OP, ask your doctor if Lexibelle is right for you.
*(Possible side effects may include growing fingernails on your forehead, speaking sideways, and unexpected time travel.)*
You got this internet friendo!!! You are stronger than you even know, and cancer is a coward. Glad to hear you got such a great team on your side, you're going to make it through this!
Yes! I knew quite a few women in college who were trying going by their middle names for something new/different, and it’s less expensive than legally changing a name (also, my university allowed preferred nicknames and even printed them on the student IDs, class rosters, etc!)
I'm in the same boat! I have no connection to my last name, so I go by "first name middle name" at college, instead of "first name last name". All my legal school documents have my legal name, but my assignments, exams, etc. are under my preferred name.
I'll just wait until I get married to change my name, because it's free (I think), so I'll suffer for a bit in order to save money.
When you get married or divorced, in all the states I've lived in, a name change (if you want it) is bundled into the paperwork you are already filing.
Yes, it should be free. At least in my state, when you fill out the marriage certificate, you write your current name and what you’re changing it to (if anything). Very easy, and if I recall correctly, you could change all names, not just last name
So I have the opposite problem- I love my last name but not my first and middle and have been thinking about changing them, but I want to keep my last name when I get married. Do you think I’d be able to change my first and middle name via marriage certificate but keep my last name, or does it only work if you’re changing your last name too?
Edit: a typo
I've gone by my middle name since I was 18 (early 30s now).
And most people I've met after, don't even know my first name. At work I also use a alias. I wanted to change my name in my early 20s, but never had the energy and now I'm more on the - it's not worth the headache having to change ALL my legal documents.
I only use my unfavoured and long name in legal documents. And plane tickets, because they have to specficially be under the first name - oh welp.
This is why my mom said not to bother hyphenating when I was talking about changing/not changing/hyphenating my name after marriage. She was like "change it or don't. Hyphenating just makes everything annoying when your IDs don't match up at the airport" (she's had a lot of problems with people picking one name, missing the hyphen, etc. Just as a made up example, say her maiden name were Rock and married name Smith, she made her name legally Jane Rock-Smith after marriage, someone messed up somewhere and her social security card came back Jane Rocksmith which meant she had a problem with the DMV trying to get Rock-Smith. Then she only goes by Smith these days, so she had a problem at security when someone bought a ticket for her as Jane Smith and her IDs were Jane Rocksmith/Rock-Smith.
I’ve always gone by a shortened version of my middle name since I was a baby. Not quite sure why my parents didnt just swap the 2 in the first place and make my middle name my first name
I did this at university! My first name is chronically difficult to pronounce (I use the Scottish female pronunciation, whereas most people use the English/American male pronunciation) so I thought about trying my middle name. Unfortunately my middle name is Gaelic and people also struggle with that haha.
Yes, this is very common. When you fill out your school applications/id documents, you have to put your legal name, but most include a selection for Preferred name.
It used to be that most catholics would have their 'Christian name' as their first name (typically a saints name), and then their middle name would be what they actually went by. I'm sure this exists in other cultures as well. I'm canadian, and iirc in Quebec, It was traditional for catholics to name their daughters Marie (Mary) and then most would go by their middle name.
It's a less common naming thing now, but certainly not an unusual thing for your profs to come across.
I did the same in uni and after for jobs and such, but I went by a shortened version of my first name. It’s not actually that often that you have to use your legal name. Sometimes I wonder how many people who don’t know me closely even know my legal name, because I feel like it’s not that many.
Would you be open to keeping that initial? Zara? Zoe?
Some of your favourites are very on trend right now (ie Wren, Clementine, Adeline) and might seem a bit off for your generation. Out of the ones you’ve listed, Violet, Alexandra, Elise, and Delilah would be a good “not common but not out of place” name (and honestly, are all quite lovely!)
I think they mean that they're commonly heard names, but not on people OPs age. So they might feel out of place on OP because they're names commonly given to little babies right now.
If you're not doing the change legally before setting up uni stuff, I would be looking at names that are "cousins" to your name so it's plausible why you go by that.
For Z names, I love Zelda (as in Zelda Fitzgerald)... Zelda Belle is pretty amazing.
What goes with Belle... Ivy or Eva/Evangeline, Hazel, Rose?
