Variations on Elizabeth?

[emilybrianne.livejournal.com]

I don't even know the sex of my baby yet so I'm not sure why I'm fretting over this, but...

Hubby and I like the name Elizabeth. However, my husband's sister's name is Elizabeth and I have a 16 year old cousin named Elizabeth. I also just lost a good friend named Elizabeth this week (her death is "suspicious" and under investigation). I would love to honor my friend and perhaps even capture a teensy bit of her compassionate nature by passing her name on to my child. But with two Elizabeths in our immediate family, I don't want to create confusion or muddle my child's identity by giving her a name she would share with two relatives that she'd see frequently.

So, I'm here to ask - what is your favorite variation on the name Elizabeth, and/or what is your favorite nickname for Elizabeth? Creative suggestions are welcome, so long as they are credible. Foreign variations are also welcome. I'm hoping for a little more help than the crappy baby name book I have.

Thanks. :)

Comments

[adamantplatypus.livejournal.com]

Beth. Liza. Bette. Betsy. Biz. Liz. Ellie. Libby.

[invisiblepet.livejournal.com]

Elizabeth as a middle name?

[emilybrianne.livejournal.com]

That's what we're probably going to go with, but I was hoping there might be a brilliant alternative I hadn't yet considered. :)

[aqualectra.livejournal.com]

i found my family tree yesterday and there was an Elizabet, in there. But i love Bethany, or Bethan, i think is beautiful. i also love Beth as a nickname (but i know an awful Beth and it conflicts me... ) *smiles*

[emilybrianne.livejournal.com]

Bethan. Hmmmm.

[aqualectra.livejournal.com]

Bethany is probably prettier, and i know a gorgeous girl called Bethany so it helps me fill out the name. Good luck with choosing, I'm thinking my baby will be nameless. *smiles*

[arbus.livejournal.com]

my favorite nickname for elisabeth is lizzie.

what about lisbeth? elise? elspeth?

[whenimdead.livejournal.com]

Eliza!

[fangirlism]

Elisabeth?

[xx-imagination.livejournal.com]

Isabel is a form of Elizabeth, I believe. Some others are Lilibeth, Lisa, Liza, Lizette (or Lisette), OR Elizabel. My favorite nicknames are Betsy and Bonnie (I know this doesn't seem to work, but I knew one once). Using Elizabeth as a middle name is also a good idea.

[emilybrianne.livejournal.com]

I love Isabel, but MAN, so overdone these days. :(

[xx-imagination.livejournal.com]

Isabella is really popular, but other versions I actually haven't heard too much of. I love Isabelle, personally.

[emilybrianne.livejournal.com]

I like Isabeau, too. Also less common.

[americandiva.livejournal.com]

Elise

[feelslike-2day.livejournal.com]

I love Eliza. But I googled "variations on Elizabeth" and got all this:

Eliza, Elissa, Elsie, Elise, Elisa, Elisabet (Elisabet is the original Greek spelling), Elspie, Lisabette, Lisabetta, Lisbet, Lisbeth, Alisa, Lisa, Lisel, Liselle, Lesetta, Lisette, Lizzie, Lizzy, Lib, Libby, Libbie, Liz, Lisa, Tetsy, Tetty, Tibbie, Beth, Bethia, Betsy, Betsey, Bettie, Bettina, Betty, Bet, Bess, Bessie, and Betsy. Elspeth is the Scottish form; Else and Elisabeth are French forms; Lusa is the Finish form, Erzsebet is the Hungarian form; Elisabeth and Lise are German forms.

[emilybrianne.livejournal.com]

Wow, the motherlode. Thank you for googling for me. I'll blame being totally sogged out from a funeral for my lapse in deductive reasoning which resulted in my inability to consider google as an option. :)

[feelslike-2day.livejournal.com]

LOL well I was going to look in my name book, but thought google would be faster!

[freezemyazaleas.livejournal.com]

Lisa, Eliza, Beth, Liza.

