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Help[Opinions] Iris
A relative of mine recently named a daughter this. The problem is that in Latin languages it's pronounced Ee-rees rather than Ay-rees which sounds so close to Isis which doesn't have the nicest associations these days.
Thoughts about Iris?
- Formerly known as Murasaki-
Some thoughts and recipes
http://italianlaowaigirl.blogspot.com/
http://lagerusalemmecucinata.blogspot.com/
Thoughts about Iris?
- Formerly known as Murasaki-
Some thoughts and recipes
http://italianlaowaigirl.blogspot.com/
http://lagerusalemmecucinata.blogspot.com/
Archived Thread - replies disabled
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Replies
I love Iris, it's probably my favourite flower name.
I particularly like that is means "rainbow" - I have considered using it as a middle name because our wedding had a rainbow theme and it would be a nice way to remember that without being tacky.
I particularly like that is means "rainbow" - I have considered using it as a middle name because our wedding had a rainbow theme and it would be a nice way to remember that without being tacky.
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Yes - at least for me the name Iris could never be tacky, especially when considering the depths of its heritage. Greeks Deified the name, and when Shakespeare writes of her, he personifies the meanings in such perfect eloquence!
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I love Iris! who - as Mirfak stated, is the Goddess of the Rainbow. She also seems to serve as messenger and assistant to Hera/Juno in Greek/Roman mythology. Rather than a mere subordinate to the higher goddess, Iris often conveyed her cunning craft to convince Hera of her own opinion, or even manipulate or alter her perception. These myths mostly concerned Hera's vengeance against the infidelities of Zeus / Jupiter--and imposing penalties upon the lesser goddesses or mortals--mostly victims of her jealousy due to his uncontrollable & ever unfaithful lust.
Here is a quotation from Ceres (as Goddess of Agriculture & Maternal Relationships) addressing Iris (as Goddess of the Rainbow) in Shakespeare's "The Tempest". I love this utterly beautiful text. Sorry for getting carried away here...
Hail, many-coloured messenger, that ne'er
Dost disobey the wife of Jupiter;
Who with thy saffron wings upon my flowers
Diffusest honey-drops, refreshing showers:
And with each end of thy blue bow dost crown
My bosky acres, and my unshrubb'd down,
Rich scarf to my proud earth; why hath thy queen
Summon'd me hither, to this short-grass'd green?
Then again, who would not be "carried away" when Ceres compares the "saffron wings" of Iris with a nurturing & nourishing scarf to Ceres' earthly garden!
Here is a quotation from Ceres (as Goddess of Agriculture & Maternal Relationships) addressing Iris (as Goddess of the Rainbow) in Shakespeare's "The Tempest". I love this utterly beautiful text. Sorry for getting carried away here...
Hail, many-coloured messenger, that ne'er
Dost disobey the wife of Jupiter;
Who with thy saffron wings upon my flowers
Diffusest honey-drops, refreshing showers:
And with each end of thy blue bow dost crown
My bosky acres, and my unshrubb'd down,
Rich scarf to my proud earth; why hath thy queen
Summon'd me hither, to this short-grass'd green?
Then again, who would not be "carried away" when Ceres compares the "saffron wings" of Iris with a nurturing & nourishing scarf to Ceres' earthly garden!
This message was edited 4/2/2016, 5:03 AM
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...Further Literary Reference
Here is a conversation between Juno & Iris from Ovid - formatted into Handel's Opera "Semele" - with text written by William Congreve; note the relationship between the Goddesses. Sorry if my enthusiasm seems excessive. To me this reference and the Shakespearean reference in the former response would encompass mere parts of the living heritage "Behind the Name" 'Iris'.
Juno
Iris, impatient of thy stay,
From Samos have I wing'd my way
To meet thy slow return.
Iris
With all his speed not yet the sun
Through half his race has run,
Since I, to execute thy dread command,
Have thrice encompass'd sea and land.
Juno
Say, where is Semele's abode?
Iris
Look, where Cithaeron proudly stands,
Bœotia parting from Cecropian lands.
High on the summit of that hill,
Beyond the reach of mortal eyes,
By Jove's command and Vulcan's skill,
Behold a new-erected palace rise!
Here is a conversation between Juno & Iris from Ovid - formatted into Handel's Opera "Semele" - with text written by William Congreve; note the relationship between the Goddesses. Sorry if my enthusiasm seems excessive. To me this reference and the Shakespearean reference in the former response would encompass mere parts of the living heritage "Behind the Name" 'Iris'.
Juno
Iris, impatient of thy stay,
From Samos have I wing'd my way
To meet thy slow return.
Iris
With all his speed not yet the sun
Through half his race has run,
Since I, to execute thy dread command,
Have thrice encompass'd sea and land.
Juno
Say, where is Semele's abode?
Iris
Look, where Cithaeron proudly stands,
Bœotia parting from Cecropian lands.
High on the summit of that hill,
Beyond the reach of mortal eyes,
By Jove's command and Vulcan's skill,
Behold a new-erected palace rise!
This message was edited 4/2/2016, 3:14 AM
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Iris (using the English pronunciation EYE-rihs) is one of my favorite names, and I think its association with the namesake flower is strong enough that it won't remind people immediately of Isis (a pretty name whose reputation is unfortunately being tarnished by mass murderers). The Latin (and I believe Greek?) pronunciation EE-rees is pretty as well, but not intuitive for me.
Right now my combo is Iris Juliet, but I've also had Iris Eveline and Iris Genevieve in my Top 10.
Right now my combo is Iris Juliet, but I've also had Iris Eveline and Iris Genevieve in my Top 10.
