Fleur or Fflur?

[Zanzan1]

So we like the name Fleur and it has family meaning but DH has Welsh roots and would like something that links with that so we are considering Fflur (fl-eer). Our surname also begins with F and is a two syllable name.

Just wondered what people thought and if outside of Wales where we are it might just be regarded as a weird way of spelling Fleur if we went for Fflur

Used places other than Wales, I think Fflur looks like a typo. Fleur is lovely

Well, how Welsh is your DH? I'm a quarter Greek but don't look it at all and don't speak it, so if I named a dc of mine a traditionally Greek name I think it might look like appropriation.

Fflur is a lovely name. Of course it's going to look like a made up spelling if you're from another country ffs. You wouldn't say that about Irish names for example.

'Typo'. Fucking hell how rude!

You'd all lose your shit if I posted my DC names 😂

frenchonion probably eye rolls rather than the losing of shit, nobody really cares that much about what you call your offspring - it's them who are saddled with the names not MN posters.

People ask because they want to know what others will be thinking but not saying face to face. If it's rude it's because some people will think that if they see the name.

If you don't want honest opinions stick to asking people face to face - everyone will say "how lovely" and you'll never know whether they mean it. Which is fine if you've chosen and don't care what anyone thinks and are sure your child will be better off with your chosen name all their life than other choices.

If you want a welsh name there are lots to choose from, pick one that works in English.

WTF?

I'm welsh living in England so understand the dilemma. I like the name Fflur but I think it's going to cause a lot of problems away from
Welsh-speaking areas.

We couldn't think of any properly bilingual girls names tbh though something like Seren works and I know a few Ffions in England that don't get too much hassle with their names.

I prefer the look and sound of Fleur. I’ve not heard of Fflur before. As long as it is relatively well known where you live I think Fflur is fine too, or she will spend a fair bit of time telling people how to pronounce it

Amazing how many other “normal” names fall into the “will have to spell/explain pronunciation” category but aren’t worthy of a mention.

Eg Sarah/Sara, Jane/Jayne, Isobel/Isabel, Mathew/Matthew, Elliot/Elliott, Claire/Clair/Clare, Philip/Phillip, Susan/Suzanne etc

But no. Welsh names look like spelling mistakes.

I'm quite shocked at the level of unpleasantness directed towards a (to me, anyway) fairly normal Welsh name. I don't think I've seen this hostility expressed towards, for example, traditional Irish names - the general opinion there always seems to be that if people can't pronounce it on sight then they should learn.

As for those saying it won't travel well, I'd hazard a guess that it would travel better than you think outside England. My child has a VERY Welsh name, which people who only speak English seem to find impossible - but anyone with more than one language gets it straight away!

In answer to the OP, I clearly think Fflur is a lovely name, but I wouldn't be able to get past the Fleur/phlegm link having listened to too much Harry Potter recently ...

I like the name Fleur and the phlegm thing is ridiculous of JkR. It doesn’t sound the same at all.
Flur is how Fleur is pronounced in Lincolnshire.

As I previously said, this thread has deeply offended me. People saying that a name looks like a stutter or suggesting you only choose a Welsh name that ‘works’ in English as if that’s some kind of crucial benchmark. Some of the comments about a very commonplace Welsh name on this thread are disgusting. You wouldn’t say it about an Islamic name for fear of offending but it seems the Welsh are fair game. Some of you ought to be ashamed of yourselves.

I think it is worth considering how a name works in the dominant language of a country. It shouldn't be the only consideration but it is worth including on the list of things to think about. If this family live in Wales this will be much less of an issue than if they live in England.
We considered non anglicised names but didn't want to have our DC spelling their name every time and having people struggle with how to pronounce it as we lived in England.
When our Spanish friends were considering names they sense checked how they sounded to our English ears as they wanted a name that worked in either language. Some non English names work quite easily in the language and others are more challenging.
I don't think that is being rude it is just looking at one of the practicalities of choosing a name.

Ffleur sounds very strange in Welsh! Fflur is welsh for flowery or full of flowers, not flower.
As a Welsh name, Fflur is lovely, but I'm not sure it would work outside Wales. Not RTFT (got distracted by the horrible suggestion of Ffleur), but Ffion (foxglove) might work better.

I met a Flor yesterday. She was lovely! But saying it back to myself now it sounds very similar to Thor.
Fflur said properly is a lovely name but most people won't say it properly.
Fleur is gorgeous imo, in fact it's on my hypothetical if I ever have a daughter list.

”People.....suggesting you only choose a Welsh name that ‘works’ in English as if that’s some kind of crucial benchmark.”

If the name in question is going to be spoken by English speakers the majority of the time, it surely makes sense to consider that? Choosing a name that originates from a different country is obviously fine, but for the benefit of the child, it makes sense to take the ability of the average non-Welsh speaker to pronounce the name correctly into account.

it seems the Welsh are fair game.

This is so true. As mentioned by PPs Irish names don't get this reaction. It's bizarre. I'm an Englishwoman living in Wales and find many people's attitudes towards the Welsh depressing to say the least

I'm from Wales and yes it's a welsh name, I'm surprised there are welsh people on this thread denying its existence?! It doesn't look ridiculous to me, I'd know exactly that it was a name, where it's from and what it means. As with any regional name you'll have to decide on the impact using it in an area it is unfamiliar.

I like Ffion

”Irish names don't get this reaction.”

What makes you say that? I think if the OP had posted that she was considering an Irish name which the majority of English speakers have never heard of and would struggle to pronounce, surely she’s get the same advice, wouldn’t she?

I don’t like Fflur and to be honest I think a lot of both Welsh and Irish names both sound very ugly and look ugly written down so it’s definitely not anti-Welsh bias here. I love Wales in fact

Fflur isn't pronounced Fleer is most of Wales. The u is a distinct sound - more like the i in the English word 'with', but here a longer sound.
I would give a Welsh name a miss unless you are Welsh speakers and if it is likely to cause spelling or pronunciation problems. Most Welsh names do not sound nice when said by a non-Welsh speaker.
If you want to use a Welsh name, pick something simple that sounds exactly the same in Welsh and English.
Examples include Mari, Beth, Ann, Carys, Cari, Gwen

holdupwaitamin

To be fair, when I was in Cardiff last I saw teatowels emblazoned with 'I bloody hate the English' for sale. I haven't actually met any English people with an outspoken dislike of the Welsh, and I've never seen merchandise to that effect, but I guess I may not have been looking for it. If there is any national dislike it doesn't appear to be one - sided at any rate.

If you are an English speaker and live in a non English speaking country you always consider the pronunciation and spelling differences or difficulties and possible unfortunate meaning of any names you might choose in your adopted country's language. Some fairly ordinary names used without remark in English turn out to be rude words/ rude slang/ unpronounceable/ inevitably going to be pronounced in an unwelcome way or shortened to something unwelcome or sniggered at in other languages.

Other names cross language barriers more easily.

Why is it so incredibly offensive to some posters to do this for Welsh names people living in an English speaking country are considering when someone has asked for opinions?