Alianore?

[Iwantalonglie]

Ok, so I'm going to confess, I've posted a few threads asking for advice on baby names so far. DH is very taken with "unusual" names, especially girls' names, and it's useful to have external, impartial advice to temper his enthusiasm. With some help, we've decided on a boy's name but still arguing and throwing things politely disagreeing over our girl's name choice (we're not finding out the sex).

DH's latest suggestion is Alianore. Mine is Jocelyn. Other names in the ring include:

• Amabel
• Evelyn
• Iris
• Mathilde
• Alethea

Please don't hold back - which of these are awful? Which one would you pick?

There's an old English name similar to Alianore but the spelling escapes me... not at all sure I like it, tbh.

I like Jocelyn a lot, and Iris.

Mathilde is nice, but prefer Mathilda.

Evelyn is great, but too popular.

I don't like Alethea, as someone else said it's like Alicia with a lisp.

Amabel is pretty but lots of people won't have heard of it and will think it's Annabel.

I like Alethea.

also, consider
Alexandra?
Ellen?
or the correctly spelled Eleanor (don't do Alianore, it's silly).

Definitely not Alianore - that's terrible.
From the others :

Amabel - no - she'd spend her WHOLE LIFE - could be 90 years saying "No, not Annabel". I really can't see anyone thanking their parents for that.

• Evelyn - Is quite nice but you'll get some issues around the different pronunciations
• Iris - not to my taste particularly, but fits with the era of names that are being given to dc being born over the last few years
• Mathilde - not to my taste. I think also there would be people unsure how to say this.
• Alethea - not to my taste, but that's personal choice really. I do quite like 'Thea' as a stand alone name.

Alethea and Jocelyn are the best.

Mathilde is OK but will create spelling and pronun issues.

Amabel will get confused with Annabel, Alianore is dreadful. Iris and Evelyn are nice but there are loads of them, so not great if you want something "unusual."

There's an old English name similar to Alianore but the spelling escapes me... not at all sure I like it, tbh.

Me too. There's a name on the tip of my tongue driving me mad.

Jocelyn is lovely

Is Alianore sounded like Alien Or? I've never heard that name. Sounds like you want to create a brand new name x

How on Earth are you all pronouncing Amabel? All I hear when I read it is "am a bell". A firm no from me. The sheer constancy of corrections would be pesky.

All the posters saying OP has made up these names clearly need to read a bit more widely. They are all genuine names. I love unusual, medieval, Norman and Germanic names so I actually like all of these.

Iris and Evelyn aren’t remotely unusual these days so if that’s what you are going for I would eliminate them.

I prefer the spelling Alienor, but like the name.

A Mabel is my least favourite - I knew one once and didn’t like her so that might be why.

I like Jocelyn and Alethea, both rarely heard but easily spelled/pronounced.

Mathilde is nice but indistinguishable on hearing from the reasonably common (around here anyway) Matilda.

My absolute favourite name in this sort of category is Elfrida. I didn’t have girls, and not sure if I would be brave enough, but I love it.

Same here @MrsTerryPratchett. So annoying. Please post if you think of it.

@whatausername yes, pronounced like Annabel with an 'm' instead of 'n'.

Will do @DramaAlpaca

Grrrrrrrrr

If I end up at work tomorrow shouting ALTHENORE (or something) in a meeting I will blame you all.

The only one I slightly like is Jocelyn.

Hello, thanks for all your invaluable feedback! It's great to have impartial views. Yes, these are all "real" names - we didn't just make any of them up.

So definite nos - Alianore, Amabel. Guess whose suggestions these were?

Ok but not unusual - Iris, Evelyn.

So, so - Mathilde.

Favourites - Jocelyn, Alethea.

Alethea is nice I would assume you're Spanish.
Know a few German mathildes
Really like Jocelyn - joss nn
Iris is lovely
Amabel is ok
No idea how to say alianore

Jocelyn is my fave from your list. Iris second.

I really dislike Alethea - sounds like Alicia only said with a lisp. I do like Alicia though.

I like Alienor, but it's not new to me. (It's a medieval name, meaning "the other Enor" and would have been given to a daughter of someone called Enor, as in the case of Eleanor of Acquitaine). I liked it, considered it, concluded i wouldn't get away with it! I think if you have to explain a name then you're trying a bit hard.

Amabel - truly, truly awful. Annabel is pretty

• Evelyn - I like it
• Iris - not my first choice, but nice
• Mathilde - pretty but she will get Matilda all the time unless you live in France
• Alethea - no. Sounds made up, but apparently not

alianore = no

I like Jocelyn

Alethea is lovely. Or Alithea.

I feel like Alianore is just trying a bit too hard. Eleanor or even Leonora work better for me. Similarly with Mathilde rather than Matilda.

Evelyn and Iris are very popular.

Amabel is not my favourite. Lots of potential to be mishear and mis-spelled.

Jocelyn is okay, but not my personal taste.

If he likes Mathilde, try suggesting Maud, as she was also known.

Jocelyn is great.

Possibly similar:

Melissa
Tamar
Meredith
Verity
Celia

Alianore is just silly - sounds like you've had to make a generic girl sounding name out of a bunch of random Scrabble tiles.

Maude I LOVE.