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Baby names

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

Original poster

Is name this too out-there or strange?

108 replies

Katypop2 · 08/10/2022 13:20

My baby girl is due on the 22nd and I still haven’t chosen a name for her. The other day I was looking at baby names and came across the name Braelynn. I really like it and I think it is very pretty. It can also be spelled with one N but I prefer the spelling with two as I think it looks more complete. She could be Brae for short. The only problem is, it happens to be a very unusual name and I think people would struggle to spell it. Also which spelling do you prefer, Braelynn or Braelyn? Should I stay away from uncommon names that are hard to spell? My backup names are Ava, Lexi, Lily and Amelia (ik very basic/common but I don’t care about the popularity that much).

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spacexdragon · 09/10/2022 06:14

i see names like this pop up on reddit subs taking the piss out of various instagram/americanised spellings etc. i think it sounds a bit tacky, i get trailerpark hillbilly vibes. really not for me.

mathanxiety · 09/10/2022 06:07

And it is nothing to do with Briallen.

It's completely made up.

mathanxiety · 09/10/2022 06:05

It's a truly horrible, trashy name. The syllable Bray has nothing going for it. It's what donkeys say.

And it's a very Marmite name in America.

hattie43 · 09/10/2022 05:20

beonmywaythen · 08/10/2022 13:40

Egg sorry but hate it. Your backups are nice

This

Billylilly · 09/10/2022 04:38

I don’t think Braelyn is too strange or out there but it is very American to me. Also, what a pain having to spell and explain your name. I think Bryony is a much nicer variation.

Billylilly · 09/10/2022 04:36

user375242 · 08/10/2022 15:33

I think it sounds very teen mum. (I say that as someone who has a child with a teen mum name and I regret it). What about Aubrey, Bryony, Briar, Caitlin, Marilyn. They have similar sounds.

Dying 😂 The majority of the names you have suggested are the actual names of the mums who were on Teen Mom

Somanycuddlybears · 09/10/2022 00:03

It’s nothing like the Welsh word for primrose. That’s like saying Ira means snow or Eirlys means Iris.

Anyway, if you call your daughter Braelyn then that will be her name and she will make of it what she will.

I would mispronounce it as Bra- Ellen though!

MarigoldPetals · 08/10/2022 23:59

Too American for my liking.

Beachs · 08/10/2022 23:52

I like it but I've spent alot of time in America where its a common name. Braeanna or Brianna are also nice

Misterno · 08/10/2022 23:51

Braelynn aside, for those saying it’s hard to have an unusual name, I didn’t experience that.

I don’t have a common name at all (it’s a name from my father’s country) and I loved it. I was always glad I wasn’t another Rachel or Sarah (lovely names of course, but very popular when I was young). My friends with those name were always Rachel T or Sarah S to distinguish them from the others.

Having a unique name felt like a gift.

I’m just saying don’t shy away from a name just because it isn’t popular or it’s hard to spell (my name is hard to spell. I have had a life time of spelling it out and… I really don’t care! It’s worth it to have an unusual name with cultural significance!).

Beachs · 08/10/2022 23:50

caitlinrose · 08/10/2022 13:59

I'm sorry but I think it's not very nice.

Lily is lovely.

I'm sure that it doesn't mean "primrose", it is Lynn combined with Brae. Briallen isn't pronounced the same. There's no way Braelynn comes from Briallen.

Actually it is an American take on the Welsh version

Carouselfish · 08/10/2022 23:44

Bray is what a donkey does. Not an attractive first syllable. And it's a made up American-style-could-be-any-spelling name.

IamnotwhouthinkIam · 08/10/2022 23:35

Not very keen as it feels a bit of a "mash up"/invented name to me (ie. trying to find another less popular "lyn" name instead of Caitlin, Evelyn, Madeleine, Rosaline etc). Especially not keen with the nn "Brae" , as braying is the noise some animals make (donkeys, asses and zebras I think?)

If you really love it, I'd personally go with the simpler (slightly more elegant looking) Braelyn spelling and use the pretty nn Rae instead.

I love Lily and Ava btw (and Amelia is okay too, although Lexi is not my cup of tea unless a nn for Alexandria) - like you, I don't think popularity matters much, especially since less and less people are using the most popular names so there's still likely to be only one Ava or Lily etc in a class statistically.

Kentgirl2525 · 08/10/2022 23:06

I’ve met a Braelynn before and she was American.
she was just like someone from that American show ‘teen mums’.
I can only think teen mom now when I hear it.
sorry but Brae or Brey is the noise donkeys make!

It definitely looks like an American made up name and not even a good one at that! no1 will know how to say/spell it.
Amelia is a million times more lovely!

TheTeddyBears · 08/10/2022 22:54

Oh it's quite strange and not in a nice oh that's unusual way. Go for one of the back up names.

jellytots5 · 08/10/2022 22:47

Sorry I think it's awful, very chavvy. Not keen on any from the list tbh, but if I was forced to chose out of those it would probably be Ava.

ncncncnc123 · 08/10/2022 22:23

I like it. I prefer it with one N. But I think I would pronounce Braelynn with the emphasis on the second syllable and Braelyn with the emphasis on the first syllable. Not sure why.

Luredbyapomegranate · 08/10/2022 22:22

It’s a bit meh and younique

Briar
Aislinn
Catrin
Roslyn
Caitlin
Catrin

might be alternatives

MyPenIsHuge · 08/10/2022 22:21

Bray also means beat up where I am from so as a nickname it's odd here.

cptartapp · 08/10/2022 20:24

No. I just think donkey.

worriedniece · 08/10/2022 20:10

Beautiful

KirstenBlest · 08/10/2022 18:59

Briallen is hardly ever used as a first name. If you can't say LL, it's unpronounceable.
It's Bree-aLL-enn, and the stress is on the 'aLL'. It doesn't sound anything like Braelynn.

There have been other threads on Braelynn, @Katypop2 .

Whichwhatnow · 08/10/2022 18:18

I went to primary school with a girl called Briarly - pronounced like Bryony but with an 'l'. Shortened to Bree or Bri. She was very cool and it was my favourite name for years and years 😆. Seems to fit with your other names but sounds a bit less made up than Braelynn (and prettier IMO).

ChagSameachDoreen · 08/10/2022 17:28

Awful. Sounds like an asthma medication.

LittleLottle · 08/10/2022 16:56

'Bray' is the slang word for beat up where I'm from. How about Briony/Bryany?