DH hates the name I want - Esme

[kerala]

He says it is pretentious and disputes it is a real name . He doesnt like my second choice either. He is a lovely man and usually gives in but he is sticking on this. He wants no. 3 below, I want 1 or 2, although I like 3 too.

Current choices are:

1. Esme Anna
2. Sylvia Mary
3. Elspeth Anna

Any thoughts?!

My dd has a friend called Esme. I just asked dd if the friend likes it, and she says she loves it, except that everyone says Esmie instead of Esmey and that really winds her up. Don't know if this contributes to the conversation at all.....!

In truth, I do find Esme a bit Addams Family-esque. I'd compromise with Sylvia Mary - very distinguished.

my dd is called esme, i obviously don't think it is pretentious! we chose it as dd's father is half french and it was/used to be a popular french name apparently so his nanna says! though we spell it the british way! don't know if that helps, but people always say what a lovely name and how its unusual to hear it now, at least round here anyway.
love sylvie too it is my cousins daughters name!

I love the name Esme, obviously! But Sylvia is a beautiful name also.

Esme is a beautiful name, are you pronoucing it as Es-MAY though or Es-ME ?

I think Es-May sounds odd, like EsssssMAAAAAAAAy

Don;t like Elspeth (image of roller in hair), don't like Sylvia (can see the image of red lips & fag)

WTF? Esme is a gorgeous name and I should know. I have one.

Divorce your husband immediately!

ps it's pronounced es-meee

that's how my DD's is pronouced, but she gets a few Esmays

Mojo, my evil sister always pronounces it Esmay cos she knows I don't like it pronounced that way.

Mine is Esme Bluebell...

I'm afraid it makes me think of Esme (Granny) Weatherwax, the scarey witch in the Terry Pratchett Discworld novels.

I like Elspeth, maybe just cos one of he nicest people I know is called Elspeth. If you like 'E' names, what about Esther?

I really like all of those names, apart from Mary.

My partner wasn't over-keen on my choice of Tabitha but he kind of slackened off a bit on the objections after he'd seen me give birth and that is what my daughter is called. So you could always hang on a bit and hope he comes round?

Esther is lovely.

I used to know a Hester too and she was so lovely that I still have a bit of a soft spot for the name.

The more I think of Esme, the more I like it.

Any of you that think Esme is unusual are wrong - I know of 4 young girls with the name.

Agree with those that think it doesn't work with Anna.

Esme Bluebell is GORGEOUS

I'm guessing you're not a Terry Pratchett fan then? I, too, think of Esme Weatherwax (aka Granny Weatherwax, very formidable witch who can inhabit the minds of other creatures) when I see that name.

I also would definitely pronounce it Ez-may. I just wouldn't give it to a child, and neither should you, imho, if your dh really doesn't like it. When approaching the choice of name for our dd, my dh and I agreed to each draw up a list of possibles. Each of us had absolute right to veto any name on the other's list.

Well, you have a lovely shortlist so one way or another your daughter will get a fab name.

I would only go for Esme if you and your husband are both good-looking and likely to have a very pretty child. As Cali says, it's not a name that sits well on the brick shit-house type of woman.

I love Esme and it's what we are calling our baby girl when she arrives. It is a proper name and I obviously don't think it's pretentious. Dp wasn't convinced when I suggested it for ds (just aswell he was a boy!) but 'came round' this time, although he never said he hated it, he just wanted another name which fortunately we can't have now. I'm not sure you could convince your dh if he hates the name. From the others I prefer Sylvie and I don't mind Elsie/Elsa.

btw we will be pronouncing it Ez-mee

Hooray Ali, that is the correct way.

And thank you Elizabeth B, my Esme Bluebell IS indeed gorgeous!!!

I'm not keen on Esme personally, although I'm not sure why as if dd had been the ds we were expecting he would have been Ezzie (Ezra) and peopele did ask us if that was short for Esme. Maybe I just think of it as a boy sounding name. Not sure. I wouldn't go for Elspeth either, it just doesn't run easily off my tongue, especially with Anna afterwards. I think I'd choose something softer sounding, but of course how the whole name sounds depends on your surname in any case. However that's all a bit irrelevant anyway. I think you have to scrap any names that either of you don't like, and to be honest the reasons why you don't like it don't really matter. My parents did a very complicated shortlisting process for us, using a babyname book ending up with a list they both liked. That way they only discussed names that were good for both of them. Also having a longer list to choose from makes it less of a competition about who gets to choose IYSWIM.

I know an Esme my age and she is Ezmee, so EzMAY sounds a bit flouncy and faux-francais to me......jmo.

Lydia - Lydie
Miriam
Lucia - Lucy

I think Sylvia is lovely. Esme is a beautiful name but very popular around here (saying that I have an Ava which was last years Amelia!)

it is a real name - a great aut of mine was named this.

i hav an Emma. a plain unpretentious name IMO, I call her Esme

ElizabethBeresford, it can't be faux-francais. It is francais!.