Advice on Esme or Josephine

Girl Names
1

[name_m]Hi[/name_m] Berries,

I need advice on [name_f]Esme[/name_f] and [name_f]Josephine[/name_f]. We plan to use these two names, just don’t know in which order – [name_f]Esme[/name_f] [name_f]Josephine[/name_f], or [name_f]Josephine[/name_f] [name_f]Esme[/name_f], or [name_f]Esme[/name_f] [name_f]Josephine[/name_f] but she’ll go by her middle name. We like the sound and meaning of [name_f]Esme[/name_f], and [name_f]Josephine[/name_f] is a family name that is special to us.

[name_f]Esme[/name_f] is possibly more in line with the current short, sweet, starts-with-a-vowel trend. It’s unusual and distinctive, has roots but feels fresh. But it also has the Twilight and Lemony Snicket connections (be honest - is that still an issue? do you think of Twilight or LS when you hear it?) and has very few other associations (unfortunately not too many people know the lovely J.D. [name_m]Salinger[/name_m] story or the wonderful folk singer [name_f]Esme[/name_f] [name_m]Patterson[/name_m]). If people haven’t heard of the name, they often don’t know how to pronounce it upon seeing it or wouldn’t know how to spell it upon hearing it. These are all real concerns to me - I don’t want to saddle my daughter with a name that she frequently has to explain, or that people have trouble with so they don’t often use it.

[name_f]Josephine[/name_f] is longer and more cumbersome, and I don’t love the nickname options [name_u]Jo[/name_u] or [name_u]Josie[/name_u] which are likely to be given to her by friends regardless of my wishes. But, it’s classic and charming, a little offbeat to keep it fresh, has a nice meaning, has a number of positive associations, seems to be a well-loved name among the Nameberry community, it’s memorable, and wouldn’t be a source of frequent mispronunciations or misspellings. I do worry a little about it seeming too common since [name_u]Josie[/name_u] and other “[name_u]Jo[/name_u]-” names may make it seem a little less unique. But my style leans towards the classic anyway. I don’t like really strange names or unique spellings.

I would love any thoughts on how we might proceed. I live in the U.S. and am most interested in opinions of others who live here.

Thank you!

2

Honestly…I think of Twilight. I like [name_f]Esme[/name_f] [name_f]Josephine[/name_f] since it flows a bit better but I prefer the name [name_f]Josephine[/name_f] over [name_f]Esme[/name_f]. I know a girl named [name_f]Josephine[/name_f] that never gets called [name_u]Jo[/name_u] or [name_u]Josie[/name_u] if that helps.

[name_f]My[/name_f] vote - [name_f]Josephine[/name_f] [name_f]Esme[/name_f] :slight_smile:

3

All my time on nameberry has changed the connotation of [name_f]Esme[/name_f] for me, and I think no one but teenage Twilight fans would think of Twilight when they heard [name_f]Esme[/name_f] (If it was [name_f]Bella[/name_f], I think more people would know.) (Also, never even knew there was an [name_f]Esme[/name_f] in Lemony Snicket!)

I prefer [name_f]Esme[/name_f] to [name_f]Josephine[/name_f] by a milestone. It’s mature yet can be youthful; beautiful, unique, soft.

[name_f]Esme[/name_f] [name_f]Josephine[/name_f] all the way (great combo, by the way! [name_u]Love[/name_u] how they both have soft ‘s’ sounds in the center and differ drastically in length)

4

I like [name_f]Esme[/name_f] better in general and as a first.
[name_f]Josephine[/name_f] being a family name, longer, and classic/vintage seems like an ideal middle name.

I think [name_f]Esme[/name_f] is easy to pronounce or something that may need to be repeated once but the beauty in it outweighs those minor cons for me. [name_f]Josephine[/name_f] is lovely but it’s…[name_f]Josephine[/name_f]. I had a cabbage patch doll in the 80’s named [name_f]Josephine[/name_f]. Classic and delicate in itself but still mildly dated.

Finally, I have no [name_f]Esme[/name_f] associations. I think I must be in the small minority who has never seen Twilight. But, the trilogy is over right…I don’t think Twilight or it’s characters will be as familiar to your daughters generation as they are to people now.

5

[name_f]Esme[/name_f] [name_m]Cullen[/name_m] is a nice character and the connection won’t last forever anyway, so I wouldn’t worry about that. I voted [name_f]Esme[/name_f] [name_f]Josephine[/name_f], because I think it flows better.

