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Hephzibah
WDYTO Hephzibah? I just came across it the other day and saw that it was a Hebrew name meaning 'my delight is in her'. If it was a mn, I have no idea what name I would pair it with. Maybe Margaret Hephzibah? I would also like it as a fn, but I don't see it as being usable in the U.S unless it had a nn. My combos for that are Hephzibah Beatrice, Hephzibah Giselle, and Hephzibah Naomi.
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It reminds me of Hepzibah, who's a character in X-Men comics.
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I like Hepzibah, which I say as it is spelt - Hep-zee-bah. I have liked it ever since reading "Carrie's War".I didn't realise Hephzibah - Hef-zee-bah - was a variant; I don't really like that because of the "Hef" sound.
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I didn't realize there was a Hepzibah. I think I actually prefer Hepzibah to Hephzibah.
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I am the same. When I saw the post about Hephzibah I momentarily doubted my prn. of Hepzibah. The database backs me up though:)
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It was my little sister's doll's nameHEP-zuh-bahNo idea if we were saying it right, but there you go.
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It's beautiful and has such a New-England Puritan charm (also a dark sort of Gothicness too though), but it is a little overwhelming. I see that Eppie is considered a nickname for it, that's kinda cute. Oh wait, I just read it again and suddenly thought of the EPI-pen, that's no good. Uh...Zibah??Obscure biblical names are way in, though, so I wouldn't be surprised if we see more Hephzibah's around soon.
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I was on the Richard Bacon BBC radio program about unusual names Monday where one of the main guests was a young British woman named Hephzibah who likes her name very much. You should still be able to listen to the program for a few more days. (The segment on names is the last hour of the 3 hour program.)http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00hh4ry

This message was edited 2/11/2009, 12:27 PM

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Did she prn it like HEF-zih-beh or hef-ZEE-buh? Just curious. Hephzibah seems like one of those unusual names that could take on different pronunciations.
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I'm just listening to it and she says Hep-zi-bah. She was known as Hepsy as a child. Her sister is apparently Seraphina, so what a great sib-set.
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Yes.I just asked mafiosa below this same question, except I've always heard the name as "HEP-zi-bah." How did the young woman on your radio program pronounce her name?
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The young woman on the radio program pronounced Hepzibah with a "p" sound at the end of the first syllable, as you do.
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HepzibahI pronounce it like that too. No idea why...it's not like I even know anybody by that name or anything!
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I never paid attention the meaning of Hephzibah. It is very beautiful.Hephzibah / Hepzibah is a great name to say out loud. It's just so much fun. It makes a great GP mn, but you're right about it not being very practical as a fn. I guess I could see Eppie as a nn for it, though. (Disclaimer: I would name a dd Niamh, so take what I typed just now with a grain of salt.)Margaret Hephzibah flows nicely. It's a little jarring seeing sensible shoes Margaret next to hallelujah Hephzibah. But then again, they do both share an old fashioned, pre-Industrial charm, similar to Margaret Hester. My attempts:Beryl Hephzibah
Eleanor Hephzibah
Danielle Hephzibah
Josephine Hephzibah (I pronounce it "HEP-zi-bah" so the repeated "ph" isn't a tongue twister)
Gwendolen Hephzibah
Pearl Hephzibah (too Pearl Harbor-ish?)
Georgia / Georgine Hephzibah
Zoe Hephzibah
Marjorie / Margery Hephzibah
Juno Hephzibah
Elodie Hephzibah
Melody Hephzibah

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This message was edited 2/11/2009, 12:18 PM

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A beautiful meaning, but pretty difficult to cope with.
The nick-name, though, would be Zibah. I'm guessing the pronounciation would be like the character on "NCIS", Ziva David.
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I don't see it as being usable AT ALL; in fact, I see it as one of those "oh-my-gracious-you-did-NOT-name-your-child-this" names. It's horribly unwieldy, difficult to spell, incredibly old-fashioned (not in the good way like Amelia or Charlotte), and nickname-free. It's on my "Worst Names of All Time" list.Sorry.
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I agree too.And I just noticed that I've been mispronouncing it this entire time. Figures! LOL. :)
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Wait.Your comment made me look at the pronunciation BtN gives to Hephzibah. It's "HEF-zi-bah?" I always thought it was "HEP-zi-bah." Is that how you were saying it too?"HEF-zi-bah" gives me pause. Could heifer jokes be far behind our little my-delight-is-in-her? Nn Effie is cute, but there are other formal names I like much more.Calling Cleveland Kent Evans! Calling Cleveland Kent Evans! How does the girl from the radio program that you met pronounce it? (This has thrown me into a tizzy. Or should I say a fizzy?)

This message was edited 2/11/2009, 1:20 PM

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I always thought it was HEP-zi-bah tooUntil this post and I looked it up, I had no idea it was HEF-zi-bah 0.o
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Nah, I didn't even get to be "almost correct". I've been pronouncing it hef-ZIE-bə. I think that pronunciation makes it sound much better, to be honest. LOL. :)
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Hephzibah is not "nickname free". In George Eliot's novel Silas Marner, the character named Hephzibah is called Eppie. And there would be plenty of other short forms one could get out of Hephzibah with a little effort. (Heppie, Zibbie, Ezzie, etc.)http://www.schoolbytes.com/summary.php?id=435
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Eppie is a pretty common nickname in my culture, and it is always male. (We use it for Eprim, which is our variant of Ephraim.)I would certainly go with Effie, but I would avoid Eppie unless one wants to receive strange looks from Middle Easterners (and possibly others as well).
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I agree with you
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