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Is the pronunciation really an issue? Isis was a perfectly respectable goddess for millennia before she became an acronym, and anyway her name and the acronym are both pronounced Ay-sis in English - at least, I've never heard anything else.
Iris is an excellent name. Usually I'm a bit hesitant about names that start with pronouns, like IIIvor and MEEEgan, but somehow Iris is just different. Such a wonderful flower, for a start, and not widely used for people even when flower names like Lily and Rose are in full bloom everywhere. It's one of the very few flower names I'd even consider: Iris, for its elegance and dignity, and Rosemary or Rosamond, just because, and Daisy for its cheerful perkiness.
My daughter's school has the fleur-de-lys on its badge, and the top academic achievers receive what are known as Iris Awards at year-end; just a piece of paper with their name on it, but highly esteemed.
And, I've no idea if a copy still exists out in the bookselling world, but if you ever find "The Diary of Iris Vaughan", grab it with both hands and never let go! It was written by a little girl (Iris Vaughan!) in South Africa about a hundred or so years ago: she was the kind of highly intelligent child who gets under people's feet a lot, so her family gave her a notebook, told her what a diary was, and she caught on. Everything went in, spelling mistakes and all, and it's totally hilarious as well as providing a view of a long-ago world. Lots of people thought it was a fake when it was finally published in the early 1960s I think, but then lots of other people refuted that, saying that they'd been in the same places as the Vaughans and remembered Iris well, and could confirm that she'd spent a lot of time writing.
Iris is an excellent name. Usually I'm a bit hesitant about names that start with pronouns, like IIIvor and MEEEgan, but somehow Iris is just different. Such a wonderful flower, for a start, and not widely used for people even when flower names like Lily and Rose are in full bloom everywhere. It's one of the very few flower names I'd even consider: Iris, for its elegance and dignity, and Rosemary or Rosamond, just because, and Daisy for its cheerful perkiness.
My daughter's school has the fleur-de-lys on its badge, and the top academic achievers receive what are known as Iris Awards at year-end; just a piece of paper with their name on it, but highly esteemed.
And, I've no idea if a copy still exists out in the bookselling world, but if you ever find "The Diary of Iris Vaughan", grab it with both hands and never let go! It was written by a little girl (Iris Vaughan!) in South Africa about a hundred or so years ago: she was the kind of highly intelligent child who gets under people's feet a lot, so her family gave her a notebook, told her what a diary was, and she caught on. Everything went in, spelling mistakes and all, and it's totally hilarious as well as providing a view of a long-ago world. Lots of people thought it was a fake when it was finally published in the early 1960s I think, but then lots of other people refuted that, saying that they'd been in the same places as the Vaughans and remembered Iris well, and could confirm that she'd spent a lot of time writing.
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Gorgeous flower, pretty name
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I like it. It reminds me of the goo goo dolls song
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Pronounced as either ee-rees or ay-rees or eye-ris...it doesn't remind me of Isis at all. I think of flowers, rainbows, eyes, greek mythology, Iris Murdoch, and Georgia O'Keefe instead. The R and the S are such different sounds that I doubt it would be an issue to most people.
This message was edited 3/31/2016, 9:38 AM
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I pronounce it eye-riss, and I like it a lot. I don't think it's too close to ISIS to be unusable.
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Hm, it's not clear whether you mean the ee-rees pronunciation makes it sound more, or less like Isis? Here, Isis is pronounced I-sis (I like the pronoun), and so is Iris. So pronouncing Iris "Ee-rees" would make it less similar to Isis, but also possibly less appealing to people. I wish that people would pronounce the acronym ISIS as "ee-sees" here, so it would not taint the name of Isis.
I like Iris. To me it's mainly a flower name, and the "Greek for rainbow / goddess" association is an influence that makes it more interesting and substantial than many other flower names. It mostly makes me think of late springtime, and the intense colors of irises, which are very structural-looking, not delicate flowers IMO.
I heard a child at my daughter's school addressed as Iris, and that was when I saw through the "old lady" image and really decided I liked it. It's fashiony, but classic enough that I don't care.
I like Iris. To me it's mainly a flower name, and the "Greek for rainbow / goddess" association is an influence that makes it more interesting and substantial than many other flower names. It mostly makes me think of late springtime, and the intense colors of irises, which are very structural-looking, not delicate flowers IMO.
I heard a child at my daughter's school addressed as Iris, and that was when I saw through the "old lady" image and really decided I liked it. It's fashiony, but classic enough that I don't care.
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I'd have thought Eye-riss (I'm assuming that's the same as Ay-riss?) sounds more like Isis, and even then I don't think they're too close. I've always thought Iris is lovely alternative to the sadly now unusable Isis. Sweet and simple, pretty and with some vintage charm. I like it.
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We pronounce it I-ris where I live. I love it; it's a beautiful name. I'd probably use it as a mn if I do use it. I guess it does sound close to ISIS, but that's not my first thought when I hear it.
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I pronounce it EYE-riss, the normal English pronunciation. I love it, it's cery close to the top of our current list.
Iris Matilda is my current favourite.
Iris Matilda is my current favourite.
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Read my response to Fiammetta above, with my bestest wishes.
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Hi !!!
I pronounce Iris as EE-rees too XD
I love this name and no...I think that it is different to Isis.
I'm Italian so I think that Iris is a beautiful name which remember classic history. It also means rainbow so it is completely different.
Yes...the pronounce is similar but their ways are so far that you can't confuse them.
Byeeeeeeee
I pronounce Iris as EE-rees too XD
I love this name and no...I think that it is different to Isis.
I'm Italian so I think that Iris is a beautiful name which remember classic history. It also means rainbow so it is completely different.
Yes...the pronounce is similar but their ways are so far that you can't confuse them.
Byeeeeeeee
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