Romilda

[KookyAndSpooky]

My DH and I are struggling to come to an agreement on a girl's name for our baby that is due any day now. We don't know the sex but a boy's name is agreed. We have come across Romilda as a more unusual alternative to Matilda, what do you think? We like that Romy and Millie could be nicknames.

DH likes Sabrina and Romilly and I like Rosanna and Antonia. Matilda is a name we both like but we aren't a fan of Tilly and worry that it is quite popular.

Do you like Miranda or Rosalind?

Of your other suggestions I prefer Matilda then Sabrina and also Rosanna.
Others ..
Sabine
Jillian
Rachel
Rochelle

Go with Ronja - much better!

Matilda doesn't always end up as Tilly. It's a lovely name.

Romilly or Romy are fine but Romilda really isn't.

Like others-I just think of Romilda Vane! Not a good association

I know it's a bit controversial on here sometimes, but we don't like the idea of giving a 'nickname' like Romy as an official full name.

It's reassuring to hear that not every Matilda goes by Tilly. I like that Matilda is a strong name but Tilly sounds so frilly (excuse the rhyming).

Romola came up in my searches but our child has a good chance of having quite a few moles. I sometimes had people say 'moley moley moley' to me at school. I know I sound a bot paranoid, but I feel like the name could encourage it.

I like Serena and Margot but my DH unfortunately doesn't.

I like Rosalind and Sabine but DH doesn't. I think of Miranda Hart whenever I hear the name Miranda and she irritates me to no end 😅.

I do like the name Sabrina and I love the teenage witch but I feel bad at the idea of lumbering a DD with that association. As the show was brought back/redone recently, it just seems to current. Matilda obviously has similar associations with Roald Dahl but the name is so much more popular that isn't doesn't seem like such an immediate association in my mind, if that makes sense?

@KookyAndSpooky , Romola is pronounced ROM-uh-la not Rom-O-la, so there's no mole sound in it.

Just call her Romy, which is lovely?

I agree that, given the immense popularity of the Harry Potter books, calling your daughter an unusual name that many people will only associate with a rather silly minor character who tries to sneak Harry a love potion and ends up inadvertently nearly killing Ron Weasley is probably not the best move.

(My only other association is with Sophia Loren's actress mother, I think?)

Ah ok, I don't think I'd want my DD or I to spend so much time correcting people on pronounciation. It's not common enough for that not to be the case.

Romilda sounds very stern. I get Miss Trunchbull vibes.

Romilly is lovely.

Just here to echo the Romilda Vane connection - the self-obsessed, stalkerish girl who tries to slip Harry a love potion.

It's no from me.

It is! I think she’s a bit very nice character in Harry Potter

i find it very ignorant though when pp on here say things like ‘stick with real names’ as though their own limited knowledge of the world is what constitutes something as real.
i think it’s a nice enough name, but I think if you like Matilda more just go Matilda and don’t worry about it’s popularity. I know a few Matties, which I think is really cute

Not*

Romilly is far nicer. Romilda does sound very stern.

Go for Romilly. It’s a beautiful name.

I much prefer Demelza !

Not for me sorry 😐

Was also going to say this

I don't like Romilda.

That's not nice 😳
Sounds like something love honey would sell 🤷‍♀️

Oh I like this a lot, and I hadn't thought of it but it's the name of a well known children's hospice in my home town's county. If my family didn't still live there then I would be taking this one to DH!

@KookyAndSpooky , I didn't realise that anyone would struggle with the pronunciation of Romola.

@KirstenBlest Surely you can logically see how that might be the case? I don't know how many Romolas there are in the UK but not enough for me to assume that people would know the pronunciation. Unfortunately, it's a no-go for me for that reason.

I think Romola would be pronounced correctly by most people - Romola Garai is a pretty well known actress.

Oh I've never heard of her! Although I did watch Atonement many years ago and I can see she was in that.