Sibella or Mattea?

[HahaHarrie]

These are the front runners! Do you know any? Can you foresee any problems with pronunciation?

My full list (in no particular order) is as follows. Any comments welcome!

Sibella
Mattea
Francesca
Thomasina
Penelope
Briony
Seraphine
Josephina
Agatha
Celia
Louisa
Lucinda
Katherine (Kate)
Theodora
Rosie (my daughter's choice)

Thanks!

Mattea is confusing me - My DN's middle name is Matthea, is that what you mean? It seems like a more logical spelling and easier to pronounce from text too. She's not British though and I've been away so long that I do sometimes get confused about ENglish pronunciation.

Mrs Lettuce is your DN Italian? Mattea is the feminine form of Matthew of Italian origin. It can also be spelt Matthea, but just as correctly Mattea. I thought in the UK Mattea would be easier to pronounce (Mat-tay-ah) otherwise people might think it is Mat-thee-a.

Yes I agree Haha ref spelling of Mattea, and this is how I've always seen it spelt in Italy. Your list is GORGEOUS. Least fave are Kate and Rosie, which are still pretty but for me just not as interesting. Faves are Theodora, Celia (also love Cecelia) and Mattea. Sibella is lovely too - only heard Sybilla before.

Mattea is gorgeous, as is Theodora. And many of the others. Agatha is surprisingly nice!

I think most of those names are beautiful.

Mattea however has turned into a chavtastique name around here that I've heard screeched in supermarkets

She's Dutch but the effect of the changed spelling results in the pronunciation you give (Mat-tay-ah) which is, indeed much nicer than the alternative (Mat-thee-a).

I would cut it down to
Sibella
Thomasina
Penelope
Josephina
Agatha
Celia
Louisa
Katherine (Kate)
Theodora

I would also spell Sibella 'Sybilla'

Of the lot, I think I like Agatha, Thomasina and Theodora best, and also Sybilla (but not Sibella).

I had never heard of Mattea, but the origins and pronunciation were clear. I think it's beautiful.

Oh Sibella is stunning! Very unusual.

Are Sibella and Sybilla pronounced differently?

OP I think Cordelia and Clementine would both be a very good fit for your list!

I'd definitely pronounce Sibella as "Si-bella" and Sybilla as "Si-billa".

Thanks for the replies everyone. I think this child might have a lot of middle names!

As Laquila says Sibella and Sybilla are pronounced slightly differently given the endings. I knew a Sibella at school and have always loved the name. She was also called Sibbie. Both names are variations of Sybil/Sibyl. I prefer the 'bella' ending compared to 'billa'. I did think about the Sybella spelling but then I think the pronunciation might be confusing - psy-bella not Sib-bella.

Laquila I have been tossing up between Celia and Cecilia. Today it's a Celia day! Also, my oldest daughter's middle name is Clementine.

Only1scoop Where abouts are you, if you don't mind me asking? Have you come across a few Matteas?

I like Mattea, Thomasina, Celia and Louisa the best from your list.

There's a great Sibella in the film Kind hearts and coronets. Check it out if you havn't already seen it.

No I haven't seen it, will check it out now. Thanks.

God, I LOVE Clementine. Can't you redistribute it?

Sibella -is it SIB-ella or Sib-ELLA?
Mattea -doesn't feel like a girl's name to me. Like Thomasina or Nigella. Looks like you'd wished you'd had a boy so you could use Matthew.
Francesca - bland
Thomasina - ooh, see above!
Penelope - have an irrational hatred of this name. Very horsey.
Briony - lovely
Seraphine - gorgeous
Josephina - nice
Agatha - can't get on board with this
Celia - love it
Louisa - lovely
Lucinda - horsey
Katherine (Kate) - dull
Theodora - horsey AND hefty
Rosie (my daughter's choice) - too twee (sorry DD)

Do you like Delphine?

Two Matteas I know of are both boys....wouldn't be surprised if one of them was named after that character in Benidorm

Always makes me think of Mateus Rose of the 80's....

You have some other beautiful names on your list Op.