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

Clelia - Yay or Nay

33 replies

SparklingMoet · 26/12/2022 19:54

I read a thread recently in relation to the name Clelia for a baby girl and loved it.

However, it attracted so bad comments that it reminds of female genitals/clit.

I was wondering why Clelia has this association and names like Cleo or Chloe don’t…

Is it really that much bad name and a big no?

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Set a reminder
AllOfThemWitches · 26/12/2022 20:20

I don't like the name though, it does look like a misspelling of 'celia.'

AllOfThemWitches · 26/12/2022 20:19

Jesus, this place is obsessed with vaginas. Can't hear 'Quinn' without thinking 'quim' or 'cl' without thinking of clitoris! Honestly, no one irl will make these bizarre associations.

LaLuz7 · 26/12/2022 20:19

It's awful. Sounds clunkly and looks misspelled

Original poster
SparklingMoet · 26/12/2022 20:16

Thank you!

Are you Italian? I appreciate that it won’t go well in the UK but do you think that Italians won’t like the name too?

OP posts:
Geamhradh · 26/12/2022 20:02

PS, wrt Chloe and Cleo- despite also coming from another culture/language, enough of them have passed into English speaking culture to not seem weird.
I'm 57 and can remember a Chloe on Playschool in the early 70s. Fascinated me that someone had such an amazing and unusual name. Fast forward 40 years and it was the most common name for girls in the country.
That's not going to happen to Clelia.

motleymop · 26/12/2022 20:01

I've only heard of one person called Clelia. I had never come across the name before. I don't have any feelings about it, but people do often misread it as Celia and refer to her as such.

RandomCatGenerator · 26/12/2022 20:00

It’s a no for me as it looks like a misspelling of Celia to me and it’s unusual enough that I reckon that would be a right pain for the child through life.

Geamhradh · 26/12/2022 19:59

I was on the other thread.
The silly comments about genitalia are because people don't know it's a very old, traditional Italian name and has been in existence since Roman times.
That said, as I also said on the thread, it's very very old-fashioned and not in an "old lady chic" way.
Any Italian hearing a baby has been. called Clelia will presume she's named after some ancient relative and, rightly or wrongly, feel a bit sorry for her whilst laughing behind her back at being lumbered with such a dreadful name.