Isolde?

[TIPosy]

Hello,

I posted before about finding a name for our fourth baby.

We have Josephine, Iris and Theodore.

I came across Isolde and really like it. It’s a historic name (Tristan and Isolde), not Greek (didn’t want my eldest to be the only non Greek name => yes I’m pushing the thought process quite far... ), pronounced similarly in both french and English (I am french), and it looks really pretty written down and it’s classic but slightly uncommon.

The other classic version Iseult I’m not convinced by as in french it sounds exactly like “hideous” but with the swap of a d for a s...

I love also Essylt but we have no welsh connection.

But what do you think of it? And how do you think it fits with my other kids? Honest opinions welcome...

I pronounce it I-zold with I like in Isabelle.

Thank you

It's a lovely name

I really like it and it goes well with your other children's names.

It looks pretty written but pronounced 'is older?' I'm not so keen

I like it. It's beautiful, a little different, and is classic

Oh and btw, my sons name us really divisive on here and I still love it. So if you like it, run with it!

I love love love it. Love Yseult too, but that might be a bit much.

It’s such a Wagnerian name to me that I would hesitate. It’s very unusual here so I think those who know opera would assumenyou were Wagner fans. You might be. It might be seen as a ‘statement’ name and not a ‘statement’ without controversy.
I like it. But wouldn’t use it.

How about Marguerite?

I like it, but don’t like the “old” bit.

What about isadora? I love this name

Absolutely beautiful name. Whimsical, romantic. Makes the bearer very memorable (obviously in your DDs case, it will also be because she's charming and delightful)

Go for it. I don't think you should avoid using a name because others may spell it wrong

I think many people will find Isolde hard to say and spell.

As soon as I saw it my first thought was 'Tristan and Isolde'. I like it. I really wouldn't worry about the impact of having an unusual name, mine all do and seem quite happy with them (when we go to my home they meet people with their name so they go from being unusual to common). It's not like the 1980s when people with 'foreign' names were expected to anglicanise their name, we're all used to children having a wider variety of names than was common in the 19th and 20th centuries.

To give the other side I have a very very common name and deliberately went for more unusual names, I hate continually being 'Count F' rather than just 'Count'.

It's beautiful. I'm aware of it from Tristan and Isolde but have no idea how to actually say it - is it 'EE-sold-uh'?

You know how it feels to have an unusual name and hate it so please don't inflict Isolde on a child.

I thought it was pronounced Iz-zold-a. At least I knew someone whose name was said that way. Love it.

Beautiful name!

In German you'd probably pronounce the e at the end, I SOL de, but in French and English I'd pronounce without the e.

It's a lovely name but everyone who knows the name will pronounce it Izz-old-er as that is how it is pronounced.

They may also assume you are fans of Wagner.

I love it, think it's really pretty and like that it has such a long history. Your way of pronouncing it is a valid pronunciation. People are familiar with the German pronunciation "Izold-uh" these days because of the opera, but the name would not have had that extra syllable originally (as you can see with the Welsh and Irish originals, Esyllt and Iseult).

I don't think it would cause your child to "struggle", either in the UK or in France, as many people will have heard of it and the pronunciation reflects the spelling. Multiculturalism means lots of people have uncommon names these days. People often get a bit funny with native British and Welsh names but this one at least is intuitive to English and French speakers. I'm honestly surprised that so many posters are against it.

It's a lovely name but everyone who knows the name will pronounce it Izz-old-er as that is how it is pronounced.

That's how it's pronounced in German, because Germans pronounce the e at the end of words, but it's a Celtic name originally (Irish/Welsh/Cornish) and was always two syllables here.

It’s meant to be pronounced “izz-olt”. The izz-older pronunciation is thanks to the opera.

They may also assume you are fans of Wagner.

They may, which you might not like if you object to his cultural views.

If you want to pronounce it izz-olt, then spell it Iseult.

Isolde is going to get Izzolder.

Lovely name - though I personally prefer the other spelling.

One would gather, from this thread, that 97% of MN daughters all bear names from a list of five, all incontrovertibly white, English (but not too old!) certifiably timid (sorry) and demonstrably familiar. It's as if the rest of the world doesn't exist ...

(I speak as someone with a quite definitively foreign name - and having to spell it at school is honestly not the worst thing that has befallen me in life ...)

For me, less of an issue than the cultural views is the vair, vair long death scene of Isolde which is basically her having a 20 minute musical orgasm which results in her death. It's supposedly the ultimate climax of music, philosophy and art. Or summat.

Picking Isolde making you think 'Oh, you like that opera'

Thanks DH, several hours of my life I shall never get back.

I'd agree I have a definitely foreign name, that I have maintained throughout my life, never shortened, always had to spell and tell people how to pronounce and I like it and the most common feedback I have it 'what a lovely name'.

So having to spell it or explain pronunciation would not put me off at all.