Ilse?

[yellowmeerkat]

A very helpful MNetter has just suggested this after DH has firmly vetoed Elsa due to frozen association.

Could you pronounce this ‘I’ll-sa / Isle-sa’ or is it always ‘Ill-sa’?
Appreciate the name will naturally come with mispronunciation / confusion for Isla etc.

I think it’s really pretty and could be a very last minute addition to our current short list.

Thoughts appreciated!

[QuickDuck]

Ailsa wouldn’t scream Frozen.

I think Ilse is likely to be mispronounced, how you are writing it being pronounced is very different to the video pronunciations for example.

[rickandmorts]

What about Iona? I think Ilse will struggle to have people spell or pronounce

[ourflagmeansdeath]

I just don't like the "I' and the "L" next to each other at all, it looks wrong. It's okay with pronunciation but as said pronunciations would be difficult.

Elsa is so much nicer if you can convince your DH!

[GoodVibesHere]

Ilse? That's not a name, surely? How do you pronounce it? Reading it, I'd say ill-ss.

Back to the drawing board I think!

[BriarHare]

It’s a nice name but you will get so many differing pronunciations, I’d avoid like the plague.
My friend’s daughter’s middle name is Ilse. They pronounce it ‘Il-zee’, after a German grandmother. But I’ve heard ‘Il-sa’ and I bet loads of people would say ‘aisle’ 😂😂

[Littlegoth]

Il sah

I would veto this because my first thought is Ilse Koch, swiftly followed by the Ilsa of the SS exploitation film series.

[Littlegoth]

Sorry. This is why I’m not telling anyone my name! I don’t want them to put me off! X

[yellowmeerkat]

Haha thanks guys, think this is what I needed to hear with this one.
Still adore our other choices so think we will stick with those :)

[JulieHoney]

ill-sah

Like Rick and Ilsa in Casablanca. Wonderful woman, romantic name.,

[simbobs]

It was a popular name in German speaking countries many years ago. It doesn't really have a non German pronunciation imo. It is Illsuh. If you are trying to give it a different pronunciation you should probably choose a different name.

[Pemba]

I always thought it was said as 'ill-suh', but on the audio clip he was saying what sounded like 'ill-zay'.

I think it's a name that would cause confusion with spelling and pronunciation in the UK.

[FluttiTutti]

Don’t know it as a name, my default pronunciation would be aisle. If you have other choices then I’d go with literally anything else.

[VenusClapTrap]

Ils-uh. Beautiful name.

[GoodVibesHere]

Phew! You'll be glad you didn't go for it OP, your daughter will one day laugh with relief when you tell her!

[aramox1]

Il-suh. Lovely and unusual name, can't believe there's people who think it's not a real name. Go for it if you both like it

[LiquoriceAllsorts2]

@GoodVibesHere

Ilse? That's not a name, surely? How do you pronounce it? Reading it, I'd say ill-ss.

Back to the drawing board I think!

umm it’s a very popular name in many countries, just not uk!

[Notellinganyone]

I teach an Ilsa. Pronounced Il- sa. Pretty name.

[yellowmeerkat]

The spelling Ilsa is nice and less likely to have pronunciation issues I think but the negative associations (which I wasn’t aware of but am now after people mentioning upthread and googling) have put us right off, aside from the obvious misspellings and mispronunciations!

[FilthyRich]

@GoodVibesHere , it's definitely a name. It's pronounced eelzy (short ee) or ill-seh, depending on the country.

[CharlottenBurger]

@GoodVibesHere

Ilse? That's not a name, surely? How do you pronounce it? Reading it, I'd say ill-ss.

Back to the drawing board I think!

It's a perfectly normal German girl's name, although personally it makes me think of Ilse Koch. Pronounced (non-rhotically) ill-ser. Also, though, Ilse Weber, who saved many Jewish children from the Holocaust. You will gather it was popular before 1945.

[CharlottenBurger]

Correction: Ilse Weber didn't save a lot of Jewish children; rather, she worked in a children's infirmary in a jewish ghetto in Nazi Germany and when all of them were to be deported to Auschwitz, volunteered of her own free will to go with them, and was murdered there.

[TheIsleOfTheLost]

I can't believe so many people have not seen Casablanca. I do love the name and don't think is associated with the nazi's here. Ilse was one of the resistance and was trying to ensure that Victor, their leader, reached safety.

[fairycupcakes]

I’d pronounce this eel suh. I like it. Also agree with the PP who said Ailsa (ayl sa) - that’s pretty too x

[Luredbyapomegranate]

I think it’s always said ill-suh, I’ve seen it spelt Ilsa.

it’s ok but not great, maybe

Ida
Ailsa
Aster

Would be alternatives

[MotherOfCatBoy]

Watch Casablanca. Ilse is a beautiful classic name, forever associated with Ingrid Bergman for me.

or choose Ingrid!