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

Jemima or Juliet

89 replies

VintageGirl89 · 10/07/2020 21:28

We struggled for so long for girls names and couldn't find anything we loved, then suddenly we heard Jemima and it was perfect!
However, we have since fallen in love with Juliet too and can't decided between the two. So......

Which would you choose and why?
Jemima Isabel or
Juliet Isabella

Thank you Smile

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Set a reminder
Flappingflamingo · 11/07/2020 16:09

I would stick with Jemima Isabel, it's beautiful

Woodlandtree · 11/07/2020 15:49

Juliet by a long way

steppemum · 11/07/2020 15:47

Jemima = duck
Jemima= rag doll on playschool

horrible name

Juliet, very pretty and classic, also suits grown woman

villamariavintrapp · 11/07/2020 15:44

The racist connotations put me off jemima completely. But I prefer Juliet as a name anyway. Or Julia.

DreamMeOffMyFeet · 11/07/2020 15:37

I love Juliet, but prefer the spelling Juliette.
It's actually my sisters name (she is known as Juliette or Julie, never Jules) but I would quite like to use it as a middle name if I ever have a girl.
Although Jemima is nice, I only hear puddle duck afterwards. Confused

Heytheredelilah99 · 11/07/2020 15:06

I love them both. I love Jemima and Mima for short. Juliet is more unusual and really classy. GREAT choices!

Roadrunner550 · 11/07/2020 14:18

I absolutely love the name Jemima, so annoying about the puddleduck because that’s what loads of people think of! Not that she isn’t a lovely puddleduck, would just be annoying for your little girl to be constantly associated with said puddleduck 🙈

daisypond · 11/07/2020 14:12

I know Juliet is longer than Julia, but length isn’t what makes it a diminutive. A suffix can make something a diminutive too, like -et. A pet form, if you like.

MikeUniformMike · 11/07/2020 12:34

Jemima.
Don't like Jules, or the way people say Julie-ETTE.

LarkDescending · 11/07/2020 12:32

You can’t really go wrong with these lovely choices.

I love Jemima and know two brilliant ones - one a senior lawyer and the other a junior doctor. It does have a particular brand-name association in the US but not elsewhere. I like Jem as a diminutive.

Juliet is also fabulous: Shakespearean, international, timeless and will take her anywhere in life. I don’t like Jules but it isn’t inevitable.

Maybe take both into the delivery room and see which fits?

dicksplash · 11/07/2020 11:03

I love them both. I would have gone for Juliet for my daughter but don't like julie.

LotusClover · 11/07/2020 11:03

Juliet is timeless and beautiful. Jules would be the obvious shortening (which I also love) but I knew a Juliet who went by Lettie and one who simply went by Juliet. It's a gorgeous name.

Jemima on the other hand, I find very ugly. Frumpy, fussy and makes me think of Jemima Puddleduck. I don't think it goes particularly well with your boys names either - I thought all this when you posted your original thread, but you'd already decided on it so I didn't want to put you off by saying anything.

Juliet wins by a mile for me. Juliet Isabella is lovely.

LBOCS2 · 11/07/2020 10:59

It's not shorter than Julia? And also they're completely different names.

LBOCS2 · 11/07/2020 10:59

I have a Juliet and she's never been a Jules, or an Etta. You can control the use of nicknames and it's not such an obvious one (or shortening one) that people immediately go for it.

It's also not a diminutive of Julia, as, um, k'tan

Immigrantsong · 11/07/2020 10:51

Julieta

Jemima sounds twee and references to puddle duck.

Disfordarkchocolate · 11/07/2020 10:50

Juliet. Great and underused name. I like Jemima but it's a toy name to me (showing my age).

TooBusyBeingYoursToFall · 11/07/2020 10:47

I hate Jemima sorry Blush I don't like the sound of it, it almost sounds a bit comical. Juliet is not my taste either but it's a lot nicer than Jemima.

Whatsyourflava · 11/07/2020 09:33

Love Jemima and all the nickname options, which let's be honest a huge proportion of children are known by their nicknames and you don't have total control over that especially as they get older. Juliet will be Jules. I also find it too associated with Romeo

CaffiSaliMali · 11/07/2020 09:01

Juliet! Juliet Isabel is nice, as is Juliet Isabella. I know a Juliet and a Juliette and they're both lovely.

Juliet is one of the few names on my non Welsh list.

Jemima's nice enough but it reminds me of Jemima Puddleduck.

mathanxiety · 11/07/2020 08:39

I am not sure if you wanted to imply there that the Aunt Jemima character isn't classy or beautiful, Grufallosfriends, but it sure looked like that.

AllTheUsernamesAreAlreadyTaken · 11/07/2020 07:55

Jemima
Juliet is nice but a bit boring

Grufallosfriends · 11/07/2020 07:25

Juliet is beautiful and classy.

Jemima reminds me of Aunt Jemima. It sounds more clunky and less elegant.

ThroughThickAndThin01 · 11/07/2020 06:42

Really like them both, but I dislike Jules so that would put me off Juliet.

ILoveStickers · 11/07/2020 06:39

Juliet for me, definitely.

Pemba · 11/07/2020 06:01

Oh I thought you had made your final decision with Jemima Isabel! Which is nice. But hmm now you are torn between that and Juliet Isabella. Actually I think Juliet is just slightly nicer.

Jemima is perhaps slightly more unusual, always a plus. But like pps say, it has certain connotations in the US, if she's ever likely to live there. The associations are with a stereotyped 'black mammy' of an older black woman from slavery times (I think?) called 'Aunt Jemima' and it's a brand (maple syrup or some other baking product I believe). So it's considered a bit of a racist stereotype over there. I don't know whether those associations will become outdated and forgotten. Hopefully so, as Jemima is a nice name.