Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Baby names

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

Original poster

Thora, Astrid or Ilse?

46 replies

Taggys · 29/04/2024 10:04

Hey all...

We are still undecided on which Scandinavian baby name to use if we have a girl? We are a half Swedish/half English family living in the UK.

Choosing between:
Thora
Astrid (nn "Asta")
Ilse

What's your opinion? Need some help here as we are going around in circles 😅

Many thanks!

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Set a reminder
New posts on this thread. Refresh page
Mairzydotes · 02/05/2024 15:40

My brain reads Ilse as Isle and my internal pronounces it as eel like the French for island.

I imagine people will pronounce it as Ailsa.

crumbledog · 02/05/2024 15:32

Thora, is really beautiful name.
Thora Hird died 20 odd years ago, no one from her generation, or probably under 35 would make the association.
Astrid, reminds me of hand cream.

AnnaMagnani · 02/05/2024 15:26

@KirstenBlest Ilzuh would be fantastic!

Unfortunately Ils, Ills or Elsie are depressingly more likely.

I found I could get my name pronounced and spelled correctly at school and university. After that forget it. The people who genuinely want to get it right stand out.

ClipClopperDontStopper · 02/05/2024 14:48

Thora or Ilse

I think Astrid is a really ugly name.

ebts · 02/05/2024 14:46

Ilse is lovely, reminds me of Casablanca. I know an Ylva which is similar but a bit softer.

Jamiedodgers · 02/05/2024 14:43

I like astrid, however non asta might be misheard as Asda

KirstenBlest · 02/05/2024 14:39

@AnnaMagnani , if I saw the name Ilse without knowing the heritage, I'd think of it as German, so would say it as Ilzuh.
In the workplace, the -e endings tend to be pronounced as -uh not -eh, or as -ay.
It's difficult to know that I'm not saying it right if I've only heard the incorrect pronunciation, unless I am corrected.
It's a bit embarrassing but I'd rather know.

AnnaMagnani · 02/05/2024 14:11

True, I'd pronounce it correctly and so would my mum!

However my DM nearly cried when she met a consultant who got her name right without asking. Both of us gave up years ago.

KirstenBlest · 02/05/2024 13:20

no one in the UK will pronounce it or spell it correctly.
Slight over-exaggeration but agree. I doubt it would be said the Swedish way, and would probably be written as Elsa or Ilsa.

AnnaMagnani · 02/05/2024 13:02

Ilse is lovely but no one, no one in the UK will pronounce it or spell it correctly.

People will claim they will but coming from a family of Scandinavian -e names I can promise you they will not. And being called Ils isn't nice.

user1492757084 · 02/05/2024 12:57

All lovely.
My fave is Astrid.

ZoyaTheDestroyer · 02/05/2024 12:16

Thora. My one-that-got-away. Absolutely love it (although not enough to have another kid!).

OctaviaRedQueen · 30/04/2024 14:15

Astrid! One of my favourite names!

Mitsky · 30/04/2024 11:20

We are also a Swedish English mix and Astrid is top of my list if it’s a girl.

I like Thora but the difference in pronunciation would annoy me!

steppemum · 30/04/2024 11:17

love Astrid, really great name. It has a lot of associations with the How to Train your Dragon series, but as the Astrid in that is fabulous, strong, clever funny and pretty, you can't go wrong!

I am not keen on Thora, but the Tora pronunciation is great, and much nicer, and gives it more of a Scany twist.

Ilse - not keen

In terms of pronunciation, people get it. They learn. I know Mayas with 2 different pronunciations, and we manage to remember how to say each one, and my dh has a name which is pronounced slightly differently to the English way, and people just pick it up, so for Thora and Ilse, they will get it.

ThisElatedQuail · 30/04/2024 10:45

I love the name Thora so much keep suggesting it to my husband it is literally perfect love Astrid too

SirChenjins · 29/04/2024 22:38

I love Ilse - not so keen on Astrid as it feels a bit overused in the late 90s and Thora will forever be Thora Hird for me.

shoopshoopdedoo · 29/04/2024 22:31

I love Thora and Ilse. Beautiful names!

Unlike most PP, I don’t like Astrid.

Theoldwoman · 29/04/2024 14:49

Astrid!

SirSidneyRuffDiamond · 29/04/2024 13:43

Thora by a country mile. Beautiful and strong name, especially with the Tora pronunciation.

KirstenBlest · 29/04/2024 13:43

Thora Hird - Wikipedia
She was wonderful.

Thora Hird - Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thora_Hird

CumbersomeRobes · 29/04/2024 13:38

I really Astrid, there are a lot round here though. I have always loved Ilse since reading Emily of New Moon. Couldn't use it for dd as our surname didn't fit at all.
Use Ilse for me!

FlyingPizzaMonkey · 29/04/2024 13:31

I’m not sure the Thora Hird reference is that relevant nowadays. Kids won’t know who she was.

Enko · 29/04/2024 12:20

I am Scandinavian

I LOVE Ilse and of the 2 I have known they were both wonderful clever women I admired a lot as a child.

I dont like Thora personally and while I don't mind Astrid I dislike how harsh it becomes in the English language compared to the Danish version I know.

Of the 3 I would use Ilse

KirstenBlest · 29/04/2024 11:51

I think they are all pretty. Astrid is lovely but becoming quite popular. I'm not keen on Asta (hasta la vista/Asda price vibes).
Thora is lovely but Th/T confusion - Thora Hird was a terrific actress.
Ilse is nice but will get Ils or Elsa a lot.

Swipe left for the next trending thread