Today Is Decision Day - Please Help
My Goodness,
I can't believe I have been deliberating over a name for this long. I need to order birth announcements by today and finally close this on going debate. We have a long Norweigan last name and an older sister named Liv. Here is my list:
Anna (ah-na) Sofia
* I know in the US the pronunciation will be an issue, I have thought of spelling it ANA, but next to a long and distinctive Norweigan last name it just seems odd to have the Spanish/Latin spelling. Does that make sense? Or should I just ignore that piece.
Ella Sofia
*I know this name is played out.. but I like the nickname options "Ellie" "Elle" ect. I would not name her these nicknames, but I find them to be fun and sweet.
Reese Anna
* This is a Welsh name that I have always been drawn to. I like the fact it is short and sweet and distintive. Liv and Reese might go well together. I do lose the Scandinavian flair, but what do you think? I also have ANNA as a middle name in case we use that as a nickname as well.
Annika Eve
* Initials would be AEI, not sure if that matters. I am open to another middle name. Hope is another family name. But Eve means life and Liv, my other daughters name means "life" - so I thought that would be a way of connecting them. Annika is as Scandinavian as it gets. You don't hear the name that often in the US, and I like that it is unique. However, it is longer and we do have a 4 syl last name. But does that matter? Annika and Liv... hmmm...
I welcome your thoughts. Today is decision day... I really appreciate your feedback.
Thank you so much:)
Wed, 06/20/2012 - 12:15pm
Replies
My personal preference would be either Reese Anna or Annika Eve. If it matters to you, Reese is at #130 on the US charts and Annika is somewhere in the 500's. I think both of those two options sound sweet and original. The first two, while lovely, I feel like I've heard so many times I've lost the ability to appreciate them. Best of luck!
ETA: I don't see any problem with the initials AEI.
I vote Annika Eve first, then Anna Sofia. I do love Anna Sofia, but I think she will battle being called ann-ah by every new person that she meets (and some non-new people who can't wrap their brains around the non-standard-for-the-US pronunciation). And I agree with you that Ana is not a great substitute. But Annika and Liv sound adorable together, and I've always loved Annika since I was a kid. I agree that Ella is a bit overdone, and Reese is fine but just doesn't do much for me personally, particularly on a girl. But I love Annika Eve, and AEI doesn't seem like a problem to me!
My vote is for Annika Eve all the way! It's distinctively Scandinavian, it matches nicely with Liv, it's not too common, it won't pose any major pronunciation issues and it flows beautifully. I think this is also a case in which you can use Anna (ah-na) as a short form if you wanted to—even though technically Annika is the nickname, these days the idea of a nickname being shorter is so ingrained that few people will question it. Two for one!
I've commented on your other choices on the other thread, but a quick recap here:
Anna - I prefer this spelling for the Scandinavian authenticity, but you (and she) will be correcting the pronunciation for the rest of her life. Ana will also get frequent mistakes, so that's not really an ideal solution.
Ella - I've never really cared for this because it sounds like a generic pronoun to me, and Ellies are everywhere these days.
Reese - I do think this matches well with Liv, but it takes your style in a totally different direction. Maybe not a big deal if you aren't planning on having more kids, but if you are it's something to consider. I think this would be my second choice.
Annika Eve
or
Anna Sofia if you can handle having to correct the pronunciation. The spelling switch wouldn't necessarily solve it for people. I would pronounce Ana and Anna the same.
The other two are ok, but not my favoirties.
I love the name Annika, so I definitely vote for that one. It's not common, clearly feminine (unlike Reese,) references your heritage, and also leaves the nickname Anna open to you. It's a winner all around. Eve is cute with it and it is a lovely connection between the girls. Plus, I think that Annika and Liv make a great pair!
I would vote for Reese or Ella. My name is Tara (pronounced the Hindu way, Tah-ra, rather than Terra) and people mispronounce my name all the time. There were often other Tara's (pronounced Terra) in my classes, and coworkers in adulthood, which added to the confusion. At this point, I just answer to either name, but I have found it really stresses others out if I don't correct them and then they learn later they were mispronouncing my name. Anna (either as a name or a nn) is so common these days that there is a good chance that she will face the same confusion. Annika can also be pronounced two ways, but is at least uncommon enough that people will ask how to say it.
