Do you prefer Joy or Mercy?

[Flutterflybutterby]

Joy for sure.

For me Mercy is a name I associate with African friends. We know a family and all the girls have virtuous names like mercy, precious, blessing, patience etc which I think is quite common in that part of the world but. It so much in the U.K.

@Flutterflybutterby

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.

When I say it is an ‘African’‘name, I mean that it is more commonly used in parts of West Africa. All the Mercys I know are West African. Doesn’t stop anyone else using it .

I prefer Mercy, it has a lovely sound and I like how it looks written down

@Flutterflybutterby

Clemency! Do I like that? I just... I either love it or I hate it? I've never heard of it (well, I must have, but never paid much attention or considered it before). Now it's suddenly brought to my attention I feel that I have a strong feeling about it but I don't know whether it's positive or negative. Clemency... What do you think of it? A sister for Tabitha.

Well - if you had ever watched the Proms on TV you would have come across Clemency Burton-Hill - who is absolutely lovely IMHO - quite a story if you look at what happened to her - she had to learn to walk and talk again after a brain haemorrhage in 2020.