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Baby names

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

Original poster

Bryony or Helena

43 replies

ClareBell08 · 12/04/2014 12:17

DH and I have narrowed down to these two. Also thoughts on the spelling? Bryony/Briony
Middle name was going to be Katherine but both of us are leaning more towards Kate now although I rather like Cate, just looks a bit different!

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Original poster
ClareBell08 · 12/04/2014 12:19

Forgot to say already have a DS, will be 3 in May he's a James but Jamie to most people. Didn't plan on making him a Jamie but it just sort of happened!

OP posts:
hellymelly · 12/04/2014 12:20

Both lovely.

Sharaluck · 12/04/2014 12:23

Briony Cate

Gen35 · 12/04/2014 12:23

I like both but helena's long been a favourite

RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie · 12/04/2014 15:23

Helena much nicer imvho. Don't like Cate.

BartBaby · 12/04/2014 15:26

Helena gets my vote.

I have an Elena Smile

pinktransit · 12/04/2014 15:40

I'd say Briony, but I may be a little biased as I have one.
The only downside is that it's really difficult to shorten to anything pretty.

Allalonenow · 12/04/2014 15:43

Helena is lovely, how about Helena Briony? Not too keen on Kate etc. Smile

insancerre · 12/04/2014 15:45

love helena
not keen on Briony
dont like Cate
how about helena caitlin?

Original poster
ClareBell08 · 12/04/2014 15:52

Thanks everyone! DH an I still very torn. It may be a case of having to look at her and see what fits

Pinktransit this is a concern of mine actually. I love names that can have cute nn's for friends and family (helena I'm sure would get Heli or Leni or something!) But it seems like not much can be done with Briony. I was at school with one who always got Bryon/Bry. My friend knows of a little Briony who's friends call her Bri, as in the American name (said like Bree). Does your DD get any names at school? (If she's at that age!) what do you and DH call her for nn's?

OP posts:
Original poster
ClareBell08 · 12/04/2014 15:57

Insancerre I actually love caitlin but surname ends in an N, so that along with the N in bryony/Helena and the N in Caitlin may be a little much! It's why we have decided to go for Kate/Cate rather than Katherine.

Allalonenow , same as above really! I'd love to use both but too many N's lol

OP posts:
MincingOnBy · 12/04/2014 16:07

Helena Catherine would be very lovely

Original poster
ClareBell08 · 12/04/2014 16:15

MincingonBy I agree, I just love all 3 names really! Surname ends in "son" though so we feel having an N in all 3 names may be a bit much which is why we've settled on Kate or Cate. Think we will probably go for Cate :)

OP posts:
pilates · 12/04/2014 16:32

Helena is lovely
Dislike Briony/Bryony

Helena Katherine sounds great to me

Needadvice5 · 12/04/2014 16:43

Sorry but really dont like Bryony!

BumbleeBee · 12/04/2014 16:52

Oooh I see my name!

So my experience with my name...when I was little I really didn't like it. I didn't like that I was "different" and had a year group full of Emily, Sophie, Louise, Jessica, I was the only Bryony and often got called Brian which I hated.
But as I got older I liked the fact that I was just "Bryony"...not "Bryony M." In my class of just 18 at senior school there was 3 Louise's and 3 Emily's so we only knew them as "Louise P, Louise D" etc. So that was definitely a bonus!! I also don't mind it because it's not completely "out there"...I mean it's well known enough that most people won't have to ask you to repeat your name but it's not really popular either.

However I will definitely back up what pinktransit has said. I have always been Bryon/Brian/Bry. My close family call be B. I actually studied in Sydney for a year where there were a lot of American students and I was "Bree" within a few weeks. Brianna/Brianne are common names in both America and Australia so it seemed like a natural transition from Bryony!

A lot of people can't seem to get Brian out of their head and seem to think it's a female version of it. The only nn that I actually like is B. I'm so used to Bry now that it doesn't bother me but I really don't like it. A friend of mine was going to use Briony if she had a DD (ended up having a little boy) and said she was going to use Bonnie as a nickname but I just thought that was too much of a stretch from Briony. I said if she really liked Bonnie then just call her Bonnie!

Sooo there is my 2 cents lol As someone who has grown up with the name, I'd go for Helena. A lot of cute nn's can come from it, Heli, Leni, Laney. Bryony in itself I don't hate but no good nn's can come from it

HolidayCriminal · 12/04/2014 17:00

Sorry esp. to BumbleBee, but Bryony makes me cringe.
They seem like really different names, like typically a person wouldn't like both, but maybe I just don't know the history of Bryony.

brokenhearted55a · 12/04/2014 17:02

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

BumbleeBee · 12/04/2014 17:02

lol no need to apologise HolidayCriminal.. it's a very "marmite" name!

CatsAreLikeChocolates · 12/04/2014 17:07

Definately Helena. Love it! It's classic and timeless, just like your DS's name. I like Cate too, but may be biased as our DD is Catherine and shortens it to Cate, which makes more sense to me than Kate given the different initials iyswim.

All the best with the baby.

HolidayCriminal · 12/04/2014 17:08

No point in answering these threads if not being honest. I strongly feel OP should use Byrony, if she loves it, though. :).

On MN My name has been called the precise opposite of Timeless Classic. (hmm)

WheresMeJumperOhNo · 12/04/2014 18:18

I'm a Bryony and I don't like my name being shortened. At all. Everyone seems to think my name is Byrony, for some reason?
I love it though, I was the only Bryony at school etc and my Mum always had nice compliments about my name when I was little.
I also like Helena, so no help I'm afraid Grin

lemonmuffin · 12/04/2014 19:05

both are gorgeous, Bryony might get shortened to Bry though, if that bothers you.

chocchips · 13/04/2014 08:59

Just chipping in as another Bryony. Its horrendous, please don't lumber your child with it. nobody I know likes it, some people raise their eyes and a couple have sneered when I've told them my name.

I get the 'oh that's unusual' you know the polite way of saying why did your parents do that? And to be quite frankly I have no idea why. I begged to have it changed and was never allowed.

It gets shortened to Bry which is marginally better. Agree with the person who said people can't get Brian out of their head, people took the piss at school where I longed to be normal like the other children.

I'm a little biased as I have an irrational hatred of my name but I fairly believe my life would be easier if I had a 'normal' name.

Ice seen a few names recently mention Bryony, this is worrying!

Oh yeah, Helena.

Sharaluck · 13/04/2014 11:09

I'm surprised that people don't like the shortening of briony/bryony to bri/bry. Helena could similarly be shortened to Hel.