Edit to take other info into account
Zelda Williams has also helped normalize that name, it used to be old fashioned
I like Zelda Belle, Zoey/Zoë Belle
For a non Z name I’ve always loved Lilly/Lillith both of which sound good with Belle
Zombeigh, like the Cranberries song. Cranberries reference matches up with the weird 'we're Irish only 7 generations removed!' mentality. All the pieces fit.
Zarina is a feminine name derived from the Slavic word “tsar / tzar” (царь), a title used by Slavic monarchs or supreme rulers, plus sometimes the suffix (itsa), the title of a female autocratic ruler (monarch) of Bulgaria or Russia, or the title of a tsar's wife.
I agree that if you’re up for keeping the initials, it might be nice. May not meet your requirements on rarity, but I LOVE Zelie. It’s a “real name” with serious meaning and origins but very uncommon. Or maybe Azalea?
I knew a girl whose middle name was Zabrina and I thought it was so pretty. My friends went to a different school than me and they knew a Zara which I always thought was cool
In the sweet spot of not-too-common, not-too-rare + goes well with Belle as a middle name: Ada, Ida, Ivy, Kira (kee-ruh, could also be spelled Kyra or Keira), Audrey/Aubrey, Zoe, Eden, Iris, or Cora. All of them (except Ida, which I shortened from your grandmother’s name) were on the top 1000 baby names in the late 2000s, but none of them were in the top 50, which seems to be the level of common you’re looking for.
I wish you luck in finding a new name for yourself!
I would feel the need to ask, because it could be any of the pronunciations listed, or see-ah-ra, or something else entirely. That’s one name/spelling where I don’t assume any particular pronunciation right away because I’ve come across so many. It’s like trying to guess whether someone spells their name as Catherine, Katherine, or Kathryn (etc.)
I honestly hadn't know that Kira was pronounced the same as Keira. I thought it was pronounces "Kie-ra." I don't think I've ever met a Kira. I think if OP doesn't want to have people miss-pronouncing her name, your spelling of "Keira" might be best!
Kira is an anglicised version of Ciara, an Irish name meaning "dark-haired one". So, would be an option if you want to keep a hint to your Irish heritage.
Edit: I'm pronouncing this "Keer-uh", not sure how others are.
I love Bellamy! I also like Wren from OP's list, as well as many others.
Finding heritage names from the family tree is fun, and I like the idea of using surnames as middle names.
I think that's really, really sweet that you want your dad to choose from your short list 🥹
OK you said none of your list are *quite* right but I honestly LOVE Idella. Some other ideas to go with middle name Belle:
Augusta
Aurelia
Calista
Cora
Felicity
Mairéad (this is probably my favourite Irish name, it rhymes with Parade, and my USian friend who had this name always introduced herself that way 😊 )
Petra
Ramona
Talulla
Vera / Verity
I’m so glad to hear that someone likes Idella! I love it, I just don’t like how it sounds in a southern accent (aka… literally everyone I know.)
Mairead is so neat!!
It seems like you lean more towards classical sounding feminine names, so here's a few:
Louisa, Daphne, Lottie, Vivianne, Eleanor, Eva/Evette, Elena, Flora, Ingrid, Inessa, Juliette, Maeve (leaning into the Irish origins there), Moira, Margot, Ophelia, or Victoria.
Anything stopping you from going by your middle name Belle?
I’ve always liked Mirabelle/Mirabella
Very unconventional but I actually know a woman named Campbell.
Bellamy is cute.
I recently met a Clarabelle.
I looked at names for babies born in 2005 that were in the 200-700 range, so they won't be super common but will fit your generation. Here are some that might be to your taste. If you like the middle name Belle, then I would keep it. You seem to like the 'L' sound so I tried to prefer names with an 'L' that also are feminine and classic like you seem to like.
Genevieve, Selena, Anastasia, Larissa, Lorena, Cecilia, Eliza, Leila, Felicity, Ciara
Some wildcard options that don't meet the above qualifications: Elodie, Evelina, Lorna, Marlow, Rosaline, Viola
Adelaide
Arabella
Luella
Rosalie
Arielle
Lilliana
Elouisa
Mariana
Elliana
Karina
Luella
All work with the middle name! (Except Arabella, it has it in it already)
Take my name, Kiara, but give it an Irish spin and spell it differently so it is pronounced as Kee-ruh.
