Feedback on Baby Names

Updated on May 06, 2012
E.B. asks from Beaumont, CA
33 answers

I want input... We have a few options for baby names, but have had a hard time agreeing on one for each (boy & girl). Please browse and give me a little feedback on what you like / don't like & Why. The name will start with an "E" and preferably have a "y" in it. We also prefer short first names :) Quite interesting criteria - Thanks for your input.

Girls:
Ember / Embry / Emberly
Ellie / Elly
Ellyx

Boys:
Ezra / Ezry
Eryk
Elyx

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So What Happened?

Haha, already so much response. Just an FYI we have months before making a decision and these are a few with removing the names my husband came up with of Erdyn and Etrayu for boys!! Yikes! The Ellyx / Elyx is prounounced as Alex with an "E" (L-X). If we chose this for a girl, she would probably be called Lexy and her middle name will be simple and something she could use instead. (i.e. Ellyx Annabelle)

No need for anymore feedback unless it is possitive. THANKS to all who responded, but I cannot believe how rude people can be and how easily offended they are that I may possibly name my child something they are unfamiliar with ~ No need to be so high strung people!!

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K.B.

answers from Cincinnati on

Ellie and Ezra are the only two that don't sound made up. Except Ember- all I think of when I read that is a camp fire.
If you like Alex, them name him/her ALEX, not some made up spelling.

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T.A.

answers from Seattle on

Yikes sorry, see the above post about unusual names. Try just sound strange! Sorry..the only one I like is Ellie. Makes it SO h*** o* a kid to have to pronounce or spell their name to everyone. I grew up that way and still wish it was different. And typically the y makes a name look feminine, so I'd avoid it like crazy for a boy. For e names I like: Eric, Elias, Elijah, Eli, evan, emmett, emery, emerson, edison, edward, Ethan, Elliott. Eliza, elyse! Or Elise, Elisha, Elliott, Emerson, Elizabeth, elaina, Elisabeth, elle, ellery, Ellison, emery, eden, Erin/eryn! Estella, E./ericka/Erika, eve, everly, evelyn, Emily, Emma, emilia. If you have to do a weird name make it easy on them as the middle name, do the normal one first so they can use the weird one if they choose, not by default!

3 moms found this helpful
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S.H.

answers from Honolulu on

Girls:
I don't really care for the names you listed.
Elayna? (French, means shining light).

Boys:
I don't really care for those names.
Emery? (means brave/powerful).

3 moms found this helpful

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J.G.

answers from Jonesboro on

I get that parents nowadays have more mental freedom in naming their babies than ever before, but honestly, I believe they have TOO much... This isn't naming a dog or a cat, who others will hear their name being called & giggle that they got stuck with such a silly or unfortunate title. This is going to be a LIVING, BREATHING, HUMAN BEING. If your son or daughter grows up to be a politician, a doctor, a judge... how embarrassing will it be for him or her to have to wear a nametag :Ellyx Brody (or whatever the last name is, obviously). They will be 2 year olds on a playground, being called their silly names in front of the other kids & moms, likely all thinking "Why would someone do that to a kid?" They will be 5 year olds in kindergarten, getting teased about their name, the spelling, how 'weird' it is. They will be in high school, submitting job applications and having employers taking one look at the name "Elyx B?! Hah, next", judging them on their name. It's sad, but true. I am not trying to be mean, but honestly, somebody's gotta stand up for that kid before he gets stuck with "Ezry" as a name. I wish a million times over that someone had slapped my parents before they chose to go with my name- they thought they were being creative & cute but after the first decade of re-spelling & re-pronouncing my name for every. single. person who came along, I started resenting it, and them. I got my name legally changed when I turned 18 and it was the best thing I've ever done. Seriously, do your kids a favor and give them a NORMAL name. Let THEM spice it up as they grow, give them a creative nickname at the very least, but geeze... spare them. Please. This isn't like painting the living room an 'alternative' color... it's putting a label on another human being who has no say-so in it and who will have to deal with the repercussions of it long after you get tired of explaining it to people.

13 moms found this helpful
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D.K.

answers from Pittsburgh on

I am not trying to be harsh but this is what comes to mind when I read these names. Try to consider that your child might deal with these preconceptions whenever someone meets them.

Ember - not a name, a burnt out part of the fire
Embry - sounds like embryo
Emberly - closer to a name, maybe like Kimberly
Ellyx - if you want Alex - use Alex, otherwise, too much like Calyx - part of a flower.

