What are your thoughts on [name_m]Ephraim[/name_m]?
We would pronounce Ef-rum or Ef-rem. It’s a name that’s been on and off our list over time and we’re trying to settle on one for baby boy due this summer. I love that it’s unique and vintage but interested in your thoughts.
Does it pair well with big sister [name_f]Hazel[/name_f]?
Thank you!
I think they make a wonderful set!! I love how unique [name_m]Ephraim[/name_m] is.
Oh, I’ll be honest, I thought it was pronounced ef-raym! 
But I think it’s handsome with the ef-rem pronunciation! The nickname Raim/Rem could be a cool alternative to [name_f]Ephie[/name_f], which sounds a bit feminine to me. I will say, I would assume an [name_m]Ephraim[/name_m] came from a very religious family – whether that’s an issue or not is up to you! I would be a bit surprised to see him as a brother to [name_f]Hazel[/name_f], which feels more on-trend and vintage, but I think it definitely still works!
Ephraim feels solid but gentle, unexpected but familiar. It does strike me as distinctively religious, especially when put next to Hazel (not a bad thing, just an observation) - and it is more unusual.
I really like [name_m]Ephraim[/name_m]! I have always thought it was handsome and I was surprised to see that it wasn’t more popular than it is. I associate it mentally with other E names like [name_m]Elias[/name_m], [name_m]Ezra[/name_m], [name_m]Ezekiel[/name_m], etc. and those have caught on to the general zeitgeist but [name_m]Ephraim[/name_m] remains somewhat of a hidden gem.
[name_f]My[/name_f] gut instinct pronunciation is the same as yours - ef-rəm - or perhaps ef-rah-eem / ef-ry-eem if I knew they came from a more devout religious family, which is very handsome too!
[name_f]Hazel[/name_f] & [name_m]Ephraim[/name_m] have just a bit of a mismatch to me, with [name_f]Hazel[/name_f] being quite popular nowadays and [name_m]Ephraim[/name_m] still being a rarity, as well as [name_m]Ephraim[/name_m] having religious tones to it that [name_f]Hazel[/name_f] does not. However, as you said, they both do have that juxtaposition of vintage yet modern, and I like that they have those somewhat zippy rarer sounds (z in [name_f]Hazel[/name_f], f in Ephraim).
I do really like it and it sounds good with [name_f]Hazel[/name_f]. But names where people could mess up both spelling and pronunciation aren’t worth the hassle to me, unless you have an extremely common last name like [name_m]Jones[/name_m].
[name_m]Ephraim[/name_m] and [name_f]Hazel[/name_f] feel very cottagecore together for me. I think they’re great as a sibling set! [name_m]Ephraim[/name_m] feels simultaneously soft and strong, which I like.
It’s my father’s middle name as well as my little cousin’s first name. However, both pronounce it EE-frum with a long E – that’s the only pronunciation I’m really familiar with! I do think it’s a handsome name either way and goes very nicely with [name_f]Hazel[/name_f], but I personally might get tripped up on pronunciation (not that I think that should stop you!)