6

I vote [name_f]Esme[/name_f] [name_f]Josephine[/name_f]. [name_f]Esme[/name_f] is sweet, classy and well-aged whereas [name_f]Josephine[/name_f], in my opinion, is frumpy and grandma-esque. Sorry, I know that they’re both vintage names but in my opinion [name_f]Esme[/name_f] is the only one ready for revival.

[name_f]Esme[/name_f] [name_f]Josephine[/name_f], and go by [name_f]Esme[/name_f].

7

Personally i don’t really see the point in using a different first name knowing you’ll call your daughter by her middle name… there’s nothing wrong with doing it that way, i just don’t quite get it. So i would rule out that option.

I think [name_f]Josephine[/name_f] [name_f]Esme[/name_f] sounds great (I have [name_f]Vivienne[/name_f] [name_f]Esme[/name_f] on my own list!), but if you don’t love any nicknames for [name_f]Josephine[/name_f], and don’t see calling her [name_f]Josephine[/name_f] all the time, I would also rule out this option.

Which leaves [name_f]Esme[/name_f] [name_f]Josephine[/name_f], which also sounds great. I love [name_f]Esme[/name_f] and although [name_f]Vivienne[/name_f] [name_f]Esme[/name_f] is in my sig, in reality [name_f]Esme[/name_f] is one of the 3 names I’d most likely use if I have a daughter. I don’t associate it with Twilight at all because i haven’t read or seen the movies. Ignorance is bliss :slight_smile:

8

I love both names a lot. SO much. I don’t associate [name_f]Esme[/name_f] with Twilight or Lemony Snicket (didn’t even recall an [name_f]Esme[/name_f], in both cases)

[name_f]My[/name_f] first instinct was [name_f]Josephine[/name_f] [name_f]Esme[/name_f]. [name_m]Even[/name_m] though [name_f]Esme[/name_f] is basically phonetic, it is so unusual that I did not believe it was a name at first glance. There’s also variation in the pronunciation - ISS-may or EZ-mee - so even people familiar with this name will vary on how they think it is pronounced.

[name_f]Do[/name_f] an experiment! I wonder what would happen if asked 10 people like the mailman and the barista at Starbucks and a neighbor & the neighbor’s teenage daughter: “[name_m]How[/name_m] would YOU pronounce this name?” “What do you think about it?” The expression on people’s faces can be invaluable information.

9

[name_f]Esme[/name_f] [name_f]Josephine[/name_f] has the perfect blend of quirky sweetness and classic elegance. [name_f]Esme[/name_f] was a name long before any of the books/films you mentioned and it will continue to be memorable long after those associations fade. In my opinion, no teenage franchise is strong enough to annihilate hundreds of years of usage.

10

I’d go with [name_f]Esme[/name_f] [name_f]Josephine[/name_f]. It feels more modern, and has a better flow.

I love when family names are in the middle…she’ll have her own identity up front, but a piece of history in the middle spot to give her name strength and meaning.

And no, I don’t associate [name_f]Esme[/name_f] with Lemony Snicket, or with Twilight. It’s a lovely gem of a name in its own right.

11

If you like [name_f]Josephine[/name_f] better, “[name_f]Esme[/name_f] [name_f]Josephine[/name_f], but she’ll go by her middle name”, and it has family meaning in it, I would go with [name_f]Josephine[/name_f] [name_f]Esme[/name_f]. I don’t know how it will sound with your last name, but I like the name [name_f]Josephine[/name_f] better than [name_f]Esme[/name_f].

If you really like the name [name_f]Esme[/name_f], but are nervous about the connection to Twilight, you could make her (middle) name [name_f]Esmeralda[/name_f]. It might be too long going with [name_f]Josephine[/name_f], though.
The only thing I think about when I hear the name [name_f]Esme[/name_f] is Twilight, but for kids of her age group that probably won’t come to mind since they would be born after the Twilight trend.

I would suggest using [name_f]Esmeralda[/name_f] or [name_f]Esme[/name_f] for the middle name, because like you said, some people won’t know how to pronounce [name_f]Esme[/name_f], but she won’t have to explain how to say it a lot if it’s her middle name.

