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Elfrida
Elfrida (f) is from Old English and means elf+strenght.
My husband and I found the NN Elfie for it, and we both like it, but he thinks that Elfie should be her name, not NN for Elfrida, since he doesn't care for that name. I on the other hand do not mind Elfrida at all, but mostly I also feel that Elfie doesn't sound like a real name, but just like the NN it is. Hence I would rather name the future daughter Elfrida, but call her Elfie. I mean, she might want to have a more "proper" name when she grows up.
What are your thoughts on this?
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I would name her ElfridaThen she has more options. She can go by Elfie, but if she ever finds Elfie too childish or nicknamish, she can go by Elfrida or Frida.I had an aunt called Frida, but her real name was Elfrida."You sought a flower and found a fruit. You sought a spring and found a sea. You sought a woman and found a soul. You are disappointed."
"It does not become me to make myself smaller than I am." (Edith Södergran 1891-1923)
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I honestly don't care for either, but I really don't like Elfie. How about Ellie? Or maybe Ella or Elina nn Ellie or Lina?

This message was edited 12/9/2005, 1:36 AM

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I love it! And the nn Elfie is really cute :)
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I prefer the spelling Elfreda, so Elfreda dominates in this post.Elfie is a cute nn for Elfreda, but not as a given name (no way!).
The little girl will end up hating you if her full name is Elfie. With the name Elfreda, she'll have some alternative later in life.
Elfreda is an extremely beautiful name!!! Go for it!!!_________________________________________________
~Andrew~"Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside a dog, it's to dark to read."
~Groucho Marx~"An explanation of cause is not a justification by reason."
~C. S. Lewis~
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I agree with you. Elfie is darling, but she may want a more substantial name when she's entering the working world. I love Elfrida. She'd have the option of Frida to fall back on if she didn't like being an Elfie.How about Elvie? It's a name in its own right and doesn't sound *as* nn-ish as Elfie. It's not in the BehindtheName database, but "From Aaron to Zoe," by Daniel Richman, lists Elvie as "English. From Alvin, Old English, "Elf-friend," "noble-friend," "everyone's friend," or "old-friend." There's a British actress named Elvie Hale that got me into the name. Or, Elvira, nn Elvie. I know, I know, Elvira? But when pronounced "el-VEER-a," like Elvira Madigan, it's quite beautiful.Another option is Effie. Click on the link and you'll see it's a Scottish girl's name. Or, it was commonly used as a nn for Euphemia / Eufemia in Victorian days. Finally, there's always Elsa, nn Elsie. That's perhaps the most mainstream of these, but it's so darling I had to throw it in.I really love the zippy, energetic sound of all of these. Good luck and let us know what you ultimately choose. :-)

This message was edited 12/8/2005, 2:02 PM

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I'm not really sure either of these are 'proper' names or even nice...
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Yes, I believe you are right. I'm liking Elfrida right now, it has a nice old-fashioned charm to it. Elfie is a cute nn but I wouldn't use if for a first name. Also if you use Elfrida then she (or you) would be able to use a different nn if she hated Elfie like Rida, Rita, Frida, Evie, Elvie, Ricky, ect.Another thought is that you could use a different name that you could still use the nn Elfie with like Frederica, Elfrieda, Elfreda, Avery, Alfreda.Another thought is that you could use a name that means something about elves so your husband can use the nn Elfie. So what about one of these names?
Aubrey means "elf power"
Olivia a feminine form of Oliver which means "elf army"
Siofra which means "elf" in Irish Gaelic
Ellette - "Little Elf"
Fay / Faye - "Fairy or Elf"
Nida - "elf"I hope this helps! :) Image hosted by Photobucket.com
Have yourself a buggy little Christmas!
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I think that Elfrida is very nice. It reminds me of a good friend of mine--she's an Elva, which I think is really pretty, too.Ask yourself if you would pick a lawyer named Elfie. Would you vote for a presidential candidate named Elfie? Would you trust a doctor named Elfie? Unfortunately, Elfie on its own sounds absolutely ridiculous. As a nickname for Elfrida, it's adorable and spunky--but on its own, she'll have a hard time being taken seriously.Array
No matter when or where you've seen
All the knives seem to lacerate your brain
I've had my share, I'll help you with the pain
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I think Elfrida is ok. Elfie could cause a lot of teasing for the child ;(Kaylie Anne xxhttp://www.freewebs.com/romance_haha/index.htm
(my friends site)
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