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Baby names

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

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Original poster

Major name wobble!

46 replies

PeasandTrees · 04/10/2017 21:26

I'm having major doubts about the girls name I've always loved and have talked my husband into.

Can you please be brutally honest in opinions on Genevieve? I'm wobbling that 1) it's too frou frou (although I have a frilly name and love it) 2) that we're not French enough (ie not at all!) to use it. Would probably use Ginny as a nickname.

Please,be brutal and if you don't like it, any alternatives? Also like Sylvie, Josephine and Juliette so guess I really like French names!

Thank you!

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TaggieRR · 04/10/2017 22:23

I think it's lovely.

Shesaysso · 04/10/2017 22:24

I like it

LadyLovelace · 04/10/2017 22:27

I know a Genevieve. Her sister is called, Vivienne. She is 10 and neither French nor frou frou. She plays hockey and cricket.

Loveisthelaw · 04/10/2017 22:50

It's a beautiful name.

OlennasWimple · 04/10/2017 22:53

I love it, but Genny is a more natural NN than Ginny (which is usually short for Virginia)

Blogwoman · 04/10/2017 22:59

I considered it for mine but was put off by hearing someone reading the name & pronouncing it wrong. I had a French relative called Josette, which I think is pretty.

intimeandspace · 04/10/2017 23:07

Sorry- I can't stand it. Totally frou. Like all the other options tho. Ginny sounds very hockey sticks and blue gum knickers.

ladybirdsaredotty · 04/10/2017 23:26

Love it with Genie as a nickname

steppemum · 04/10/2017 23:36

I like it, and I love the nn Ginny, and I like the fact that Ginny could be sensible and no nonsense, or as feminine as Genevieve.

Lemondrop99 · 04/10/2017 23:52

I love it. The one I know goes by Evie

bridgetreilly · 04/10/2017 23:57

I don't really like it, sorry. Of your other options, I really like Sylvie and Juliette (though I would probably spell it Juliet).

If you want Ginny, you could call her Virginia or Ginevra.

lizzieoak · 04/10/2017 23:59

I love Genevieve, both pronunciations- which will you go for?

Original poster

PeasandTrees · 05/10/2017 03:02

Oh,thank you for all the replies-and the honesty!

Would pronounce it Jenna-veeve. Appreciate the feedback that Ginny isn't the most natural nickname-do you think this sounds too forced? I liked that it kept options open for feminine long name but a strong nickname.

I love Sylvie but sadly can't persuade my husband on this one and the others can't be used for various reasons. Finding naming this one so hard, it's such a responsibility!

OP posts:

MustBeThursday · 05/10/2017 03:50

Its a lovely name. I thought about Genevieve for one of our DDs but it doesn’t go well with our surname! Genny might be more natural than Ginny but I wouldn’t say you couldn’t use it. DD2 has a nickname that usually goes with a different variation of her name.

PersisFord · 05/10/2017 03:56

Love it and love Ginny. I don't think it's forced - i think the insistence that nicknames be some kind of evolutionary, organic process is weird. I picked my kids' nicknames like I picked their names.

I should declare, however, that I love a bit of frou (have a VERY sensible name and have always wanted to be called Lucillabella or something like that!)

Ducknose · 05/10/2017 05:31

I know a Genny/Genevieve. To me it isn't a froufrou or frilly name at all, and wouldn't worry about the French thing as there's no accent on it and is pronounced differently in English.
I love Sylvie, too, and Juliet (preferred spelling).

RhonaRugMuncherr · 05/10/2017 06:55

You remind me of a lady I met at baby group when dd was small. Her dd was Genevieve Sylvie - Sylvie the middle name as she couldn't persuade her DH. I think she was relieved in the end as there was another Sylvie in the group and a Sylvia at another group we went too.

Anyway, it's a nice name although I prefer Juliette (which was almost my dds middle name)

skankingpiglet · 05/10/2017 07:04

I think it's a lovely name an NN OP.

FWIW I have 2 DCs both with French names. One is a family name we were always going to use (and is on your shortlist), the other we just liked. There was no intention to have names 'matching' a country of origin, it's just how things worked out. We have no French connection past a lot of holidays there. My only regret is I actually preferred a different French name for DC2 but DH vetoed as he thought people would struggle to pronoun/spell it turns out we have this problem with her very phonetically-spelled name anyway

QOD · 05/10/2017 07:27

I know one and I like Genevieve (she’s French Algerian and its pronounced Jenna veee ev

However,everyone knows her as Jenny and spells it as that unless they are family

So YOU would have to correct every person who called her Jenny to Ginny if you introduce her as Genevieve.
That’s just what people do
‘Hi I’m Genevieve ‘
‘Oh Je je jenny?’
Drives her mad as so many people
Are rubbish at the simplest names

Jooni · 05/10/2017 12:27

Don't wobble, Genevieve is gorgeous, Ginny is fab and it's my favourite on your list!

CakeRattleandRoll · 06/10/2017 01:17

Love Genevieve, beautiful name. Your other choices are lovely too.

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