What do you think of this name for a girl?

cranburycakes · October 2011

Willa. I only have nine days before my due date, and so far we have been set on Lillian Grace, but Lily seems to be very popular among the little people around here, and the other day I stumbled upon Willa and thought it sounded really cool. We would probably name her Willa Rose.

The only two issues we have with the name are 1) does it sound like a boy name turned into a girl name (like Josephine from Joseph or Justine from Justin); and 2) my father's name is William and, sadly, I don't want to name my kids after him, so I don't want it to sounds that way (we don't have a relationship and he has not been the kind of father that would deserve a grandchild named after him).

What do you think?

Thank you

P.S. I would ask this on the baby name board but the responses there often seem really harsh, so I'd rather avoid that and stick with the nice ladies here.

P.P.S My boys' names are Charlie and Emmett

Vieve831 · October 2011

I like Willa - its different but not unusual/made up sounding. I might assume it was a nn for Willamina though (but that is also a pretty name).

Emmett is on our top names for boys. My due date is 11/8 and we are still undecided!!

TimeRacer · October 2011

I see nothing wrong with Willa.

Then again, I have only a small handful of names that I have a real problem with...and apparently I'm a jackass for disliking them so much.

Willa has a very relaxing sound to it, actually. I think of nature and tranquility.

HoneyBee111409 · October 2011

It reminds me of this alphabet thing on sesame street where a little (animated) girl was jump roping in puddles saying "Will. Willa.... Willamina! Willamina!"

NIKKILEW · October 2011

I LOVE IT! It just sound like it belongs to a beautiful girl

Andrea Cohoon · October 2011

I think it's a beautiful, elegant name.

jburdet1 · October 2011

Willa Rose is such a pretty name! I like it way better than Lillian Grace.

To be honest, it does share qualities with William, but not as extreme as Josephine/Joseph. I think if your father knows your feelings about him and your relationship he will know that DD was not named for him, so I wouldn't let it stop me from using a name that I liked.

Also, Willa sounds wonderful with Charlie and Emmett!

boobearmama · October 2011

I think its unique but not too weird. It was the name of a singer in the early 2000's. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willa_Ford

diddlenation · October 2011

I actually REALLY REALLY like it and have never heard it before. It is very unique and sounds to me like something that would be approprite for a young lady and a grandma! You may have some people who think you named your daughter after your father but that is alright. You can correct then or just let them think whatever they want.

For what it is worth we are naming our little girl Lillian Adelaide and she will go by Lily. I don't know any girls in my area with the name Lily. Once of the things I did was check around at the day care my son goes to when making my final name decisions to see how many there are. He is in a day care that has 4 separate schools within it and just in the school he is in there are 7 Ava's which was one of our choices but there wasn't a single Lily.

lottac · October 2011

I like it!

Rachypierce · October 2011

I like it a lot! The more I think about it the better I like it. However Willa Rose made me think of something like, "willa rose grow from that bush?" It's probably just me, but it made me think of a question.

baileyrayvalentine · October 2011

I love it. There is a famous writer named Willa Cather, so I think the name is classic, ladylike and timeless. I like it MUCH BETTER than Lily.

MommaErica · October 2011

I love it. Usually when people make "what do you think" name posts, I brace myself for it to be pretty bad, this was a nice surprise

It's beautiful and classic. You're right, Lilly is VERY popular.

nicababy · October 2011

I think it's super cute, but if I knew your dad's name was WIlliam, I would think she was named after him...

trishinbanff · October 2011

I like it as a nn for a longer, more formal name but not as a full name, unless it was used with her middle name.

stargirljulie · October 2011

I thought of the singer Willa Ford too. Willa isn't my first choice, but I like it better than Lily, only because there are so many people naming their daughters Lily right now (as either a first or middle name).

I say name her whatever you want to name her. I've had too many people give me their thoughts on the boy names we've tried narrowing down, and quite frankly, I'm going to go with the one I like best, regardless of what others might say. If I love it, I love it. If you love Willa, Willa it should be

Jenny952 · October 2011

I like Willa, especially with your boys. The first thing I think of is the author Willa Cather, who wrote My Antonia. I think it's pretty and classy and a variation of Willow, which seems to be pretty popular.

Basically I think you can get away with any name these days, as long as it's not a body part or piece of fruit... lol!