Jessamine

[leoniethelioness]

What do you think?

DH and I are TTC so this is a bit premature but it's one of only 4 girls' names we agree on (the others being much more popular - Clara, Emily and Martha). Jessamine (or Jessamyn) is pronounced JEH-suh-min and means jasmine. Jessamy is another variant.

We like three syllable names best with our surname and I like girls' names with a one syllable nickname too. We'd call her Jess or Jessie for short.

Thank you!

I really like it. I think it'll be mispronounced all the time though,I would have guessed Jess-ah-mine.
Martha and Emily are a bit blah - nice names but becoming popular. Clara is alright but reminds me of a cow

Thanks, loraRua. I'm keen to choose a name that's not too popular as I have a common name myself and while I really like it, there were 4 of us in one of my uni classes (of about 15 girls) and there are 3 of us on my floor at work alone!

If I came across it I would assume you didn't know how to spell or pronounce "Jasmine"

I've had a quick google and there's nothing on the first page of results about it being a girl's name. Though there is a Jessamine county in Kentucky.

Sorry, not keen at all - Jasmine is so much nicer.

I don't like it. Sounds like Jezebel!

It's so similar to Jasmine (which is popular) that I would assume a misspelling in order to make it you-neeq or that I'd misheard it.

I'm not keen - it's sounds a bit made up although I appreciate it isn't

I much prefer Jasmine

Agree that although Emily & Martha are both lovely names they are also very popular

I could therefore pick Clara from your short list (although prefer Cara/Kara)

Jessamine was a name I loved as a child - I called one of my dolls it. I think it was a character in a book I'd read.

It's a lovely name

I like it. I can imagine it will get mispronounced and spelled wrong by others though. We have a Yasmin and people always think it is Jasmine, we liked Yasmina too but figured it would get shortened anyway.
I like the sound of Jezebel Wolfiefan, it is a shame it has the meaning it does.

I've seen Jessamy and prefer that to Jessamine which looks like a typo of Jasmine.

I love Clara, no less popular than Martha but it's lovely. Prefer the simplicity of Martha and Clara over Jessamine

Thank you for all of the comments.

It is quite similar to Jasmine, which is just in the top 50, and Jessica, which was the 8th most popular name last year, so it does seem ripe for mispronunciation. Given that only three girls were named Jessamy last year and less than three (if any!) were named Jessamine or Jessamyn, perhaps the odds are stacked against it... I still really like it though! I'll mull over your comments.

I agree that Clara, Martha and Emily are a lot simpler but I am drawn to using a more distinctive name (albeit nothing too weird or embarrassing). I think that's why I like Jessamine and it does lend itself well to easy to blend in nicknames too.

Sgoinneal - thank you for your suggestions. I like Emmeline (EM-uh-leen?) too but I would expect it to be mistaken for Emily perhaps even more than Jessamine would be for Jasmine? I think that could be a little bit annoying. For the same reason, I think I've discounted Emilia too.

One of the other names is the name of my cat (!) and I don't think I'd get the others past DH. :(

I love Jessamine.

What about Christabel?

I'm familiar with the name & I like it a lot. I much prefer it to Jasmine.

Jessamine comes into an Elizabeth Goudge book, I think. I think it's pretty.

Tamsin?

Jessamy was also a boy's name, funnily.

Jemima?

Millicent unlike to pass DH, I guess. What does he like ?

Very pretty. Classier than Jasmine, somehow, and more unusual than Jessica. From it you can easily get the diminutives Jess, Jessie or Jessa. I really like it!

No

I know a Jesamine, with only one s, she goes by 'Jez'.

I don't like it. It sounds made up and I think a lot of people will assume it is.

It's not made up though (has been around for ages, though very unusual). I don't really see why the OP should have to take account of other people's ignorance when choosing a name.

I have heard of Jessamine but I prefer Jessamy as I loved the book 'Jessamy' when I was a child.

In fact I'm going to see if I can pick up a cheap copy on Abe books and have a re-read.

Thanks OP!

Jesamine. Lovely song by the Casuals!

Love it

It's a pretty name, and lovely, but you would have to deal with her being one of millions of Jess/Jessies short for Jessica. I love the name Liv, but wouldn't go for it because of the hordes of Olivias about.

Nope.