For as long as I’ve given any thought to baby names, I’ve assumed I would name a future daughter [name_u]Ariel[/name_u] and call her [name_u]Ari[/name_u]. I love the name [name_u]Ari[/name_u], but I can’t imagine giving it to a boy in the US, outside NYC. So, I’ve been happily awaiting the day I could use it as a nn for a daughter. But I can’t quell my doubts about the usability of the formal [name_u]Ariel[/name_u] (or any other options that have occurred to me). First, I learned they are re-releasing The [name_m]Little[/name_m] Mermaid this year, as if enough damage wasn’t done by the 1989 release. Second, I am concerned (and there’s no way to say this without sounding like a snob, though I truly mean no offense) that the name has been adopted by lower class parents. Does anyone else share that perception or view the current usage of the name differently? I have similar concerns about [name_f]Arianna[/name_f] (and all its other spellings). It’s hard to find clear data that would confirm or alleviate this concern, so most of the basis for my perception is anecdotal evidence.
I have a respectable list of other name choices, but I’d like to either confirm my misgivings about [name_u]Ariel[/name_u] and take it off the list or feel better about keeping it on as an option. If the Nameberry community can’t help me get a clear picture, I can’t imagine who can! I’d appreciate whatever thoughts/opinions anyone has to offer.
I’ve never met a baby [name_u]Ariel[/name_u], low-class, middle-class, or high-class, so I think you’re safe there. That being said, having lived all over the US, nearly every [name_u]Ari[/name_u] I’ve met has been a boy, with the exception of one tomboyish [name_f]Ariana[/name_f].
There’s a new Disney princess out, a remake of The [name_f]Snow[/name_f] [name_f]Queen[/name_f], and I’m sure they’re changing the original heroine’s name ([name_f]Gerda[/name_f]) to something that will become mega-popular, so I don’t think [name_u]Ariel[/name_u] will make quite the comeback. [name_f]Ariana[/name_f] is much more popular.
I actually really love the name [name_u]Ariel[/name_u] and I also doubted the connection! However a Disney princess isn’t a bad namesake and [name_f]Snow[/name_f], [name_f]Jasmine[/name_f], [name_f]Aurora[/name_f], [name_f]Belle[/name_f] etc are all names that are not thought of as being unusable. [name_u]Ariel[/name_u] is a feminine sound and would age well as well as being unique but familiar. With a cute nn like [name_u]Ari[/name_u] or [name_f]Elle[/name_f] then I really think it is a good option. If you love it then this is definitely not a reason to not use it! As for the lower class connotation, I haven’t heard of a child being called it in my area but I definitely would not have said that it was! [name_f]Arianna[/name_f] is not in [name_m]Britain[/name_m] as names that end in ‘a’ are in general considered quite the opposite. X
I have a suggestion if I may. [name_m]How[/name_m] about the beautiful Hebrew name [name_f]Ariella[/name_f]. Which means Lioness of God. It is very similar to [name_u]Ariel[/name_u]. I think it is more feminine. Since [name_u]Ariel[/name_u] in Hebrew is the Boy name. I know it is associated with the [name_m]Little[/name_m] Mermaid. My favorite Disney Movie. I do know a woman who named her daughter that. I have to say I think some kids or adults might think of the movie. It is up to you. If you love it use it. Go with your heart. It is your bundle of joy. Nobody can tell you what to name her. [name_f]Love[/name_f] the name you choose, that is all I have to say. [name_f]Hope[/name_f] this helps!
I had forgotten [name_f]Ariella[/name_f]! When I first started making a list, I ruled out any name ending with “ella,” and though I’ve since abandoned that rule (funny how that happens), I haven’t revisited all the options I discarded early on. I don’t like that [name_f]Ariella[/name_f] entered the top 1000 just a few years ago and has already much substantial progress up the chart, so I’ll definitely be keeping a watchful eye on that. But fewer than 5 children in the state where I live have been given that name in each of the last several years, so it apparently isn’t “a thing” here yet. Thank you for the lovely suggestion.
And thank you to everyone who has responded thus far! I feel heartened.
I knew an [name_u]Ariel[/name_u] ([name_f]Arielle[/name_f]? [name_f]Ariela[/name_f]?) in college, but that’s the only one I ever came across. A dear friend of mine almost named her daughter [name_f]Arielle[/name_f], nn [name_u]Ari[/name_u]. I find the [name_f]Arielle[/name_f] spelling more appealing, but they’re all lovely. I don’t find it downmarket at all ([name_f]Ariana[/name_f], either).
