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Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

Emily or Jane?

98 replies

Noodles544 · 15/06/2020 02:22

My friend is going to be having a girl soon. She wants to name her either Emily or Jane.

She’s going to name her after Emily Brontë or Jane Austen.

I’ve told her I prefer Emily.

What do you think?

OP posts:
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Buckingham1988 · 15/06/2020 18:51

Emily definitely.
If she's worried about popularity I think it's on a downward trend anyway.

StarScream22 · 15/06/2020 18:53

Every single Emily I have ever met was called Emily Jane.

BrandoraPaithwaite · 15/06/2020 18:57

Emily is beautiful but popularity has made it nondescript.
Jane is strong and the capital J shape reminds me of a smile when I write it. Jane has Janey as a really affectionate nickname option.

Also Jane is both Austen and Bronte.
Wild card- I once taught a girl named Bronte and have loved that name ever since. Bronte?? Sounds tough, creative, sensitive.

ttigerlilly · 15/06/2020 19:19

Jane

zigaziga · 15/06/2020 19:46

Jayne and Emily-Jane are really not great.

Why the y? I don’t get it. Jane is a nice name. And so is Emily. Definitely not hyphen.

LilacSloth · 15/06/2020 19:58

Really dislike Jane - really dull name. I think Emily is pretty but it's so popular. Agree with pp that using a name from an Austen novel would be much better.

Puppulangstrumpfi · 15/06/2020 20:07

Emily is so boring from overuse. Jane is more interesting so I'd choose that.

Puppulangstrumpfi · 15/06/2020 20:07

There are so many pretty names to choose from!

DramaAlpaca · 15/06/2020 20:41

Jane. Definitely not Jayne, though, that's very 70s/80s while Jane is classic.

Emily is soft and fluffy, Jane is stronger.

Kittymitty38 · 15/06/2020 22:21

Emily!
Jane is so plain x

Theresomethingaboutdairy · 16/06/2020 07:06

Emily by a mile.

NameChange84 · 16/06/2020 07:35

Emily is boring and Jane is so plain I feel it’s cruel to given as name. If I HAD to I’d have them as middle names or would call a girl Bronte and a boy Austen. Or name them after their characters. Catherine, Elinor, Marianne are all infinitely more beautiful names than Emily or Jane.

emilybrontescorsett · 16/06/2020 09:00

Jane.
I have always loved that name, dds middle name.
I have never ever met a boring Jane, all Janes have been great.
It's also a name with longevity.

EmeliaLily · 16/06/2020 09:01

Emily!

Lweji · 16/06/2020 09:02

Did she ask? Wink

mylittleavalon · 16/06/2020 09:09

@midsomermurderess I guess I just like it like that! But I know it's not everyone's cup of tea! Grin

Lavenderblues · 16/06/2020 11:34

Emily is so boring now. Jane is less common but a little dull nevertheless.

Themostwonderfultimeoftheyear · 16/06/2020 12:30

Jane.

Lavenderblues · 16/06/2020 15:59

Jane if I had to choose from just those two.

SallyWD · 16/06/2020 16:12

I love the name Emily but Jane sounds much fresher these days. I really like it and she'd probably be the only one in her class.

Attictroll · 17/06/2020 08:16

Emily is a bit cutesy and over used- Jane feels like it's got more gumption - feels like a common name but the amount of Janes I've actually met in real life are almost zero...

Pixielou16 · 17/06/2020 08:41

Personally, I think both are plain and overused.

daisypond · 17/06/2020 08:45

Jane is hardly overused. It’s rare. It’s 1272th on the list.

ZoyaTheDestroyer · 17/06/2020 08:55

I used to teach a top set with five Emilys.

How about Ellis, OP, after Emily’s pen name Ellis Bell? It’s unusual but not unheard of for girls.

Lavenderblues · 17/06/2020 10:00

Emily is definitely overused. But Jane is very uncommon for babies! So refreshing