Longer name for Nell

[Firebird83]

I like the name Nell but would like it to be short for a longer name. Which do you prefer out of Helena and Eleanor? Middle name would be Katherine or Louisa. Thanks!

"They’d surely shorten to Hell or Helly?"

The traditional shortening of Helen is Nell.

My daughter is called Nelle - said Nell but added the E as it somehow made the name look more complete and feminine to us

Some people ask whether she's called Nell-ie which I find a bit odd as you wouldn't think that of someone called Belle. Anyway!

I love Nell/Nelle as a standalone name obviously but Fenella and Nella also appeal

I prefer Helena, but would chose Eliza if it was me.

What's the point of this? I don't understand why people intentionally choose a first name they don't want to use except if it's a cultural thing

I also had a friend called Annella - she / her family were English. I always thought it was a lovely name.

Thought of another option, Antonella.

Flow. It's because they prefer Katherine Nell to Nell Katherine,
Nell Surname most of the time and occasionally Katherine Nell Surname.

I know a few people with names like this and the combination is usually:
Popular name Unusual name Common surname

Fenella.

Penelope is the traditional one, I think, but I love love love Fenella ❤️

I really dislike Helen, Ive had too many awful managers with that name that to me its old grumpy vibes. My preference would be Penelope, then Eleanor.

My gran aunt Nellie was Mary Ellen

Helena or Penelope are lovely.

Prunella or Petronella for something a bit more daring.

Please don't do Eleanor: i think the world will sink under the weight of another Ellie (and it will become Ellie) and other Evie, Eva, Isla type name.

Nell is sweet and my favourites would be Helena or Petronella!

That's rather pretty and a twist on the Annabelle/Arabella type names.

I like both names (and would pronounce the first two syllables of Helena as Helen) but slightly prefer Eleanor.

Not keen on Penelope or names like Fenella or Prunella/Petronella. They are a bit flowery for my liking.

As a middle name, I prefer Katherine (though I would spell it Catherine).

Louisa is fine, but I don’t like it following Eleanor/Helena because both names end with an “uh” sound.

I only clicked on this thread in the hope of a Chalet school reference

I prefer Helena but both are lovely. I also know a little Penelope who goes by Nell.

Narelle
Ellen
Eleanor
Nellie

Petronella
Elowen
Eloína

There are different pronunciations of Eleanor too, depending on where you live and whether you pronounce your r’s or not. It sounds quite different in a non-rhotic English accent to a rhotic Scottish, Irish or American one.

I prefer Eleanor to Helena (which I pronounce Heleena). Love Nell.

@Violetdress , Ellen-a, Ellen-urr, Ellen-OR, Ellen-ORR.

I thought it was Heleena too because that's the version I heard first.

@MartinCrieffsHat
Yes, I’m in Ireland and it’s always pronounced Heleena here in my experience, so maybe you heard it from an Irish person?

The island of St Helena is pronounced that way too.

It’s Ellen-urr here. The r is pronounced. Americans tend to say the last syllable as Nore which is a bit different again.

Nelson
Nelvis
Nel Salvador
Nellotape
Nel Paso
Nelanie
Nelijah
Nelastic
Nelbow
Nelton John

Not Irish, @Violetdress , British but not English. Ellin-urr here.
I don't like the Nore version.

@onyxtulip , that's because people are familiar with the word and name Belle.
Nell is familiar but Nelle isn't. My brain reads it as Nellie.

My Dc went to a S London comp.

Friend Nellie was never teased about her name with anything suggested here (or anything else)
Friend Gabriel was never called ‘Gay’ despite that having been issued as a warning in many MN threads.
The whole school was used to Polish, Vietnamese, Nigerian names, alongside many Yooneek names, and those pulled from obscure classical texts and Old English etc.

Respect for and ease with diversity gave them no interest in picking on names.

I wonder about the mentality and environments of some MNers.