Vera vs Eira..?

[NorseMum]

Hey!
We are now choosing between Vera and Eira for a little girl. Which is nicer? 😊

How are you pronouncing them both?

north Wales pronunciation of Eira, if not then Vera.

Not Vera!

Vera is fashionable in some parts of Europe afaik but generally in the UK it’s still Vera Duckworth and Vera Lynn imagery- ie. your Great- grandmother in her 80’s. While Vera is very gradually increasing in numbers, I reckon it’ll take another decade to really change that, so you’d be ahead of the crowd.

Eira is a Norse Goddess and also a more modern name after the Welsh word for snow. It’s beautiful and elegant sounding imo but may have pronunciation problems as it’s still not that popular outside of Wales (here in N. Wales it is well used and always pronounced “Ay-ra” - but I’ve heard there are other pronunciations elsewhere). For me personally there is no contest between the two, I’d go for Eira.

How are you pronouncing them and where do you live?

I know twins called Eira and Enfys. Welsh words for snow and rainbow but in n. Wales it’s really common to use those names. Their sister is Seren (star) and brother is Gethin which makes me feel sad for him 🤣

Vera is very English and Eira is very Welsh. Where do you live? In England, , they may mispronounce Eira, and she’ll probably have to spell it.

I prefer Eira. A nod to my Welsh ancestry.

If you’re Welsh and know how to pronounce it properly, then Eira.
Otherwise Vera.

Poor Gethin!

I know!!

Anything other than Vera really - I do know a 7 year old Vera in the Uk, but I think there is a reason it hasn’t caught on like the other Granny names ie like Gladys, it is ugly

Vera is very Slavic, I am pretty sure. It was fashionable in England a century ago, but it’s not a long history or any consistent use.

Eira is lovely.

Vera is dated in a bad way to me.

Going by your username, they are said as (nearly) VEY-ra and EYE-ra.
If you are in the UK, Vera gets said as VEE-ra.

If you are in Norway, or don't mind the occasional Veera, I'd pick Vera.

You can’t call a baby Vera!

Why not? Around the turn of the twentieth century, it was the 70th most popular name.

Not so long ago, names like Harry, George, Noah, Grace, Lily etc were considered ancient names, and now they're everywhere.