Eira or Iris?

[Taggys]

Hello,

We need a girls name that works in both Scandinavian and English languages. We love:

Eira
Iris
Elsa/Elsie

These names sound quite similar, but which one is nicer?

Thank you so much, and between Eira and Vera, which one would you choose?

😍 Thank you so much, and between Eira and Vera, which one would you choose?

😊 Thank you so much, and between Eira and Vera, which one would you choose?

Eira - yes
Vera - no

Thank you 😊 I know it's both a Scandi and a Welsh name...wouldn't bother me that much as we live on the Welsh borders and have Scandinavian family.

Between Eira and Vera, which one would you choose? 🤔

No, Swedish where this is also a common name 😊

😍 Thank you so much, and between Eira and Vera, which one would you choose?

Thank you for your thorough answer 😍 I also think Eira is the best of both worlds here...would you prefer Vera though? One last name to throw into the mix 🤪

Good point! 🤭 I should have said Welsh/Scandi name. Eira is also commonly used in Sweden, Norway and Finland, hence why we love it.

Just wondering, do you prefer Vera to Eira?

Aye is pronounced eye, but Eira is air-uh, like Irish Eire.

I like Eira best because I love Welsh names.

We would go with Eye-ra 😊 Would you prefer Vera to Eira?

Thank you!! 😊 And would you prefer Vera to Eira?

In my area of Wales it is pronounced like Air-ruh (as in the air we breathe) and the r should be rolled, my husband says this name beautifully in his Welsh accent.

I'm Welsh and all the Eiras I know pronounce it more like eye-ra. Not quite, but that's the closest I can get in English.

Is Vera making a comeback? It feels old-fashioned and makes me think of Vera Duckworth, or Vera from the TV/book series (or aloe vera😄), but I have heard it once or twice lately.

I definitely prefer Eira, Vera is still a bit too dowdy old lady for me, but I'm possibly a bit older than you (early 40's) so maybe it's further away from you than me that you don't associate it with very old ladies, or Vera from the detective books/TV!

Having said all that, to contradict myself Eira is kind of a little old lady name in my area of Wales! It's just more unusual to me as I was born and bred in England.

If you can roll your 'r's Eira is particularly beautiful :)

Not by me! Air is different again, sort of flatter. Maybe ay to rhyme with hay. But I know what you mean! We could be here all day with differences in Welsh pronounciation.

It’s a beautiful name though.

@Chipsintheair , Isn't it more like Ey-ra or Ay-ra? I think the Norse one is more Eye-ra.

Exactly, Eira in wales is not pronounced Air-ah , Eye-ra is closer but still not right.

The E at the beginning is pronounced more like Eh so Ehee-ra

If you live in the UK I probably wouldn't give her a Welsh name that you're going to pronounce incorrectly (and a lot of people won't know how to pronounce), even if it is a Scandinavian name too - because everyone in the UK will assume it's Welsh

Elsa seems a lot easier. I've always liked it although it was more 'the lioness' then not 'let it go'.
Vera is nice but a bit 'Vera Duckworth' and that's not good.

Vera so lovely, the sound of it. No one over a certain age knows about Vera Duckworth. I have an Iris (older), and we meet another one occasionally, whereas we meet a lot of Elsie types names.

It's EH-rah in Welsh. If you live near Wales, I think you should go for the local pronounciation- She will be forever be explaining to people that yes, she knows that it's pronounced one way here but she pronounces hers differently. It's a hell of a burden to give a child imo.

I don't think Eira "works" that well in English, regardless of origin. Several posters have mentioned confusion over pronunciation. It would be a difficult name to make out on the phone as well.

I would therefore go for Iris.

Eira is lovely, Vera is just old lady frumpiness. Still reminds me of Corrie.

I pronounce Eh and Air pretty much the same, Eh is just a bit shorter.

I think Ehee-ra is definitely the closest way to describe it and what I was trying to get at, well done!

It's very rarely pronounce Eye-ra in Wales, well where I am anyway, except by English people. But the Welsh language and pronunciations vary from county to county almost as much as in England, so it's hardly one rule for pronunciation even in the country of it's origin. I wouldn't be surprised if North Walians have a completely different word for snow.🙂

I can understand that people like the Welsh name Eira because of the meaning. In my experience it is not a common name in Scandinavian countries or Finland. Elvi, Elvira, Eira and Airi are what someone else called before "old dowdy lady names" the type of name that were not common to begin with and unlikely to become popular again. As an example, similar to Bertha in UK.

I like Iris but the different ways to say it would put me off.
Ariel? Rie? (from Marie)

What about Ilse instead of Elsa/ Elsie? Eloise? Lovisa? Louisa? Eleanor / Leonora / Leonore? Eva?

Vera is common at least in Sweden. What about Wilma/ Vilma? Mira?