Ezra - nice but rather old fashioned. reminds me of Ezra Cornell and Ezra Pound

Ezry - ????
Eryk - the name is Erik or Eric - both very nice names
Elyx - is this Alex again? If so - use Alex (or Alexander)

For a girl I much prefer Ella, Ellen, Elise or Eloise.
For a boy - Eric, Edward, Edwin, Emanuel or even Emory (not so much, but it is a name and has a y)

When you use a 'non traditional' spelling you condemn your child to a life time of correcting people who will be unable to spell, pronounce or both his or her name. There are MANY less common names that are still easy to read and spell.

8 moms found this helpful

D.D.

answers from New York on

The more creative you get with the spelling of common names the more your child will have to put up with people mispronouncing it for the rest of their life.

8 moms found this helpful

J.W.

answers from St. Louis on

I am going with Ellie and saying a small prayer you don't have a boy. :) Have you considered Eric so that people know how to pronounce it? As someone with an unusual name you get angry around age six that no one gets it right.

No, J. is not my full first name. :(

As an adult I chopped most of it off leaving the only normal bit.

7 moms found this helpful

C.O.

answers from Washington DC on

Sorry - none of the names call to me and say YAY!!! That's it.

I like Elayne, Elaine, Emily

I like Evan or Eric

I personally don't like it when people spell names funky to make their kid different. It leads to bullying on the playground...kids don't get fun things on vacation because their name isn't there.

When I see the name Elyx - I thought of Elixir or a drug. Not "Alex". Again - going back to trying to make your child "unique"...if you are looking for non-traditional names - go back a century and pull "old fashioned" names. At least your kid won't be spelling their name for people or constantly correcting them for mispronouncing their name.

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L.R.

answers from Washington DC on

I agree with the person who said that Elyx and Ellyx unfortunately sound...like names of allergy medications. Sorry if you love them, I just found that the post summed up my gut reaction too.

I'd prefer Ezra or Eric (with the traditional spelling, or with the Norse spelling of Erik) for a boy, or I also like any of the girls' names other than Ellyx. Whatever you choose, consider these things: How often will I have to spell this for others? How often will I get asked "where did you get that name" and will I be happy to answer it over and over or will that become burdensome as the years go on? How often will my child have to spell or explain pronunciation of this name once he or she is old enough to do so? How will this name and spelling work when my child is not just an infant and small child but when her or she is a young adult? A professional person? A grandparent? Will the name "wear well" throughout life or will it sound trendy and fixed in time?

Those are general questions I'd always ask about a kid's name before giving one. I think you have some good options here, I'd just be careful about highly unusual spellings

I think it comes from knowing a family who gave a girl a very, very cutesy name that I won't even repeat (because surely out there someone else used it or something similar) and it was so awful when she got older that she used something different altogether! I don't think that's a risk with little Ember or Ellie or Ezra, though!

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C.C.

answers from San Francisco on

I was born with an "E" name that nobody could ever spell. I hated it so much I changed to using my middle name when I got into high school. My vote is for nothing spelled/pronounced oddly, because your child will grow to hate having to explain how it's spelled/pronounced, why s/he was named that, etc.

That being said, my vote is for Ellie, Ezra, and Eric (not Eryk, see reasoning above). Ellie is a nickname for Elinor/Eleanor, which was my grandmother's name, but I still think it has a nice ring to it these days. Traditional yet trendy. Ezra is the same way - an old biblical name, yet it sounds very current. And of course, Eric is a good, solid name, but isn't as wildly overused as Michael, David, etc.

4 moms found this helpful

B.C.

answers from Dallas on

I love Ember, Ellie, Ezra and Eryk (but only spelled Eric). I don't like the others b/c they are hard to read and pronounce and/or they are too odd.

3 moms found this helpful
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K.H.

answers from Los Angeles on

Hmm. Since you asked, I'll give my honest opinion :)

Ellyx and Elyx look like names for prescription drugs.

Ellie and Elly are cute.

Ezra and Eryk are cute. Ezry, not sure about that one. Looks like a typo.

Ember, is nice. Embry and Emberly, is not so nice.

3 moms found this helpful

S.T.

answers from Washington DC on

i've got a friend whose magical name is 'embers'. i love it, but it was chosen for a specific reason. i like your variations on it, but bear in mind your daughter may not appreciate being associated for the rest of her life with a dying fire.
ellie/elly is very cute, although yes, she will be subjected to 'smelly' for a while by snotty little boys.
ellyx is too weird.
sorry, don't like any of the boy names. ezra is the only one i'd personally consider, but you're condemning him to being mistaken for an old man his whole life, rather like naming a girl enid or edna today.
khairete
S.

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R.S.

answers from New York on

I like them all except for Elyx and Ellyx -- which sounds like an allergy med to me -- and Eryk -- which I first read as "Erk?" so I immediately don't like that. If I did it, others will probably do it too.

I really like Emberly the most, and Ezra.

