Eleanor, I agree. However, I do think it's getting too common. It's become my big pet-peeve name because of its rapidly rising popularity. Sad, really. A nice name in theory.I love Summer Rain and Summer Rose too, in terms of sound and aesthetic, but it does sound like a detergent I'd buy. I think it would be pretty difficult to carry. Middle names can come up in a lot of places, legal documents, job applications, things like that. It feels pretty flighty and flaky for that. Summer's a great name, though.
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I never had the impression. I have two middle names and I could have kept them secret from just about everyone, had I wanted to. They didn't appear on my class list, on my certificates when I graduated. Never put them on my resumé. They only show up on my passport. I think they're not even on my health insurance card. For years I didn't know that one of my best friends was actually named Mary. She goes by her middle name and just never told anyone. Of course you have to show people you work for your passport or something similar for identification but by then they would already have hired you.I just think you can go crazy with middle names because hardly anyone will know about them. I'm more worried about whether she will like it. But I guess you can never know whether your children will like their name anyway.
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Huh. My middle name comes up a lot. :P Funny how all that tends to work out. I'd be less likely to give my own child a crazy middle name based on my own experiences with MNs.
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I was at my school's graduation this year (I had to see my headache for the past seven years officially get out of my hair), and we had the middle names in a slide show that was shown while everyone waited for the start of the ceremony. I also remember them used in my confirmation. (7 girls, 4 with the mn of Marie.) My nephew also gets yelled at a lot with both names, and his big sister has started to get that too.
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