Iris? WDYT

tintri

LOVE, love, love the flower.  It's also my grandfather's favorite flower, which is meaningful.  DH and I are searching for names that are unique and nostalgic.  This was an obvious choice for us, but is it too 'harsh' for a girl?  Other front runners are Rosemary, Ivy, and Willow; however, those don't have the meaningful connotation that Iris does.  (I'm obviously a fan of botanical names....)

 The middle name will be Jewel, after my great-grandmother.  WDYT?

waterfly

It's our current top pick for our soon-to-be daughter's FN...and this from someone whose DH typically dislikes "flower names" and "word names."  We liked the multiple meanings/connotations(rainbow, golden-winged goddess, color, communication(the goddess Iris was a messenger), flower, and yes, eyes...we both find eye-color interesting), and that if she ever asks if she's named "after" a flower we can tell her that she shares a name with many beautiful things, one of which happens to be a flower.

That said, I'm not sure I would pair two word-names like that, particularly since one can also be considered a color-name.  Maybe paired with another family name?  Or your great-grandma's MN?

tintri

I've considered the 2-word name conundrum myself.  We had the same problem when we liked the name Violet.  Violet Jewel is just too much!  IDK if it will change what we do or not, but it's definitely a good point and something to think about....

waterfly

Hrm...what do you think of Iola? (eye-oh-la) It's old-fashioned, and means violet, but without sounding so blatantly like a colored stone when paired with the MN.

starlight8323

Iris-This is on my long list as well. I've often spouted off the basic rule of baby naming, "When your last name sounds like a noun, you should avoid first names that sound like adjectives". But this is a first /middle combo we are talking about. And I actually don't see Iris as an adjective first. I see it as a noun. The double noun thing is not ideal, but I think the special meaning for you, your grandfather, and your great-grandmother is enough to make it my number one choice for you, eventhough Rosemary is higher on my own personal list. I'm not sure what could possibly make you think Iris is harsh. I just hear a beautiful, flowy flower name.

Rosemary- As I said before, this is on my list too. I like the fact that it has the name Mary as a buffer between the flower (Rose) and the gemstone (Jewel) references.

Willow- It's not my favorite, but it's okay. It's a lot more modern than any of your other options. I tend to like names that are more traditional, but I do think it's pretty/flows nicely.

Jewel- This is great for a middle name. I find that a lot of our generation's great-grandmother's names make the best names for babies these days. 

 

After reading this, and your "Lir" post, I think I like you. I'd like to see you succeed on this board. May I give you a tip to help you with this?

Read this Welcome post, and be sure to click on the link to the Baby Names Board unofficial guide. I also linked it here for you, so that you can get to it easily: There is also a link to it in my signature, as well as MJ.Reilly's, and BraveAngel2's, if you ever lose it.

loveyoubean

It was my wedding flower, we thought of using it for DD even as a middle name, but didn't in the end.  I like it!

alohamora

LOVE Iris!  I'm not a huge fan of the sound of Iris Jewel, but it's a mn so I'm not too bothered by it.  Great choice!

kmv68

starsjaime

Love names with meanings, so i say go for it!  your daughter will appreciate when she is older!  

Love Iris Jewel too.  Very nice. 

plunderb

Iris is great. If Rose is distinguished, Lily is sweet, and Violet is playful, Iris is spunky.

MrsVo

I love Iris!  Unfortunatley it is our state flower so I think that kills it for me so it isn't on our list. 

However, I do not like Iris paired with Jewel.  What about Iris Julia?  Similar but avoids the double noun issue.

Ceridwen21

Love Iris, but Iris Jewel sounds hippy-ish.  Choose a name-name not noun-name for the MN.

Fianschneid

I love Iris. It is unique without being a headturner. Very pretty.

IU_baby

I think it's pretty, not harsh at all.

COMomma81

I am SO in love with this name. It's absolutely fantastic. I like Ivy too, but Iris is absolutely fabulous, especially with the special meaning. It's not remotely harsh IMO...I think it's incredibly feminine and it's just a cool name, not to mention a breath of fresh air from the more traditional Lilys, Roses, Violets and Daisys out there!

alliejo725

I really like all of your frontrunners, but I think Iris is absolutely lovely. You really can't go wrong, but that gets my vote.

grah7175

I think it's very pretty

forensicmama

I absolutely love it. The combo is beautiful and antique, too. Gorgeous.

ravenorchid

I love Iris as a name. It is my favorite flower and was kind of the theme for our wedding (different colored irises in the bouquets, light purple bridesmaids dresses, irises on the invitations). I considered the name, but I don't think it works with our last name unfortunately. I'm also a fan of Willow (partly since I'm a Buffy fan), but I think Iris is really lovely.

tintri

Thanks everyone!  DH and I are glad to hear a lot of people have positive feelings about this one.  Still not sure about the double noun conundrum, but it doesn't bother us that much.  Plus, we're both definitely on the bohemian-hippie side, so this sort of name suits our family well.  Thanks for taking the time to help us out!

kacelle

I love Iris!  I tend to really like nature and plant names; I'm due in May with our first LO and we're naming her Violet.  Also on my favourites list are Iris, Ivy, and Willow!  

Since it has such a special meaning to your family, I'd definitely go with Iris Jewel.