What do you think of the name Leonie?

[AnnaSparks]

I love this very old French name. It’s not very popular in the UK so ticks that box for me, but also doesn’t sound too “out there”. What do you think? Also, nickname suggestions would be great.

Love it. That would have been the one if we had had a girl. Beautiful name.

I like it. Not chavvy at all, in fact it's the opposite

Worst bully at my high school had it as a name. She was a total bitch faced arsehole who exploited the weak and vulnerable. She's a top laywer now and if I ever bump into her professionally I dream of humiliating her!

Lots of very rough Glaswegians are called Leonie. Shudder

I wouldn't use it. I'd use word 'chav'. Sorry

I've only known two.
Both were from very troubled backgrounds and quite aggressive. As they grew up they featured in ur local newspaper a lot.
DP had wanted that name if we had a girl but I had too many negative images associated with ir. We had boys so it wasn't an issue!

The only Leonie I know is pretty solidly middle-class: professional job and parents who are a senior civil servant and the sort of successful small business owner who is featured in lifestyle magazines.

That and the Georgette Heyer character are the only ones I know of.

Nice name; ruined for me by a cow who made my uni days hell

The only one I know it pretty posh. She's a LEE-uh-nee but most people assume she's a lee-OH-nee.

It's a lovely name but I think in the UK it was more popular than it is now during the 70s-80s, so for a lot of people it will be in with the Leanne/Lisa/Kelly/Michelle vibe so fairly dated?

I've always liked it but wouldn't have chosen it.

I personally like this name.
I grew up with a Leonie, she was very naturally beautiful in an understated way, earth child, loved animals and was a pretty stand up person in general.
It's funny how we all have positive/negative connections with a name depending on people in our lives.
I read somewhere that you don't realise how many people you don't like until you have to name a child. 😆

I love Leonie - Layownee in French but Brits use Leeownee. And it always get shortened to Leo, another good name. Choose what you want. Give her another couple of names so she can choose if she really hates it when growing up.

Yes, it doesn't conjure up French chic, more early thirties woman who likes 'girlie drinks with this one' ('this one' being called Kelly or Michelle) and posts memes about how 'if you can't handle me at my worst, you don't deserve me at my best'.

Are you thinking Lee - OH - nee, or LEE-o-nee, or LAY-o-nee? The latter two would be better than the first. I probably prefer Leona tbh.

Beautiful name

Not my cup of tea, I have known one and she was called Lee-ohh-nee by half of people and lee-ah-nee by the rest. She just ignored it in the end because so many people said it wrong.

I like it! I've only ever known one and she was a calm, quietly confident person, so for me the associations are positive. I like the fact that it's relatively rare and hints at a cultured Europhile background that seems likely to go underground post Brexit.

I think it's a lovely name. What part of the uk are you in? I'm in Northern Ireland and know of a couple of leonines so I'm not sure it's that unusual here though still not commonly used.

I like it and very under used.

I searched MN for opinions of Leonie just the other day! It’s on our list, DH really likes it, I love Leo. But can’t shake that some people see it as a bit chavvy! It’s quite close to Leanne. But other people see it as pretty cool and even posh!

If you like it for the Leo nickname, I know a Leonora who goes by Leo.

Hugely popular in Germany atm. Same sort of vibe and popularity levels as, say, Isla in the UK. Pronounced Layohnee.

The number of people who have said it's chavvy is disproportionately high considering its never been close to being a common name! I like it, only ever known of one. Known a Leona too. Both nice non-chavvy people. There must be hotspots in places!

I think I'd just shorten it to Lee as a nickname, Leo seems too much effort!

I like it.

Not keen.