Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

Flip

1 2

Original poster

Elisabeth or Elizabeth?

37 replies

birdofthenorth · 04/03/2010 17:11

OK, 16 weeks now and after much mind-changing, DH & I think we have a boy's name sorted, and currently favour Elisabeth Mary for a girl, to be known as Bess. Mary is after my mum; Bess is a nn DH & I both love, although I know a lot of MNet disagree!

Anyway, my question is do you think Elisabeth is an acceptable spelling? I prefer it to Elizabeth as it's softer and less queenly, but Elizabeth is the default/ traditional spelling, so I'm not sure I'd want to land a DD with a lifetime of correcting people. Any thoughts? Ta!

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

hatwoman · 04/03/2010 17:16

certainly acceptable and if you prefer it I wouldn't worry. personally I prefer the z - esp as it shortens more easily to Liz / Lizzie but you're shortening it from the other end, as it were, so that's not very relevant...

UpSinceCrapOClock · 04/03/2010 17:19

Definitely Elisabeth.

Not that I'm biased.

FluffyDonkey · 04/03/2010 17:19

I think she'd end up having to correct people ALL the time. Because it's such a well-known first name (been around for centuries) no one would even think about asking how it's spelt (unlike some other more "modern" names).

I have a common name in England but now live abroad where the "default" spelling is slightly different to the English one. It is extremely irritating to have to correct people all the time (and there are confusions with my work email address etc. - when it is spelt right, no one thinks to send me emails to that address IYSWIM).

I now just accept the other version of my name even on some documents (except on the most official ones). I think your DD would end up doing that too.

AmazingBouncingFerret · 04/03/2010 17:21

Excellent name choice. I named my DD Elizabeth Mary! I also prefered the Elisabeth version but we decided that she would end up spending her lifetime correcting people!

UpSinceCrapOClock · 04/03/2010 17:22

Elisabeth is definitely an acceptable spelling by the way and it's easy enough to say 'Elisabeth spelt with an 's' ' to people if you think they're not sure (say for something where you need to get the spelling correct) and it isn't too traumatic / the end of the world when the odd person spells it with a 'z'.

JoCoolBeans · 04/03/2010 17:25

That's grand, it's what you want that matters. My friend thought the same thing when she was having her DD. She wanted a Rebeckah and not a Rebecca. She went with it and it's not a big deal anymore.
Go with your gut feeling, if you want an Elisabeth have one, it'll at least make her a little more unique! OX
(you reminded me about the name Elsie, if i ever have another DD, love it)

SqueezyB · 04/03/2010 17:38

I think both are lovely, as someone said it's no great hardship to say 'Elisabeth spelt with an S'. There are lots of other names like that eg Clare/Claire, Isabel/Isobel/Isabelle etc.

It doesn't mean she won't get called Liz though, if that's something that bothers you. I had a friend at school called Elisabeth specifically because her mum didn't want her to be called Liz. But guess what her nickname was, and still is!

FluffyDonkey · 04/03/2010 17:45

"it's no great hardship to say 'Elisabeth spelt with an S'. "

Maybe not, but I have to do it on an almost daily basis and it's really really irritating.

Just my point of view, but as I said, I have had people unable to contact me because the companies I work for give email addresses name.surname@etc. and obviously my name is spelt (ever so) slightly different.

UpSinceCrapOClock · 04/03/2010 18:00

Depends how often you need other people to write name down I suppose which is a bit hard to predict. But by the same token, you can't really predict where your dd will live - whichever spelling / name you choose, she may end up in a country where it's not the norm and she needs to spell it out all the time anyway.

June2009 · 04/03/2010 18:12

I think if you want to call her "Bess" it would make sense to spell it with an "s".
Elizabeth with a "z" gets shorten to names with the "Z" sounds like "liz" or "liza" (as in liza minelli for example)
maybe that's just me ?

FourLittleDucks · 04/03/2010 18:25

I love the spelling with 's' -
I've got a (nick)name that can be spelt with either a z or an s and it hasn't bothered me at all that some people use z sometimes - its not like the name is really complicated and she'll have to spell out every letter.

AllieW · 04/03/2010 18:32

When they were asking what my sister was called in the hospital 30 years ago, my Dad felt the need to specify Elizabeth with a Z, so clearly felt that there could have been confusion the other way.

I like both spellings. Elisabeth also gives rise to the possibility of the nickname Elisa (which is also a standalone Italian name).

weasle · 04/03/2010 19:40

no idea if this is right, but i think elisabeth is used in Europe and maybe Wales?

i don't think it is a big issue, if you prefer the 's' spelling go with it, agree like cla(i)re or catherine/katherine etc. all well known spellings.

love elisabeth mary by the way

AmazingBouncingFerret · 04/03/2010 19:42

We always planned to call DD Lizzy, but I have found myself calling her Betty more and more often!!

CarGirl · 04/03/2010 19:43

My name is spelt the american way although I live in the UK (and always have) and it does get irritating having to tell people regularly.

My dd is Elizabeth and she has a family nickname which we use (and she answers to and calls herself etc) but at school her nickname is still Lizzie!

Cherrypie32 · 04/03/2010 20:24

I am an Elisabeth & it has been no 'hardship' at all. Good grief, as if one letter could be such a major problem in life.Some (clever) people even ask sometimes if that is with as 's' or a 'z'. That said, I am always Lizzy for short.
Have the spelling you like best x

LilyBolero · 05/03/2010 21:20

Elisabeth is the original spelling. I would go with that over Elizabeth.

onepieceoflollipop · 05/03/2010 21:28

I think you are right LilyBolero, historically/traditionally the original spelling is with an s.

Anyway, to OP is she is going to always be known as Bess anyway, I really think the spelling of her full name is not much of an issue. (I speak from experience, dd is Elisabeth but never known by the full version)

We always use the shortened form, for very official things (passport, GP etc, we mention her full name and say it is with an "s" but stress she is known by the shortened version)

RHL · 05/03/2010 21:29

Definitely Elisabeth for me

cupofteaplease · 05/03/2010 21:35

As an Elizabeth, I would go with the 'z' spelling. I would hate to have to explain how to spell 'my' version of a very traditional name that most people spell with a 'z' as the default.

Skegness · 05/03/2010 21:36

z is a cool letter. It's good to have a z in your name.

Shiitake · 05/03/2010 21:37

Does it REALLY matter? except you'll always have to qualify when giving her name. "That's with an s not a z"

Could get boring

EightiesChick · 05/03/2010 21:38

Bess has been used as a nn for Elizabeth without it needing to have an s, historically. Given that you think the long version will not be used day to day, I would go with Elizabeth as the most common spelling and save your DD the trouble of saying 'with an s' every time she explains it.

Things may change, anyway... someone I know had their DD and named her Elizabeth, with the intention of actually calling her Beth. Now she's older she is known by all as Libby. So your DD might have other ideas.

jellybeans · 05/03/2010 22:13

Elizabeth

GnocchiGnocchiWhosThere · 06/03/2010 00:44

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Flip

1 2