Etta or Blythe

[BoomBoomBoomLetMeHearYouSay]

Which of these names do you prefer and do you have any other similar suggestions?

Lots of Ettas around now. Dont know any Blythes (I work in a school). I like Blythe, it sounds strong and trustworthy.

Neither . Henrietta - Etta for short then

Etta - but surely it's short for something like Henrietta?

Blythe is awful sorry OP
Bette is nice but again its short for Elizabeth.

Love Etta

I prefer Bette and Etta. Blythe sounds like someone retching.

Definitely Etta.

I think Etta is a lot nicer than Blythe

I couldn't choose!! Both were on our lists so I'm biased but both gorgeous and great choices 😁

OP seriously. You asked for opinions and you’re getting pretty furious that a lot of people hate Blythe 😂 Which I personally think shows that you should call her Blythe! It sounds like you’re offended and disappointed when people dislike it. If you feel this strongly then just use it, it doesn’t matter if a bunch of strangers on the internet dislike it. It sounds to me like you’ve already made up your mind!

OP is getting annoyed at posters suggesting that people upon hearing the name Blythe will immediately be reminded of some random English town that hardly anyone had heard of until the election count. Which I think is fair enough.

Have you considered Blair (similar to Blythe)? X

I don’t like the name Blythe. Sounds very drab and dreary to me! Nothing wrong with it being a place though, I have a place name and it’s a great conversation starter.

Etta reminds me of the Spanish terrorists though...

The opinions on the name are interesting. I just don’t really agree it’s a place name as such like Brooklyn or something. It’s a very well established name and surname. No one has heard of the town Blyth where I live.

Blair I don’t think I am keen on but thanks for the suggestion.

Blyth is the name of a major intersection on the A1. It's not that obscure a place!

(Though agree it does get extra focus from the election temporarily, but if the DC is due imminently, it'll still be remembered)

No point in getting annoyed with people who know the place. They exist and in the main don't like the name.

They wouidn't say so in RL though.

That's the difference between the Baby Names topic and face to face - here you say what you really think (the whole point) and not just the polite 'it's lovely' etc which is only possible RL reaction from anyone with any manners at all.

I'm from the south east and now live in Yorkshire and I've heard of Blyth! Association is somewhat shitty seaside town, like Scarborough.

OP, you might want to bear in mind that your DD may well move away from where you live so even if no-one around you thinks of the place when they hear the name, she might end up somewhere else in the country where they do!

Go for Etta, it's a fab name.

Love love love both of these names.

Blythe the name meaning happy and carefree and Blyth the place are two different things - not even spelt the same.

Just as Paris the city and Paris the Ancient Greek name have different etymologies.

No one has heard of the town Blyth where I live
So you’ve asked everyone in your town whether they’ve heard of a place called Blythe?

I’m in Scotland, never heard of Blyth the place.

It’s like me saying, oh there is a town called Carluke near me and wondering why people from south east England haven’t heard of it.

Ok you may not have heard of it but people are telling you that they have.
I live in SW England and have heard of the place even though I’ve never travelled anywhere north of Birmingham.
We’re giving you opinions that you asked for by posting this thread and just because you haven’t heard of it, it doesn’t mean that everyone’s opinions are incorrect or unfair.

I think the point is, even if you haven't heard of Blyth, many people will have, particularly if they've been paying attention to the news recently regarding the election, are English (or live in an area with a large English population), or live close to the border (Blyth is in Northumberland so is only a couple of hours from Scotland).

It's not just the fact the name Blythe is very close to a place name, but also the fact Blyth is a town well known for high unemployment and hard drug use (particularly heroin) which isn't a great connotation.

Obviously you should choose the name you want (and it sounds like it's going to be Blythe), but you should just prepare yourself for the fact that some people are going to make that connection, both when your DD is little, and when she is older and might want to move around eg for uni. The name Blythe is being heard less and less, so there will almost definitely be some people that think you mean the town as the years go on. If you are happy with that and don't mind correcting people if you need to then go for it. Objectively, I think Blythe is quite a nice sounding name (and as you pointed out, is actually a name).

ETA is the Greek Ira, pronounced ETTA. It makes me think of the graffiti in our compound during a posting in Athens