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Original poster

Ilsa?

47 replies

Rainpuddle · 09/04/2023 23:52

Opinions on the name Ilsa?

Pronounced ILL-SAH

German/Hebrew origins, meaning 'God's Promise'.

My concerns include... Will people call her Isla or Lisa by mistake?

OP posts:
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ClosedAuraOpenMind · 10/04/2023 00:04

love it

Schmutter · 10/04/2023 00:07

Lovely name. I’ve only seen it spelled Ilse before. I don’t think people would confuse this spelling as much?

ZoyaTheDestroyer · 10/04/2023 00:15

Casablanca. Lovely name but I do prefer the spelled Ilse.

ZoyaTheDestroyer · 10/04/2023 00:16

*spelling

SeasonFinale · 10/04/2023 00:17

People will assume its a misspelled Elsa or Isla but if you can cope with that it's lovely.

peppermintteagirl · 10/04/2023 00:21

My brain read it as Isla and took a good few moments to realise it wasn't.

caringcarer · 10/04/2023 00:29

I've never heard of it. I prefer Isla.

OliviaFlaversham · 10/04/2023 00:57

Lovely.

GreenFingersWouldBeHandy · 10/04/2023 00:58

It will probably be misspelled on every certificate she ever has.

Enko · 10/04/2023 01:02

I love it. I've known 2 (German) and 1 Ilse (Danish) all lovely

Original poster
Rainpuddle · 10/04/2023 01:22

So Ilse spelling is an option, but my fear is that it's already an uncommon name, so maybe it's easier just to spell it as it sounds? Would 'Ilse' just get a puzzled look and her explaining 'the E is pronounced like A' for the rest of her life...

Decisions! Also love Vaila x

OP posts:
EmpressaurusOfCats · 10/04/2023 01:28

Anyone who's read / watched the Cormoran Strike series will recognise Ilsa as a name.

TakeMyStrongHand · 10/04/2023 01:38

Hmmmm. Not heard it before but I do like it. However, when I read the title of the tread it was unclear in the same way Ill (ill) with a capital I next to a lower case L is.

I don't think it would be ab issue but I only clicked on this thread to check it was a name or an autocorrect. Obviously less well read than PP...

Mumma · 10/04/2023 02:47

Looks like Lisa with the caps lock on I instead of L. lIsa

WhisperingAutistic · 10/04/2023 03:52

Sounds like Elsa in a New Zealand accent

Littlegoth · 10/04/2023 04:30

Not for me because of the connotations. There’s a film series and a famous (infamous) Ilsa and unfortunately they are the first things that come to mind (front page of Google).

I’ve come across one Ilsa in teaching. Parents evening was an experience I didn’t want to repeat. Her parents were clearly familiar with the other Ilsas. Very unpleasant.

Littlegoth · 10/04/2023 04:35

I’ve not heard of Vaila as a girl’s name before, but now I have I love it.

LiquoriceAllsorts2 · 10/04/2023 05:12

Rainpuddle · 10/04/2023 01:22

So Ilse spelling is an option, but my fear is that it's already an uncommon name, so maybe it's easier just to spell it as it sounds? Would 'Ilse' just get a puzzled look and her explaining 'the E is pronounced like A' for the rest of her life...

Decisions! Also love Vaila x

I think there is the risk though that Ilse is pronounced as Elsa. I think it would be in Dutch but not sure about German. If you go ilsa it may sometimes be mistaken for isla but at least in England it is pronounced how it’s written.

mrshenny · 10/04/2023 05:56

My brain read it as Lisa. Having said that I'm on my 1 millionth night feed so.. Confused

mrshenny · 10/04/2023 05:58

Second post to add, just googled it... I wouldn't! Shock

ThomasinaLivesHere · 10/04/2023 07:15

I read it correctly but I think there could be mix up. Mainly because Isla is so popular. I think Ilsa is better than Ilse as I’d have no idea how to pronounce the latter.

gonkk · 10/04/2023 11:03

I read it as Lisa.

A capital I and a small L look the same.

MrsMitford3 · 10/04/2023 11:06

As a huge Casablanca fan I love it.

Very pretty and @Rainpuddle I take your point that it might be easier to spell it Ilsa for pronunciation.

I am surprised so few have heard of it-but I think lovely!

pomegranatelover · 11/04/2023 12:36

I think it's okay, though I'd expect you'd get Elsa or Isla a lot, just because they're more familiar names.

There is a Nazi association though which unfortunately is the first thing that comes up in a Google search.

redyellowpinkbluegreen · 11/04/2023 22:09

I really like it but read it as Isla