I rarely hear this name.

[YourChirpyFatball]

Recently watching an old dvd featuring a little girl called Elspeth I think it's a really sweet name and one I don't think I've seen mentioned on here.

I think most users here have a stickler for scottish names. Really unfortunate.

Mmm I’m Scottish and not keen on that one - it’s got Granny vibes to me, and that’s not the kind of name I tend to prefer.

I actually don’t know a single Elspeth come to think of it. Never have.

The “sp” sound is a bit sludgy and unpleasant.

Elspeth is a pet name for DD who is actually called Eleanor. No idea how this came to be but I like it.

Nicknames are weird. My kids get called whatever springs to mind when I see them. Sausage Chops comes up pretty regularly 🤣

Elspeth is a tough one for a nickname or shortened version. Elspie? Elsie? Urgh. I dunno, maybe that puts people off a bit.

I think it's a beautiful name!

There was one at nursery here. I don’t mind it but prefer Elizabeth, Eliza and Elsie.

I thought it was Elsbeth.
But now I write it that looks wrong.

Have known an Elspeth and an Elsbeth - quite like it.

Can shorten to Elsie or Beth.

It's an old fashioned limp name

It's got very 'stern elderly Scottish granny' vibes for me. An Elspeth, in my head, would be a joyless old lady who re-uses teabags and tuts at people who put sugar on porridge. Probably attends a strict church and campaigns against CalMac ferries running on Sundays or something.

It is pretty but I find it a bit tricky to say with the "lsp" in a row and then the "th" coming soon after. It doesn't seem to roll off the tongue as well as other traditional "El" names like Elizabeth, Eliza, Eleanor etc.

I know one in her 20s, but otherwise quite a few old ladies 70+. But I live in Scotland so it is a fairly normal granny name. The grannies who are called Elspeth are all quite old now so I guess it might come back round soon here as a retro name.

I've taught several over the last decade or so, aged between 11-18 at the time of teaching them. Midlands and East of England.

I quite like it. But I do suspect it will be misheard as Elizabeth by almost everyone at first. Depending on your diction, of course.

Had a weird feeling this thread would be about my name 🤣 I am not a strict limp joyless granny, nor am I Scottish. I was also once told in my teens that it was a lesbian name (whatever the fuck that means).

But I’ll admit it’s a tough name to love, with unusual sounds and tricky to find a nickname for (which is actually why my parents chose it). I’m 38, and there was an Elsbeth in my year at school and an Elspeth on my course at university. None of us Scottish. Was very odd.

Everyone has names they love and hate, it’s best not to be rude though 😏

When I hear it on tv it sounds like Elsbeth which is lovely, but when I see the spelling I think it looks awful and can see why people don’t say the ‘p’ often as it wouldn’t sound nice.

@duploonthefloor It's a beautiful name in my opinion anyway. I would love to have a cat and call her Elspeth. No chance of a daughter now. To be honest I didn't know it was Scottish so had no preconceptions of old grannies.

I knew one when I was younger, beautiful classy young woman.

It has a bit of a “Miss Marple’s parlourmaid” feel about it.

Elspeth had a lot of love on MN names threads about 10 years ago. I know a couple who are early teens. They are in England rather than Scotland. I don’t think it was ever common enough in England to be associated with the granny vibe it has in Scotland.

We have Elspeths on both sides of the family but they are great grandmothers!

This is my only frame of reference for that name.. positive childhood associations. I like it! https://thefamilyness.fandom.com/wiki/Elspeth_MacToot

The only one I have ever met was the Reverend Elspeth at a local church. She was exceedingly strict!

I knew a girl at a university years ago called Elspeth and she was an utter drip.

Unless that is dialect,it's not what stickler means.

I know an Elsbeth.I think it's nice. I also know a Lisbeth and various Elizabeths, who are or aren't known by a diminutive.