I think it's a pretty name, and if you love it you should use it. I'll point out the things I considered, on the basis of if I were personally thinking of using it for one of my kids.
I can't see any negative associations with it, aside to say you may get some smartazz telling her she's due back in hell. But that guy (or gal) would be an a-hole (admittedly an educated a-hole) and should be sent down first. :P
I also can't see any obvious nickname. Maybe Purr (which could be annoying if they make the actual sound). Maybe Purse. The last two syllables sound out "Funny" when you say it quickly. You could do worse than that, though.
They *may* butcher the pronunciation a little, but I'm assuming most kids get the Greek mythology lesson at some point and after that this should cease.
Each time I say the name Persephone, I immediately go to a similar sounding word of "symphony", and for me that was a pro.
I don't know if any of my ramblings were a help to you, but I hope so. :) Good luck!!
I LOVE the name Persephone, and I always thought Seph would be a cute nickname! My only reservation is that it means something like "bringer of destruction" but if that doesn't bother you, I say don't be afraid to use it!
It's really pretty, but there might be pronunciation issues---someone already mentioned "Persafone". That actually happened in an episode of Arthur where one character was talking about a new "Henry Skreever" novel she couldn't get (that was the series' Harry Potter parody, and a lot of similar things happened to Hermione's name before the films came out---"Her-moin" and "Hermy-own" were pretty common).
Persephone was my favorite for about five years. I still think it is a great name and it makes me super happy when I see it used, which isn't often. I wouldn't personally use it now just because it doesn't go with the other names I really like; I'm one of those people who would be bothered if my kids' names were unbalanced or mismatched.
If you want nn ideas, there is Persi or, my favorite, Penny. Penny is a less intuitive nn, but it makes sense to me and is super cute! Persephone --> Penny
I actually don't think this particular mispronunciation would be a bad one. It's easily corrected, and most people would nod, shrug, and carry on correctly the next time. By the time high school - or at the very least, college - comes around, I don't think mispronunciations would be much of an issue at all.
This. I first heard of the name reading the Greek myth with the character of the same name and didn't know I was pronouncing it wrong until I saw a documentary talking about the same myth. :P That said it is a pretty name.
I'm in the same boat as you. I love the name and I love the goddess with the name, I think it's a beautiful name, but I just don't think I could bring myself to use it.
I love the name - it's really really pretty. That said, the legend of Hades and Persephone is pretty much my favourite Greek myth ever. Not sure I'd use it... but it is gorgeous. =)
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Date: 2012-01-19 08:52 am (UTC)I can't see any negative associations with it, aside to say you may get some smartazz telling her she's due back in hell. But that guy (or gal) would be an a-hole (admittedly an educated a-hole) and should be sent down first. :P
I also can't see any obvious nickname. Maybe Purr (which could be annoying if they make the actual sound). Maybe Purse. The last two syllables sound out "Funny" when you say it quickly. You could do worse than that, though.
They *may* butcher the pronunciation a little, but I'm assuming most kids get the Greek mythology lesson at some point and after that this should cease.
Each time I say the name Persephone, I immediately go to a similar sounding word of "symphony", and for me that was a pro.
I don't know if any of my ramblings were a help to you, but I hope so. :) Good luck!!
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Date: 2012-01-19 02:50 pm (UTC)If you want nn ideas, there is Persi or, my favorite, Penny. Penny is a less intuitive nn, but it makes sense to me and is super cute! Persephone --> Penny
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Date: 2012-01-19 07:22 pm (UTC)And would use.
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