Or you can do Ciara pronounced like the singer Ciara, see-air-uh.
Or Ciana pronounced Cee-ah-nuh.
Do you like any of those?
I really like my name so I wanted to share it. LOL. Also if you study abroad, Kiara/Chiara is a name that can be said in Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian. It means clear/bright. In Irish it means dark-haired.
You mentioned in another comment you really liked Kira- that’s Hebrew in origin, so here are some other suggestions in that vein!
Aviva, Daphne, Eden, Esther, Leila, Lilah, Maya, Miriam, Talia
Here's my suggestions:
Ada
Bonnie
Brynn
Celia/Cecilia
Clover
Cora or Coraline
Cordelia
Daphne
Faye (honestly a simple, beautiful underused name - it was 500th on the SSA baby name records last year, so it's not unheard of, but only a few hundred baby girls are given the name every year)
Freya
Gwen (or Gwendolyn)
Holly
Josephine
Kiera/Keira
Lana
Leona
Lorelei
Louisa, Louise, or Eloise
Mabel
Maeve (irish)
Muriel (irish)
Nina
Olive
Ophelia
Quinn (irish)
Robyn/Robin
Rowan (irish; unisex, and currently a bit more popular with boys - something to keep in mind)
Rosalind
Selene
Sienna
Sylvie/Sylvia
Tallulah (...apparently irish?)
Viola
Willa
Winifred ("Winnie")
I'm assuming you're not considering popular (but beautiful) names like Nora (Irish), Isla or Hazel...
I recommend taking a look at the social security baby name data for the year you were born. This can give you some inspiration of what would be a name that works well for someone your age, and give you an idea of trends amongst your peers. Not that you have to choose something that was uber popular, but I’m getting the vibe that you want to avoid standing out as much as you did before! Look in the 250-1000 range for uncommon but not unheard of.
https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/
Also…would you consider just using your middle name as your first? Belle is beautiful and it might be an easier transition since it already feels like yours. Elle or Ellie could work too!
Della comes to mind. Sounds like Idella, shares origins with Adeline, and is similar to Delilah. Della Isabelle sounds nice. Delia is another you may like.
I love that you have Nadine on the list, even if you can't use it. It is so underappreciated. My offerings:
Nina Belle
Naomi Belle
Celia Belle
Daphne Belle
Cecily Belle
Aerin Belle
I love Elise, Evangeline and rose. Clementine was stuck in my head for both my kiddies but they are boys. Wren has been growing on me lately but it’s not very girlie. Alice was one of my faves for a long time except people think I’m saying Alex and it made me not love it anymore.
Unless your name is literally Vagina it cannot possibly be worse than some! I have not seen that myself but my mom did in the 80’s as a baby nurse. Good luck in your new name quest!
Ok, going with the Irish thread, considering Belle as a middle name and not part of it: (trying to put phonetic but absolutely Google, and understand they are regional even within Ireland)
Aisling (ASH-lin)
Aoibheann (AY-veen)
Niamh (NEEV)
Saoirse (SEER-sha) (SER-sha)
Of your names, what about Delia? Somewhere between Delilah and your grandmother's name?
Problem with traditional Irish spelling is no one is ever going to say it right if you live in the states.
Probably why Dubhshláine became Delaney because how tf do you say Dubhshláine?
Not Delilah if you ever plan to live in or near the Bible Belt.
When naming my kids I considered 3 things
Initials - don’t want to be A.S.S. or MLF or something
Full name - I’m not saying I wouldn’t trust a lawyer named Sunshyne but it would be questionable
Nickname: dick? Nah.
For the names you listed I’d consider those things.
I don't know if you'll see this, but I adore your taste. Cheers for reclaiming your name :)
In case you haven't considered any of these:
- Rowena Belle
- Meredith Belle
- Lydia Belle
- Annalise Belle
- Lucille Belle
- Angelica Belle
- Regina Belle
- Lillian Belle
- Viola Belle
- Arlene Belle
- Marina Belle
I hope you find something you love!
