Over the past few days dh and I have been talking girls names a lot and he actually came up with the suggestion of [name_f]Antigone[/name_f](which is kind of big because so far he’s been pretty passive in the naming process and ok with pretty much anything I pick.)
I hadnt really considered [name_f]Antigone[/name_f] before, but I like it a lot. (:
We’re leaning towards giving 2 middlenames and more than likely one of them will be a [name_f]Mary[/name_f] variation(probably [name_f]Mary[/name_f], [name_f]Maria[/name_f], [name_f]Mariah[/name_f], [name_f]Maris[/name_f], [name_f]Mariam[/name_f], [name_f]Mariel[/name_f], [name_f]Mariette[/name_f], [name_f]Marianne[/name_f], [name_f]Rosemary[/name_f], [name_f]Malia[/name_f] or [name_f]Moira[/name_f].)
Our other joint top choices atm are [name_f]Cosima[/name_f] and [name_f]Lyra[/name_f].
It’s not really my style, but I quite like it. I see “anti” and “gone” when it’s written down, though, which kinda bothers me. Not sure if it matters, but I think it goes really well with your other top choices.
I think [name_f]Antigone[/name_f] could be a fun mn. I would personally never consider it for anything else. Here is why:
The myth is too tragic and well known. [name_f]Antigone[/name_f], [name_f]Pandora[/name_f], [name_f]Cassandra[/name_f] and Madea are just non-starters for me. I spent too much time as a kid reading their stories to not automatically think of them. ([name_f]Ariadne[/name_f], [name_f]Jocasta[/name_f] and some others as well…)
People just can’t seem to read the name right. [name_m]Even[/name_m] after having our English teacher correct her students a bagillion times and all of them being bi-lingual (meaning they should be able to wrap their heads around alternative pronunciations) there were still too many Anti-gones.(and that brings me to…)
Anti Gone. I mean I realize that technically means HERE. But well I don’t know if I’d want my child’s name to have either the prefix anti- or the word gone in it, let alone together.
I personally strongly prefer [name_f]Ismene[/name_f]’s name to her sisters. (Yes I do know about Is meanie but with the option of Esme as a nn I just love her).
Yes, people talk about how brave and strong and principled [name_f]Antigone[/name_f] was, but she was also totally pig-headed - and so dramatic she basically killed herself. Anyway, I think it’s probably a wise decision for you to re-read/read the original play before making a final decision on the name. Not everyone else sees her as negatively as I do. [name_f]Antigone[/name_f] by sight and sound alone is always intriguing, a little different and beautiful.
I agree, the story immediately comes to mind and is just too sad (that’s why I’d never use [name_f]Persephone[/name_f], pretty as it is … or [name_f]Jocasta[/name_f] ). Like lexiem, I always preferred [name_f]Ismene[/name_f]. Her character had some admirable traits and isn’t quite as tragic. There’s also the meaning (anti-mother or against offspring, something like that), and the fact that those who are unfamiliar with the play might say Anti-gone.
Of course, it does sound lovely. I might endorse [name_f]Antigone[/name_f] more strongly if I didn’t love your other contenders. [name_f]Cosima[/name_f], in particular, is mysterious and has old Greek origins, but without the shadow of tragedy.
I love [name_f]Antigone[/name_f]'s character. First, she is in a time where women were expected to be quiet and submit to their husbands or male guardians. [name_f]Antigone[/name_f] stood up for her dead brother and did what she felt was right. She gave her brother a proper burial. Her weak sister denied [name_f]Antigone[/name_f] her help…I don’t get where the love for [name_f]Ismene[/name_f] is… but anyways [name_f]Antigone[/name_f] stood up against Kreon who was not only her guardian but also the head of state. He made a decree that her brother’s body not be buried and she stood up for her brother, against Kreon, for the old unwritten rules of the gods. She is a strong female character and a great namesake for your daughter if you choose so.
I like it but I very much like the Greek names and particularly the -e names. It’s one I like but not my favourite of them, either.
[name_f]Antigone[/name_f], [name_f]Ariadne[/name_f], [name_f]Calanthe[/name_f], Chrysanthe, [name_f]Ione[/name_f], Mariamne, [name_f]Xanthe[/name_f]… I like all of these. I also like [name_f]Andromeda[/name_f], which is maybe a little easier for English-only readers to read?
When I first saw this name, I thought it was pronounced anti-gone, as others have mentioned.
But after hearing the correct pronounciation, it grew on me a lot. I like the sound of it - it fits with my favourites which are [name_f]Persephone[/name_f], [name_f]Xanthe[/name_f] and [name_f]Hermione[/name_f].
I think you, and later on your daughter, could explain how it’s pronounced, and people would remember. I’d love to meet a little [name_f]Antigone[/name_f], and many characters from tragic tales have made it into the naming world.
Nobody is saying that her standing up to authority to fight for what she believes in isn’t admirable however… Here are the SparkNotes analysis of the Sophocles and Anouilh versions of the play. In the original, she is willful and spoiled with an inability to see the people around her who love her while fixating on those who betrayed the country she is to sort-of inherit. She states that she would never take “…upon herself the responsibility of defying the edict for the sake of a husband or children, for husbands and children can be replaced.” [name_f]IMO[/name_f] Her whole world view is a little out of wack. In the Anouilh version of the play her morality and political and filial trappings are removed. She basically becomes a spoiled teenage brat who “…in her refusal to cede on her desire […] and without any just cause […] to the point of her own death”.
I really can’t get past the [name_m]Oedipus[/name_m] [name_u]Rex[/name_u] connection. It could make a nice middle name though. I agree with the suggestion of [name_f]Marianne[/name_f] [name_f]Antigone[/name_f]
I think there are numerous issues with the name [name_f]Antigone[/name_f] (beyond the Greek tragedy). There’s two negative words, Anti and Gone in there, as well as pronunciation issue.
Plus, there’s the Greek tragedy association. [name_f]Antigone[/name_f] was the daughter of [name_m]Oedipus[/name_m] and his mother, [name_f]Jocasta[/name_f]. She later committed suicide in a cave. It might have too much baggage for a person to wear.