Persephone

[DessieLou]

Would you think I was a complete ponce if I named my girl Persephone?! How many of you have little Persie's? What response do you get?

I vaguely remember this name from The Matrix but can't remember how it is pronounced.

I like Odille but no idea if it is pontastic or not?

I love the sound of Persephone (unless I'm wrong in pronouncing Per-sef-on-nee). DH tried to tell me it wasn't a real name but then vetoed anyway. I also love Delphine and Seraphine which DH categorised similarly.

Persephone is beautiful. I know a little one who must be about 4 now. It was on our short list too.

What about araminta (Minty), cressida (cressy), seraphina (sephi, phi, sera, nina, raphi, raphia) or Ursula..?

One of those names is currently crawling round my feet and trying to suck my toes btw so I'm probably biased. :)

Persephone is awful, Seraphine or Seraphina are much, much better. In fact pretty much anything else mentioned so far is better (bar Antigone) if only because of the pronunciation issue.

Lots of good points....and I'm liking Seraphine. Good work mumsnetters!

I know a little Persephone and it may be only her age but I am much more likely to ridicule her parents than her. She is rather a bossy little thing though and told DD that nipples weren't nipples but boobies - another thing to judge the parents on!

My mum wanted to call me Persephone, but my dad vetoed it, and her second choice Penelope, and I got something nice, but far simpler.
I love it.
I also love Ophelia which has some similar overtones...

Not at all keen on Persephone, especially now I know the meaning. Love Seraphine and Delphina, (my niece's name and it's always being complimented).

You just know there will be lots of people who will not know how to pronounce Persephone- Purse Phone for example!

And it will be ages before she could say it. I don't like persie for short, but i do like sephie. I like persephone in general, but not sure i'd call this baby it, if it's another girl... for the saying, great unwashed not pronoucing it right and spelling. i am also aware i've given up on punctuation in this post so appear entirely illiterate myself.

never mind.

err, i was actually trying to correct some of my dreadful grammer when i posted that by accident

sigh.

a second never mind

Dreamfeeder I had to read that twice to get my head round it! Don't worry, it was getting late. You're right, she would struggle to say it/spell it. I really like Sephie so may one to consider as it is!
Eskimo Ophelia is also on my list but DH screws his face up every time I suggest it and sarcastically says 'Ophelia Tits, Can I?!' Pillock.
Thanks for all your thoughts.

It had a horrible meaning so a no no for me

I know an Odile (just one 'l') and I also know an Odette - just to throw a couple more names into the mix.

I too loved Persephone but DH vetoed it. DD has another unusual (not made up!) name - not met another one but have read of a few. Can't give you the name here as I would out myself.

When DD was younger she loved the name Seraphina and asked me why I hadn't called her that. TBH if I'd heard of the name I might have done but I only came across it in The Lion King.

Also liked Charlotte but decided against it (Charlotte the harlot), Xerxes for a boy ( a huge look of horror from DH), and Scarlett. Also loved Georgia and Grace but they don't go with our surname.

Don't worry about people not being able to pronounce/spell it - they'll get it eventually. DD was probably the last of her friends to be able to pronounce her own name correctly and definitely the last to be able to spell it - but it was all sorted by the time she went to school. Her name is constantly spelt incorrectly, even by school mums who've known her for ages, but I just smile sweetly and correct it. When people meet her I often get comments on how lovely her name is. - and everyone remembers her.

Also whatever name you give, your child will grow in to it. When we told everyone her name my sister said she doesn't look like an X - but within a couple of months said OMG I was so wrong she is such an X - I think partly because there are so few others - the name belongs to her.

Good luck with whatever you decide and with the rest of the pregnancy.

Okay, okay, point taken! I now much prefer Seraphine/a.

We have a Serafina (Fi / Fina to us, Sera to her friends). You will still get mispellings and mispronunciations but most people have some idea. She gets a lot of compliments on her name and loves being the only one in her class.

Seraphine is lovely :)

I do like Persephone but agree people might say Percy Phone.

I think it is a lovely name and I'd like it for a daughter too but just know my family would think I was being pretench. I love Hermione but know if I chose that for a daughter they would think it was for Harry Potter (also not sure if I've spelt it right!). Also like Jordan (The Great Gatsby) but know everyone would think it was for La Price. Also like Grace but know everyone would think it was for Will and Grace. Guess you have to pick a name you know will fit. I recently met a Mark Anthony which I thought was just daft!