Simone?

[travelingtortoise]

A good friend of mine has a little girl due in August, and after staying up very late last night drinking mocktails and listening to records we decided the best thing to do would be to name her Simone (after Nina).

We both realised we'd not come across anyone named Simone in a really long time – is it very unpopular or are we just not meeting the right people?! 😊

I would just assume you named her after Simone Ashley like a lot of prople are doing lately. It’s definitely going to be the 2023 version of Ava lol

I went to school with a Simone in early 20s, she was erm rough and is now married to a locally famous drug dealer and has 5 kids, 2 of them with ASBOs (or whatever the term is for it now). It's put me off the name for life by association.

It's not a bad name but I really struggle to picture it on a sweet little baby

Simone is one of the low-key global classics -- never wildly popular, but always there and always elegant. (Thank you to Nina Simone and Mood Indigo!)
It works best with a surname that emphasises the second syllable. You could combine it as Marie-Simone or Jeanne-Simone.
I had a Czech-born school friend named Simona, which I thought was lovely.

Good choice.

Simone has a ‘rough school bully’ vibe to me … as that’s what the rough school bully was called when I was at school. I also don’t like the ‘moan’ sound. And there are no good nicknames. Nina, though, is lovely - classy, sweet, international. 100 times better than Simone!

Love it. Don't think I've ever known a Simone in the UK. I always think of it as a French name.

I went to school with a Simone in an Australian country town in the seventies. I didn't understand then that the French and Spanish put "e" and "a" respectively on otherwise male names to get Roberte and Roberta, Raymonde and Raimunda, Josephine and Josefina, Michelle and Miguela/Mikaela/Mikaila. Those names sound really cool to me, as does Simone, but as a pp said, they sound to native French and Spanish speakers like Doris or Gladys sound to us.

I don't think I have ever known one in real life.

It makes me think of Nina Simone, Simone Biles and an American drag queen who won Ru Paul's Drag Race a year or so ago.

I'm related to one and I went to school with another. It's not a common name in the UK.

I've only ever met one and that was at school. I do like the name but the "moan" sound in it puts me off slightly as there were a few jokes. I much prefer Nina.

Like both Simone and Simona.

If you are sure how you'd like to pronounce it, go for it. Nina Simone and Simone Biles have easy to pronounce anglicised versions.

I'd be put off if I wanted that version and family were likely to go all Frenchified with the accent. I might stick to Simona then - another good gymnast name (Amanar).

Both cool

Im early 30's and I've known 4 Simone's in my time 😂
2 when I was at primary school (so they would be in their 30's now) and 2 when I was a teenager and they were coninsidentaly both mean girl, rough 'chavy' girls that were absolutely horrible terrors!
Saying that though do actually think it's a pretty name and stands out nicely among the current trend of Ava, Evie, Isla's etc

Lovely name!

I've never met any Simone but I do know of a Symonne

I meant early 2000s 🤦🏻‍♀️

Personally really dislike the name. It’s a name I’ve never liked the sound of.
i do love the Nina Simone reference though. I much prefer Nina as a name.

Interesting how divisive it is!

@SirenSays I hear you – we thought the same, AND we figured she'll only be a tiny little baby for a very short time 😀

My friend said she was looking for a name that was striking, elegant and no-nonsense, so when we were digging through her vinyl and found Wild Is The Wind we thought we'd nailed it! (We toyed with Lennox - as in Annie - too, but it seemed too obvious)

I think it’s one of the (many) French names that get butchered by most Uk accents. It just sounds like moan. It’s also a bit all of a piece with Tracy and Christine, and while I’m sure those names will get revived, right now they all sound like woman in their 60s who’ve had a rough life.

Alright as a middle name tribute though.

… please don’t let your friend call her daughter Lennox, it is very much a boys name.

I know of 2, both in their late 30s and both very unpleasant people. So negative connotations for me and seems dated

Gorgeous name. Very underused and with a pleasantly strong sound compared to all the fluffy twee names that are everywhere now

There were four girls called Simone at my senior school, one pronounced Sim on, one Sim on ee, and two Si moan.

It's funny, the more I read how many people love it and how many really don't, the more I feel like it's right!

No-pandering, strong, fully herself, complex, divisive, doing-her-thing-despite-criticism... all very Nina Simone!

But of course, not my baby, so.... 😂

Sounds a bit moany to me.