Which of these old ladies is your favourite?
Which is more ready for a comeback?
Which sounds more like [name_f]Josephine[/name_f]'s sister?
What nickname would you give to a child with one of these names?
What middle name would you choose for these names?
I like [name_f]Bernadette[/name_f] best. I love its strong yet feminine sounds. I suspect however that [name_f]Filomena[/name_f] may be more ready for a comeback. F and V names are becoming opular([name_f]Florence[/name_f], [name_f]Violet[/name_f], [name_u]Vivien[/name_u]), and soft, long, flowy names seem to appeal at the moment.
I prefer [name_f]Bernadette[/name_f] as [name_f]Josephine[/name_f]'s sister. [name_f]Filomena[/name_f] sounds a bit too like [name_f]Josephine[/name_f].
Nicknames: [name_f]Bernadette[/name_f]: [name_u]Bernie[/name_u], [name_f]Berrie[/name_f], [name_f]Bee[/name_f], [name_m]Teddie[/name_m], [name_f]Dede[/name_f]. [name_f]Filomena[/name_f]: [name_f]Fifi[/name_f], Fi, [name_f]Mena[/name_f], [name_f]Mimi[/name_f]. [name_f]Minnie[/name_f].
I like the middle names you have suggested - [name_f]Luna[/name_f] and [name_f]Soleil[/name_f]. Also [name_f]Bernadette[/name_f] [name_f]Phoebe[/name_f], [name_f]Filomena[/name_f] [name_f]Sylvie[/name_f].
I like both but prefer [name_f]Filomena[/name_f], which I find softer and prettier in sound. While I can’t see either name making a big comeback soon, [name_f]Filomena[/name_f] sounds more similar to names that are currently popular than [name_f]Bernadette[/name_f].
I think either name would sound nice with [name_f]Josephine[/name_f]. I like [name_f]Bernadette[/name_f] and [name_f]Josephine[/name_f] together as both names have a [name_m]French[/name_m] flair. [name_f]Filomena[/name_f] and [name_f]Josephine[/name_f] do share the ‘een’ sound in English but I don’t think that’s a big issue.
[name_f]Bernadette[/name_f] could [name_u]Bernie[/name_u], [name_f]Bunny[/name_f], [name_f]Etta[/name_f], [name_f]Ettie[/name_f] or [name_f]Bibi[/name_f]. I can’t think of any nicknames for [name_f]Filomena[/name_f] that haven’t already been suggested.
Combination ideas:
[name_f]Bernadette[/name_f] [name_f]Elise[/name_f]
[name_f]Bernadette[/name_f] [name_f]Lucille[/name_f]
[name_f]Filomena[/name_f] [name_f]Estelle[/name_f]
[name_f]Filomena[/name_f] [name_f]Mireille[/name_f]
I really like @araminty’s [name_f]Bernadette[/name_f] [name_f]Phoebe[/name_f].
Which is more ready for a comeback? [name_f]Filomena[/name_f]
Which sounds more like [name_f]Josephine[/name_f]'s sister? Either
What nickname would you give to a child with one of these names? Filo or [name_f]Mena[/name_f] or [name_f]Lolo[/name_f]
What middle name would you choose for these names?[/QUOTE] I like [name_f]Soleil[/name_f].
My favorite (nicknames excluded) is [name_f]Bernadette[/name_f], it sounds cuter and fresher
I feel like that the name most likely to be ready for a comeback is also [name_f]Bernadette[/name_f]. It has a sweet and rarer sound, [name_f]Filomena[/name_f] sounds old fashioned in a bad way
While [name_f]Filomena[/name_f] and [name_f]Josephine[/name_f] share the “ph”/“f” sound, [name_f]Bernadette[/name_f] sounds more “familiar” and that would be best for [name_f]Josephine[/name_f], a popular-ish (in the top 150) name
[name_f]Bernadette[/name_f] - [name_f]Berna[/name_f], [name_u]Bernie[/name_u], [name_u]Bern/name_u, [name_f]Bena[/name_f], Ber, Nade (nayd or nahd), [name_f]Etta[/name_f], [name_m]Nate[/name_m], [name_f]Enna[/name_f], [name_f]Betty[/name_f], [name_u]Bertie[/name_u]
[name_f]Filomena[/name_f] - Fil (pronounced like Phil0, [name_f]Ila[/name_f] (ee-la), [name_f]Mena[/name_f], [name_f]Minnie[/name_f], [name_f]Lona[/name_f], [name_m]Fin[/name_m] (my favorite), [name_f]Fina[/name_f]
[name_f]Filomena[/name_f]/[name_f]Philomena[/name_f] is lovely. Another nn idea could be [name_m]Fin[/name_m]?
I’m not crazy about [name_f]Bernadette[/name_f], I’m afraid. It’s a bit too clunky for me. But it does sound great as a sister for [name_f]Josephine[/name_f] - better in fact than [name_f]Filomena[/name_f], which I think shares a few too many of the same sounds.
I really like the middles you have in your signature, especially [name_f]Filomena[/name_f] [name_f]Soleil[/name_f]. Sticking with the [name_m]French[/name_m] theme, I actually think [name_f]Bernadette[/name_f] [name_f]Lune[/name_f] works better than [name_f]Luna[/name_f] - it’s a bit shorter and feels more sophisticated and tailored to me.
Thank you everyone for answering. It seems like [name_f]Bernadette[/name_f] has been receiving more praise, however my husband and I both lean more towards [name_f]Filomena[/name_f]. In English it’s pronunciation may be similar in sounds to [name_f]Josephine[/name_f], but in Italian which is what we speak more, they sound quite different. [name_m]Even[/name_m] though we love both ways of saying it, we have agreed that the [name_u]Fee[/name_u]-loh-men-ah pronunciation will get said a lot more often.
I would love to read more of your opinions, you all have raised some very interesting points.
I really like [name_f]Bernadette[/name_f] nn Birdy!
I think they both sound good with [name_f]Josephine[/name_f] and I think they are both rounding the corner on a comeback.
I prefer [name_f]Bernadette[/name_f], but only because I can’t get my head around the spelling of [name_f]Filomena[/name_f]; quaint, modest [name_f]Philomena[/name_f] is a favourite of mine.
I like [name_f]Bernadette[/name_f] and [name_f]Josephine[/name_f] together, with [name_u]Bernie[/name_u] and [name_u]Jo[/name_u]/[name_u]Joey[/name_u] as nicknames. [name_f]Bernadette[/name_f] [name_f]Thisbe[/name_f] would be a cute combo. I really like [name_f]Filomena[/name_f] too but as others have pointed out, it does sound too close to [name_f]Josephine[/name_f].
Both cute… Really like [name_f]Filomena[/name_f]!