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Help[Opinions] Elizabeth/Elisabeth, Helene/Elena and pronouncing the name Eira...
Even though every Elizabeth I know is with a z (infact the three main I know are all Elizabeth Anne; my nan and great aunt, both in their seventies, and my brothers girlfriend who is 22), I've been finding that my reaction to discuss when not talking about relatives is to spell it 'Elisabeth'. I actually got confused in my half asleep state thinking wait, which one is it. Personally I prefer the s, is softer and I really love Elsa. However I wouldn't use because so many have it and my niece already has Beth as a middle name, so if I were to ever honour nan I'd be more subtle with potential Lillian and Isabel varieties.
Speaking of nieces, as I've mentioned before my niece Lola Beth is going to have a little sister, Elena Maree. My (and I say my because it's my half-brother on my dad's side and this is on my mums side) Oma's name is Frieda Helene, and I have for a long time wanted to use Helene in the middle name spot.. I personally have no problem with one being Elena Maree and having a cousin that's something Helene, seeing as they'll probably be ten years apart in age at least, and it won't be as if I've just hijacked the name or anything. However would others think it would be odd? I know my sister in law is avoiding Isabelle and forms because her cousin named her daughter Rhianna Isabelle.
And on the Elizabeth/Isabelle/Lillian bandwagon, before I was a name nerd, I had no idea that the three were actually related and would happily use them in sibsets or combos... For example wanting to use Elspeth and Isobel as sisters when I was twelve (which is how I learnt the shared stem)... Now the idea of putting them together really puts me off and I was wondering is this was the same for anyone else?
And finally: Eira. I think it is a really pretty name, I am really loving it right now, no matter how it is said. However that's exactly what I was wondering. So the comments on the Welsh copy describe two potential 'eye-rah' or 'aye-rah', and I was wondering if this was the same in Scandanavian countries. When I told my mum the spelling her first response was 'ear-ra' like eerie with an a at the end, which doesn't sound to bad, while my sister in law was inclined to go with eye-rah... I live in Australia...
Speaking of nieces, as I've mentioned before my niece Lola Beth is going to have a little sister, Elena Maree. My (and I say my because it's my half-brother on my dad's side and this is on my mums side) Oma's name is Frieda Helene, and I have for a long time wanted to use Helene in the middle name spot.. I personally have no problem with one being Elena Maree and having a cousin that's something Helene, seeing as they'll probably be ten years apart in age at least, and it won't be as if I've just hijacked the name or anything. However would others think it would be odd? I know my sister in law is avoiding Isabelle and forms because her cousin named her daughter Rhianna Isabelle.
And on the Elizabeth/Isabelle/Lillian bandwagon, before I was a name nerd, I had no idea that the three were actually related and would happily use them in sibsets or combos... For example wanting to use Elspeth and Isobel as sisters when I was twelve (which is how I learnt the shared stem)... Now the idea of putting them together really puts me off and I was wondering is this was the same for anyone else?
And finally: Eira. I think it is a really pretty name, I am really loving it right now, no matter how it is said. However that's exactly what I was wondering. So the comments on the Welsh copy describe two potential 'eye-rah' or 'aye-rah', and I was wondering if this was the same in Scandanavian countries. When I told my mum the spelling her first response was 'ear-ra' like eerie with an a at the end, which doesn't sound to bad, while my sister in law was inclined to go with eye-rah... I live in Australia...
This message was edited 11/12/2013, 4:24 PM
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Elisabeth is pretty. It's more old-fashioned looking and soft than Elizabeth. I like both though.
I think it would be fine to have Elena Maree and ____ Helene. If it were Helena and Helene, I'd be more reluctant, but as it is Elena and Helene sound different enough and look more different than they are just because of the H vs. E initial.
