UPDATE: Eloise is out because it reminds my wife of a series of childrens books http://www.amazon.com/Eloise-Kay-Thompson/dp/067122350X
Madeleine is out because it reminds my wife of Madeleine Albright. Too bad because I love her, especially her pins!
So that leaves us with Olive, Eden, and Eva.
Thanks for all the advice everyone!
I wouldn’t pick any of those. I work with young children, and trust me, all of those names (or close variants) are super-popular right now.
Hmm, I don’t care for any of those. Can I interest you an a Lucy or Rose?
If I had to choose from the final 3 I think I would pick Olive.
If you like Eloise but it has reasons to avoid, perhaps consider Elise, very
similar sound.
I love Lucy, but my wife won’t have it. She thinks it’s an “old lady name”.
And the other names are not “old lady names”? :dubious:
Olive and Eva scream old lady to me.
How about Eliza? Anna? Hannah? Sabrina?
FWIW, Lucy was #101 in 2009, two spots behind Eva and rising fast. A lot of people I know find it adorable.
I agree that Eden Alden is a bad combination, setting aside my other concerns with the name. Two syllables, same stress patterns, starting in vowels and ending in -den; it’s just too similar. Olivia and Eva both run into Alden into one shmooshed name if one isn’t pronouncing them carefully, like Evalden, but I don’t think that’s insurmountable. Olive Alden probably has the best ring of the remaining candidates, although I don’t particularly like the name Olive, myself.
Lucy is the 101th most common name for girls in 2009.
Heh. Besides sounding like an old lady’s name, I hate those books.
Did you check out Nymbler, the site someone mentioned earlier in the thread? I use it to name characters in stories. You enter in names you like but ruled out (you already have a kid in the family named __; too many kids are already named ___ etc), and it spits out names you might like based on that. Tell it to look up based on one name, or I think up to 8-10 names.
For example, based only on the two names you’ve decided against, it recommends:
Leonore
Jaqueline
Amelia
Evie
Adelaide (which I don’t like as is, but love its nickname Addy. Tallulah strikes me the same - I don’t like it but love Tally)
Emmaline
…and dozens of others I didn’t feel like copying and pasting.
I actually voted for Eden, because it’s a name that I’m not that familiar with, but it’s pretty (to me, anyway). Now that I saw the surname, though, I want to change my vote. Eden Alton just doesn’t flow right. Olivia and Madeleine (or however you spell that) seem too common these days, and I never can figure out if Eva is supposed to be pronounced ee-va or ay-va. My vote now goes to Eloise. It works well with the last name and I haven’t seen it around much.
Olivia/Olive
Olivia is unoriginal - but otherwise, it’s an ok name. As long as you’re comfortable with 3 other Olivias in her kindergarten class, it could work. Since you don’t mind, judging from Madeleine, making the kid go through life spelling her name, might I suggest Alivia?
Olive? OLIVE? That’s just wrong. How could you even consider naming a child that?!?! Seriously?!?!
Eden - everyone else has said what I’m thinking about this name already.
Eloise - no, no, and no! She’s a baby, not 82!
Eva - the least objectionable of the bunch, but that’s not saying much.
Madeleine - as someone who has had to spell her name pretty much every day of her life - DON’T name this baby a normal name with a #%(#%#%-up spelling! Either name her Madeline or don’t name her this at all.
Since you like Lucy - why not Lucia? You could pronounce it Loo-CHEE-ah or LOO-sha.
I don’t get this idea that “Madeleine” is a fucked up spelling. Isn’t it the original spelling?
In any case, OP, how about smashing sounds from Eva and Madeleine together and getting Evangeline?
When my older sister chose the name of her firstborn, she looked around first to see if it was already common. It wasn’t. So she called her Hannah.
And so did every other Mother on that day and for the next two years. Even the baby who was born to the Mother in the opposite bed to my sister’s was named Hannah! End result, two other Hannahs just in her class at school (not to mention the multitude of others in her year).
She did the same thing for her next kid. Carefully choosing Georgia, only to find everyone was now calling their baby girls Georgia.
She finally learned her lesson when her third and last kid was named Briar.
I think Eden is a lovely and imaginative name. Of course, I like names that are a little different anyway, so I wouldn’t pick anything very traditional.
Agreed - Eden Alton is really clunky.
Me, too, actually (on all three counts).
Eva Alton - not fluid enough.
Olivia Alton - awkward.
Spike Alton - that has legs. 
Lily Alton
Lilian Alton
Rosaly Alton
Rosanne Alton
I voted for Olivia because it is a name I have always liked. But why not go for a lovely name that isn’t currently trending high, like Evelyn, Maria or Auralia?
I am a teacher, and Olivia and Maddy are a dimea dozen, but I haven’t had any Edens. I was a Hollies fan, and always liked Dear Eloise, so that’s my choice.
How about Evelyn? Kind of a cross between Eve and Eden, and it sounds good with Alton. Not too popular, but classic enough that people know how to spell it.
My opinion as well. Apparently “Madeline” has become an accepted Americanized variant, but I consider it wrong. Possibly even evil :). It just doesn’t scan right to me.
Actually according to wiki:
Madeline is a popular girls’ name. It is the usual North American English spelling of the French Madeleine, the French spelling being generally preferred in Britain.
As for the OP, I’d go with either Madeleine or Eloise, but can’t decide which I prefer. Though you can count me in among the anti-Eden crowd.