Name opinions

[Ailuo]

My husband and I are thinking about having kids and have been thinking about names. Neither one of us are Chinese, but I speak Chinese and would like to raise our kids bilingual in Chinese and English. I really would like to give them Chinese names to use when we are speaking Chinese. We have pretty much settled on Evelyn May for a Girl. So I was thinking 美琳 for the Chinese name. I really want a name that sounds Chinese and not a transliteration. It doesn't have to sound exactly like the name. I was trying to play with middle names that sounded like it fit, and even considered spelling it Evelyn Mei.

My problem is I'm a little clueless as to how to pick an authentic sounding name. As for a boy, my husband and I really like the name Shepard (even though my family hates it lol!) I've no idea where to go with that one.

Any thoughts?

If it helps, my Chinese name is 艾罗　and my husband's Chinese name is 高丹

[陳德聰]

I personally think 美琳 is a cute name for a girl that is perfectly "authentic sounding" and as for Shepard (it shouldn't matter what your family thinks!!), it could perhaps be rendered as 学博.

As an aside: Is there a Chinese family name you'll be using? Sometimes perfectly good given names sound a little odd with certain family names...

[skylee]

I think 美琳 is OK. It is so ordinary that nobody will pay any attention to the name.

Shepard reminds me of shepherd and the name 牧 (like the famous poet 杜牧) comes up in my mind.

[Ailuo]

As far as family name, i'm not sure. Maybe 高.

I had thought about the character 牧， but that is where my ignorance of names comes in, I didn't know it could be used for a name, or if it could if it would sound good or not. Shepard does come from the word shepherd, it is a fairly uncommon name.