Honest Opinions!

anynamenottaken

Ok, I think we've officially decided upon Benjamin Kingston for a boy (King is a family name, Kingston is our way of making it more modern), and are deciding between Eliza Grace and Leah Grace if it's a girl.

 What do you think of the boys name and which girl name do you like better? TIA!

MrsCFB

benjamin is okay.  kingston is nms, but since it will be a middle name, i think it's fine.

i like leah, don't like eliza at all.

mhwood

I like the name Eliza, a friend of mine has a daughter name Alyza.

AllThatGlitters101

I really like Benjamin Kingston.

I like Eliza Grace over Leah Grace. Both are pretty, though. 

Augbaby2009

I like Benjamin Kingston, it flows nicely together.

I prefer Leah Grace.

newportbride715

I actually much prefer King to Kingston. Since it is a family name, esp. I think it would be really cool for your son to say my mn is King! Kingston is more trendy to me, w/ more associations (Gwen Stefani and the not so nice capitol of Jamaica.) So, I like the name, but Benjamin King is much better, imo.

Of the girls, I like both a lot, but vote for Eliza Grace.

jodeh29

I like the boy name, for the girl I vote Eliza.

mermer82

I like the boy name and I prefer Eliza to Leah.

kellyfromcali

I love the name Benjamin. I personally hate the name Kingston, but I do like that you are using a family name (with a twist!). I am a huge fan of the name Eliza. It's classic, beautiful, but I dont think it is too common. Eliza Grace is a great name!

thatgirlang

I like Benjamin and Kingston individually but it actually seems like too much when you put them together. Not sure why you have to modernize King if it's just for the middle name. Keep it the same if it's a family name. Plus, a one syllable name sounds better after Benjamin anyway.

I love Leah Grace.

thatgirlang

mhwood:

a friend of mine has a daughter name Alyza.

Yikes. Funny- they sound the same but Eliza is so much better.

teacherjess

I like Benjamin and Kingston is a nice way to honor the name. I prefer Leah Grace (obviously!).

jenerally

love the boy name.

the girl name ... I like Eliza Grace better. I like Elizabeth Grace much more, though.

mhwood

Oh yeah, I completely agree.  When I dropped off her gift at the hospital I spelled the name "Eliza"...she was ticked off.

She fell into the trap of changing the classic names to try and be more trendy by adding a "y" to it. 

Nakale

Benjamin Kingston is okay.

I love Leah Grace:)  GL!

katie_cj

I love love love the middle name Grace.  Between Eliza and Leah, I prefer Leah.

Benjamin Kingston is great.  I like the name Benjamin, but it's one of my ex-boyfriend's name...and that's just weird.

jsillyfun

I love Benjamin. Kingston isn't so much my style, but I love that it has a family connection and it is a middle name, so not a big deal. I really like Leah Grace, but Eliza is nice as well.

cmyers6278

I like the boys name, and Eliza Grace. Different and cute.

acutting

I really like Eliza Grace. And I love Benjamin Kingston. We have been considering Kingston as a first name if its a boy.

jebuell

Love the boys name!  I prefer Eliza over Leah.  But both are good names.

FutureMrs.Steen

I love the name Benjamin. Leah Grace is beautiful. I don't like Eliza. It's a nickname for Elizabeth. I've never met anyone named Eliza.?

thatgirlang

FutureMrs.Steen:

I don't like Eliza. It's a nickname for Elizabeth. I've never met anyone named Eliza.

Ok, she's a character but... Eliza Doolittle?

I don't personally know any Elizas either but I accept it as a name and know a lot of Elizabeth's who do not use Eliza as a nn.

MrsTeague

Benjamin is a great name.I like Eliza better than Leah.

shanBmcg

I really like Benjamin Kingston. I think it is a fun middle name to go with the more traditional first name.

I prefer Eliza (it was on my short list until my DH vetoed it  ). Leah is cute too though. Grace sounds great with both names, and is beautiful, but I'm getting tired of hearing it. It seems everybody is using it.

johnsoar

I like all the names.  I would probably choose Eliza over Leah.

mrsmegs06

I love the boy name, and I love Leah.

DarcyLongfellow

I adore Benjamin!  Kingston is not my style (I'd prefer the straight up family name rather than trying to make it "modern"), but I do like the family link.

I prefer Leah because to me Eliza is very much a nickname for Elizabeth. 

DarcyLongfellow

thatgirlang:

FutureMrs.Steen:

I don't like Eliza. It's a nickname for Elizabeth. I've never met anyone named Eliza.

Ok, she's a character but... Eliza Doolittle?

I don't personally know any Elizas either but I accept it as a name and know a lot of Elizabeth's who do not use Eliza as a nn.

That's so funny -- to me the Eliza Doolittle seems to prove the point that it's a nickname!  I've always thought of Eliza as being named just Eliza on purpose by the author -- because her name was supposed to demonstrate the poor/working class background of the character (i.e., her parents didn't know that they were giving her a nickname for a name).

Obviously (based on this thread), not everyone today sees Eliza as a nickname for Elizabeth.  But it is, at least traditionally.  The same way there are people named just Kate or just Beth, but those names are still nicknames.

ctana

newportbride715:

I actually much prefer King to Kingston. Since it is a family name, esp. I think it would be really cool for your son to say my mn is King! Kingston is more trendy to me, w/ more associations (Gwen Stefani and the not so nice capitol of Jamaica.) So, I like the name, but Benjamin King is much better, imo.

Of the girls, I like both a lot, but vote for Eliza Grace.

I agree - Benjamin King is a very cool name.  With Benjamin being 3 syllable, I think it's better to combine it with single syllable MN like King.You didn't specify your last name / number of syllables. 

As for the girl name, I actually prefer Elizabeth Grace with NN of Eliza.  That way, she as option of Elizabeth as an adult.