Iolanthe

[justabunchofbunting]

Iolanthe. Means Violet in Greek. Also the name of a fairy who falls in love with a mortal in a Victorian opera. Pronounced eye-oh-lan-thee.

We had previously settled on Isolde but were worried that she would be called Izzy which is okay, but seeing as how Isabella and Isabel were some of the most popular girls names last year she would probably be one of many Izzys in her year.
I love the story of Isolde and think its a beautiful name.
We were thinking that even though Iolanthe is less personal to us, it is similar but has better potential for shortening. Could use Io or Lana or Thea.

Were thinking of perhaps using both names, as middle and first......... but do people think thats too over the top as they are similar to each other and both quite a mouthful?

what are peoples thoughts?

Thanks

If Isolde is more personal to you, I think you should go with that, but not with Iolanthe as a middle name. It sounds like that is the name you really want, you're just put off by Izzy as a short form. If you want to shorten Isolde, you could have forms like Zolda/Iso, etc, you're not stuck with Izzy.

Iolanthe is beautiful, but I know the opera.

As for the nicknames, no you don't get to dictate. My mums friend named her daughter Victoria then spent the next 20+ years kicking off that everyone called her Vicky, not Toria and refusing to acknowledge anyone who addressed her that way.

Vicky finally told her mum to stick it when she was 24.

Comic opera not proper opera.

Well that puts Isolde ahead as its a 'proper' opera. But... Wagner.... is it a bit fascist?

What I actually meant is that it doesn’t really count - it’s a funny little cod opera with only incidental relevance to the name Iolanthe.

I like them both individually but think they sound a bit pretentious together.

Looks nice written down but no one will know is to say it!

How!!

Nobody will be able to spell it or pronounce it. if that doesn't bother you, go for it!

I work with an Isolde and she's lovely, I much prefer it to Iolanthe - reminds me of school operettas!

Is it a version of Yolande/Yolanda? I'd go for that tbh. Eye-0h-lan-the isn't pretty and would be a pain in the arse for her.

I think Isolde comes from the Welsh name Esyllt originally, might that be an option? Pronounced approximately ess-ilt (but with the 'l' longer in the Welsh way). Yseult perhaps comes closer. I like all variations.

Iolanthe is a bit more of a mouthful, but I've come across much worse. I've also come across Iola (eye-ola) though that also has a Welsh pronunciation (Ee-o-la, o as in orange).

I wouldn't use them both together

I’m now in full on G&S mode..

Not sure the Welsh was the original actually - the narrative comes more from Irish legend (Iseult is an Irish princess, Tristan is Cornish) - altho broadly they’re all Celt - and all of the 3 earliest written versions of Tristan and Iseult - were in Norman French.

The Welsh have their own versions of Irish myth - Merlin/Myrrddin is Suibhne, Lleu/Llew is Lugh etc

I know an Ioanna from Greece who is always correcting people for calling her "eye-oh-anna" - it's "ee-oh-anna."
So before I read your pronunciation I assumed it was a Greek name and so read it as "ee-oh-lan-thee." My point is, it could get mispronounced a lot. That said, either pronunciation is pretty and I like the name. I love Greek names and debated Dionysia for DD but XH vetoed it.
I wouldn't use it with Isolde though. Sol means sun in Spanish and is part of Isolde - how about Ioanthe Sol?

I love it. It is classic. Literally. And she was only turned into a cow to hide her beauty from a jealous wife. She was known to be a very beautiful bovine.

I agree that they look nicer written down than they sound. I don’t like either.

I think as a first and middle name
Together they do sound a bit too much. I'd also caution using two favourite names on one child in case another comes along and you've blown both your favourites!

Personally I would find both a bit difficult to pronounce, but as long as you're comfortable with nn that will work!

He will be troooooooly happier for
He’s such a susceptible Chancellor.

I went to see it at the ENO last month and very funny it was too - I never knew the ENO surtitles could do bouncing balls for singalongs.
m.youtube.com/watch?v=ejsyALvQxCc

I think it’s a nice name but
A) nobody apart from G&S fans and a tiny number of hardcore classicists will be able to pronounce it (and you’ll be completely screwed outside Europe and North America)
B) the aforementioned G&S fans will be humming under their breath as soon as they’re introduced.

its not pronounced 'eye o lan thee ' though is it?

Operetta, actually.

I think people who know G&S will associate the two, but how many people have never heard of G&S anyway.

I'm not a fan of iolanthe sorry. It looks really weird written down and think your daughter would have a lifetime of correcting people and being embarrassed about her name. I much prefer Isolde and think it's a very pretty name

It only looks odd to you written down because you’re not used to it.

Personally I do love the names however I can't help but think how long it will be before someone calls her "I Sold E".

Iolanthe is pretty but I do think it a bit of a mouthful and as someone with a name that's fractionally unusual (but still known) I can tell you she'll be spelling it out in her sleep. Also with modern typeface it looks like Lolanthe as the typeface makes the I look like an l. Or, L. See?!

Ianthe (Eye-Aahn-Thee) is on the same lines but less of a tongue-twister and at least shorter to spell than Iolanthe.

But, there are plenty of unusual names around so if you really love it.... and I do think it's pretty. I just don't think it's practical. The name equivalent of wearing a ball gown every day