You could also use a name that has a nickname that can also be derived from Elizabeth. Beth can come from Elizabeth or Bethany, I met a Libby whose full name is Olivia, Elle/Ellie can also come from Ellen, etc.

[emilybrianne.livejournal.com]

I've thought about that, too.

My husband, for some reason, has a fixation on the name Ellis for a boy or Elis for a girl (both pronounced the same, of course). If we went this route it could certainly be considered a variation on Elizabeth. And Ella or Ellie would be easy nicknames.

You reminded me of this distant conversation I had with him, thank you!

[luvmecuzimrach.livejournal.com]

Libby?

[tunknut.livejournal.com]

I don't think sharing the name Elizabeth with two family members is that big of a deal, as long as they don't live with you and have different nicknames. It would be weird to share the name with a sibling or a parent, but I don't think it would be weird to be an Eliza, for example, and have an Aunt Liz and a much older cousin Beth, even if you saw them frequently.

My favorite nicknames/forms for Elizabeth are Betsy, Elise, Eliza, Libby, Lisa/Lise/Liese/Liesl, and Lizzie. I know an Elizabeth who goes by Lily as a nickname, which I love (although I don't care for Lillian or Lily as a stand-alone name), but Lily and its variants are pretty popular nowadays. I also like Anneliese, which is the contracted German form of Anne Elizabeth, which would different enough from her relatives, and she could go by Annie/Anna as a nickname.

[sxylilwitch.livejournal.com]

Elise, my daughter's name :D

I have a cousin, and a friend named Elizabeth. Both nicknamed Liz, which I love.

[daydream11.livejournal.com]

Elle
Ella
Eliza
Elise
Beth
Elsa
Isa
Isobel/Isabelle/Isabel/Isabella
Ilse (ILL-suh)

[ifancylust.livejournal.com]

my favorites are:
eliza
elle
elspeth
elsie

[schexyschteve.livejournal.com]

I love Elizabeth, and also Elisabeth. My favorite nicknames for the name are Lily, Eliza, Ella, Betsy and Beth.

What about naming her (if it's a her) just Eliza?

[tryyingtoevolve.livejournal.com]

I like Eliza.

I seem to remember hearing that Isabel is a form of Elizabeth (I believe Spanish or Portuguese or something?)

[solagirl.livejournal.com]

I like Eliza and Lisle.

[fleckerbug.livejournal.com]

Elizabeth is a family name for us and we may use it. I had really just wanted to use Eliza, which I love, but recently decided I'd probably rather use Elizabeth and then just have Eliza for short. Another name we love is Lily, so that could always be a nickname. I also think Lillibet is a really cute nickname, and would use it as a pet name if I named a daughter Elizabeth. I say use the actual name, pick a nick name you like, and then when she's older if she wants a more mature name she can go by Elizabeth. There are a ton of nicknames for Elizabeth-- I found at least 20 in my first google.

[http://users.livejournal.com/-----citylight/]

How about Elphaba?
Lol, only if you're a avid wickeddd faan! =p

[amspeck-myworld.livejournal.com]

My favorite version would be the original Hebrew, Elisheva, though I think possibly a better alternative could be Bethia or Eliya (or others which are flourishes of one half of the name). A masculine alternative could be Eliel.

[lalazizara.livejournal.com]

my aunt is named Lisabeth. We call Lis.

[th3-unicorn.livejournal.com]

Isabella or Isabel

[jintana.livejournal.com]

My middle name is spelled Elisebeth - that in and of itself is a bit of a variant.

[hotchpot.livejournal.com]

Ella
Lisbeth
Lisette
Isabella
Elisabetta
Elise
Elsa
Ilse
Bess
Bette
Eliza
Elisa
Beth
Bettina




For the record, I have an aunt, grandmother, great-aunt and cousin all named Catherine (my name) and I've never worried about it and I see at least two of them on a regular basis. Name her Elizabeth and use a nickname?