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!

Jessamine is gorgeous. Can't believe people think it's made up. I thought it was a well known name if (sadly) underused. A refreshing change from Jasmine/Jessica.

I think it's lovely it's my friends surname! Always thought it was very pretty.

I've never heard it before. Very unusual and I don't like it, sorry. Just sounds like a strange way of saying Jasmine (which, incidentally, I love!) and sounds a bit clumsy to me.

But that said I don't think it's awful and I'm not against unusual names. Plus this is unusual but has the advantage of being able to shorten it to Jess/ Jessie which is far more common should your DD want to. Actually although I have never heard the name either I do quite like Jessimy. It's cute!

I like Emily and Clara too.

I do like it but possibly open to mispronunciation as others have said. There is a lovely girl at ds school called Jessamy and I have always loved the name. Also love Clara.

I have come across the name before but only on paper, not spoken aloud. I like it, but always thought it was pronounced jess-ah-meen, rather than JESS-ah-myn. Like Emmeline (emma-leen). I prefer my pronunciation! I really like Jessamy too and think that's less likely to be mispronounced.
I love Clara from your list.
Clementine, Rosalind, Madeleine, Evangeline, Cora, Margot, Iris, Viola?

I've only read Jessamine before (never hear it) and thought it was Jess-ah-meen.

Surprised all these people have never even encountered it before! I guess it hasn't been popular since the Victorian era though.

I like it.

I rather like it. It's very old -as WishIWasWonderwoman says it probably hasn't been used much in the last hundred years or so. I guess the more modern Jasmine pushed it aside somewhat.

I'd go for it if you like it. Just because it contains the letters from Jasmine doesn't mean people will think it's a typo - it different enough for most people to get it.

Not so sure about Jessamy - I've only come across it once, for a man, so didn't know it was used for girls too. Though it was a bit like Jeremy. There is a Jessemiah form too, like Jeremiah.

Love Jessamy, prefer it to Jessamine.
Also like Martha.
Emily is v v popular.

NC just for this.

My middle name is Jezamine, pronounced Jez-uh-min. I was named after the casuals' song.

So I basically just wanted to stick my tongue up at the people who say it's made up. If you like it use it, people don't seem to give me any kind of reaction when I tell them really. I've had a couple of people clarify that it's not Jasmine over the telephone.

I love it, spelt jesamin is my preference.

I like the sound but not the spelling. Jessa on its own is cute?

DD1 is a Martha - there weren't any that we knew when she was born. Last year, there were over 700 Martha's compared to over 5500 Amelias, 4000 Emilys and 380 Claras. Its worth checking the actual numbers of popular names - you get a better indication of the likelihood of running into others.

We only know two other Marthas - one the same age and one nearly a decade younger.

Having said all that, I love Jessamine.

I totally love it. Am also v surprised snyomr would think it's 'made up'. (It's not, just v old!)

WAY prefer it to Jasmine, which has that harsh 'z' sound in it, and gets shortened to 'Jazz'.

'Snyomr'
I meant 'anyone'!

Not keen - it rhymes with specimen. I prefer Yasmin or Jasmina.

I love it but actually prefer Jessamy.

Little Girl Jessamine! Am I the only person who has read Milly Molly Mandy? Little Girl Jessamine lived in the big house, and Little Friend Susan's dad was her family's gardener. I think.

Thank you all so much for your comments!

Jessamy is nice too. Rhymes with sesame, right?

That's where I know it from too, laurachant!
I love the name, though sadly don't know any outside the pages of a book.
I like Clara and Jessamy too. And Jasmine.
I'm afraid all the Marthas I know hate their name!

OF course! Well remembered!

I like Jessame (to rhyme with sesame as you say) and Jessa for short.
Jessa isn't indicative of Jessica or Jesse and it could be a perfectly nice name by itself.

Sorry Jessamy!

I love it, and Jessamy too. I also like Jasmine but Jessamine/Jessamyn and Jessamy are more unusual (and they are also old names).