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?!

Actually, it is not French. IF it were French or if it had come from French it would be Esmée.
It is a feminine pet form of the name Edmund, first popularised in Scotland!

Just because it sounds French doesn't mean it is. It's a very common misconception though.

I thought that Esme with an acute accent (not sure where they are on the keyboard) is the old French version for boys, and Esmee with an acute accent the old French for girls. And in Victorian times Esme (acute accent) was unisex - so Saki's hyena, which someone mentioned earlier down the thread - was called Esme because they didn't know its sex. (the hyena which ate the toddler, that was a memorable story)

There was a male French writer called Esme (acute accent) something or other, I believe.

Tell hubby Elspeth a hel of a lot more pretentious than Esme!

Emse gorgeous!

Then again, just because it doesn't conform to modern "rules" of the language doesn't mean it does not originate from that language. My maiden surname came from Gaelic but the spelling has changed.

I've done a quick Google poll of baby name sites and most of them have it as French. One had it Greek, another British and another Latin.

I still wouldn't give it to a child, though.

My DD is Esmé . We pronounce it Esmay - that's why it has the acute accent on the final e - as in café .

It is an old french name meaning beloved and if you're being strict Esmé is the male version and Esmeé the female . There is a literary charity called the Esmeé Fairbairn Foundation .

We debated long and hard and finally decided to use the acute on our DD's name in the hope that it would help people to pronounce her name Esmay instead of Esmeee. But since my own knowledge of french is pretty limited we were probably being a bit hopeful

At the end of the day it's not really a big deal .

I also really like Sylvie - but DH wouldn't use that one 'cos he once knew a dog with that name .

i love esme!its lovely!i like 1 and 2 on your list.not as keen on 3 but still nice.