Eirabelle vs Arabelle

[leanne2389]

Hi all I’d love to get some opinions on the names Eirabelle (Eirabel) vs Arabelle (Arabel) we are Welsh and baby was born 27.12 with Eira pronounced EyeRa and being the welsh word for Snow. I’m currently feeling the pressure to give her a name but am really unsure so would love some extra thoughts.

Neither my thing so shan't dwell on that. However Arabelle sounds like arable as in farming land, which is an unusual connotation for a name.

Arabelle/Arabel is a lovely classic name associated with Scottish royality/aristocracy. I have never heard the name Eirabelle, but I am not Welsh. As a Scot it would be Arabelle for me.

Eirabelle said out loud is really difficult to say, and I agree with PP Arabelle is like arable. Eira without the belle is much nicer.

If you live in Wales, Eirabelle definitely. Pretty name and most people will know enough Welsh to know that Eira is snow. If you're in England, Arabelle might be easier.

I love Eira - it’s beautiful for it’s simplicity. I don’t like Eirabel as it makes it too fussy. Arabelle is OK.

I am Welsh and never heard Eirabelle. That would be a combination of Welsh and French words which is a bit odd IMO.

Eira is not pronounced eye-ra. It’s ay-ra as in may, ray, say etc

Sound like fairies

Thanks in our accent it’s Eye ra but I hadn’t considered that it may be Ay ra in other parts of wales

@leanne2389

Thanks in our accent it’s Eye ra but I hadn’t considered that it may be Ay ra in other parts of wales

@Frazzled2207

I also thought Eira was pronounced Ayra.

Not keen either way sorry.

Eira isn't pronounced Eye-ra.

Eirabelle is truly hideous

Arabella or even Annabel would be better. Welsh or not, the poor wee lass will spend the rest of her life explaining her name otherwise.

I know someone called Eira who absolutely pronounces it Eye-ra, so please ignore people saying it isn’t pronounced like that!!

@DropYourSword, your friend is mispronouncing her name if she's claiming it is Welsh. To get the Eye-ra pronunciation it would be written as Aira.

@DropYourSword, unless you speak Welsh don't tell Welsh speakers how to pronounce words from the Welsh language

Eira is indeed EY-ra (ey as in hey) but in some parts of Wales it sounds more like Eye-ra. IMO Ey-ra sounds nicer than Eye-ra.

Eira with either pronunciation is much much nicer than Eirabelle.

If you wanted something Welsh then Eira is lovely. Something like Alys, Mari, Mali, Cadi, Nia, Ffion, Efa or Megan would also be lovely. Most won't have pronunciation issues in Wales (hopefully).

There's also Aneira or Meira if you wanted the Eira sound with a slightly longer name.

I prefer Annabelle

[quote DacwMamYnDwad]@DropYourSword, unless you speak Welsh don't tell Welsh speakers how to pronounce words from the Welsh language[/quote]
Eh?? So instead I should tell my friend that’s she’s been pronouncing her own name wrong her entire life.

Why is it so hard to accept that that name can and is obviously pronounced more than one way!

[quote DacwMamYnDwad]@DropYourSword, unless you speak Welsh don't tell Welsh speakers how to pronounce words from the Welsh language[/quote]
Absolutely as a native welsh speaker I do know exactly how to pronounce Welsh words! As i’m sure does @DacwMamYnDwad

The people who pronounce Eira as Eye-ra are unlikely to be Welsh speakers.

@DropYourSword, Welsh is phonetic, so there isn't more than one way to pronounce the word for snow eira.

An outside perspective, I am Irish and would immediately think of Eire - which is the Irish word for Ireland. Pronounced Air-ah.

I know nothing about Welsh so it's very interesting to me that the name of our country is so close to the Welsh word for snow!

I would certainly misinterpret and mispronounce Eirabelle on first attempt. However once explained it wouldn't be a problem - it's not a difficult concept.

I do prefer the name Arabelle based on sound alone, but the Welsh origins behind Eirabelle are nice.

Eira & Eirabel are beautiful & unusual too. Eirabelle Is wrong looking & sounding & will be harder to learn to spell for her when she starts school

Eirabelle just looks like two names smushed together. There's never been an Eirabel(le) recorded in England and Wales. Would Eira Belle work?