Do you prefer Joy or Mercy?

[Flutterflybutterby]

Joy.

Imvho Mercy is one one step away from the 'Be Kind' mimsy, wishy washy bollocks foisted on women.

Joy is pretty! Not keen on Mercy.

Although I used to work with a Joy who was miserable as sin!

Mercy is a prettier name IMO, but I don't know it has a sad feeling about it. I don't even know if that makes sense. Don't really care for Joy

I know mercy is common in some African countries but Joy works better in the U.K.

I really don't get why so many PPs think 'Mercy' has negative connotations. What's negative about someone's characer being merciful? Do you never say things like, 'Mercifully, we were all fine after the accident'? That's good, right?

Can I as say, as much as I hate the 'Be kind' craze, there is a world of difference between being merciful and being 'kind' (plus in the current climent, kind is really used with the meaning 'let yourself be walked all over' BTW). A merciful person is in control IYSWIM. Getting into semantics now, but with names like this, semantics is important!

Also, to the PP who says Mercedes is chavvy. Excuse me??! Say that again to their face to all those venerable Spanish ladies with the name .

@Flutterflybutterby, I was more of a fan of Joy at the beginning, but I now feel I must vote for Mercy, because I think it's a beautiful name unfairly treated by this lot !

Not keen on either, Joy if I had to choose

Joy!!!

Mercy is the name of one of Madonna’s adopted children I think. I’m not keen. Joy is a bit of an old ladies’ name and I’d be worried to name a child it in case said child turned out to be a grump haha.

I think Joy is a better meaning than Mercy. Constance is my favorite virtue name

I prefer Joy to Mercy.

Favourites though would be Felicity, or Hope. Know a little Faith as well.

I would also assume Mercy was the abbreviation for Mercedes. I've never met a child called Mercy. I have however met an Egyptian mule called Mercedes: the remote village elder that owned the mule had apparently always wanted a Merc.

I agree with pp about the whole 'begging for mercy' thing. Also Merci is French for thank you..

@stickygotstuck

I really don't get why so many PPs think 'Mercy' has negative connotations. What's negative about someone's characer being merciful? Do you never say things like, 'Mercifully, we were all fine after the accident'? That's good, right?

Can I as say, as much as I hate the 'Be kind' craze, there is a world of difference between being merciful and being 'kind' (plus in the current climent, kind is really used with the meaning 'let yourself be walked all over' BTW). A merciful person is in control IYSWIM. Getting into semantics now, but with names like this, semantics is important!

Also, to the PP who says Mercedes is chavvy. Excuse me??! Say that again to their face to all those venerable Spanish ladies with the name .

@Flutterflybutterby, I was more of a fan of Joy at the beginning, but I now feel I must vote for Mercy, because I think it's a beautiful name unfairly treated by this lot !

I guess it’s for me that mercy is a positive that ALWAYS comes following a negative. It’s not positive on it’s own like “joy”.

If someone shows you mercy it’s because you did something wrong to warrant mercy. If “mercifully” you’re all ok it’s because you almost weren’t (as in your accident example) It’s like being named “forgiveness”.

Mercy is a positive attribute but first you have to have something bad to have mercy so I feel like it’s a funny thing to think about when we think of an innocent baby.

@stickygotstuck

I really don't get why so many PPs think 'Mercy' has negative connotations. What's negative about someone's characer being merciful? Do you never say things like, 'Mercifully, we were all fine after the accident'? That's good, right?

Can I as say, as much as I hate the 'Be kind' craze, there is a world of difference between being merciful and being 'kind' (plus in the current climent, kind is really used with the meaning 'let yourself be walked all over' BTW). A merciful person is in control IYSWIM. Getting into semantics now, but with names like this, semantics is important!

Also, to the PP who says Mercedes is chavvy. Excuse me??! Say that again to their face to all those venerable Spanish ladies with the name .

@Flutterflybutterby, I was more of a fan of Joy at the beginning, but I now feel I must vote for Mercy, because I think it's a beautiful name unfairly treated by this lot !

And the more I think about it, mercifully would only be used as a vaguely negative sentence.

Eg if your child was expected to fail most of their exams you might say “and mercifully they scraped a pass in Maths and can get onto the course” but you wouldn’t say “mercifully they did as well as expected, got into Oxford and received the Headmaster’s award”!

My best friend as a teenager was named Joy - lovely & underused name. Mercy is becoming more common but it’s very associated with African culture & I would find it a little strange on somebody from a different culture ... however if this is your background, why not?

Oh, the only Mercy I know is white and blonde - never thought of it as a predominantly African name, unlike Precious or Comfort.

Not keen on either - but Joy is just a more positive association.

@CornflakesOnTheSolesOfHerShoes

Oh, the only Mercy I know is white and blonde - never thought of it as a predominantly African name, unlike Precious or Comfort.

Mercy is definitely a predominantly African name. The ones I have come in contact with have usually been of Nigerian origin.

I think that Joy is lovely. Agree with another poster, it is underused .
Most people tend to use it as a middle name

I know a couple of Mercys, and one baby Mercie. None are African. Disagree that it's a predominantly African name - it's an old Puritan name. Although it might be popular in African countries, it doesn't mean that it would be inappropriate for people of other cultures to use it. It is, after all, an originally British name.

(if it's relevant we are a mixed-race family, my Mercy won't be white.)

Grace is a synonym for Mercy. I think Grace works better as a name.

Mercy.

Tbh Mercy makes me think of bad situations - “Begging for mercy”

Mercy! It's on my list. Joy is gorgeous too.