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E.F.

answers from Kalamazoo on

Ember/Embry/Emberly/Embryo? ...sorry. That's all I thought about when I read your first name.

Ellie is cute, but you know there are 6 year old boys who will call her "smelly".

Is Ellyx supposed to sound like Alex?

Hmm...I do like E names. (E...lol!) Elsie, Enya, Emily, Emmy

(I just read the rest of your post - Lexy is so cute!)

Boys:
No. Sorry. I'm not a fan. What about Eli? Eddy?

Having a last name that everyone misspelled, I prefer names with traditional (or at least more common) spelling.

Good luck with your choices!

3 moms found this helpful

M.P.

answers from Minneapolis on

its all up to you. JUST keep in mind, what will happen when they reach school. Sometimes these names are cool and sometimes, more often than not, they are curses. Eryk is just plain Eric. Doesnt make you kid a super hero if you change up the name lol... Etrayu is not spelled that way, if you are naming him after the kid in the Never Ending Story its Atrayu. I like giving names to people that hold some meaning and not just look good on paper. To answer the question and stop my being a stinker. I like your choice for girls: Ellie
I like you boy choices: Ezra
All my kids were weeks old before I settled on any kinds of names. Of course I had a list with about 5, and eventually I picked one off the list, and for our second daughter I went with something completely different cause she shocked us with her coloration and skin tone.

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M.R.

answers from Seattle on

Ember reminds me instantly of a burning, smouldering fire, a burning ember...that's similar to Amber, which is a lovely color, etc.

Ellie is sweet.

Ezra reminds me of an old fashioned and feminine Mormon name, similar to Eliza. I don't think man at all.

I prefer traditional spellings of names like Erik and Alex only because I've met soooo many adults who do not care for their unusually spelled names. Ever. I've only ever heard complaints due to the amount of time it consumes spelling and re-spelling their names to everyone.

The only exception I can think of would be Oprah, who turned her name that was supposed to be Orpah, into quite the sensational success.

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R.G.

answers from Los Angeles on

I totally agree with Amy W. and YouAreMy... Creativity is great, but can be frustrating. I have a fairly common name (R.), and even I tire of spelling it! "One B, 2 C's...no, there's no KAH. Yes, I know that's how it is in the Bible..."

What about Elyse? Short, starts with E and has a y.
Elly, is pretty, but you'll have the spelling issue.
Ellyn? I've seen it spelled like that several times.

For boys, I like Ezra, even if it's sort of "old fashioned". It's short and unique, and is spelled just like it sounds. I wouldn't go with the formal name of Ezry, though...what about Ezra, and if Ezry suits him as a nickname, well then, there ya go.

Good luck! Holler it out in the yard a few times to see how it rings. ;)

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J.L.

answers from St. Cloud on

I like Elly for a girl and honestly I'm not a fan of any of the boy names. Remember he/she will have to listen to that name, explain that name and spell that name for the next 80-some years!! I worked next to a girl name Elsa. We were on the phone quite a bit and I can't tell you how many times the poor girl had to spell it and (fake) cheerfully explain what culture the name is from and why her parents named her that. It became a joke because she did it so often, so we started having her insert funny terms when spelling it. Like she'd say "E" "l" "s" as in Stupendous "a" as in awesome... What she would have given to be a E. :)

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K.A.

answers from Dallas on

I like Ellie, Ezra and Embry.

How about Ely (Eli) for a boy?

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A.W.

answers from Houston on

My vote would be Ezra & Ellie/ Elly sheerly for the sake of your child having to deal with the name/ spelling for a lifetime.
I have a cousin who was named for our 3rd great grandmother who came to this country from Spain. Her name is Dionysia. It's a beautiful & meaningful name but my cousin dislikes having been saddled with this name. No one can pronounce it and when introducing herself she has to repeat it over and over again before her acquaintance pretends to have it figured out. Also, it's fairly irritating to me when I meet someone whose name is straight forward, but the spelling is not. i.e. Alex/ Ellyx, Eric/ Eryk. "Hi my name is A.... With a Q... It's silent." ? I can see that you want something different and non-traditional but please keep in mind that your child will have to live with it forever. There is a fine line between originality and obscurity.

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S.B.

answers from Redding on

My daughter had a friend named Elliot. She was a girl. I like that name for either a boy or girl. She was Ellie for her nickname.

Ezra isn't bad for a boy. I can't say I'm crazy about using an E to be pronounced as an A. You, your child, and your child as an adult will be correcting the pronunciation into infinity. Just my opinion.

I like Ellery. Google Ellery Queen. It was a male name but could be used for either.

If you like Lexi, why don't you just choose that name?
If you like Annabelle, why don't you choose that name?
I love the name Abigail.

