Hannah or Heather

[brightwave]

Which one and why? I do like Heather, but I’m worried that it sounds too dated so Hannah is the safer option but it is quite a popular name

I love Hannah. I like Heather but it would be pronounced hever around here.

Hannah is cute. Its feminine but unfussy. I like the symmetry of it. Works for an old lady and a baby. For some weird reason I like Hannah but dislike Anna

I was born in the 80s and I know far too many Hannah's my age. I know a toddler Hannah and it's very cute on her, but it's just a bland to me now (sadly, as it is nice).

I'm not sure on Heather - for H nature names, I love Holly and Hazel, but not so sure on Heather.

I'm no help, sorry!

Just FYI, Heather is mispronounced by nearly everyone who doesn't speak English as a native language.

The H is difficult, the TH is impossible, the R rolls. It's 'Edderr, 'Evverr, 'Efferrr, etc. Then there's the English people who can't say TH, and it's Hevver or Heifer.

If mispronunciation bothers you, go for Hannah. I do like Heather, but it's a very difficult name for anyone who doesn't speak English natively!

@whatsagoodusername

Just FYI, Heather is mispronounced by nearly everyone who doesn't speak English as a native language.

The H is difficult, the TH is impossible, the R rolls. It's 'Edderr, 'Evverr, 'Efferrr, etc. Then there's the English people who can't say TH, and it's Hevver or Heifer.

If mispronunciation bothers you, go for Hannah. I do like Heather, but it's a very difficult name for anyone who doesn't speak English natively!

Surely if that’s the case, the initial H in Hannah would be difficult to pronounce too?

I love Heather - it’s the name of my beautiful niece. So much softer a sound than Hannah.

I prefer Hannah, though it is a little dull. Heather is very dated to me. It has the same vibes as Dawn.

Heather is a popular name in our family. I have three cousins with the name. All lovely and not American. It's a classic English name and is lovely on a baby/toddler as well as an adult.

I think Heather is due for a revival. Hannah has been done to death

I know 2 Heathers - where I live their names get shortened to ‘Hev’ and that’s what everyone calls them. Really don’t like it.
Hannah is nice though.

Surely if that's the case, the initial H in Hannah would be difficult to pronounce too?

True, but Anna is much closer to Hannah than most of the variations on Heather I've heard! It's the combination of the three sounds that seems so difficult. It's my name, and I love it, but it's mispronounced very often! Usually in a very apologetic tone

Prefer Heather.
I find Hannah a little uninspiring.

I know a couple of Heathers, one very glamorous who did hate her own name as a teen but now owns it- and the other also an attractive, nice woman. 20s/30s, both Scottish. I find it funny the comments about it being an American or English name! I think it's a pretty name and plant!
I know lots of Hannah's in their 30s, it's a lovely name too. Much more popular than Heather.

Much prefer Heather as long as it would not get shortened to Hev.

I like both names and Hannah is one I seriously considered. I was put off a bit by the possible confusion with Anna: "Sorry, was that Anna or Hannah?" and then needing to over emphasize the "H" sound for clarity.

I don't think either name is particularly dated and I don't think either will become dated (unlike loads of the names discussed on this board).

I'm a Hannah and I dislike it. It was super common when I was growing up (90s) and I know several my age. In contrast I only know one Heather, so it's always sounded a bit exotic to me.

I think Hannah is uninspiring, overused and I really hate being called 'Han'. Heather is unusual, and a lovely plant. I wouldn't name a baby either (just personal taste, nothing wrong with the names) but if I had to choose one then Heather wins for me.

Both perfectly fine names - I prefer Hannah

Heather! Hannah is too mild.

They both sound a bit dated to me, though not in a terrible way. I think Heather has dated more, as it had no significant history of use before the 20th century. I'd expect a Heather to be aged roughly 30 - 60. I'd expect Hannah to be aged roughly 15 - 40. However, Hannah was popular in centuries gone by, so it seems a bit more classic.

All that said, I think they are both perfectly OK names that I would soon get used to on a baby. Damned with faint praise, I know

They're both 'dated' so I wouldn't let that bother you.

Any other choices?

Hannah in the westcountry is pronounced Anner to rhyme with spanner!

Both are lovely but I would go for Heather because Hannah is very overused.

Hannah is lovely and has been falling in popularity for years if you look at the official charts. Don't know any under 15 which fits with the official statistics
Heather sounds life heifer

Hannah about to fall out the official top 100, been falling for years

names.darkgreener.com/#hannah

I'm a Hannah and I love my name! To me its soft without being sickly, its sturdy without being stodgy. Its feminine without being twee. It works for a girl and also an old woman. It's strangely blank canvassy in that it could be a free spirited hippie girl, or it could be a bookish nerd, or a lawyer. People very close to me occasionally call me Han and I like it. Obviously you get Hannah Banana and "OMG did you know your name is a palindrome?!" sometimes. I like it more than Anna as the latter feels a little more aloof. I like Heather too but Heather feels a little more grounded.

Also it's quite a cultural talking point as Jewish people tell me it's a Jewish name and Arabic speakers often tell me its Arabic. I am neither!