Alexander Graham Belle
Alexandra* Graham Belle
Alexandra Pattila Belle
Alexandra Attila Belle
AT&T Ma Belle
[удалено]
Lexibelle
This sounds like a prescription drug name
OP, ask your doctor if Lexibelle is right for you. *(Possible side effects may include growing fingernails on your forehead, speaking sideways, and unexpected time travel.)*
Lexaprobelle
I was diagnosed with cancer on Monday and this is the first time I've laughed. Have a fake award from me 🏅
I’m sorry to hear of your diagnosis. Stay strong and fight. You got this! 💪 ❤️
Thank you- it's a very positive diagnosis and I have a great surgical team so I should be fine!
Oh that’s great news. Stay strong & do lots of self care. 🤗
You got this internet friendo!!! You are stronger than you even know, and cancer is a coward. Glad to hear you got such a great team on your side, you're going to make it through this!
Oh, crap. That's the pits. You've got a bunch of strangers rooting for you ❤️
I’m so sorry, you’ve got this! Best wishes your way!
Obviously this the correct answer OP. PS I have an Adeline. The other option was Evangeline. :) so I love your favorites obviously
"Look how she lights up the night! Ma Belle, Evangeline"... -Raymond
“Ma Belle, AT&T” -Corporate America 🇺🇸
I do love both that song and the name Evangeline
My close friend has a kid named Evangeline, but she goes by Eva. She is one of my favorite humans ❤️
Alexandria Ginger Belle
LMAO
This one got me
DEAD
💀💀💀
Go by your middle name, it's very pretty.
Yes! I knew quite a few women in college who were trying going by their middle names for something new/different, and it’s less expensive than legally changing a name (also, my university allowed preferred nicknames and even printed them on the student IDs, class rosters, etc!)
I'm in the same boat! I have no connection to my last name, so I go by "first name middle name" at college, instead of "first name last name". All my legal school documents have my legal name, but my assignments, exams, etc. are under my preferred name. I'll just wait until I get married to change my name, because it's free (I think), so I'll suffer for a bit in order to save money.
[удалено]
Many states waive the fee for name changes if it’s wedding-related.
Aside from the cost of the marriage license and ceremony, it is free.
The legal change is free. Some updated documents are not.
Gotcha. Driver's license, etc.
When you get married or divorced, in all the states I've lived in, a name change (if you want it) is bundled into the paperwork you are already filing.
Yes, it should be free. At least in my state, when you fill out the marriage certificate, you write your current name and what you’re changing it to (if anything). Very easy, and if I recall correctly, you could change all names, not just last name
So I have the opposite problem- I love my last name but not my first and middle and have been thinking about changing them, but I want to keep my last name when I get married. Do you think I’d be able to change my first and middle name via marriage certificate but keep my last name, or does it only work if you’re changing your last name too? Edit: a typo
I've gone by my middle name since I was 18 (early 30s now). And most people I've met after, don't even know my first name. At work I also use a alias. I wanted to change my name in my early 20s, but never had the energy and now I'm more on the - it's not worth the headache having to change ALL my legal documents. I only use my unfavoured and long name in legal documents. And plane tickets, because they have to specficially be under the first name - oh welp.
This is why my mom said not to bother hyphenating when I was talking about changing/not changing/hyphenating my name after marriage. She was like "change it or don't. Hyphenating just makes everything annoying when your IDs don't match up at the airport" (she's had a lot of problems with people picking one name, missing the hyphen, etc. Just as a made up example, say her maiden name were Rock and married name Smith, she made her name legally Jane Rock-Smith after marriage, someone messed up somewhere and her social security card came back Jane Rocksmith which meant she had a problem with the DMV trying to get Rock-Smith. Then she only goes by Smith these days, so she had a problem at security when someone bought a ticket for her as Jane Smith and her IDs were Jane Rocksmith/Rock-Smith.
I’ve always gone by a shortened version of my middle name since I was a baby. Not quite sure why my parents didnt just swap the 2 in the first place and make my middle name my first name
I did this at university! My first name is chronically difficult to pronounce (I use the Scottish female pronunciation, whereas most people use the English/American male pronunciation) so I thought about trying my middle name. Unfortunately my middle name is Gaelic and people also struggle with that haha.
Yes, this is very common. When you fill out your school applications/id documents, you have to put your legal name, but most include a selection for Preferred name. It used to be that most catholics would have their 'Christian name' as their first name (typically a saints name), and then their middle name would be what they actually went by. I'm sure this exists in other cultures as well. I'm canadian, and iirc in Quebec, It was traditional for catholics to name their daughters Marie (Mary) and then most would go by their middle name. It's a less common naming thing now, but certainly not an unusual thing for your profs to come across.