[name_f]Josephine[/name_f] is a great sounding name, it’s easy to spell/pronounce and remember for most people, and it has meaning to your family. I don’t like the nickname [name_u]Jo[/name_u], but personally I wouldn’t mind [name_u]Josie[/name_u]. You can just tell your daughter, if she doesn’t like those nicknames, ask to be called something else. The only thing that really matters is what she likes to be called. I think it’s great that it’s long because it has more than one option for a nickname. It may be more common than say, [name_u]Artemis[/name_u] or something, (random name I thought of) but it’s great if you like classic and familiar names. I myself am not a big fan of the very unique names either, but don’t mind the a-bit-uncommon ones.

I currently live in the U.S. myself, ([name_u]California[/name_u]) and have not or cannot recall meeting a [name_f]Josephine[/name_f] in real life. I have heard of some T.V. characters being [name_f]Josephine[/name_f]. . . . Such as “[name_u]Jo[/name_u]” on the ABC Family show Twisted, (mainly popular among teenagers) but that’s not really a bad association to have. It’s like a murder mystery show though, lol.

Anyway, I would go with [name_f]Josephine[/name_f] [name_f]Esme[/name_f]/[name_f]Esmerelda[/name_f]/[name_f]Esmeralda[/name_f] (there are many other variations that can be called Esme to choose from), but it’s really your choice of which you prefer and which you think she would like better. There’s really no exact way to know about the last one though. . . .

Best of luck choosing the name for your little girl!

♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢

12

[name_f]Esme[/name_f] [name_f]Josephine[/name_f] – it’s perfect! [name_f]Esme[/name_f] is a favorite of mine (both of them actually but I like [name_f]Esme[/name_f] as the first!).

13

I like [name_f]Esme[/name_f] the most. I would use it as the first name.

14

I prefer [name_f]Esme[/name_f] [name_f]Josephine[/name_f] who goes by [name_f]Esme[/name_f]. I think [name_f]Esme[/name_f] is charming. I’m not overly familiar with twilight so when I hear it I do think of the [name_m]Salinger[/name_m] story. However I didn’t find that story to be anything special. [name_f]Josephine[/name_f] is perfectly respectable but for some reason I just don’t respond to it so I definitely prefer [name_f]Esme[/name_f] in the first spot.

15

Thank you all for the valuable input.

If it helps at all, my last name is two syllables and sounds slightly better with [name_f]Josephine[/name_f] as the first, but either would work.

I’m also not quite as concerned about flow of the names together as I am about picking or using a first name that my daughter will love her whole life.

I would be curious to hear from those not as familiar with the name [name_f]Esme[/name_f] (we would spell it without the accent and pronounce it “EZ-may” and I’m not open to alternative spellings). [name_f]Do[/name_f] you like it? [name_m]How[/name_m] would you pronounce it at first glance? Once you know or hear the pronunciation, is it memorable? I find it charming, vintage and sweet, but am more familiar with it than many.

16

I am very familiar with it. No problems pronouncing it as Ez-[name_f]May[/name_f]. I wanted to use it on my own daughter however we had a bad Aunty [name_f]Esme[/name_f] in our family and I was forbidden. [name_m]Alas[/name_m].

17

I have NO IDEA who Esme is in today’s culture and I am a somewhat relevant 28 year old. I prefer Esme Josephine, I think it flows better. Go with your gut.

18

I’m definitely the exception here. I ONLY think of Twilight when I hear [name_f]Esme[/name_f], even though I do know it’s a well-established name. And I think those who like Twilight are the next wave of parents so we’ll see it more and there will be that association. Whenever I hear [name_f]Esme[/name_f], I also think of pig latin. Mayez? No, [name_f]Esme[/name_f]. It is pretty, but I think it’ll have way more issues being pronounced and spelled along the way.

[name_f]Josephine[/name_f] is way more popular where I am. I totally disagree with whomever said that [name_f]Esme[/name_f] is ready for a revival and [name_f]Josephine[/name_f] isn’t. [name_m]Both[/name_m] are ready for a revival, and actually I’d argue to say [name_f]Josephine[/name_f] is well on its way to being revived. I know 3 under 3yrs. I do love the nn [name_u]Josie[/name_u]. If you choose your own nn and /or direct people to use only [name_f]Josephine[/name_f], you’ll be fine.

[name_f]Josephine[/name_f] [name_f]Esme[/name_f] is my vote. You could even call her [name_u]Jessie[/name_u] if that suits you.

19

Thank you all so very much! This is really helpful. @schickler I appreciate your being willing to go against the grain in your honesty. :slight_smile:

Any other comments still welcome. Thanks again.

20

I love [name_f]Esme[/name_f] [name_f]Josephine[/name_f]!