Liv and Reese and Liv and Ella also sound really cute together as sibsets.
Interesting-I know several Taras and they are all Tah-ra. Never heard the Terra pronounciation before.
The root of Tara becoming Terra is the ever-present Mary-merry-marry merger. When an "A" is followed by an "R", many people make it sound the same as if it were an "E". So, marry=merry=Mary, and Tara=Terra/Taira.
And not to beat a dead horse, but remind me one more time--for those who do not have the merger, would
Mary = Mair-ee
Marry = maer-ee (like how I am thinking you say the first syllable in your name, Karyn? Does Marry rhyme with Harry in a British accent?)
Merry = meh-ree?
As much as we talk about the merger, I can't remember which is supposed to be which when they are differentiated.
I think you've got it pretty much right. I find it useful to think of the vowels in the context of a different ending consonant. Like so:
Mary = the same vowel as in Dane or Main (roughly, anyway)
Marry = the same vowel as in Dan or Man (this is written as æ in IPA; that symbol is also an Old English letter representing the same sound, pronounced "ash")
Merry = the same vowel as in Den or Men
So to those of us without the merger, pronouncing Karyn as Kairin is the equivalent of calling Dan Dane.
And, just to add to the confusion, my "air" sounds more like a "short e" (e) than a "long a"--for the long a, say Mayree.
(And, of course, we're Don/Dawn merged, too, just for extra confusion.)
Thanks, EVie! I was hoping for a little refresher course, so that was helpful. And the Dan/Dane comparison is good, too--it's hard for me to think of Karyn/"Kairin" as being really so different (as opposed to just a mild difference in accent), but it does make more sense when you put it that way, and also helps explain why it would be so irritating to a person who identified as "ae" but was consistently called "ai".
The funny thing for me is that I tend to pick up accents fairly easily and often without fully realizing that I'm doing it--so I know I have friend named Sarah who consistently and rather emphatically uses the Saer-ah pronunciation (not that we've ever discussed the ae/ai issue, just that it is very noticeable the way she says it), and I unintentionally mimic that when I am around her. But in my head, and when she's not around, I always naturally revert to calling her Sair-ah, and if I try to say Saer-ah in the abstract, it feels a bit forced and odd.
Interesting. The several Taras I have known have all been Tair-ah (multiple Taras, over different decades and in different locations). Similarly, all Saras have been Sair-ah (or maybe "saer-ah"--as noted in the other thread, I don't generally distinguish between the two, but definitely not Sah-rah in any event), and most if not all Laras have been Lair-ah (same for Kara, Cara, Dara, O'Hara). Tah-rah does not really surprise or bother me as a pronunciation in any way, but I would have to be corrected the first time.
Anyone I know with those names pronounce the first a like the a in cat. Except for Lara which I always somehow mispronounce as Laura (luckily I've only met 2 so far).
It makes sense that there are accent differences with names, so none of them seem incorrect to me. But I would have to be told if someone really wanted one version over the other.
That's how I would first pronounce Anna/Ana as well.
The older pronunciation of Sarah is Sair-ah (or really Sair(e)y which is how you will often see it spelled in documents of the colonial period). That's how I pronounce it. The more recent pronunciation is Saerah with the first a as in at (the aesc/ash sound). I have always pronounced Tara with the aesc, not Tair-a. I have never heard it as Terra. I am wondering which regional dialect uses Terra.
Just chiming in to say that I think Annika would be a very good choice, although the other selections seem fine to me as well. Reese does go off in another direction which may or may not be a drawback.
Well, with the merger, Tair-a = Terra = Taer-a (ae here representing the aesc which I don't naturally say). At least, I assume that's what we've been meaning when writing Terra (same sound as in terracotta, terabyte, terrible, Teribithia, tare, and tear [as in "to rip" not as in "teardrop"]).
I grew up with two Taras. One was Tair-ah, the other was Tah-rah. All Sarahs have been Sair-ahs. Lara was a Lah-rah.
Exactly this, only with more Taras but still being split half and half (and two Terras, but those are easy). I always ask Tara which way they pronouce their name if I only see it first.
Interestingly for me, all Karas are Kair-ah while all Caras are Cah-rah (by experience).
