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.

I have a soft spot for the name Gweneira, Snow White.

Arabella TBH, Arabelle is OK but does sound a lot like Arable.

Eirabelle is just quite ugly.

I love Eira. The one I know pronounces it as a cross between Ay Ra and Air Ra.
Eirabelle is way too much.
I'm not keen on Arabelle but I don't mind Arabella.
If you like the -belle ending then Annabelle or Isabelle are the only options I can think of.

I like Eira on its own.

Eirabelle looks made up, I agree,ike an Irish American disney princess.
Arabelle ok but too long. "Arra" not an easy or natural nick name

Eira, pronounced Eye-ra makes me think “Ira”, which sounds like an elderly American chap!

Arabelle/Arabella is lovely

[quote DacwMamYnDwad]**@RuleOfCat, @leanne2389, @DropYourSword if I insisted that in some parts of England Ava was pronunced Eye-va, you'd probably think I was batshit but it compares to those insisting that the word for snow is pronounced eye-ra[/quote]
Nah, I just think it’s batshit the amount of times you have tagged me in a reply about how to pronounce a name!
If you had a friend named Ava and she pronounced it Eye-va, I would in no way argue she was saying it wrong because that’s her name!!. I would just accept that’s how she pronounced it, and realise that names can and do often have variations in pronunciation. Let it drop!!

Eirabel/Eirabelle looks made up and silly. Just use Eira

Arabelle sounds like farmland, Arabella is a more well known name

@absolutelynotfabulous

My mother was a Welsh speaker (first language, South East Wales) and knew many Eiras. She pronounced it Eye-ra. .

Mine is too.

I like the idea of eirabelle but it feels clunky
Eira and belle are fine individually but they don't work together as a single name
Eira belle surname is lovely

I would go with Arabelle or Eira on it’s own. Eirabelle sounds made up.

I too am Welsh and pronounce it eyeruh-seems to be a lot of us ‘wrong’ on this thread, because, you know, only those who shout loudest are the ‘proper’ Welsh people who must be listened to because they MUST be right!!! Can’t people just accept that different areas pronounce it differently and stop trying to ‘out-Welsh’ each other. It’s embarrassing.

I’ve lived in as far North Wales as you can possibly get, for the last 16 years, taught in quite a few North Walian counties. I’ve always heard (and been taught) that the ‘ei’ sound (eira, ei, tei etc) was an approximation of the ay sound like hay.

I have a friend in South Wales, though, with a daughter called Eirwen, which they pronounce Eye-rwen.

I grew up in Essex and, when I was 15, was introduced to a girlfriend of a friend. Her name, written down, was Sian, but her parents had christened her SeeAnne.

I think either sound nice but Eirabelle is particularly lovely. I'm not Welsh but would have pronounced it Eye-ra as you say OP. I don't think it would be one of those names that you'd be constantly correcting. I wouldn't go for Eira Belle - Eira is a much plainer name and middle names are rarely known or used so that prettiness would be a bit lost.

Are people confusing the two names Eira and Eiry.

Eiry pronounced ay-re (re as in regal)

Eira pronounced ay-ra (Ra as in radical)

Tell you what's beautiful OP

Eirianwen.

It's a very old Welsh name.

Eirabelle looks like an awkward mix of Welsh and French elements.

Arabelle is a bit flowery, but pretty.

Thank you all for your opinions. It seems to have stirred up quite a pot of how to pronounce Eira. We are going to go with Aneira pronounces AnEyeRa which I appreciate some feel is incorrect however we are in the South Wales valleys and Eira here is said in this way. Whether it be the true correct welsh or not I cannot confirm but I am happy that that is how it is said here and all those that I have asked in England have also said it in this way so she will hopefully not have to correct too many people as she grows up.

@leanne2389

Thank you all for your opinions. It seems to have stirred up quite a pot of how to pronounce Eira. We are going to go with Aneira pronounces AnEyeRa which I appreciate some feel is incorrect however we are in the South Wales valleys and Eira here is said in this way. Whether it be the true correct welsh or not I cannot confirm but I am happy that that is how it is said here and all those that I have asked in England have also said it in this way so she will hopefully not have to correct too many people as she grows up.

Aneira is lovely and much nicer than Eirabelle.

Just be aware native Welsh speakers will call her an-ey-ra. My English husband claims he can’t really hear the difference though!

That's a lovely name.

Aneira is lovely.

Eira on its own is really lovely. I hate all the Belle names though. Arabelle to me is worse than Arabella (I just hear Rubella or arable farming).

Ah, just seen you have gone with Aneira! That is beautiful, and congratulations!

The only Eira I know is Welsh and pronounces it Eye ra.

Aneira looks pretty but sounds too like Myra if you say it an An-eye-ra

@leanne2389 Aneira is lovely. Congratulations and enjoy getting to know the wee lass.

Both sound forced, overly long and pretentious names. I can’t understand why you would saddle a child with a name they would forever be forced to explain and spell out to people throughout life.