I knew that Isabella was Spanish for Elizabeth, but I didn't know Lillian had anything to do with them until just now (I thought it was just a name based on Lily). For me it depends on how similar they look and sound, and if they are different enough that they would be given very different nicknames (Elizabeth and Isabel could both be called Izzy, but Elizabeth and Lillian or Isobel and Lillian wouldn't have nicknames in common.)
I really like Eira. I tend to pronounce it AIR-uh, but I also like EYE-ra. EAR-a is not intuitive to me at all... "ei" is almost never pronounced "ee", especially not at the beginning of a word. (Although that does remind me of a name I saw recently, Iria... pronounced EER-ee-uh as far as I'm aware).
I think it would be fine to have Elena Maree and ____ Helene. If it were Helena and Helene, I'd be more reluctant, but as it is Elena and Helene sound different enough and look more different than they are just because of the H vs. E initial.
I knew that Isabella was Spanish for Elizabeth, but I didn't know Lillian had anything to do with them until just now (I thought it was just a name based on Lily). For me it depends on how similar they look and sound, and if they are different enough that they would be given very different nicknames (Elizabeth and Isabel could both be called Izzy, but Elizabeth and Lillian or Isobel and Lillian wouldn't have nicknames in common.)
I really like Eira. I tend to pronounce it AIR-uh, but I also like EYE-ra. EAR-a is not intuitive to me at all... "ei" is almost never pronounced "ee", especially not at the beginning of a word. (Although that does remind me of a name I saw recently, Iria... pronounced EER-ee-uh as far as I'm aware).
This message was edited 11/12/2013, 5:26 PM
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sorry wrong place
In Finland we pronounce Eira like air-ah, think it's the same in Sweden.
In Finland we pronounce Eira like air-ah, think it's the same in Sweden.
This message was edited 11/14/2013, 8:49 AM
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I wouldn't be bothered by this for several reasons:
(1) The girls would be ten years apart;
(2) Elena and Helene sound pretty much different to most people; and
(3) Elena would be a fn while Helene would be a mn.
Your SIL can obviously do as she likes avoiding Isabelle, but I don't really see a problem with this. And even further, I could even see myself using Elspeth and Isobel for sisters if they're both honoring the same person (or people). It's subtle too (like Caroline and Charlotte or Nicole and Veronica) and only name nerds would really catch on. It's not like you'd name the girls Vickie and Victoria (I've seen this) or Lisa and Beth. If the idea really bothered you, you could always use Elspeth and Isobel as mns. BTW, Rhianna is really nice. I never understood the Rihanna spelling.
Re: Eira, I like the way it looks and its meaning, but I'm always unsure of the pronunciation. I really dislike EYE-ruh (basically, Ira).
(1) The girls would be ten years apart;
(2) Elena and Helene sound pretty much different to most people; and
(3) Elena would be a fn while Helene would be a mn.
Your SIL can obviously do as she likes avoiding Isabelle, but I don't really see a problem with this. And even further, I could even see myself using Elspeth and Isobel for sisters if they're both honoring the same person (or people). It's subtle too (like Caroline and Charlotte or Nicole and Veronica) and only name nerds would really catch on. It's not like you'd name the girls Vickie and Victoria (I've seen this) or Lisa and Beth. If the idea really bothered you, you could always use Elspeth and Isobel as mns. BTW, Rhianna is really nice. I never understood the Rihanna spelling.
Re: Eira, I like the way it looks and its meaning, but I'm always unsure of the pronunciation. I really dislike EYE-ruh (basically, Ira).
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I love both spellings, but I prefer Elizabeth. I think it has more nickname potential and looks better.
About Helene, I don't think it's a problem. They look and sound different, and you're putting it in the mn spot, so that makes it easier.
And Eira: I would pronounce it like your mum does: ear-ra. I think it's a lovely name, and very pretty.
About Helene, I don't think it's a problem. They look and sound different, and you're putting it in the mn spot, so that makes it easier.
And Eira: I would pronounce it like your mum does: ear-ra. I think it's a lovely name, and very pretty.
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