(no subject)

[did-it-anyway.livejournal.com]

What does everyone think of:

Elizabeth Cate Thompson

and

Emmaleigh Rose Thompson?


Here's the deal.

My mother (Catherine) wants a child named after her, but this means I have to throw Elizabeth in there somewhere (my fiancee's mother's name). I love the name Elizabeth, but I don't like the name Catherine. My mom knows this; plus, she always wanted to be called Cate. Hence, Elizabeth Cate.

Secondly, my fiancee is like obsessed with his older sister, Emily. He wants a child named after her but I strongly dislike the name; plus, I wouldn't want to leave my sister out (her name is Emma). So I thought it would be cute and clever to name a daughter Emmaleigh--that way, it sounds like Emily, but it includes my sister's name. My mom thinks we should make it two names though rather than one (Emma Leigh Thompson as opposed to Emmaleigh Rose or whatever).

Comments

[psychie.livejournal.com]

I like Emmaly Rose better. Or Emaly Rose. or Emalie Rose. Both names still have Emma and Emily in it. Even if spelling is different.

I like Elizabeth Cate is nice as well.

[after-the-ashes.livejournal.com]

Just from looking at Emmaly I would pronounce it Em-olly.

[psychie.livejournal.com]

*I think

[after-the-ashes.livejournal.com]

Are you pronouncing Leigh as Lee? I always thought Leigh was pronounced Lay. I agree with your mom either way. Combined it seems overbearing and contrived (which it is, and quite clever, but... I don't think it works IMO)

Elizabeth Cate is ok, but seems to be cut-off although I understand not liking Catherine, Cate is way better.

What about Amelia? Kinda like Emily, kinda like Emma. Kinda like it's own name :)

[did-it-anyway.livejournal.com]

Lol, it IS overbearing and contrived. I would mostly name a child Emmaleigh to piss my fiancee off (as in, it would be a snap decision behind his back at the moment of the child's birth...which I know is terrible but still).

Amelia is another one we are mulling over, although it reminds me of those books I read when I was in grade school (Amelia Bedelia...anyone remember!?)

[after-the-ashes.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it makes me think of that too. Although, I still like it.

[did-it-anyway.livejournal.com]

P.S. Leigh = Lee in this case.

[christhiane.livejournal.com]

I like the first one, but not really the second.

If you don't find any names you like within your family, you should just choose your own.

[so-there.livejournal.com]

I agree with your mom, make it Emma Leigh

[mmmrorschach.livejournal.com]

IAWTC. Emmaleigh = hurl. Split that shit up.

[cuzmickeyluvsya.livejournal.com]

My husband and I thought of Emily Rose, then it was brought to our attention: "Like the exorcism of Emily Rose?"

Then we backed off.

[waitingonsunday.livejournal.com]

Yeah, you probably don't want to name your daughter Emma Leigh Thompson. I mean, she's one of my favorite actresses, don't get me wrong...

[celtic-thistle.livejournal.com]

Exactly what I was about to say.

[sherball.livejournal.com]

I don't like Emmaleigh.. Emma Leigh is ok but I really like Elizabeth Cate :) Plus I like the links to the family names that goes along with the name :)

[omgzits--tam.livejournal.com]

I think of Emily Rose, and Emmaleigh is really ugly.
The sound is nice, but the spelling ruins it completely.

[kitchen-poet.livejournal.com]

I understand WHY you would spell it emmaleigh, but unless I knew the reasoning behind it, I would think it a bit excessive. I like Amelia MUCH better.
and i loved the Amelia Bedelia books!! :D

[cxtxc.livejournal.com]

Well, if passing down your respective family members name is so important to the both of you, have you considered Emily Cate, or Cate Emily? That way you both get what you want. Or maybe give the child three names: Elizabeth Emily Cate. Something like that.

Out of your options, though, I like the 1st one more.

[miss-tee.livejournal.com]

Emmaleigh is ghastly. Emma Leigh is way better.

[child-of-eru.livejournal.com]

I like Elizabeth Cate. My name is Catherine Elizabeth, and while I like it, I definitely understand why you wouldn't. Elizabeth Cate utilizes two rather old-fashioned/traditional names, but it modernizes it a little.

