In search of opinions!

[Weebles]

UPDATE: Thank you to all who responded but my hubby has since crossed this name off of our list. It seems that as soon as we agree on a name one of us changes our mind almost as soon after.

Initially I wanted to keep the name a surprise but I am having trouble sorting my thoughts. I'll start by saying that I'm not pregnant yet but I feel like the right name will help that happen.

Here it is: Esmeralda

I live in the US and pronounced it Ez-mer-el-da but looking it up it's Ez-mer-ahl-da? Those you tube videos, I don't know, they seem stiff.

I prefer the sound of elda over alda. I thought of changing the spelling to Esmerelda but I've never been fond of alternate spellings so I don't know how to feel about that either. Maybe it's time to open up to it? It would be pronounced the way I like but then at the cost of losing some of its affinity with Emerald and what makes the name look to me as lovely as it sounds.

I just love this name. It is beautiful and mysterious and I would love to use it but I have crossed off names before due to spelling and pronunciation.

Please, if you've taken the time to read this what are your thoughts on the spelling and pronunciation. Which do you prefer, which would you use?

 

[minties]

I'm from New Zealand and pronounce it the same as you do. The name isn't to my taste but if you like it that is what counts.

 

[Amygdala]

I'd spell it Esmerelda, if that's the pronunciation you're going for. I'm totally in love with the name but probably for different reasons from yours. It's the name of a central character in Terry Pratchett's disk world and I've always thought she'd be a great (albeit fictional) role model for a girl to be named after. In the end, we've always decided against it because I'm not a native English speaker and the pronunciation feels clunky on my lips. But I do love it! Plus it lends itself to some great nicknames, like Esme or Emmy.

 

[LoraLoo]

Im in the uk and I pronounce and would spell IT the same as you

 

[Weebles]

Im in the uk and I pronounce and would spell IT the same as you

Just to clarify, you pronounce it like elda but would spell it the traditional way, Esmeralda?

And Amy, I also know this name as a fictional character from the hunchback of notredam. I love her character, both the literary version and the Disney adaptation. It must be the name although I've never heard of disk world.

 

[LoraLoo]

Im in the uk and I pronounce and would spell IT the same as you

Just to clarify, you pronounce it like elda but would spell it the traditional way, Esmeralda?

And Amy, I also know this name as a fictional character from the hunchback of notredam. I love her character, both the literary version and the Disney adaptation. It must be the name although I've never heard of disk world.

Yes ☺️ X

 

[Mrs.R]

I'm from Australia and would pronounce Esmeralda as Ez-mer-el-da for sure.

 

[beanzz]

I love this name, probably because of the Esméralda in one of my fave Disney films the hunchback but it's a lovely name that can be shortened to Esme which is another pretty name.

I would spell it Esmeralda but pronounce it "elda" not "alda", think it sounds better.

 

[Weebles]

Thank you ladies! I feel so much better that others would pronounce it the same as I with the correct spelling. Seriously, little things like this have turned me off of a name before.

Beanz, I also love this character and I've loved this name since I was a kid for that very reason. It's kind of a guilty pleasure name but right now my thinking is that I shouldn't be a chicken about it. We had another name picked out that I like a lot, I just like this one more.

Hubby is half way on board so I just need a BFP. Only thing I'm trying to figure out now is if using this name would be considered cultural appropriation.

 

[Midnight_Fairy]

I am in England. I would say ez-mer-ell-da

 

[staralfur]

I would pronounce it with a very very soft -al sound which essentially sounds the same as -el with my accent so I would say the spelling Esmeralda is fine.

I also love the nicknames Esme and Emmy!