Active discussions

Help protect children from gaming harms.

Take our survey

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

Original poster

Cordelia

40 replies

bluewisteria · 16/06/2015 06:39

Is this likely to skyrocket like Beatrice, Amelia, Isabella etc. I don't mind a top 20ish name but would rather it wasn't one the names that are absolutely everywhere now.

I absolutely love it, and can't think of an alternative for DD3, assuming it is a girl, we are very early days.

Middle name possibly Isolde/Isolda, my DH had wanted this for our first two DDs and I'm starting to come around. But then will it sound like 'Cordelia is old/is older'...?

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Set a reminder
New posts on this thread. Refresh page
applecatchers36 · 24/06/2015 20:35

Also not a huge fan of Cordelia & think it will get shortened to Delia or Cordi/e

AnythingNotEverything · 24/06/2015 20:11

I love the shortening of Delia. So pretty to my ears.

Callmecordelia · 24/06/2015 20:08

Just had to post.

My nn is an Anne of Green Gables reference though.

sycamore54321 · 24/06/2015 20:07

I'm not a huge fan of Cordelia but just wanted to query your Isolde/is older thing. I've only ever heard the "olde" pronounced Ol--deh with the Ol as in Oliver or Molly, rather than an old sound with the longer o and the two consonants run together. It seems really odd to me that anyone could hear "is older" from that so I am really surprised that is an issue. Are you overthinking it?

Purpleflamingos · 24/06/2015 19:59

Nn will be Cordi/Cordie unless she insists on Cordelia.

JillBYeats · 24/06/2015 19:42

Makes me think of King Lear.....except I think she was one of the nicer characters (hated King Lear so apologies if I'm wrong) It's a nice name but will be shortened to Delia (which I don't like)??

123Jump · 24/06/2015 19:34

I can't believe no one has mentioned Lady Cordelia Fitzgerald?!
Anne of Green Gables? It's the first thing that hopped out at me, and I studied King Lear,Grin!
I like it, OP, but Anne & Cordelia go hand in hand from the story, which doesn't bother me.

ataposaurus · 24/06/2015 19:21

Cordelia was the bully in Margaret Atwood's Cat's Eye - made a big impression on me as a teenager, am surprised no one else has mentioned it. I would just think of this though in itself is a nice name - really do not think it will sky rocket though...

marshmallowpies · 23/06/2015 22:38

Sorry that should be we chose Claudia for DD2, that is.

marshmallowpies · 23/06/2015 22:34

I love Cordelia, and our DD1 has another Shakespearean name, but we already have a Cordelia in the extended family so couldn't use it - we chose Claudia instead, which I like equally, and had generally very positive responses to (except it seems to be hated on MN!)

I agree a strong short middle name would work and not repeating a name ending in A (so I'd choose Anne over Anna), or...
Cordelia Jane
Cordelia Lucy
Cordelia Frances
Cordelia Ruby

AuditAngel · 23/06/2015 21:28

I love it, we toyed with it for DD2, settled with Luisa in the end (for a relative) Middle name Amelia, fir my grandmother and great grandmother, but I'm glad it's a middle name. DD1's class has Amelia, Emilia and Amelie.

Original poster
bluewisteria · 23/06/2015 19:20

Oh no Griffineater!! I completely understand - for me it was the smell of pine trees with DD1, they make me gag even now!

OP posts:
Griffineater · 23/06/2015 17:55

Beautiful name but it actually makes me want to vomit when I hear it. I will explain! I was pregnant with first Dc and watching the Brideshead Revisited box set when I had severe morning sickness. Unfortunately this name, as beautiful as it is, stimulates my gag reflex!

Original poster
bluewisteria · 23/06/2015 16:32

Oh I like Gwen. Not sure about Isolde but happy to concede it for Cordelia!
I told DH my suggestions, including Cordelia and he likes it! I think he would Delia as a nickname.

And now we need to short list boys which is really difficult as we don't really agree!

OP posts:
xXjunebugXx · 23/06/2015 13:35

I adore it, wanted it for my daughter but the husband hated it. I would have wanted Della for short.

Golfhotelromeofoxtrot · 23/06/2015 11:23

Gwen as a middle name?

I love it.

LibrariesGaveUsPower · 23/06/2015 11:01

I love Cordelia. But I agree you need another middle name in there. Preferably something with strong consonants. Smile

goodnessgraciousgouda · 23/06/2015 10:08

Cordelia was actually my absolutely favourite name, and top of my list - but I don't want to use a name that is likely to become very popular in the next few years, so I very reluctantly gave up on it.

In my mind the associations are with King Lear and Buffy, in that order.

Isolde on the other hand just sounds plain ugly to me.

PollyCazaletWannabe · 20/06/2015 08:53

It's my favourite name and I plan to use it for a future DD Smile To my ears, though, it needs a middle name of a different number of syllables. So Cordelia Ruth, or Cordelia Elizabeth.

whatsagoodusername · 20/06/2015 08:46

I like it.

Makes me think of Anne of Green Gables too Grin

Allthatnonsense · 20/06/2015 08:43

I love this name. I really wanted to call my DD (3 weeks) this, but went for Emmeline instead. My reservation was that it might sound a bit pretentious, although it is very beautiful.

GlitzAndGigglesx · 20/06/2015 08:39

I've grown to like Cordelia

Original poster
bluewisteria · 20/06/2015 08:28

Yes, Buffy is an old series now so I guess the link won't really be made.

My other girls middle names were Rose and May. I had absolutely no idea how common these were, we used them after funky very aged relatives. I sort of regret them now in a way. But they meant something personal rather than a standard filler middle name.

If it's a boy we had wanted to use James but it seems that is a filler boys name now too! Oh dear, maybe we weren't meant to use 'good' middle names!

OP posts:
Original poster
bluewisteria · 20/06/2015 08:23

I love Isolde, but a few things put me off:

  • several people have said 'is old? Is older?' When mishearing me.
  • Nn would be Izzy inevitably which I don't really like, but more problematic is the huge number of Isabella variants who inevitably have it as a nn too.
  • we are big Wagner fans and I'm not sure if Isolde would be a little like a biologist calling their son Darwin?

Maybe I'm overthinking it? Our other two daughters have fairly unusual names particularly the first.

OP posts:
ceebelle83 · 20/06/2015 07:50