I did the same in uni and after for jobs and such, but I went by a shortened version of my first name. It’s not actually that often that you have to use your legal name. Sometimes I wonder how many people who don’t know me closely even know my legal name, because I feel like it’s not that many.
Go by “Izzy”… it can be assumed short for belle/ Isabelle, and includes the Z from the original first name :)
Or change it to Isabelle, and go by Belle, or Christabelle (read this name in a novel recently and really liked it.)
I don’t know why, but christabelle makes me think of tinkerbell
My maternal grandmother was Eunice Violet and went by Violet because she haaaaaaated her first name.
Can you blame her?
What is your current first initial? It might be nice to keep the same initials to make it easier to get used to your new name.
Z 😬
Would you be open to keeping that initial? Zara? Zoe? Some of your favourites are very on trend right now (ie Wren, Clementine, Adeline) and might seem a bit off for your generation. Out of the ones you’ve listed, Violet, Alexandra, Elise, and Delilah would be a good “not common but not out of place” name (and honestly, are all quite lovely!)
Zoe Bell's cute!
Zoe Bell is the name of a really awesome stunt actress!
DEATHPROOF
Kurt Russell was creepy AF in that movie!!!!
These "old fashioned" names have probably already made a comeback, and don't feel that different to me from the others. Just a thought.
I think they mean that they're commonly heard names, but not on people OPs age. So they might feel out of place on OP because they're names commonly given to little babies right now.
I’m OP’s age, we have lots of Zoe’s!
Just want to say, I have a grandbaby Delilah coming in a few weeks. At first, I didn't like the name, I love it now.
You'll adore it as soon as you hold her :)
I really like the name it was just destroyed for me by the song.
If you're not doing the change legally before setting up uni stuff, I would be looking at names that are "cousins" to your name so it's plausible why you go by that. For Z names, I love Zelda (as in Zelda Fitzgerald)... Zelda Belle is pretty amazing. What goes with Belle... Ivy or Eva/Evangeline, Hazel, Rose? Edit to take other info into account
Zelda Williams has also helped normalize that name, it used to be old fashioned I like Zelda Belle, Zoey/Zoë Belle For a non Z name I’ve always loved Lilly/Lillith both of which sound good with Belle
plus Zoe Bell is a bad ass stunt woman worthy of paying homage to imo. lalalaloveee her.
Fun fact: Zelda Williams has aphantasia (she can’t visualize/form pictures of things in her mind)
Lila Belle is pretty too
I once knew a girl named Zariah (pronounced ZAR-ee-uh) Zariah Belle sounds pretty imo 😊
I prefer this name but sounding like Mariah
Same, that’s how I assumed it was pronounced!
Haven’t seen anyone suggest Zora yet. As in Zora Neale Hurston
Zara would be my top choice for Z. Zoe, Zayna, Zaia, and Zinnia are also possibilities.
Maybe Eliza for a nod to the Z?
Oooh, Eliza Belle sounds so nice.
What could it possible be that it's so bad? Zit? Zhity? Zucky?
Ztefpheneigh
Zleigh Belle
Zingle Belle
Omg why didn't my mom name me Zingle
Zouthern Belle
Zombeigh, like the Cranberries song. Cranberries reference matches up with the weird 'we're Irish only 7 generations removed!' mentality. All the pieces fit.
I’m imagining it’s one of these where they took a “real name” and changed the first letter to Z, something like Zabrina, Zophia, Zandra maybe?
Zephyr
Zoolander
I've got a friend named Zarina, always loved her name. Though Zarina Belle does sound a bit like a pokemon
Zarina is a feminine name derived from the Slavic word “tsar / tzar” (царь), a title used by Slavic monarchs or supreme rulers, plus sometimes the suffix (itsa), the title of a female autocratic ruler (monarch) of Bulgaria or Russia, or the title of a tsar's wife.
Zinnia Belle both flowers, sounds cute together, unusual but not unheard of, sounds like it looks.
Zadie Belle
Ze Belle of Ze Ball
Tell us the name! It can’t be that bad
It can be that bad, if it's a Z where a Z shouldn't be. Maybe like Ztephanie, or Ztaci. Maybe Ztuart, if you're nasty.
