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Any thoughts on Esmeralda?
I like Esmeralda, sound and meaning alike. What about you?“It is better to be hated for what you are than to be loved for what you are not.” - Andre Gide

This message was edited 3/5/2022, 11:03 AM

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Nice to see this name once in a while but not too common.
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I dislike it
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It sounds a bit like a magical character. My mum changed her name to this and then went back to her birth name years later. I think she was thinking in a bit of fantasy. It definitely suits a mature and confident woman, but personally, it sounds dated and fairy-tale like.Esme works, though. Has a modern kick to it and would probably stay popular enough for a while.
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I really like Esmeralda. I prefer it to Emerald. I especially prefer it to Esme. Esmeralda is gorgeous, extravagant, alluring, and it has that exotic feel and I really like in names. I like the literature association as well. Dramatic and cool.
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Can't stand it.
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I can't help but think of the Disney movie. Other than that, it has a nice sound. Esme is lovely, though.
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Firmly attached to Granny Weatherwax in my head; her personality could have carried off any name, known or unknown, but for the ordinary person it's long and the rhythm makes it sound heavy. I'd use Esme as a mn, for family reasons, but nothing longer than that.
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I like it but it seems to be a bit “much” for me to actually use in real life.
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I do as well. Sometimes I worry it is too married to a sexualized and racist image due to the pop cultural association to the character Esmeralda in the classic novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, though I'm fairly certain most people associate it with the Disney character these days.. which is still problematic but more watered down. Esme really appeals to me. Though I usually favor longer names with shorter nicknames this is a rare example of where I more lean towards the nickname as the legal one. But don't misunderstand me, I still like Esmeralda in full as well. Esme is just the preference in this case.
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