Etta or Maeve

[Jay87]

I'm stuck between Etta and Maeve for a first name. Just after initial reactions because I can't decide, thank you!

Oooh I love Etta!!

Etta

It might sound obvious, but if you haven't already, consider how the names sound with your local accent.

I liked "Etta" until I realised how it would be pronounced/said by family in Essex for example.

Etta

What's your last name? Etta could be challenging with a few.

I prefer maeve I think, it's a stronger name/ending

Etta is gorgeous!

Etta much nicer IMO

They’re completely different in style! I far prefer Maeve, but judging by responses on here, English people routinely misassociate it with Mavis.

I think my reservations with Etta are to do with the watpy different accents pronounce ‘t’.

Maeve is beautiful - very romantic sounding but strong.
Etta sounds like a nn to me personally (short for Henrietta/Harriet?) so I'm not as keen, it seems insubstantial somehow compared to Maeve.

Maeve is my favourite but would imagine Maeve it will be due a rise in popularity due to character in sex education.

Thank you everyone it's much appreciated. We really don't have much of an accent and our last name goes with both. Our two other daughter's names are short and end in A so I suppose Etta would fit with them. If we went with Etta we'd probably have Maeve as a middle name. If we have a girl she'd be our third daughter so we've slightly exhausted girls names now but these two I love.

Yes I was expecting a surge in popularity and had taken Maeve out because it was set to be the next trend but the 2020 top 100 list has just come out and it's not on there, maybe 2021 is it's year 🤷

Two of my favourite names! Tough call, as they’re both gorgeous. But I vote Maeve by a smidgen, just because I’d love to be called it myself.

I had them both on my list but Etta sounded a bit too much like “ate a” I think Etta Maeve is a beautiful name if you wanted to use both

Etta. Maeve is lovely in Ireland with an Irish accent but in the UK it's reminiscent of the frumpy 'Mave'.

Both nice, but Etta will get mangled in much of the UK (Eh-ah, Etter, Eh-ur, Edder)

I love Maeve and really don’t like Etta. I cannot figure out why, it just doesn’t sound like a name to my ear.

I am very interested about what the Irish version of Maeve sounds like to non Irish ears. To me the Mae bit is a teeny bit longer but it is essentially Mavis without the is. We always called one of our friends Maeve - Mavis Davis as a kind of pet name - but Maeve is pretty and Mavis well it isn’t.

Both so nice
Can't go wrong

Maeve is beautiful.

Etta is horrible, unfinished looking and so hard sounding. Sorry to be blunt.

Argh this is so mixed. I really don't like the Mavis association and it's the first thing my husband said when I suggested Maeve, but I do see your points on Etta too.

Thank you all, I really appreciate the feedback and I will take it all on-board xx

I like Etta a lot. I don't know how to pronounce Maeve ?

Maeve is nice.

Etta soundwise always puts me in mind of organisation names/abbreviations like ABTA, EFTA, PETA. But I just read up on the name and liked it more after doing that.

I adore Maeve, such a beautiful, smart, understated name! Etta just doesn't do anything for me. Alos, with 2 daughters already with a ending names I'd be going for something different.

Maeve

Maeve is one of my favourite names, would be top of my list if I were having anymore children. I personally don't understand the love for Etta, it just doesn't sound like a complete name to me