Nina wrote in to the blog because she and her husband Hamish had a six-week-old baby daughter who still didn’t have a name, and the date for registration was growing closer each day.

Nina had her heart set on Annie, but at the last minute Hamish said he wanted the baby to be named Sarah, after his mother. The longer it took them to resolve their differences, the more other people felt they could offer their own opinions on the matter, which made the decision seem even more complicated.

After the couple compromised by agreeing on the name Anne, Nina wrote in again to ask for help on choosing a middle name.

Just before Christmas, Nina posted off the registration forms for their child’s name, so they got in before the deadline with about a week to spare, and their daughter’s name is

ANNE ELIZABETH KATE “ANNIE”,

baby sister to Edie and Alistair “Mac”.

Anne is the middle name of Hamish’s mum, so they found a way to honour his mother and still get to the nickname Annie. Nina is pleased, because she loved the Anne of Green Gables books as a child (as well as the musical Annie).

Nina chose the middle name Elizabeth because so many people suggested that they name the baby “what she looks like”, and Nina thinks her youngest daughter looks most like an Elizabeth – a name they had also considered. If Anne ends up going by her middle name and being a Betsy, Nina won’t mind that at all.

Kate is a family name that had also been on their list, and was the middle name she favoured for a baby Annie.

Nina says she wasn’t brave enough to use as many middle names as Clive Palmer – and there wasn’t enough space on the form anyway!

They have had mixed reactions from family and friends, with most people saying they should have just gone with Annie as the official name. However, Nina loves her baby’s name and thinks it is perfect for her.

At the moment, it is not entirely sure whether Anne will be called Annie or not. Mac hasn’t been able to pronounce the name Annie yet, and sometimes calls his little sister Peg. Nina still just calls her Baby. However, Nina recently discovered that Annie was the middle name of her great-grandmother, so maybe it is fate that she be an Annie in the future!

Congratulations to Nina and Hamish on their new daughter! I think Anne Elizabeth Kate is a lovely simple, unpretentious classic name that is perfectly familiar, but these days, not common at all.

Remember that you have sixty days to name a baby, so don’t be afraid to take longer to find the perfect name if you need to. You will get there in the end, even if it doesn’t feel like it at times.