Do William and Marian look too similar?

[Mega_Muffin]

See the results of this poll: Are William and Marian too similar for siblings?

Respondents: 12 (This poll is closed)

• Yes : 3 (25%)
• No: 9 (75%)

[Mischa]

I see the “an” in [name_u]Marian[/name_u] [name_f]Theophania[/name_f] as much as the “ia” in [name_m]William[/name_m] and [name_u]Marian[/name_u]. I’m also more prone to say [name_m]William[/name_m] and [name_f]Mary[/name_f] because they were the British sovereigns and it’s the name of a university in the US. However, although it’s a bit matchy in sound I do think [name_u]Marian[/name_u] is much preferable to [name_f]Lillian[/name_f] for sure. [name_m]Will[/name_m] [name_u]Marian[/name_u] be going by a nn? I see by your signature that you like [name_f]Catherine[/name_f] as well. You can’t help it if you have an affinity for certain sounds, can you?

[Mega_Muffin]

@mischa

I see the “an” in [name_u]Marian[/name_u] [name_f]Theophania[/name_f] as much as the “ia” in [name_m]William[/name_m] and [name_u]Marian[/name_u]. I’m also more prone to say [name_m]William[/name_m] and [name_f]Mary[/name_f] because they were the British sovereigns and it’s the name of a university in the US. However, although it’s a bit matchy in sound I do think [name_u]Marian[/name_u] is much preferable to [name_f]Lillian[/name_f] for sure. [name_m]Will[/name_m] [name_u]Marian[/name_u] be going by a nn? I see by your signature that you like [name_f]Catherine[/name_f] as well. You can’t help it if you have an affinity for certain sounds, can you?

Indeed.

The repeating “an” doesn’t bother me as much as the “ia” for some reason. And, seriously, it’s getting annoying because I’m loving -ian names paired up [name_f]Theophania[/name_f]! [name_u]Vivian[/name_u] is another one I love. I suppose I could go with [name_f]Marianne[/name_f] or [name_f]Vivienne[/name_f], but since [name_f]Theophania[/name_f] is so frilly, I’m preferring more streamlined spellings like [name_u]Marian[/name_u], [name_u]Vivian[/name_u], [name_f]Lillian[/name_f], [name_f]Isabel[/name_f] (rather than [name_f]Isabelle[/name_f]), [name_f]Juliet[/name_f] (rather than [name_f]Juliette[/name_f]), etc. If we do chose [name_f]Mary[/name_f]/[name_u]Marian[/name_u], her nickname would probably be [name_f]Mimi[/name_f], but that’s not set in stone. (Now that I think of it, [name_f]Mimi[/name_f] might be a little too close to [name_m]Liam[/name_m] as well…)

[ciottolo]

I really don’t think they are too similar, and I’m also with you about the [name_f]Marianne[/name_f] vs. [name_u]Marian[/name_u] spelling with [name_f]Theophania[/name_f] (which, by the way, is incredibly cool), but I am a fan of [name_f]Mary[/name_f] [name_f]Theophania[/name_f], just because I love the contrast between the lengths of the names being so defined, both written down and spoken. To be honest, I don’t think you can go wrong with either, as they are both such good options - good luck deciding!