Add or Drop

Girl Names
1

So I’ve gotten into a bunch of new (some daring) names I found, and I’d like to know you thoughts.

Which do you like and would add to my main list, and which do you dislike and would drop:

[name_f]Filomena[/name_f]
[name_f]Genoveva[/name_f]
[name_f]Gracia[/name_f]/[name_f]Graciela[/name_f]
[name_f]Isaura[/name_f]
[name_f]Jesenia[/name_f]/[name_f]Jessenia[/name_f]
[name_f]Jordana[/name_f]
[name_f]Juliana[/name_f]
[name_f]Luciana[/name_f]
[name_f]Elena[/name_f]
[name_f]Agata[/name_f] (Spanish/Italian version of [name_f]Agatha[/name_f]. pr. ah-GAH-tah)
[name_f]Emanuelle[/name_f]/[name_f]Emanuela[/name_f]
[name_f]Natalia[/name_f]/[name_f]Natalie[/name_f]
[name_f]Renata[/name_f]
Rosenda

2

Love

Renata

Like

Filomena (although the Philomena spelling is my preference)
Genoveva
Juliana
Natalia/Natalie
Luciana
Elena
Agata
Emanuelle/Emanuela
Jordana

Dislike (eliminate)…

Gracia/Graciela
Jesenia/Jessenia
Isaura
Rosenda

3

[name_f]Filomena[/name_f] - Like
[name_f]Natalia[/name_f]/[name_f]Natalie[/name_f] - Like
[name_f]Renata[/name_f] - Like
[name_f]Juliana[/name_f] - Like
[name_f]Elena[/name_f] - Like
[name_f]Emanuelle[/name_f]/[name_f]Emanuela[/name_f] - LIke
Rosenda - Neutral
[name_f]Isaura[/name_f] - Not a fan
[name_f]Jordana[/name_f] - I’m assuming this is the English jor-[name_m]DAN[/name_m]-uh? If so then it’s fine.

…So I’m assuming that you are in an English speaking country and want to use Spanish names? With that in mind, here are the names I would drop if I were you. Also, if you are expecting these Spanish names to be pronounced in an Anglicized manner then I’d forewarn you it can be very confusing. I don’t mean to offend but I would drop:
[name_f]Genoveva[/name_f] - I wouldn’t use this unless I was in a Spanish speaking country. What typical English speaker is going to say Yeh-no-VAY-vuh properly?
[name_f]Gracia[/name_f]/[name_f]Graciela[/name_f] - Recently, I talked to an English speaker who took 3 years of Spanish courses. She butchered gracias & [name_f]Graciela[/name_f] so badly I didn’t know what she was saying. Wouldn’t use this unless I was in a Spanish speaking country.
[name_f]Jesenia[/name_f]/[name_f]Jessenia[/name_f] - is this Yeh-SEH-nya? I’m confused because you have so many Spanish looking names. To get the Spanish pronounciation I would use [name_f]Yesenia[/name_f].
[name_f]Luciana[/name_f] - Loo-chee-[name_m]AH[/name_m]-nah or Loo-see-[name_f]ANN[/name_f]-uh or Loo-see-[name_m]AH[/name_m]-nuh? lots of pronounciation ambiguity; I’d drop it
[name_f]Agata[/name_f] (Spanish/Italian version of [name_f]Agatha[/name_f]. pr. ah-GAH-tah) - will sound like “I gotta” when an English speaker says it. Or they will say [name_f]Agatha[/name_f] because it’s easier.

4

I know a [name_f]Graciela[/name_f] from E. Europe (but in the US for years), and no one had problems with her name…it’s lovely!

5

I’d add:
[name_f]Isaura[/name_f]
[name_f]Renata[/name_f]

I like but wouldn’t add:
[name_f]Filomena[/name_f] - English speakers will inevitably pronounce the ending “mee-nah,” which is too rhyme-y with [name_f]Florina[/name_f].

I’d leave off the list:
[name_f]Genoveva[/name_f] - For the same pronunciation reasons as pp.
[name_f]Gracia[/name_f]/[name_f]Graciela[/name_f] - Ditto above.
[name_f]Jesenia[/name_f]/[name_f]Jessenia[/name_f] - I’ve known quite a few Yesenias, so this name just feels tired.
[name_f]Jordana[/name_f] - Feels like a trying-to-hard feminization of an already unisex name.
[name_f]Elena[/name_f] - Ditto [name_f]Yesenia[/name_f].
[name_f]Agata[/name_f] - Would be pronunciation issues.
[name_f]Natalia[/name_f]/[name_f]Natalie[/name_f] - Ditto [name_f]Elena[/name_f] and [name_f]Yesenia[/name_f].
Rosenda - I actually like this one, but it’s kind of matchy/theme-y with [name_f]Florina[/name_f].

6

Thanks, guys.