We’ve kind of decided... give me your brutally honest thoughts

[mammiahailee]

Elyse Rae for baby girl due 9th Sept.
We adore it but are open to your honest thoughts.

Thanks!

Elyse is fine but Rae is the new Mae.

Rae is all wrong. You need a middle name that scans like "Amanda" to follow Elyse (which is lovely).

Ramona
Helena (Helayna)
Anita

I've NCd as people recommend my name all the time on these boards and it ain't all that. @ThatCurlyGirl My name is Eleanor, I know loads of us and none of us like it, or in fact use it as a full name. For a start it's mispronounced all the time, everywhere you go, cos someone will be saying it the way you don't like; Ele-nor/Ele-nah. It's also common amongst the swotty, nerdy, middle class girls of this world so we all end up together with the same name - I have a disproportionate number of friends also called Eleanor. Whenever I meet someone called Eleanor I think - ooh shes got that pretentious, swotty name - before I remember that is in fact also my name.

Despite this, people still don't know how to spell it.

It's just not that great.

Been meaning to get that off my chest! Sorry to derail the thread!

I like Elyse. Rae is awful.

I love the name Elyse. It's pronounced Ell-eez though (I have a friend called elyse). People always try and pronounce it eleece though. So if you want to pronounce it that way (eleece) I don't think anyone will get it wrong.

I like it. And speaking as someone who always gets asked how her name is spelt ( quirky spelling of traditional name) it's not that big a deal ... only on mn is that a massive calamity.

It's a beautiful name & the spelling is pretty. Sorry for your loss it's a lovely tribute to him

I initially read it as Elsie too. I'd stick with Elise. It looks nicer too. And I don't like Rae at all. What about Elise Mae?

Elyssa suggested by about her poster is nice and gets your brothers name in. Elyssa Mae?

It sounds like a brand of sun cream.
Ely would be a lovely middle name.

I'm sorry to hear of the loss of your brother. I'm a bit torn on Elyse (which I would pronounce with a soft 's', like Elise). It might work, but she might find it a bit of a nightmare, and you wouldn't want her to feel negatively towards her deceased uncle because she resents her name being spelled like that as a tribute. Elise is lovely, and classic. Rae is dreadful (sorry).

My daughter is named Freya after her grandmother Freda. We thought it was close enough to tribute her without making to much about a deceased family member.

Elise is a nice enough tribute that would also be your new baby's name in her own right. And will be a special reason when she asked you why you named her what you did.

However your kid, if it's important for you to have the y spelling then go for it. There's a lot weirder names out there.

I have always known Elyse spelt Elyse and the other spelling looks a bit simplistic to me. But it’s just a matter of familiarity.

Lovely name.

Ditch Rae.

Ditch Rae. Throughly shit. Sorry. First name ok but will be a life time of .... "spelt Ey..."

What's this Trend for having Mae / May, Rae etc on the end of first names. Bloody awful!

It sounds really common. Sorry. Elise if you must, but not that odd spelling and Rae is dreadful, it's almost impossible not to think if it being yelled in the broadest Essex accent.

You did ask!

I wasn't keen on the spelling of Elyse but then read your reasoning and think it's a lovely thing to do to honour your brothers name.

I think even using the more recognised spelling of Elise would still do that though.

If you were intent on incorporating Ely then I actually prefer Elyssa to Elyse.

And as many posters have said, Rae is really not a pretty name and imho spoils a lovely first name here.

My preferences would be something like Elyssa Rose. Has a lovely elegant ring to it. I'd be pleased to be called that.

I teach a 14 year old Elyse and she's fab so I'd have no issues with it! (Teaching generally ruins names so nice to have the opposite for a change...)

Not my cup of tea.

Thank you all for thoughts - a lot to think about!
Just to clarify, Rae is the middle name, it’s not double barrelled.
Nothing against those kind of names but not for me.

It’s a tricky one as Elise / Elyse has been my favourite name since I was a teen, I just love it, but we came across another name with my other daughter, fell in love and went for that.
My mom’s face lit up when I mentioned the tribute to my brother, it means a lot to all of us.
I did know an Elyse in college, so the spelling doesn’t seem made up to me. I do think the Rae part is on it’s way out, it seemed kind of cool to me but I don’t love it.
I’ll probably be back in a few days with another thread :)
Thank you for all your lovely messages re my brother

dd1 is helping teach kids swimming and a baby has joined called Khaleesi Rainbow.

ooh shit that is potentially very outing!!

I can only ever read the name Rae in a heavy Lincolnshire accent after watching my fat diary. I actually find it quite charming but then again I’m foreign. If I had grown up in a place like that/in that class I suppose I might want to distance myself from it.

Elise is nice.

Strongly dislike the Elyse spelling.

Dislike Rae.

I know a woman called Elyse, same spelling. It's a lovely name. Not as keen on Rae, but if you like it, go for it!