Annika Eve for me. I don't think the AEI initials are an issue at all. Annika is a nice match to Liv. It's a beautfiul name that deserves more use and has a fairly intuitive spelling and pronunciation.
Anna Sofia would be my second choice. I like Anna (Ah-na) but you would have the pronunciation issue. It does make a nice match to Liv, if more common.
Ella and Reese are not totally my style. Ella because there are too many Ellies around. Reese because of the unisex nature of it.
I like Annika Eve best for you as well. You have the option of calling her Anna, and it keeps the heritage aspect.our
Ella Sofia is pretty, but boring at this point. Something about Ella seems flimsy to me, also.
I like Reese Anna, but somehow not in this case. I think it might influence the names of your future children (should you have them) in a way you might not like.
Anna Sofia is fine, but like I said, Annika is better if you want people to intuit the Ahn-na pronunciation, and Sofia is played out at this point for me.
I agree with the majority that Annika Eve is my favorite. One sibset issue that hasn't come up is that Reese and Liv are names of Hollywood actresses around the same age. Just one doesn't bring up the association, but together they sound like a theme.
I agree with you Esther. I was thinking the same thing.
Ditto here.
In order of my preference (which really, yours is the one that matters most!):
Annika Eve - I adore the name Annika, and I love the connection with your daughters. Zoe would be another one that means "life", but I think the flow of Eve is better.
Anna Sofia - Stick with this spelling. I've known enough Annas who have pronounced it both ways that I tend to ask which way they pronounce their name (like Tara for me in this regard). While you may have to correct pronunciation, you will most likely have to with Annika also (I love the name Isabella, but I need it with the Spanish pronunciation, so we won't do it. I understand the dilemma!). I love the flow and grace that Anna Sofia has though.
Reese Anna - I tend to have to correct myself from Roseanna when saying it all together. Reese seems to "fit" with Liv, but as pointed out, I think that's the Hollywood thing.
Ella Sofia - Ella always feels like a nickname to me. I have no idea why. Nickname names are not my cup of tea (although technically Annika is a nickname, so there's my hypocrisy of the day).
Do you live in Minnesota?
I feel like I see Annika fairly often in my mom's college alumni magazine (small, liberal arts school full of Norwegians-lol).
At any rate, my vote is for Annika.
Though it may be longer, I think style wise, it matches Perfectly with Liv, and it's just a lovely name.
Anna has the pronounciation issue, and when you say Anna and Liv together they moosh a bit. I know that wouldn't be a problem often, but it's something to think about.
Reese is just not a name I love. Nothing wrong with it-it's just not my style. I also think it changes the way Liv, "Feels." Liv and Annika is an eclectic, lovely set with ties to your heritage; whereas Live and Reese starts to feel trendy and a bit celeb. inspired. Of course, lots of people love those qualities. I'm a bit stodgy in my tastes.
Ella and Ellie in all forms is one of the most common names out here. Ellie is a nn for all kinds of varieties these days-Eliana etc..and, of course, Eleanor. I'm not opposed to popular names-each of my sons' names are fairly popular-but if there are others you love as well, I just tend to find the fresher choice more charming.
And, most importantly-I just think Annika Eve is stunning.
gl!
Thank you all so much for your thoughtful and articulate comments on the names I am debating on. I appreciate this more than you could imagine. I have a couple more thoughts to throw out there before I make the final decision.
1) I forgot to mention and didn't really think about it till now, but my name is Erica, does that sound silly for our names to rhyme: Annika and Erica? LOL
2) I had this name come to mind yesterday from a friend of mine and I really like it. The name: Mila. It does have Scandinavian roots, but of course, originally of Slavic decent. Liv and Mila would be cute together. I do lose some of the Scandinavian flair that comes with the name Annika. But that was my last thought. What do you think?
1) I don't think they are too close for Mom and daughter. If they were sisters, I would say yes, they're too close.
2) Love it! What middle would you use with it though? I think of all the above name, Mila Eve or Mila Zoe (for the "life" reference) would work best. Anna Sofia works with the double -a ending, but I don't think Mila works with any of the other -a endings unfortunately.
I think Annika and Erica as a mum and daughter set are perfectly fine!
I like Mila and I like it with Liv. I think I still prefer Annika Eve as the best combo but Mila Eve or Mila Zoe are also very nice combos if you aren't sure on Annika.