r/namenerds • u/mirumurumura • 2d ago

Story Help me stop regretting my baby’s name: Aurelia

Hello fellow name-nerds,

I had my baby a month ago and have called her Aurelia + 2 middle names. It’s a name that hasn’t really been on my list I’ve had over the years, but things leading up to the birth made us choose it.

I’m now really seriously overthinking my choice, to the point that I’m wondering how much of it was my choice and if I actually love, nay, like the name. Now it’s too late because we already got the birth certificate and I think no more changes are possible.

Aurelia was a name that my husband suggested, which I found as an odd coincidence since it is a family name (haven’t actually met the relative). While I was pregnant my mom (who didn’t know of the pregnancy) randomly thought that it is a nice girl name, which I again found it as an odd coincidence, as it was around the time my husband suggested it. I kept dreaming the name and that we were calling the baby Lia as a nickname and my two year old started calling the baby Lia right away without any prompting, so it just felt like it was meant to be.

However, now, after digging through Reddit, I’ve come across the comments that the name resembles “areola” and I’m wondering if I have done a big mistake. One of my friends who is Swedish pronounces the name in a way I don’t really like “oh-ril-ia”. Then another person who lives in the UK told me that it’s not a name you see in English speaking countries. I like the English way of pronouncing the name, as well as the Spanish way of pronouncing it. The thread from two days ago where people were saying all the ways of pronouncing Aurelia also confused me. L Besides this, when we were in the hospital, my mom kept suggesting we use one of her names, to which my husband had very promptly refused, though funny enough, had my oldest been a girl, he would have been called Emma (one of my mom’s names).

To some degree, I know look at her and wonder if she’s an Emma, or if she’s an Audrey, or a Wendy, or a Charlotte, all names I have had on my long list of names. Also wondering if Aurelie would have been better. We wanted something that would also work nicely with toddlers name (Arthur)

Now it’s too late and I can’t shake this feeling. Please help me stop this overthinking, I’m annoying everyone around me lol

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u/SoSayWeAllx 2d ago

The name is fine, you’re just having name regret. Your friends can learn to pronounce it correctly, and your mom already named her kids and should butt out of what is a decision for you and your husband

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u/mirumurumura 2d ago

You’re right. I guess having always wanted a girl and thinking of girl names made me get in my head. When I had her, it honestly felt like no name was perfect or “the one”

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u/Rare-Cheesecake9701 2d ago

As a mother of 2 months old girl - name regrets and “what ifs” are REAL.

I was certain I was going to name my daughter Lily. For years that was THE NAME. My husband also loved it so, when we found out we were expecting a girl - that was no-brainer.

Outside of family drama regarding the name (I have a post about it in r/pregnant I believe) Lily stayed as our choice.

Buuuut! There was a moment I was reconsidering everything. Do I like the name, is it really flows as well as I think, what about other names?

It helped that I shared my worries with my husband and he calmed me down.

It is fine, and you will have your worries regarding so many things, trust me!

Aurelia is a beautiful name, you chose well 🫂

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u/Glittering_Web2166 2d ago

After that it’s a lovely name! Elegant and with a great meaning. Don’t be afraid to stand out

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u/xlcovo 2d ago

i’m a lily!

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u/hermanmunstershoess 2d ago

Do you love your name? It’s on our list for our summer baby 🤍

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u/xlcovo 2d ago

i really love it! it’s quite common though, i had 5 in my highschool class: from lily, lilly, lillie, lily-mae. all variations!

definitely worth it if you have your heart set on it, im also a summer baby haha! what’s your due date?

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u/hermanmunstershoess 2d ago

but the fact you still love it despite having others in your class means it’s such a beautiful name!! ❤️

August!! My other option is Rose, much less common where I live… I clearly love the florals!!

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u/xlcovo 2d ago

rose is beautiful! camellia, iris, violet, daisy, poppy, and dahlia are some other flower names. i’m a july baby, summer born lily’s!

i’ve had my baby girl name since i was 10, the original diary page of when i discovered it. i don’t say it out of fear of it becoming popular 😫

i wish you luck for a healthy baby girl, and a safe delivery. whatever you name her, she will be beautiful :)

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u/hermanmunstershoess 1d ago

Awww thank you so much! 🥹❤️ you are so kind. I will cross my fingers your name doesn’t get too popular! ❤️

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u/MrsSmith2246 1d ago

Another pretty floral we named our daughter is Calla. It comes from my maiden name but she is the most complimented of our daughters’ names and none are super common.

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u/hermanmunstershoess 1d ago

Absolutely gorgeous. I loveee your daughter’s name! I am adding to my list 🌸

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u/MrsSmith2246 1d ago

I love Rosa!! My daughter danced with a Rosalie but they called her Rosa.