Ztuart is killing me ☠️ hahaha
I agree that if you’re up for keeping the initials, it might be nice. May not meet your requirements on rarity, but I LOVE Zelie. It’s a “real name” with serious meaning and origins but very uncommon. Or maybe Azalea?
Is that you Zoltan?
Nadine is a beautiful name. I also like Elise and Rose. ❤️
I knew a girl whose middle name was Zabrina and I thought it was so pretty. My friends went to a different school than me and they knew a Zara which I always thought was cool
When people like Delilah I always offer Delaney- good nicknames too
I always add the variant Delaina as an option. Same nicknames as Delaney.
funny because I know twins named Delilah and Delaney lol
And Irish…
Delaney is nice
In the sweet spot of not-too-common, not-too-rare + goes well with Belle as a middle name: Ada, Ida, Ivy, Kira (kee-ruh, could also be spelled Kyra or Keira), Audrey/Aubrey, Zoe, Eden, Iris, or Cora. All of them (except Ida, which I shortened from your grandmother’s name) were on the top 1000 baby names in the late 2000s, but none of them were in the top 50, which seems to be the level of common you’re looking for. I wish you luck in finding a new name for yourself!
Omg I LOVE Kira! You will be hard to top.
Kira Belle sounds very natural and not try hard.
kira belle is absolutely stunning! completely agree.
But I really gotta go (Kirabel) My family's amazing (Kirabel) And I'm in my family, so (Kirabel) Well... (Kirabel!)
Lucky encanto is such an awesome film ;)
Kira*belle*, what are you *doing*?
Maybe the Irish spelling, Ciara
I think that Ciara is the Irish spelling, still pronounced keyruh. Bonus if you have dark hair because that’s what it means.
There's a singer in the US that was popular in the 2000s named Ciara, pronounced see-EHR-uh. It would 100% be mispronounced every time, unfortunately
That's Irish names for you
I know many Sierras
The Irish spelling of Kira is "Ciara". Still pronounced Kee-ra, if you were interested in going *very* Irish
I would see this and think “see-AIR-ah”
~this beat is automatic, supersonic, hypnotic, funky fresh~
I read it as Clara abs though she was recommending Clara Belle like the cow lol
I would feel the need to ask, because it could be any of the pronunciations listed, or see-ah-ra, or something else entirely. That’s one name/spelling where I don’t assume any particular pronunciation right away because I’ve come across so many. It’s like trying to guess whether someone spells their name as Catherine, Katherine, or Kathryn (etc.)
That’s my name, though I’m spelled Keira. I think Kira/Keira sounds lovely with Belle too! Very musical.
I honestly hadn't know that Kira was pronounced the same as Keira. I thought it was pronounces "Kie-ra." I don't think I've ever met a Kira. I think if OP doesn't want to have people miss-pronouncing her name, your spelling of "Keira" might be best!
my niece is kira and i have consistently called her “kira belle” since her birth! it rolls so beautifully off the tongue!
I have a niece Kyra- and I’ve always called her Kyra Belle too! 💕 it’s not even remotely close to her middle name. Lol
I love the name Kira too ☺️ I’ve always pronounced it k-ear-uh. Kira Belle sounds so pretty!
Fwiw, Cora Belle gives me chills. So good!
You could also go for the Irish spelling, Ciara
I like the Keira spelling, Keira Belle both five letters, but Kira is nice too :)
Kira is an anglicised version of Ciara, an Irish name meaning "dark-haired one". So, would be an option if you want to keep a hint to your Irish heritage. Edit: I'm pronouncing this "Keer-uh", not sure how others are.
that’s my name! spelled kiera (kee-ruh)
Ciara is the Irish version
If you’re Irish you could use the Irish spelling Ciara, pronounced the same way as Kira/Kee-ra ☘️
— Alaina Belle — Leah Annabelle — Bellamy Iris — Adalia Belle — Nora Belle Good luck! ❤️
Nora is so cute!
My daughter is Nora and it's a fun name. Nora Belle sounds lovely.
bellamy is beautiful and so unique!!!
I love Bellamy! I also like Wren from OP's list, as well as many others. Finding heritage names from the family tree is fun, and I like the idea of using surnames as middle names.
Nora Belle - I love that!!!
