Esme, Esmé, Esmée?

[LizzyMargaret]

Last one from me for a while guys as I feel like I’ve posted loads this week! I’m trying to make things a bit clearer in order to reduce our list.

Which spelling would you use? I’ve read the name is much like René and Renée so the feminine spelling is Esmée. We’d want the Ehz-May/Meh pronunciation too which the é determines? Very confused by the differing opinions I’ve read in my searches hence why I’ve made my own lol. WDYT?

Thanks for all your help by the way.

As far as I know Esme of any spelling is not really a French name so you can do what you want with it. It’s an old fashioned female name historically used more often in the north and Scotland with the Esme spelling and Esmeee pronunciation.

Love the name I want to call my baby if a girl renesmae

Esmé comes from the past participle of the Old French verb esmer, meaing “to esteem” or “to love.” Esmé is traditionally a masculine name, as in its original bearer, Esmé Stewart, 1st Duke of Lennox, and Esmée, with the same pronunciation, is the feminine form.

I know a few, all spelled Esme. All pronounced Ez-mee apart from one Ez-may. All known as Ez.

@LizzyMargaret I have an Esmerelda, who was going to nn Ez-mee. She's ended up an Essy though. When she's older she can be Esme, Ez-mai, Mel, Zelda etc.

So may I humbly recommend the far superior Esmerelda and then you don't need to worry about the spelling of the shortened version.

@Grobagsforever Esmeralda is adorable but we have an Aurora. I think we’d be falsely presenting as huge Disney fanatics if lol.

Oh wow that is true @LizzyMargaret Although my Esmerelda is spelt with an 'e' not an 'a' which makes her named for Granny Weathereax in the Terry Prachett books, not Victor Hugo's tragic heroine.

Esme is the easiest and most expected way to spell it. I pronounce all the spellings the same way - Ez-may. I see that in certain areas of the UK it is usually pronounced Ez-mee, but most places, and overseas English speaking countries, it is Ez-may.

But spelling it Esme makes the pronunciation ambiguous! I'd probably pronounce it Es me in English or Es meh in German.

Esmée, on the other hand, will be pronounced the French way, Es mé. Anywhere in the world!

but most places, and overseas English speaking countries, it is Ez-may.

And not English speaking places.

Esme, no accent or Esmé. People will mispronounce occasionally and then get it right after, not a big deal. It's a beautiful name.