Naming kids is so hard. At least it was for me. My first baby didn't have a name for 4 days.
I did birth certificates at a hospital and some of the birth certificates were submitted with nothing but a last name because the parents couldn't decide. It's a royal pain to have them amended.

You have time and you'll probably have all kinds of ideas between now and then.

Best wishes.

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A.A.

answers from Boston on

Hi E. :-)
Personally, I am very conscious of what a name will look like on a resume in 22 years. I've seen children given names that are just ridiculous, and it's not fair to them. Also, I see no point in given a child a name that "sounds like" a certain name but is spelled differently. For example, I don't understand why someone name a child Julia but spell it Jewelia..if it sounds the same, spell it the common way! The same thing with the opposite...I know child name Javier but it's not pronouced ha-vi-air..it's pronounced Ja-vere. What?!
That said, I do like some of your girl choices. If I have a daughter, I actually plan on naming her Ellie Rose. My grandmother is Eleanor, so it is after her. My son is named after my grandfather, Frank (we call him Frankie). I like Embry but, for any one who has read the uber-popular Twilight..that is a boy's name in the series. Just saying. I personally think Ember is pretty, and I like Ellie, as I said. I think if you are going to name your daughter Ellyx pronounced Alex, then just name her Alex. Otherwise, people are always going to pronounce it L-X, and she will spend her whole life correcting them on how her name is pronounced. You can always just name her Lexi if that is what you will call her. Lexi Annabelle is pretty :-)
Of the boys names, Ezra is okay, but I think of an 80 year old Jewish man when I hear it, to be honest. Etrayu is a character from the Neverending Story. Embry for a boy might be nice though!
Honestly, I think the most important things to consider are:
1. How will the name present on college applications, resumes, job applications, etc? The child has to carry this name throughout their entire life!
2. Can most people look at it and pronounce it correctly? If not, your child will spend their entire life correcting people on how to say and spell their name.
3. Are you going out of your way to make it so unique that it borders on strange? If so, your child might feel embarrassed or self-conscious of their name. And other children will tease them for sure.
4. It is always nice to name a child after an important person, event or place in your life. It will hold more meaning and be special to the child.

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J.S.

answers from Minneapolis on

Bless you for being so creative :)

I'm a traditional girl myself, and agree with someone who posted below that some of the names look like typo's instead of real names...

I like Ellie a lot! I also like Ezra.

But - take that from someone who named their kids Charles, Joseph and Rebecca. You can't get much more traditional than that.

2 moms found this helpful

L.M.

answers from Dover on

These ARE interesting criteria. Curious how you came about them.

Of the girl names, I prefer Ellie. The only why is that the others sound and look odd to me...as does the alternative spelling of Ellie. What about Edie or Edy? Problem with those is many will think "Eddie". Do you like Eve?

Of the boy names, I really don't care for any of them. Ezra looks the most normal. If you wanted to go with Eric that would be ok...just not the alternative spelling. What about Edwin or Edwyn, Earl or Earle, Elliott?

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M.C.

answers from Los Angeles on

My niece is named Ellery. I think it's a beautiful name and really rolls off the tongue nicely. It could always be shortened to Elly as a nickname. Just thought I'd throw that idea out!

Good luck!

1 mom found this helpful

M.B.

answers from Orlando on

First @ youaremy WOW rude! That's why I let my son name my baby! Ha! He named her Harlee Quinn and yes it's after the batman character:P
Back to the question I love unique names! LOVE them! For the girl I like Emberly and the boys I like Eryk:) don't let people who like to be boring sway your decision on names. If I listened to people I wouldn't have my Harlee Quinn I'd have a Sara or Jane! And for the record "normal" nes get messed up to my son is named Stephen and people pronounce it Stephan!

1 mom found this helpful

K.M.

answers from Chicago on

I like Everly vs Emberly and Ezra

1 mom found this helpful

A.S.

answers from Iowa City on

Well...of those choices I like Ellie and Ezra. I can't say that I care for any of the others. Especially Elyx. Virtually no one will pronounce that as Alex.

How about Elenie/Eleny (pronounced Elle-a-knee) for a girl? Eyra for a boy.

1 mom found this helpful

V.W.

answers from Minneapolis on

I like Emberly for a girl. Another name to consider is Ella.

I like Ezra for a boy. Another name to consider is Ely (Eli).

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W.H.

answers from Sacramento on

fav girl - Embry. ember reminds me of a character from the Danny Phantom cartoon, and i think she'd be saying "no, it's not kimberly, it's emberly" forever if you went with emberly.

fav boy - Ezra

How in the world do you pronounce the ones with x's?

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L.E.

answers from Provo on

I vote for Ember or Ezra

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K.P.

answers from Seattle on

For girls I have always liked the name Ellie I think it's adorable!

And for boys I like Eryk.

:)

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