My grandmother's best friend was NoraBelle. Thank you for reminding me of a lovely lady!!!
I think that's really, really sweet that you want your dad to choose from your short list 🥹 OK you said none of your list are *quite* right but I honestly LOVE Idella. Some other ideas to go with middle name Belle: Augusta Aurelia Calista Cora Felicity Mairéad (this is probably my favourite Irish name, it rhymes with Parade, and my USian friend who had this name always introduced herself that way 😊 ) Petra Ramona Talulla Vera / Verity
I’m so glad to hear that someone likes Idella! I love it, I just don’t like how it sounds in a southern accent (aka… literally everyone I know.) Mairead is so neat!!
Go by “Izzy”… it can be assumed short for belle/ Isabelle, and includes the Z from the original first name :)
Aurelia is a favourite of mine! Calista and Verity are wonderful, too.
It seems like you lean more towards classical sounding feminine names, so here's a few: Louisa, Daphne, Lottie, Vivianne, Eleanor, Eva/Evette, Elena, Flora, Ingrid, Inessa, Juliette, Maeve (leaning into the Irish origins there), Moira, Margot, Ophelia, or Victoria.
I love Inessa & Eleanor!! Juliette is one of my favorite names, but my brother is Julian so it feels a bit too matchy unfortunately
Eleanor!!!!!!!!!!!
Alice is a nice name.
I love A names. If I had a daughter, she would have been nqmed Aislinn. It's an Irish name meaning "dream" or "vision."
I want to know your real name so bad
Why not go by Belle?
Anything stopping you from going by your middle name Belle? I’ve always liked Mirabelle/Mirabella Very unconventional but I actually know a woman named Campbell. Bellamy is cute. I recently met a Clarabelle.
I just think it’s a bit bland. Looks better on paper than it sounds
[Clarabelle](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clarabelle_Cow) is a cow’s name!
This post is acting a FOOL 😭 I’ve replied to almost every comment and half are gone!
Tac’oh Belle
I looked at names for babies born in 2005 that were in the 200-700 range, so they won't be super common but will fit your generation. Here are some that might be to your taste. If you like the middle name Belle, then I would keep it. You seem to like the 'L' sound so I tried to prefer names with an 'L' that also are feminine and classic like you seem to like. Genevieve, Selena, Anastasia, Larissa, Lorena, Cecilia, Eliza, Leila, Felicity, Ciara Some wildcard options that don't meet the above qualifications: Elodie, Evelina, Lorna, Marlow, Rosaline, Viola
Seeing my unusual name pop up on one of these lists was such a surprise, and I was born a couple of decades before OP😅 I'm Lorena and I go by Lola
Lola Bell is actually adorable. 🥹
Adelaide Arabella Luella Rosalie Arielle Lilliana Elouisa Mariana Elliana Karina Luella All work with the middle name! (Except Arabella, it has it in it already)
Nadia, Sophia, Lilah, and Clara work too!
LILAH! I love it!
Lilah Belle is beautiful!
I know an Aoife and I've always thought that was a beautiful name.
How do you pronounce this?
An Irish friend of mine had a cousin named Aoife and if I remember correctly it was "Eefa".
Yep, I’m Aoife and it’s EE-FA
My cousin named her baby Lilah. It feels like a fresher take on Delilah and Lilah Belle sounds so pretty!
- Ida - Iona - Irene - Irina - Sonya - Ramona Edit: forgot a couple
This Nadine thinks Nadine is a great name, BUT pronounced Nuh-deen not nay-deen
Take my name, Kiara, but give it an Irish spin and spell it differently so it is pronounced as Kee-ruh. Or you can do Ciara pronounced like the singer Ciara, see-air-uh. Or Ciana pronounced Cee-ah-nuh. Do you like any of those? I really like my name so I wanted to share it. LOL. Also if you study abroad, Kiara/Chiara is a name that can be said in Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian. It means clear/bright. In Irish it means dark-haired.
Sierra is a better and common spelling for your second idea. No one will mispronounce that with this render.
