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

I like Fleur, i think it’s really pretty.

I have never seen/heard of Fflur before and I think unless I researched into it I would think it was a spelling error. I have welsh family and certainly don’t dislike the Welsh! If you are outside of Wales I would imagine it would mean lots of explaining the name, it’s pronunciation and spelling it out for people.

On a similar theme, Flora is lovely.

There are plenty of people out there who hate the Welsh.
I don't sound Welsh and my name doesn't look particularly Welsh, and I have heard the 'went into a pub/shop and everyone was talking in English until I walked in and they all switched to Welsh' story many times, and often hear comments about place names, the language, the people being ignorant and so on.

”when I was in Cardiff last I saw teatowels emblazoned with 'I bloody hate the English' for sale.”

Charming!

As mentioned by PPs Irish names don't get this reaction

Er, they do. Frequently.

TBH, if the 'Welsh roots' are something like his grandparents were Welsh, I'd not use a Welsh first name but consider a Welsh middle name.

Both are awful fflur sounds like a type of lurgy and fleur just sounds really pretentious ( but If that's your thing then go for it)

I’m not particularly fond of Fflur and as I don’t have a welsh accent I may unintentionally ‘butcher’ the pronunciation (much the same way as those with welsh accents often ‘butcher’ the pronunciation of my dd’s English name ).
I’m from a multicultural background myself, so we’ve tried to reflect all of our heritage in the names that we chose (not just dh’s) with the attention given to whether they would work in our base country. Will the baby have a (welsh) surname to reflect dh’s roots, so that you could just use Fleur if it has particular significance to you?

For those who think it’s not a real name...

Fflur is really nice, I know one though (living in England) and OMG the pronunciation car crash. Most people listen to her say it and she then ends up with Flea-aahh. It's really not great.

I would go for Fleur if you are going to be in England, and have a Welsh middle name.

I cannot believe how extremely rude and offensive some people on this thread are! My name actually is Fflur, and is common amongst first language Welsh speakers, especially as a middle name. The only people who struggle with it are the English surprisingly enough , otherwise I only receive compliments about how pretty it is. Some non Welsh speakers mispronounce it as "Fleur", but most make an effort to pronounce properly after being corrected. As a West Walian, my pronunciation is more like "Fleer".
To the people who said is looks like a "typo" or "sounds like a lurgy" or "not a real name" - think about how you would feel seeing a thread of people bashing your (normal and common) Welsh name!

I absolutely LOVE Fleur, I think it's so beautiful

Irish names don't get this reaction

Oh man, they totally do.

Anotheranotherone how rude. My DC are not 'saddled' with their Welsh names any more than any other person with a non English name. Get to fuck.

frenchonion who's losing their shit now You didn't say your DC had Welsh names, you said their names would make people "lose their shit" with a laughing face. That suggested that you deliberately gave them names chosen hoping to provoke a reaction. Which is bloody cruel and very much saddling them with names which you knew from the outset would make their lives harder.

I'm actually aghast at this thread. Replace the Welsh name with an Asian name for example and think of how you'd have responded. Welsh is a beautiful language.

I'm sorry if you didn't pick up on the implication, but yes they have Welsh names. And no, I haven't named them to be inflammatory ffs. Laughing face was because if monoglot english speakers are struggling with accepting that fflur is a nice normal welsh name and really isn't difficult to pronounce then theyd be losing their minds over very cymraeg names. Yes I am losing my shit! Put yourself in the shoes of someone who is having their culture and language insulted in a major way. And on top of that the suggestion that their DC are saddled with their names. Welsh seem to be fair game for some reason.

frenchonion if all you post about your children's names is "you lot would lose your shit" with a laughing emoji then it sounds as though you are delighted to believe that your choices are "out there". You didn't mention them being Welsh.

People living in another language always consider the reception their names will get and choose with that in mind. Lots of us bring our children up abroad and think carefully about how names will fare in our adopted languages, and how they'll label our children, and whether they'll help or hinder them.

If people didn't care they wouldn't ask. If the only acceptable response is "lovely" (as it is face to face) there is no point at all in this board existing and no way of finding out what anyone really thinks.

I certainly don't hate Welsh names, but Fflur really isn't doing it for me.

FFlur looks to me like you wanted to swear but then changed your mind can't help but read it as F-fleur , sorry.

Not a massive fan of Fleur, sounds French to me.

I don't like Fleur or Fflur they just don't sound pleasant to my ear and I know several furry (ffurry!) Fflurs which always puts me off.

Fflur is too close to both fluff and fleur for my tastes but I like Fleur.

*should say fluff and fur!

Dreichuplands people consider pronunciation of English and international names if they live in a country with a different language. As this is an English language forum those threads are less frequent, but there are threads discussing how names will go down in Spainish speaking countries etc etc.

True. I'm dutch and if one of my friends would tell me they were thinking of naming their son Cock I would advise against it because of its rude meaning in English. No joke, It's a real name, I've met a few (middle aged and older) men called Cock.

As mentioned by PPs Irish names don't get this reaction.

They certainly use to. I knew a Sinéad and a Saoirse in my 20s and their names were butchered. The only reason anyone learned them was famous people. O'Connor and Ronan for example.

I don't like either BTW, mainly because people who aren't French or Welsh will mispronounce them all the time. I lived in mainland Europe for years and have an English name no one there can pronounce and it is wearing. I had to change it to a local version for most people and I felt a bit sad about it. I make an effort to always pronounce people's names properly but I get the piss taken for doing it.