Have you considered something along the lines of [name_f]Aurelia[/name_f]/[name_f]Aurelie[/name_f], [name_f]Aurora[/name_f], [name_f]Araminta[/name_f], or [name_f]Arabella[/name_f], nn [name_u]Ari[/name_u]? I sympathize–I adore [name_u]Ari[/name_u], as well! [name_f]Arianne[/name_f] (I don’t really find [name_f]Ariana[/name_f]/[name_f]Arianna[/name_f] downmarket, but [name_f]Arianne[/name_f] is so obscure it doesn’t really have any cultural expectations, imo!) nn [name_u]Ari[/name_u] is on my own list; I adore it. I would love to meet more Ariannes–I don’t understand why [name_f]Ariana[/name_f] and [name_f]Arianna[/name_f] and [name_u]Ariel[/name_u] are so popular, but not [name_f]Arianne[/name_f]. I think [name_f]Ariella[/name_f] is also lovely, and much less affected by cultural stereotypes than [name_u]Ariel/name_u might be. Still a very pretty name, and the meaning, “lion of God” is pretty amazing, imo.
I think of [name_u]Ariel[/name_u] Castro, as well as the little mermaid. What about [name_f]Aurielle[/name_f]? I know a little [name_f]Aurielle[/name_f], she is four, totally adorable & she loves her name. I would advise against [name_f]Ariela[/name_f], since it mat be too similar sounding to Araeola.
All of the people named [name_u]Ariel[/name_u] I know are male, since it’s a very popular name for Jewish men (as is [name_u]Ari[/name_u]). For a girl, I see it as very dated to the late 80s/early 90s. [name_m]How[/name_m] about [name_f]Aurelia[/name_f] or [name_f]Aurora[/name_f]?
I do know an [name_u]Ariel[/name_u], however – a niece-in-law. I thought her name was a delightful surprise. I have no doubt from her age that her mom was inspired by the [name_m]Little[/name_m] Mermaid, but I am not at all sure that is a bad thing. [name_f]Belle[/name_f]? [name_f]Aurora[/name_f]? Names easily transcend to connote so much more. [name_u]Ariel[/name_u] was a spirit in [name_m]Shakespeare[/name_m] – and her name as used by Disney a very clever joke, as it is often taken to mean “of the air.”
I think sometimes we baby name get a little hung up on ideas such as sib sets must be very matchy or a name is “lower class.” First of all, that stuff changes all the time – and from place to place. Many more names hover between and wobble among classes than we are willing to admit. If you love a name, use it with confidence that any daughter of yours will MAKE it classy.
By the way, I clipped from Nameberry’s take on [name_u]Ariel[/name_u]:
Although its wave has crested, [name_u]Ariel[/name_u] is still a name any little girl would love. It is also associated with the poetry of [name_f]Sylvia[/name_f] Plath and with the Chilean-American writer [name_u]Ariel[/name_u] Dorfman. The popular historian [name_u]Ariel[/name_u] [name_m]Durant[/name_m] was born [name_f]Ida[/name_f] [name_u]Ariel[/name_u] [name_f]Ethel[/name_f].
[name_f]Arabella[/name_f] is on my list, though I’d probably use Aeri as a nickname, rather than try to force [name_u]Ari[/name_u]. For nn [name_u]Ari[/name_u], I’d prefer to stay within the Hebrew family (because you’re right lioness/lion of God is pretty unbeatable as meanings go), though I might branch out for a formal name I loved upon first hearing.
I just think of it as a boy’s name (probably because I am Jewish and it is a popular Hebrew male name). That said, my sis-in-law is an [name_u]Ariel[/name_u] who goes by [name_u]Ari[/name_u]. She hates her full name (and has not used it in decades) because the [name_m]Little[/name_m] Mermaid came out just as she was hitting middle school and she did not appreciate the connection. [name_u]Ari[/name_u] suits her well, though.
I love the [name_f]Ariella[/name_f] suggestion - lovely!
[name_u]Ariel[/name_u] for girls seems more popular amongst non-Jews, and [name_f]Ariella[/name_f] more popular amongst Jewish families? That’s my observation anyway. [name_f]Ariella[/name_f] never seems to have caught on in the mainstream, but I much prefer it to [name_u]Ariel[/name_u] on a girl.
I really hate The [name_m]Little[/name_m] Mermaid though. Worst princess, I swear. Would prefer [name_f]Aurora[/name_f] a hundred times over.
I also vary my impression depending on how it’s said. [name_u]Ariel[/name_u] said like “aeriel” grinds my gears, I’m sorry, and I associate that with a different type of family than the ones who say it like the letters R-E-L?
I really like [name_f]Ariadne[/name_f], which doesn’t seem to have been sucked into the popularity of [name_f]Ariana[/name_f]? And I hold a strange affection for [name_f]Araminta[/name_f] and [name_f]Artemisia[/name_f].
[name_u]Ari[/name_u] is all boy to me, but I’m Jewish and have known so many boys named [name_u]Ari[/name_u] or [name_u]Avi[/name_u].
Thanks to everyone for the input! My husband is Jewish, but we’re not Jewish enough (nor do we live in a Jewish enough area) to name a boy [name_u]Ari[/name_u] nor to know any boys so named. But we’d like to use mainstream Hebrew names for at least our first child.
I think [name_f]Ariella[/name_f] is a lovely name and a perfect choice.
