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Baby names

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Original poster

Xanthe or Ianthe?

106 replies

CalamityJess · 26/05/2019 21:59

What do you think of these names and which do you prefer?

(Pronounced ZAN-thee and eye-AN-thee)

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Teddybearhunter · 26/05/2019 22:02

Think I prefer Ianthe

MiddleClassProblem · 26/05/2019 22:03

Xanthe

Italianna · 26/05/2019 22:03

Ianthe sounds lovely, more unusual too.

Malyshek · 26/05/2019 22:09

Ianthe sounds much more poetic to me

MazDazzle · 26/05/2019 22:10

Ianthe

Sophronia · 26/05/2019 22:21

Ianthe. I also like Iolanthe.

Miljah · 26/05/2019 22:53

I keep seeing 'Lanthee'.

Prefer Xanthe, but both are fine imo.

Shadow1234 · 26/05/2019 23:03

Xanthe

OhMyDarling · 26/05/2019 23:04

Xanthie

DramaAlpaca · 26/05/2019 23:04

I like both, but probably prefer Xanthe.

Watersnail · 26/05/2019 23:16

Xanthe

TurquoiseAndPurple · 27/05/2019 00:32

Xanthe by miles ❤️

SleepWarrior · 27/05/2019 00:36

My actual favourite is Evanthe (or even Evadne). Both of your choices are lovely though. I'd choose Xanthe if pushed, just because in most fonts a capital I looks like an L and makes Ianthe harder to read.

OwlBeThere · 27/05/2019 03:27

Ooh I really like both. I think Ianthe just wins.

Runnerjellybean · 27/05/2019 03:30

I LOVE LOVE Xanthe

Whatareyoutalkingabout · 27/05/2019 05:43

Ianthe

NannyRed · 27/05/2019 05:59

Oops, thought this was going to be about sleeping tablet brands.

Not helpful I know, but did you want weird , unpronounceable names?

Malyshek · 27/05/2019 06:04

Not helpful I know, but did you want weird , unpronounceable names?

There are plenty of irish, scottish and ethnic names way harder to pronounce than Ianthe. Why is it acceptable to call someone Aoife or Siobhan (where the spelling doesn't reflect the pronunciation at all) and not Ianthe (where I can in fact guess correctly the pronunciation) ?

miamiibiza · 27/05/2019 06:36

Xanthe

EdtheBear · 27/05/2019 06:53

I don't really like either of them. Your kid will have a lifetime of misprouncations and "how do you spell it".
Being curious which language are they from?

I am dyslexic which doesn't really help. However reading them without hints, I had something sounding like Zante as in the Greek Island. The other one I read as some version of Lance / Lanthe then realise it was meant to be an I and ended up with Ian-the, Ian as in the Gealic version of John and theConfused

MoreSlidingDoors · 27/05/2019 06:57

Being curious which language are they from?

They’re Greek.

I love Xanthe. And also Xanthippe.

MoreSlidingDoors · 27/05/2019 06:59

Not helpful I know, but did you want weird , unpronounceable names?

They’re some of the oldest names in the world. Perhaps you need to expand your knowledge. It may help you to be slightly less rude?

EmmaGrundyForPM · 27/05/2019 07:01

Ianthe is lovely. I dont really like Xanthe.

ffs74 · 27/05/2019 07:08

@EdtheBear I agree! I work in a school and the children with unusual/quirky or hard to pronounce names, clearly hate that they have been condemned to a lifetime of people mispronouncing or laughing at their names.
Assembly is particularly hard for them, you can see how embarrassed they are when their name is called out incorrectly by someone unfamiliar to them!

littlem133 · 27/05/2019 07:15

Xanthe- love it