Seren/Eleri

[MissTriangle]

I am due in 3 weeks with DD2. I am English and DH is Welsh, but we live in England. He is adamant that we use a welsh name this time, as DD1 has a English name that was my choice.
I think we have narrowed it down to 2, just wondering which you prefer.

Seren Elizabeth
Eleri Jane

Thanks.

[StetsonsAreCool]

I know that's how it's pronounced, it just doesn't feel right! Or maybe it's just my accent that butchers it

When I say it properly, it makes me think 'lairy'

[ItsNotUnusualToBe]

Eleri rhymes with Mary, however you say that.


We say it to rhyme with canary (which I hadn't realised until this thread) but its also pronounced o rhyme with hairy scary fairy

[StetsonsAreCool]

I know half a dozen Serens - we are in England but verrrry near the welsh border. This side of the border, it is 'non-chavvy' (and I hate myself for using
that). The other side it is more chavvy (eugh, sorry again).

I like it, and it's a pretty name, but it's pronounced like 'seven' by almost everyone I know.

I love Eleri a lot, but I know I say it like celery, which is wrong. I wish I had a welsh accent so I could make it sound right!

[mammyof5]

i wanted to call one of my dd Seren but i couldnt say it properly according to my first language welsh partner it sounds lovely with a welsh accent which i dont have.

so we went for Mari little bit to much like marie for my liking but Haf was my other choice but i was worried about how it would work if she left wales.

as long as you and your oh love it thats all that matters

[Gwennan]

Seren is in the top 10 in Wales, ranking as the 6th most popular name (221 baby girls). If you include England too, Seren is the 127th most popular girls name in England and Wales (459 baby girls in total). That means more girls are called Seren in England than Wales but certainly in some parts of Wales there is a fairly high concentration of them!

I think Seren sounds very pretty and has a lovely meaning but it's very faddy, in my opinion, so I'd probably pick Eleri instead.

[Ilovecake1]

No...I really wouldn't go with Seren! Eleri is a classy welsh name, Seren just isn't that!

[dearcathyandclare]

Both lovely but I prefer Eleri, but be prepared for lots of El, Ellie later down the line especially if living in England. How about Carys as it can't be shortened?

[1978andallthat]

I like Eleri.

[MissTriangle]

Thanks for your comments. I really don't know which I prefer - and it does seem really mixed on here. At least most people tend to like them though.
I know one Seren but no Eleri's so neither are that popular round here. Saying that though we are moving in a few months, so who knows.
Oh well, still have 2 1/2 weeks to decide! Eeek!

[onessa]

Beth am Seren Elspeth? Seren Sian?

[missingmymarbles]

at Don'tcallmebaby

[DontCallMeBaby]

Personally I'm finding Seren Eleri incredibly hard to say, it sounds like I'm drunk and trying to say 'necessarily'!

[notallytuts]

i love them both! I think Eleri just about wins for me though

If you prefer Seren, but don't want Seren Jane, what about Seren Eleri Jane? The Eleri in the middle breaks up the seren and the jane nicely

[littlemissstan]

My aunt is called Hilary, and her good friend from school was Eleri - they went travelling around France when they were younger and is caused enough confusion that it's still an amusing family story!

Which is a roundabout way of saying that the two can be quite easily confused I suppose...

[DontCallMeBaby]

The only reason I even know Seren as a name is cos it's a friend's screen name - mind you DD is 8 now so I'm not au fait with current baby name trends. And yes, on pronunciation I always want to put the stress on the second syllable in Seren and I KNOW it's wrong but I want to do it anyway. And prior to this thread I'm afraid I would pronounce Eleri to rhyme with celery, although I don't think that it rhymed with celery would actually have occurred to me ... of course I am not a child looking for a silly nickname for another child.

I actually think that Seren Jane works well - unless you're someone who goes around calling their child by their full name on a regular basis it doesn't really matter anyway, unless it sounds truly unfortunate.

[Cezella]

Agreed about the pronunciation on the Seren too- it's not an "un" sound on the end at all- so you can't really presume people will get that right either, I guess it comes down to whether it bothers you or not

[missingmymarbles]

We have a Seren. We live in England. I gather it is popular but it's so pretty we didn't care. We don't know any other Serens, which may have made a difference to us, if we did, but we love it. I liked Eleri as well but DH couldn't get past some rugby player called Eleri, just sayin'

[CelticPromise]

I love Eleri. Too many Serens. People can get Seren wrong too, lots of people sort of say SERun which isn't right.

My DS has a very Welsh name and we live in England. People do get it wrong, but I love the name and I don't mind correctingpeople.

[deemented]

I love Eleri - and was always told 'It's Eleri as in canary, not Eleri as in Celery'

[Alisvolatpropiis]

I know what you mean,Cezalla. My Taid is Northwalian and his family still there sound very differebt to us in the South when speaking English.

North Wales Welsh is also different to South Wales,the actual words I mean.

So accents could be making names sound different,case in point,Eleri. :)

[Cezella]

Also, I take back what I said- it doesn't sound like celery. I think sometimes it's very hard to explain Welsh pronunciation online without sounding out the words. And I live in such a welsh area, we talk welsh so quickly you wouldn't hear the emphasis on the El-air-i

So, apologies it doesn't sound like celery I just struggle to explain the welsh sounds online! It's a very pretty name

[Cezella]

When you think about it there are lots of names that rhyme or sound like unfortunate words- Millie/Billy/Lily- silly, Ruby- booby, Maud- bored just to name a few- it shouldn't put you off at all I don't think think because I've never seen a Lily or a Ruby being bullied for their names!

[Alisvolatpropiis]

I went to schools with an Eleri...she said El-air-ri. Don't think anyone ever batter an eyelid at her name. This was in in Wales,though not a Welsh speaking area.

[Cwtchbach]

I love Eleri but I don't understand the celery thing? It sounds nothing like celery. It's more like to be Fairy Eleri which is nice :)

[Cezella]

Sorry that's meant to say none of them not nine of them