We discovered recently that my DH has a relative, who is called Bellaniece. From the information we found on her, we reckon she was Italian. Something about Bellaniece really appeals to me. We wouldn’t use it for a first name. If we do use it, it will just be a middle but I’m not even sure if we will use it at all, I am just curious about the name!
I’m not sure exactly how she would have pronounced it. Instinct tells me to pronounce it how it’s spelt ([name_f]Bella[/name_f] - Niece) but I’m wondering if anyone would know if that’s correct?
Our top name at the moment is [name_f]Cosima[/name_f], WYDT of [name_f]Cosima[/name_f] Bellaniece? Not sure if we will use it but the name really intrigues me.
What do you think of Bellaniece? Usable or just ridiculous?
ce endings in Italian names are usually pronounced sort of like -chay. [name_f]Alice[/name_f] is ah-[name_u]LEE[/name_u]-chay, [name_u]Felice[/name_u] is feh-[name_u]LEE[/name_u]-chay. So I guess that’d be the case for Bellaniece too.
As for the name itself, I think it has a lovely sound but it reminds me too much of the word “niece” as in the family member to find it usable myself.
[name_f]Cosima[/name_f] [name_f]Bella[/name_f] is much prettier to my ear. [name_f]Cosima[/name_f] is such a pretty name, but somehow the addition of niece to [name_f]Bella[/name_f] makes it sound harsh and not a good fit with [name_f]Cosima[/name_f].
Totally unusable, imo. Nomatter how you pronounce it, I still see [name_f]Bella[/name_f]+niece there. Like “this is [name_f]Bella[/name_f], my niece”. [name_f]Cosima[/name_f] [name_f]Bella[/name_f] is way prettier.
If she was a native Italian, like PP said the -ce ending would yield the “che” pronunciation, and I’d also think the “ie” would form a bit of a dipthong - so the Bellaniece spelling would be pronounced more like Be-lah-nyay-chay. But if she was of Italian descent but born elsewhere, all bets are off! I’ve never heard of a name pronounced “Bellaniece” and the closest I can think of is [name_f]Berenice[/name_f] (not to be confused with [name_f]Bernice[/name_f]) - just change an r for an l and you’re there, so maybe it’s a variation??
What an interesting name-mystery! It sounds very pretty but it reminds me of someone saying “beautiful niece” so I’d also save it for the middle. [name_f]Cosima[/name_f] is gorgeous.
When I saw the name I thought of [name_f]Berenice[/name_f] too, which is better than Bellaniece in my opinion. [name_f]Cosima[/name_f] makes enough of a statement on its own I feel? I would choose a more mainstream middle name such as [name_f]Belinda[/name_f], [name_f]Belle[/name_f], [name_f]Bella[/name_f], [name_f]Amy[/name_f], [name_f]Lucy[/name_f], [name_f]Aster[/name_f], [name_f]Catherine[/name_f], [name_f]Claire[/name_f], [name_f]Eve[/name_f], [name_f]Rose[/name_f] or [name_f]Kate[/name_f]
Thanks guys! Didn’t think it was usable. We will skip that one, I think - we shall keep it for the GP list! I like [name_f]Cosima[/name_f] [name_f]Belle[/name_f], we are considering [name_f]Cosima[/name_f] [name_f]Estelle[/name_f] which is similar.