Cordelie?

[NotChristmasCarol]

So I'm pretty hooked on Xanthe Joy, but trying to do a shortlist in case DD2 comes out with a full head of dark hair and Xanthe ("yellow, blonde") doesn't feel right.

I can't have a name that ends in an "a" sound because it sounds wrong with our surname. Hence..... Cordelie? Or not?

I know it's a bit like Coralie, but I don't really like Coralie. I love Cordelia, but the "a" sound means that Cordelie would be better - unless it's horrid?

Cordelie Joy?

[OhSiena]

It isn't horrid but doesn't sound quite right to me. Maybe I'm just not used to it.

'can you all make a cordlerie line please??' is what I randomly think of.
Ignore me.

How do you pronounce Xanthe? (get used to that question!)

How about Coraline? Or even Caroline? V underused now and v elegant.

[jkklpu]

I really like Joy but not sure about Cordelie.
How about Claudine or Odile?

[NotChristmasCarol]

It is a bit unexpected, given Cordelia (while reasonably unusual) is "known". I think Cordelie is the French form.

Xanthe is Zan-thee

For some reason I have an aversion to Coral-based names. I think it's because I'm Australian and you do get people called Coral, but it's a bit of a middle aged name

I like Caroline. I have thought about it. I sort of still am. I went to school with quite a few of them which is probably putting me off slightly

[NotChristmasCarol]

Claudine is nice, I agree.

Claudine Joy is quite good actually. My DH's middle name is Claude. Not weird?

Odile I love, but the RL feedback was: Odile = Odious. Also, vile and bile. So I moved on....

[OhSiena]

Claudine is v lovely. And link to Dhs middle name makes it lovlier.

Claudine Joy is v nice indeed. The holy grail of unusual but not weird, elegant yet not poncy.

[ellesabe]

Sounds too much like cordial to me. I much prefer Coralie.

[MacMac123]

Love Xanthe, was on my short list but DH vetod it.
Think you should reconsider Coralie, that's also on my short list. Lovely name and almost the same, just not hard sounding

[LuellaLovesLavender]

I like it, very beautiful and unusual!

[baskingseals]

love Xanthe



what about

Ottile - i think that's the spelling

Dulcie

Giselle

[SilkStalkings]

Caudalie is a winemaking term.

[YouMayLogOut]

Is it Cor-DEE-lee or COR-dee-lee?

The first reminds me of Cat Deeley and the second of the word "cordially".

[EugenesAxe]

I'd be more worried about Cordless, for some reason. I don't mind it as a name really, but I just worry it has ribbing potential.

[rachel1970]

I love Cordelia but Cordelie is also nice. Also like Caroline very much.

[londoner01]

i love cordelie, i think its sweet but also good for an adult can be shortened to cordie (thats probably a NN only i like though!) or dilly.

[NotChristmasCarol]

Thanks for the input everyone. There are clearly mixed views on Cordelie- which I did expect, although I'm glad some like it

I've really come around to Claudine, the Claudine Joy combination. And I'm loving the fact that it ties back to the Collette novels and a PJ Harvey song.

BUT: would anyone be put off by the "lame" meaning?

[Alltheflowers]

You have similar taste to me! I like the name Cordelie, going to add it to my desperately short shortlist

[Alltheflowers]

Ps Delphi is on my shortlist - you might like that too?

[Badgerina]

Love Xanthe! Cordelie really NOT.

Coraline? It's a great book by Neil Gaiman.

[MadBusLady]

We only use Claud- names now because it became the name of a dynasty of Roman emperors. So no, I wouldn't be put off using it because of the original meaning, it's at one remove from the reason why we use it.

I'm not keen on Cordelie either. She would forever be correcting people glancing at her name and saying Cordelia. Caudelie is also a French skincare brand by the way.

[Ephiny]

Not keen on Cordelie either, it looks a bit awkward and people would probably say it wrong.

I think Coralie is absolutely lovely, but if you don't like it you don't like it! What about Corinne?

[CachuHwch]

I think it's a bit too corduroy.
My friends and I are stupid. We've been saying Zanth for Xanthe instead of Zanthee. We were in a group of about 7 or 8 talking about names, and Xanthe came up, and everyone pronounced it Zanth. Just so you know that there are many thick people who can't say it... :o

[Gwennan]

Cordelie = cordially.

Cordelia is miles better but, as it's not right for your family, how about Melanie ('black, dark')? It's a lovely name that's underused these days.

Otherwise, names I consider similar to Cordelie or Xanthe include:
Aimee
Beatrix
Cecily
Celeste
Cosima
Elodie
Eugenie
Gaia
Fabienne
Isadora
Manon
Odette
Ottilie
Phoebe
Rosalie
Saskia
Sorrel
Tallulah
Verena
Zara
Athalie
Melody
Sidonie
Magalie
Natalie
Eleni
Noémie
Amity
Verity
Dorothy

[NotChristmasCarol]

Ok - I can now confirm that Cordelie is OFF the list!

So I'm currently at:

Xanthe Joy

Claudine Joy

Sabine Joy

and

Fabienne Joy

(I've also had a possibly-hormonally-induced-late-breaking-entry of my own: Artemis Joy. DD1s name relates to the sun, and I'm quite taken by the fact that Artemis is associated with the moon. I'm quite prepared to be told that I need to have a cup of tea and a lie down..... )

[MadBusLady]

I LOVE Fabienne, was nearly called this (would have preferred it too!) Nickname would be Fab, how cool is that?

Otherwise I like Xanthe and Artemis (though latter is I think supposed to be very Mumsnet and therefore to be avoided?)

Claudine I like less than Claudia and Claudette. Sabine I don't like at all, it sounds somehow medical.

[OhSiena]

Artemis strikes me as a bit trying too hard, but not awful, just obvious you've tried very hard too be unique.

Claudine seems more like you just happen to have inadvertently struck upon a little used beautiful name that only someone with your impeccable taste would have noticed.

Or how abut Joy as the first name? That is splendid, with it's single syllable, wondrous meaning and total absence form school registers for many decades.

I'm also lobbying for a comeback for Gloria. I think that would be an amazing name to have. ( I know it ends in an a so no good for you, I'm just sowing the seed for others. I'm having no more babies myself and really shouldn't be frequenting baby naming boards!).