Maeve and Blythe - too similar?

[BeeKeeping]

Pros-
I love old lady names.
To me it's soft but still strong.
Spells like it sounds.
One syllable
It means joyful/cheerful
Keen for something unusual but not unheard of....

Cons-
Too similar to DD1 name Maeve?
We have a long 3 syllable surname which is a popular androgynous first name- think Lindsay.... would it lead to a lifetime of people thinking she was actually called Lindsay Blythe? Is Blythe too popular a surname? We're in Scotland if that makes any difference.

Lindsay's not got three syllables? But either way, Blythe is blinking GORGEOUS. Love it. Reminds me of the wonderful film Blythe Spirit...it's light and airy and pretty.

I mean...it means happy and carefree doesn't it? So nice.

But why would your surname make people think she was called Lindsay Blythe? If it's her surname they'll see it as Blythe Lindsay surely?

Like...Mackenzie....Blythe Mackenzie...that's a surname and first name.

Never heard of Blythe as a first name so don’t see it as an old lady name at all. Only heard of it as a surname as in Gilbert Blythe.
People may think it’s spelt Blithe.

I don’t think they’re too similar at all. Yes they’re both monosyllabic and have the same vibe which means they go together, but they have a different sound.

@FortunesFave Lindsay was a bad example- MacKenzie is a much better example.

My husband quite often gets called 'MacKenzie' rather than his first name as his surname is more commonly a first name in Scotland.

It's mostly a boys name but sometimes rarely a girls name so I worried picking a surnamy first name for DD2 would cause the same thing.... but hopefully not.

Glad people think Maeve and Blythe 'go'

I love Blythe, (and Maeve!) so want to say go for it. However I do see what you mean about a similarity with Maeve. They are different sounds, but there is certainly a similar feel. Not sure it it's enough of an issue to cross it off though.
I don't think the surname issue is a problem. That wouldn't worry me.

Yes they are much too similar.

No, brilliant pairing. Love them both They ARE fairly similar in sound, but the actual names are very different.

Far too similar! How about 'Blanche'?

I don't think they are similar at all!

Blythe was on my list but DH said no. I love it!

I think they're both lovely names together and I don't think they sound too similar.

How are they similar? I don't see them as at all similar, beyond that they go nicely together and have a similar vibe. I think they're lovely (and I don't even like old lady style names normally).

And the surname thing is a non-issue, as that would surely occur with any first name? I wouldn't worry about it, honestly.

How do you pronounce it? Is it a silent th so Bli? I might be skewed as know people with that surname and you don't pronounce the th.

Either way, I like it and don't see it as too similar to Maeve.

@BergamotMouse No you do pronounce the 'th' but it's quite soft- like bly-thu in some accents people might say Bly-v which is why I worried it's too similar to Maeve?.... with the vuh sound at the end

It seems to be quite marmite! I knew I had the right name with Maeve because I didn't care a hoot whether other people liked it or not..!

Not keen on Blythe. It just doesn't sound nice to me.

Similar but not too close for me (even though I pronounce them "May -ve" and "Bly -ve"). Both have a one syllable, softish sound but are fine for siblings imo, as the beginning of the names sound distinct enough.

I didn't know Blythe was a popular surname - the name reminds me of the play Blithe Spirit and of the actress Blythe Danner. But according to this site it is more popular as a surname than forename in Scotland forebears.io/surnames/blythe , forebears.io/forenames/blythe , - but I don't think it would matter to me personally).

They are quite similar sounding, but nothing that would put me off. I like Blyth a lot.

I love the name Blythe. But as someone who gave DS a name with same middle vowel sound and last syllable as his DSis I'd try and test it on your DD. Depending how old she is could you call "Blythe" and see if she responds. When mine were younger I'd call one & get both & now they're older, neither respond, both claiming they thought I wanted the other.
I get the surname thing too, we have a surname that can be a first name and DH has a surname type first name which often gets muddled. He vetoed many names that I liked for this reason.

I find them much too similar, sorry.

I absolutely love Blythe - would have been on my list for DD but DH wasn’t having any of it. I think it’s lovely with Maeve - they feel quite different to me as I’ve only known Irish Maeves but it seems to be becoming more popular in the UK. I think I get what you mean with the surname - is it something like Hilary, where the other way round might look more natural? That could be annoying, but I don’t think I’d let it put me off. Or Cameron? If it’s that, Blythe Cameron sounds amazing!!

They're slightly similar in sound, but completely different in origins. Maeve is a traditional Irish girl's name. Blythe is not known as a first name, certainly not an 'old lady' name.

Blyth is an absolute shit hole in the North East, so maybe if you live in the North avoid that name.

@Paspourmoi You got me! It's the C surname, good guess

I'm surprised people are saying Blythe is completely unknown as a first name, I wanted unusual but maybe I'm going too far?

Good grief, that's a brilliant name + surname combo. I love it! Not too similar to Maeve, no, they go great together.

Oh sorry, I didn’t mean to out you! I do think it sounds gorgeous though.

They're similar but not too close. if you are concerned, you could always practise calling the names through your house with your husband to see if they are distinguishable.

I don't think the surname is a concern either. My partner has a common girls name as his surname and a first name which is also used as a surname, and while he will occasionally be referred to as Rose Oliver for example, or have work emails addressed as 'Dear Rose', it's really not a problem.