I don't mind Emmaleigh, but it does seem rather... cumbersome, especially if it's going to be pronounced basically the same as 'Emily.' ((You did say 'leigh' would be pronounced 'lee,' right?)) Also, I'm not a huge fan of Rose. I don't know why, though, I just don't really like it.

[elemmennope.livejournal.com]

I wonder how many hundreds of Emmaleighs there are out there, all thought to be clever. Sorry, I find it very unclever. Both Emily and Emma are names I would stay miles away from, being two of the top three names in the country right now. Add either Rose or Grace as a mn, and well, you couldn't get a more average name these days. It's the Jennifer Ann of the 70s, Jessica Lynn of the 80s, Katelyn Marie of the 90s.

Elizabeth is one of those classic names that I don't find, but I find dreadfully boring. Catherine I like more, mostly because in my entire life I've only known one Catherine who actually went by Catherine. All the others are Kate and Cathy etc. Catherine in full form is soft and pretty, classic but still kind of uncommon.

[celtic-thistle.livejournal.com]

Testify!

[aquilinum.livejournal.com]

Indeed, the very first word that JUMPED at me when I saw Emmaleigh was "Contrived!" Because, well, de facto it is contrived.

You don't need to use BOTH mothers' names at once, do you? Couldn't you use the other name on another child? Masculinized, if it happens to be a boy?

Or I like the idea somebody brought up of two middle names. That's nice, too, and allows you to stay away from filler middle names. Surely there's something you actually, deeply like as a first name? Not to piss off any family members or flatter any family members but just a name that will be beautiful to you and your baby?

[ex-ollivande895.livejournal.com]

I agree with your mom. Emmaleigh is too "creative" and not in a good way... Emma Leigh is not bad. Emma Lee is better.

[sageharper.livejournal.com]

Of the two I much prefer Elizabeth Cate; very elegant and classic. Plenty of nickname options, so you can honour family but she still have her own identity.

I've never really got into Emily [or variant spellings thereof], and it's so overdone at the moment (as is Rose for a mn). The sentiment behind Emmaleigh is good, but in practise I think the spelling would be problematic.

[fleckerbug.livejournal.com]

I don't like people 'creatively' using Emmaleigh, but you have a valid reason to use it and it's kinda cute. Tons of people are going to think it's tacky, though. I also wouldn't go with Emmaleigh Rose because The Exorcism of Emily Rose, which came out a few years ago. I disagree with your mother because if you separate the names I think you lose the pronunciation a bit. Maybe I'm in the minority here, but as a stand alone name, I would pronounce 'Leigh' as 'Ley'. Also, even if I were to pronounce it 'Lee' the flow would sound weird and you might end up dropping the 'Leigh' most of the time. I would pronounce Emmaleigh the same as Emily, but Emma Leigh like Emma Lee (or Emma Ley), not one smooth flow of syllables.

Anyway..

Elizabeth Cate is pretty, I just don't usually like obvious shortened versions of names being used as given names. My mother is Catherine Elizabeth and I'd been thinking for awhile that I'd like to name a daughter Eliza, but lately have been thinking Elizabeth might be better-- I can still call her Eliza, but there are other cute nicknames as well.. although I don't much care for the use of nicknames.. anywho. My mother got her name the same why your child might-- her grandmothers were Catherine and Elizabeth. I dunno, I don't feel obligated to be 'fair' when using family names. I don't like my FMIL's name that much and my fiance has never suggested we use it. We do plan on using his middle name, which is also his father's middle name, so we have that.

Like I said, we might use Eliza or Elizabeth and maybe Cate ourselves. I also like(d) Edith Catrine (I'm Meredith Catherine), but am growing less fond of it.


I must say, spelling a name you hate creatively isn't going to make it any better.

On your mothers issue with the name.. there is no correct way that you absolutely have to do it. We gave our daughter two first name-- Brenna Rose. We had loosely planned on her first name to be Brenna and her middle to be Rose, but then she was premature and I was on all kinds of morphine and came up with a middle name I had to have, so we used 2 first names. We often dropped the 2nd name when speaking of her, but still used the full name too. I would worry separating the names would cause you to drop the second half.