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Baby names

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

Original poster

Help please

40 replies

Comma2 · 23/09/2009 14:51

I cannot bear the responsibilty of naming my second dd I have a name I really hate and do not want to do this to innocent babybut will have to.

DD1 is Flora, and I always knew it would be. son, if i'd had one, would have been Miles. Now it is a dd though, and struggle has begun.

DH extremly unhelpful, only imposing limitations: can't be a flower name, can't be a months name (there goes June), can't be too hippy and can't end in 'illy' (Lilly is double out).
My own restrictions: must be not too outlandish (Fantasia is a no-go), not obviously religious (Grace), and not weird spelling to make it 'special' (Desyree)

We live in the US and people are very bad in pronuncing anyting more complex than Jack and Judy, I am German and would like no th so my parents can have a go at pronouncing it, and our last name and heritage is irish, so that would be nice, but we'll have to be able to read it. . Anybody??

Here are my 3 ideas, all of them a bit unenthusiastic:
Esme
Ella (number one so far,but not sure about it)
Penelope (but dh doesn't like Penny)

Please help me!!

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mathanxiety · 28/09/2009 04:52

Sorry, comma2, I wouldn't mind, but I hate being called Mildred. 'Outlandish' was subconscious/late night... I know an Anya whose father is German. Love Annika, btw.

Original poster
Comma2 · 27/09/2009 14:24

Uh-oh, mathanxiety, I am still not forgiven my outlandish comment, am I?

I like Annika as far as german names go, but husband just got funny look on face and I moved right on. I also like Ida, but Americans would mess it all up. Sophie is planned for middle name. Otherwise I seem to zoom in on Esme, just like that, no accents or double ees, as seems too complicated and very few people would know its not correct.

OP posts:
mathanxiety · 27/09/2009 07:47

How about German names - Elke, Anneliese, Liesel, Leni, Tabea (Tabitha), or Sophia, which is pretty international?

mathanxiety · 27/09/2009 07:32

Mairead is Irish for Margaret. (Mary is Maire, Mairin, etc.) It is a name that Americans cannot pronounce to save their lives . Irish names when properly spelled are greeted with complete disbelief in America. If you want to use an Irish name in the US, I would try reading it as if it were in English and see what you get. Forget you know anything about it or what it should sound like, be as outlandish as you like.

Esme/Esmee is associated with Scotland more than anywhere else, although spelling-wise it's French. I think its meaning is something along the lines of "loved" or "esteemed".

Original poster
Comma2 · 25/09/2009 14:36

Oh I love Giselle, but dh has completely forbidden it. Also a french name, the german version is Gisela, which is horrible.

Una is lovely too, but after Bridget Jones will always associate it with Gherkins.

I thought Esme comes from Esmeralda (which is nice, but a bit cuckoo, according to DH).

Why is Esme suddendly an in-name????? I got it from Salinger short stories, never heard it before and suddenly its modern? Fuck it, will just ignore. (also, the americans I told never even heard of it, which isn't the best either.)

OP posts:
mummybrained · 25/09/2009 13:31

i think Esme is lovely and depending on accent i think the 'owner' will have a choice about how it is pronounced which is nice. Irish names I love include Una, Oonagh, Finola and Finula, but possibly not all in the same family!

hulabula · 25/09/2009 13:24

But Esme = male and Esmee = female (can't do the accents), just like Rene and Renee.

So, for a girl it's got to be Esmee. I wouldn't use it because of the different ways of pronouncing it (French, English etc).

cyteen · 25/09/2009 13:14

I know a 94 year old Esme who pronounces it Esmay.

Persephoponce · 25/09/2009 12:53

I am not deliberately trying to be horrible - it's true! There are two in my child's class, a friend has a 2 yr old called Esme and the woman who has just moved in two doors down has an Esme. They are fifty fifty on the Esme/Esmay pronunciation, btw

PuppyMonkey · 25/09/2009 12:51

North London may be teeming with them (doubt that actually) but that's not true of where I live. She is one on her own!!

Esme is the way Scots pronounce it. The Esmay pronunciation sounds really pathetic to me. Not one person has ever pronounced my dd's name Esmay thank Gawd. Internet sites do all point to it being French, but speak to a proper French person and ask if they have ever met an Esme.. or Esmay.... see what they say.

cyteen · 25/09/2009 12:47

Susannah
Claire

Persephoponce · 25/09/2009 12:43

Yes, but about two people in the world were called Esme until 3 years ago. Now north London is teeming with them

I thought it was french and therefore pronounced Es-may?

PuppyMonkey · 25/09/2009 11:53

I have an Esme pronounced (correctly) Es-mee. So with the greatest respect, up yours Persephoponce! Trend my arse. It has been around for years and years. I have also only ever met one other where I live.

It is 150% the nicest name suggested on this thread.

Persephoponce · 25/09/2009 11:38

Esme is a 'trend' name. I really dislike it, actually, especially the Es-me pronunciation.

Ella is really popular in the UK, but I still think it's a classic.

Penelope is gorgeous.

Thinking of German women ./ girls I know or have known:

Claudia
Agatha
Selma
Giselle
Elsa
Christa
Elspeth

Some Irish girl's names...can't get away from the Gaelic spellings, really, unless you go for 'Irish inspired' names like Shannon, Erin, Caitlin etc:

Ailis (Eye-leesh) - I have seen this spelled Eilish in England
Aine (Awnya) - can anglicise to Anya
Grainne (Grawn-ya) - Irish Gaelic for Grace, so sort of sneaky one there
Mairead (Mah-rade or Muh-rade) - form of Mary

will think of more...got Tesco man at door

jkklpu · 25/09/2009 09:48

Not sure why Emer would be difficult, tbh. Maura may be more recognisable, if that's what you mean, because of Maura Tierney

mathanxiety · 25/09/2009 05:03

There are a lot of Isabelles in the US too. Emer would be very uncommon, maybe difficult for Americans. Orla on the other hand might be easier, but it's a bit close to Flora. How about Finnuala, Nuala, Finola, Fiona?

jkklpu · 24/09/2009 22:17

Marta
Corinna
Meriel
Emer - a lovely Irish name
Tara

Original poster
Comma2 · 24/09/2009 22:08

hm. Do not want people to say esmay, that sounds like dismay.

OP posts:
diddl · 24/09/2009 19:18

I love Esme, and Ella.
Also like Hebe.

mathanxiety · 24/09/2009 19:13

I think Esme would be pronounced Es-may in the US. btw I would have thought it would be spelled Esmee, with an accent on the second-last e, being a feminine adjective name in French.

mathanxiety · 24/09/2009 19:08

There are three Ellas and two Ellies between PK 4 and Kindergarten in my DCs' school and we bump into a lot of them at the playground. I find in the US that people will make an effort to pronounce a name the way you tell them to, and Esme is not completely unknown there, so I don't think it would be mispronounced too often. However, I also find that most Irish names elicit a request to spell it, then a shaking of the head followed by a misspelling, then a repeat of the request, then another spelling....and it all gets very, very tedious very, very fast.

lin125 · 24/09/2009 16:19

Esme is really lovely, i would go with that. Otherwise what about Esther, Imogen, Sylvie or Brea x

Original poster
Comma2 · 24/09/2009 15:57

so es-may is wrong, correct?

OP posts:
Knickers0nmahead · 24/09/2009 01:17

Esme.

Cortina · 24/09/2009 01:03

I love Ursula! Met a very sweet 6 year old with this name recently. I am told this is the 'sea witch' in Ariel though, not that this would put me off!