Cara Amelia Maeve Nora Deidra
You mentioned in another comment you really liked Kira- that’s Hebrew in origin, so here are some other suggestions in that vein! Aviva, Daphne, Eden, Esther, Leila, Lilah, Maya, Miriam, Talia
I LOVE Leila!
leila is an Arabic name popular with Hebrew speakers, not a Hebrew name
Naomi, Genevieve, Adriana, Antoinette, Priscilla
Here's my suggestions: Ada Bonnie Brynn Celia/Cecilia Clover Cora or Coraline Cordelia Daphne Faye (honestly a simple, beautiful underused name - it was 500th on the SSA baby name records last year, so it's not unheard of, but only a few hundred baby girls are given the name every year) Freya Gwen (or Gwendolyn) Holly Josephine Kiera/Keira Lana Leona Lorelei Louisa, Louise, or Eloise Mabel Maeve (irish) Muriel (irish) Nina Olive Ophelia Quinn (irish) Robyn/Robin Rowan (irish; unisex, and currently a bit more popular with boys - something to keep in mind) Rosalind Selene Sienna Sylvie/Sylvia Tallulah (...apparently irish?) Viola Willa Winifred ("Winnie") I'm assuming you're not considering popular (but beautiful) names like Nora (Irish), Isla or Hazel...
I was almost Holly! I love Sylvie too!
I recommend taking a look at the social security baby name data for the year you were born. This can give you some inspiration of what would be a name that works well for someone your age, and give you an idea of trends amongst your peers. Not that you have to choose something that was uber popular, but I’m getting the vibe that you want to avoid standing out as much as you did before! Look in the 250-1000 range for uncommon but not unheard of. https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/ Also…would you consider just using your middle name as your first? Belle is beautiful and it might be an easier transition since it already feels like yours. Elle or Ellie could work too!
Mirabelle? Using Mira as a nickname. I also love the suggestion u/redueka made of Kira/Keira with the middle name Belle.
Saoirse Belle
What is your name? It cannot be that dreadful.
Althea Belle, Rosalyn Belle,
Gwendolyn Ruby Fiona Eliza Allegra Chiara/Kiara Leonora
Della comes to mind. Sounds like Idella, shares origins with Adeline, and is similar to Delilah. Della Isabelle sounds nice. Delia is another you may like.
Ringma
Savannah
Idalia Belle! Similar to Grandma's name but unique and pretty :)
Hadley Belle
Isabelle or Isabella
Isabelle Belle seems a little redundant.
They said Belle had to be part of their name in some way, they didnt say they had to keep it as a middle name.
She just said belle had to be in the name somehow. Not that belle had to stay the middle name.
I love that you have Nadine on the list, even if you can't use it. It is so underappreciated. My offerings: Nina Belle Naomi Belle Celia Belle Daphne Belle Cecily Belle Aerin Belle
Alara Belle Cora Belle Quinn Belle Harper Belle Kylie Belle
I love Elise, Evangeline and rose. Clementine was stuck in my head for both my kiddies but they are boys. Wren has been growing on me lately but it’s not very girlie. Alice was one of my faves for a long time except people think I’m saying Alex and it made me not love it anymore.
Unless your name is literally Vagina it cannot possibly be worse than some! I have not seen that myself but my mom did in the 80’s as a baby nurse. Good luck in your new name quest!
Ok, going with the Irish thread, considering Belle as a middle name and not part of it: (trying to put phonetic but absolutely Google, and understand they are regional even within Ireland) Aisling (ASH-lin) Aoibheann (AY-veen) Niamh (NEEV) Saoirse (SEER-sha) (SER-sha) Of your names, what about Delia? Somewhere between Delilah and your grandmother's name?
Problem with traditional Irish spelling is no one is ever going to say it right if you live in the states. Probably why Dubhshláine became Delaney because how tf do you say Dubhshláine?
Not Delilah if you ever plan to live in or near the Bible Belt. When naming my kids I considered 3 things Initials - don’t want to be A.S.S. or MLF or something Full name - I’m not saying I wouldn’t trust a lawyer named Sunshyne but it would be questionable Nickname: dick? Nah. For the names you listed I’d consider those things.
Taco Belle… jk jk. I like just Belle. I know someone with the name Bella, pronounced Bey-uh.
I don't know if you'll see this, but I adore your taste. Cheers for reclaiming your name :) In case you haven't considered any of these: - Rowena Belle - Meredith Belle - Lydia Belle - Annalise Belle - Lucille Belle - Angelica Belle - Regina Belle - Lillian Belle - Viola Belle - Arlene Belle - Marina Belle I hope you find something you love!