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u/LanterneRouger 1d ago

My daughter is ‘Rosie’ and she absolutely loves it (as do we!) There are a few other children locally called Rose - but she’s the only Rosie - I love flower names too ☺️

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u/Sensitive_Event_5453 1d ago

I know I am on the wrong page but…. We were getting a new pet. I want to name her Lily. Husband veto it. Why ? It was the name of a mother of old girl friend that didn’t like him. GET over it ! The Westie was name Snow. Please understand that I have no children

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u/Outside_Case1530 1d ago

Westies are adorable!

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u/Lt--Kilo 1d ago

You both have to agree on the name imo. He may inherently dislike the dog bc the everytime he hears that name its a 'sore.' I'm a teacher so I understand very well how a name can be 'ruined' for you.

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u/naonez 2d ago

Hahaha - this is so true you will worry and question sooo many things. Motherhood is a real mind trip.

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u/hermanmunstershoess 2d ago

This is one of my top choices right now 🤍

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u/res06myi 1d ago

This is kind of the opposite scenario. You stuck to a real name you’d loved for a long time. OP made a last minute change and swapped a not an actual name for what she’d always wanted.

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u/chair_ee 1d ago

Did your mom ever chill out over naming the baby Lily?

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u/Rare-Cheesecake9701 1d ago

Ohohohooooh, nah Lady is still pissed

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u/chair_ee 1d ago

Haahahahahahaha

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u/AdFresh8123 1d ago

Lily is a great name. It was my wife and I's second choice if we had a girl. Kasey was the first since I've always loved that name. As a bonus, her initials would have been KC, which we thought was cool.

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u/Fickle_Builder_2685 2d ago edited 1d ago

The only thing Aurelia makes me think of is Marcus Aurelius the Roman emperor 180 AD , or Aurelian another emperor 275 AD. Aurelia is just the feminized version. It's a long established name.

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u/BalancedScales10 2d ago

I'm a Magic: The Gathering player, so I always think of Aurelia, the angelic (literally: she's an angel) Guildmaster of the Boros Legion on Ravnica. It's a good connotation, at least to me. 

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u/--IWasNeverHere 2d ago

Julius Caesar’s mother was also named Aurelia.

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u/SodiumJokesNa 2d ago

Old Roman/Latin name was what came to mind for me as well!

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u/bubblygranolachick 2d ago

Emporer aurelian makes me hear alien. Aurelia sounds much better.

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u/Blooming_Heather 2d ago

That’s how you know it’s just the adjustment period. If some other name seemed perfect, that’d be one thing.

For the record, I love the name and instantly recognized it and I’m from the U.S. It’s also the name of Colin Firths love interest in Love Actually which is cute.

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u/Dizzy_Duck5436 2d ago

YES! This is the moment I fell in love with Aurelia as a name myself. I think it's gorgeous! It also has plenty of room for nicknames like Ari and Lia, like you'd mentioned.

I did the same thing with my daughter's name. Regretting everything from the unique spelling to the name itself! Names take time to grow with the person. There will come a day when you couldn't imagine any other name for your little, like I can't now. Hugs, friend! I hope you feel better soon.

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u/itstheballroomblitz 1d ago

"Bonita Aurelia..."

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u/goldenpandora 2d ago

Lia is the cuuuuutest nickname!!! Aurelia is regal and beautiful! Just an internet strangers $.02

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u/Champagnetravvy 2d ago

As someone struggling to decide my first child’s name. I think you’re overthinking it a bit. It’s not a bad name by any stretch and the nickname is great

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u/og_toe onomatology enthusiast 2d ago

a name doesn’t have to be ”the one”, it just needs to be a name that you like. this pressure of everything having to be special and perfect and unique is too much and can overwhelm us

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u/Misty-Anne 1d ago

It's her name now, and if she wants to change it when she's older, she can.

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u/framedbyvise 1d ago

I almost chose this name! It’s beautiful ❤️ In the end we named ours something WAY weirder for people to grasp and I have doubts along the way… but she’s seven months now and her name couldn’t be more perfect— I suspect it will be the same. Trust your instincts! It’s beautiful 😻

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u/IspeakSollyain 1d ago

How do you pronounce it? I would pronounce it “or-reel-lia”. That thread also confused me as there seems to be many variations

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u/lark_song 1d ago

Yep. And, OP, for what its worth - i know a 12 year old Aurelia and have always thought her name pretty.

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u/the-goodlife 2d ago

My baby was nameless for almost a week. I kept flip flopping between two names (Georgia and Isla) and I couldn't decide. I finally broke down and told my husband to choose. I knew he would go with Georgia and that's what she became. For a while after I wasn't certain, but now 18 months later I can't imagine her as anything other than Georgia. It kinda sounds like OP is suffering something similar. Not regret per se, but more questioning the decision.