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Baby names

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

Original poster

Thoughts on Jemima

58 replies

bb2605 · 09/01/2020 14:20

What are everyone's thoughts on Jemima? I absolutely love it but my husband keeps repeating Jemima Puddleduck (sigh). Also I'm really worried it could be shortened to Jemma which (no offence intended to any Jemma/Gemma's out there) I really dislike. Any other nicknames that fall out of Jemima that could be cute instead? I'd be OK with Mima...

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Saisong · 10/01/2020 19:57

My sister is called Jem by almost everyone now, but she was called Mima as a youngster (and still is by older relatives). As a baby she was Minkin Grin

Loveislandaddict · 10/01/2020 19:55

Lovely, and all names can have nn if you look hard enough.

ParsleyPot · 10/01/2020 19:52

I know several, all lovely people.

Footle · 10/01/2020 19:39

I used to know a Jemima shortened to Jimey.

pilates · 10/01/2020 12:56

Love it

Fivefourthree · 10/01/2020 12:54

I love the name Jemima!!

Original poster
bb2605 · 10/01/2020 12:51

@nowaypose that is true - I guess I don't really mean by us I just mean by other children who may find the full name hard to say. In my head that could mean it gets changed to Jemma or Mima since those are the main syllables which could be easier for other children to say but it seems from others on this thread that that hasn't happened to Jemima's that they have known. I'd be happy to call her just Jemima!

OP posts:
nowaypose · 10/01/2020 12:30

I love it and names don’t have to be shortened.

Poorolddaddypig · 10/01/2020 08:05

LOVE Jemima and would use it in a heartbeat

SegregateMumBev · 10/01/2020 08:02

Oh, just remembered something. We lived abroad for a while, and that hard J sound was difficult for French and Spanish speakers. She ended up being called Shuh-mee-ma.

Historydweeb · 09/01/2020 15:48

Mim? Kinda cute
But also puddleduck...

champagneandfromage50 · 09/01/2020 15:47

I have a niece called Jemima and she gets called Jem..... it's not common at all and I like it

midwest · 09/01/2020 15:46

It does remind me of puddleduck but my dd has a Beatrix Potter name and we quickly forgot any association.
Also outside of the UK no one has heard of any of them other than peter rabbit.

Lobsterquadrille2 · 09/01/2020 15:15

I had DD overseas and absolutely loved Jemima, but all my coworkers said it was a name that reminded them of slavery and I shouldn't use it. I didn't. I still love it though.

MikeUniformMike · 09/01/2020 14:51

Mimi is awful. Me! Me!

pantsville · 09/01/2020 14:51

Whoops, I stand corrected on Mima then!

pantsville · 09/01/2020 14:49

Jemima isn’t shortened to Jemma, they’re two separate names. It would be like worrying Katherine would get shortened to Kaitlin, for example. I think the most natural shortening of Jemima would be Jem. I don’t think you could force Immie or Mima out of it really.

SegregateMumBev · 09/01/2020 14:45

I have one!

She's an adult now. Yes, we had the Puddleduckness but we embraced it in a jokey manner. She gets called Mima, Mimes, Jem, Jems, but uses the full name professionally, where it is nice and memorable.

GryffinDora · 09/01/2020 14:45

I knew a Jemima who went by Ji (to rhyme with 'high') Wasn't sure it worked

PlantPotting · 09/01/2020 14:41

@bb2605 imogen is another one of my favourites. Yes it has been popular but the number of girls with this name has been declining year on year since 2010! It’s now outside the top 40 and because of its trajectory it’s only going to get less and less common and very unlikely to suddenly boom the way for example Noah did

PlantPotting · 09/01/2020 14:40

I love it Sooooooo much

You won’t think of puddleduck when it’s your daughters name and neither will DH. I never think of puddleduck about my friend Jemima

My friend is called peter and no one says “Peter rabbit” 🤣

The two Jemima’s I’ve come across in my whole life (one 7yo and one 30s) never shortern their names to anything else and definitely not Gemma

Original poster
bb2605 · 09/01/2020 14:37

I actually just thought about Immie as well which I really like as a nickname from one of the other names on our list which is Imogen - Imogen is pretty common at the moment though which is why I'm moving away from it but I guess Jemima could also get shortened to Immie at a push? Or am I clutching at straws haha?

OP posts:
Motherof2Dragons · 09/01/2020 14:37

It's sounds wannabe posh to me. Sorry....

leli · 09/01/2020 14:36

I love this name. Tried to persuade D-I-L and S to choose it - tactfully of course.

Merename · 09/01/2020 14:35

I’m sorry but I really don’t like it. There’s the puddleduck factor, but it’s just so twee and shrinking violet in my eyes, a weak name. Ok for a cat!