We have been calling our daughter [name]Ilie[/name] (“eye-lee”) as a nickname…it is a long story how we got there, but we found ourselves calling her this, and it fits her so well
I thought it was kind of a made up name, but then my neighbor told me they considered naming their daughter Eilley (she had to spell it for me, too). But I can’t find that on nameberry, so I don’t know if the name Ailey/Eilley is legit to begin with.
I am just curious what your thoughts are on the name (keeping in mind it would be a nickname for us). And how would you spell it? Ailey makes sense, although maybe the “eye” sound isn’t obvious (do some see it as “AIL-ey”?) So maybe it makes sense to spell it Isley (like [name]Isla[/name])? Eilley might be the ‘correct’ spelling, I think it is an Irish name but I can’t find much history on it. Does the spelling ‘[name]Ilie[/name]’ just look wrong? Like [name]Ellie[/name] with a typo? We were spelling it that way (just in emails between my husband and I) because our daughter’s name starts with “I”, so it felt most natural. But if she wants to be called “eye-lee” with extended family or when she is in school, then I would like to use the most attractive spelling…but preferably starting with the letter “I” if possible. I hope that makes sense. So how would YOU spell the name “eye-lee”?
And does it sound super trendy? (I am NOT a fan of [name]Riley[/name], [name]Miley[/name], [name]Kylie[/name] etc…but here I am calling my daughter Ailey/[name]Ilie[/name] around the house! :lol: For some reason I never made the connection until now – I just haven’t thought much about it. I kind of laugh because I generally don’t like ‘made up’ or trendy names at all, but evidently my feelings must be different when it comes to nicknames! :? ) Or will people hear “[name]Ilie[/name]/Ailey/Isley/etc” and think something is missing on her name because they are more familiar with [name]Riley[/name], [name]Kylie[/name], [name]Miley[/name] etc.? Nothing against the [name]Riley[/name]'s and [name]Kylie[/name]'s out there, I just don’t want people to call my daughter [name]Kylie[/name] by mistake.
sigh sorry to think out loud over here…I am probably thinking too much about this. I guess I am trying to get a better feel for this name, and whether or not we need to find a new nickname
Yes, it is a trendy sounding name. It fits in the whole [name]Brylee[/name]/[name]Miley[/name]/[name]Riley[/name]/[name]Kylie[/name]/[name]Kaylee[/name]/[name]Hailey[/name] ad infinitum blob of popular names. I went through the top 500 once, and I think there were over twenty two-syllable girl’s names that ended in the “ley” sound. That shouldn’t stop you from using it, however. If you love the name, use it, and if it’s only a nickname, your daughter can always go by her full name if she finds it bothersome.
Ailey is definitely a legitimate name. It is a last name, pronounced AIL-ee, not EYE-lee, but also a pet form of [name]Aileen[/name]. The most famous bearer of the surname is dancer [name]Alvin[/name] Ailey, who pronounced it AIL-ee. Eilley is also a pet form of [name]Eileen[/name], and Eilley [name]Bowers[/name] (born [name]Alison[/name], nicknamed Eilley) was a 19th century pioneer and influential in the history of the state of [name]Nevada[/name].
I would spell the name whichever way is most intuitive with her full name. If her name is [name]Isla[/name], spell it [name]Ilie[/name] or Islie. If it’s [name]Eileen[/name], spell it Eilley or Eiley, etc. I think it’s very cute as a nickname.
I agree. It depends on which name it’ll be short for. [name]Ilie[/name] does look odd and it does sound trendy. I’d go with Isley for [name]Isla[/name]. For [name]Eileen[/name], it’s trickier. When I first saw Eilley, I thought it was pronounced AY-lee. Eilee is slightly better, because of the double e reminding of [name]Eileen[/name]. But still. It’s tricky…
[name]How[/name] about [name]Eilidh[/name]? It’s an Irish/Scottish name pronounced “ay-lee” (like [name]Haley[/name] without the H) but I’ve also heard it pronounced “eye-lee” which I think sounds nice. It’s pretty trendy-sounding nowadays with all of the Rileys and Mileys and Kileys, but I think its origin makes it a really nice name. I personally wouldn’t spell it “Eilley” or “[name]Ilie[/name]” - and even though I’m normally not a fan of “made-up” spellings, I do see the appeal in Isley, probably because I love [name]Isla[/name]. Have you thought about just using [name]Isla[/name] with a nickname of [name]Ilie[/name] or however you want to spell it?
I think it’s awfully tryndee, but I do like [name]Eilidh[/name]. And I have a baby cousin named [name]Isla[/name], sometimes called Isley. What is your daughter’s name? Is it similar enough to use as a nickname all the time?
I’m a little late in on the conversation - but I have a special interest in this name since Isley is on my list of girls names. (I’m due in [name]March[/name]). It’s one that I am really struggling with. On one hand I like [name]Eilidh[/name], pronouncing it eye-lee, but worry about pronunciation problems. Then on the other hand I do not usually like to alter the proper spellings and worry about giving a daughter a “made up” name. I would be interested to hear what your daughters name is that you got to Eilley/Ailey/[name]Ilie[/name] as a [name]Nick[/name] name!! As a [name]Nick[/name] name I wouldn’t hesitate to spell it Isley - especially if her name begins with an I.
We actually got to Isley in a roundabout way…it is a combination of her first name and middle name – the “I” from her first name and the “lee/lie” sound from her middle name. We were calling her by her full name after she was born, and my 2 year old daughter shortened it to “Isley” because it was too difficult for her to say otherwise. We thought it was cute and found ourselves calling her that, too. Her name is [name]Ingrid[/name], which of course is nothing like Isley except it starts with an “I” But, you could pretty much use any name that starts with “I” and combine it with the “lie” sound in the middle ([name]Amelie[/name], [name]Julie[/name], etc). Definitely a stretch, but it works for us!
I just don’t know if that will stick outside our household, though. Is it too strange for us to say “Her name is [name]Ingrid[/name], but she goes by Isley”? I suppose it won’t make sense to most people. The ironic thing is that we actually considered naming her [name]Isla[/name], but my husband didn’t like it at all, and I was worried about the trendy factor.
