which pronounciation do you prefer?
[name_f]Esme[/name_f] (ezh-mee) or Esmé (ezh-may) or Esmée (ezh-may)
t.i.a, x
continuation:
with the Esmé/Esmée spelling and pronunciation here are some middle names - which do you like or what do you recommend?
Esmé Scotland/Esmée Scotland
Esmé Vita/Esmée Vita (concern with it being two short names)
Esmé Serafina/Esmée Serafina
Esmé Mirabel/Esmée Mirabel
Esmé Tulsi/Esmée Tulsi
[name_f]Esme[/name_f] without the accent mark is usually pronounced ezz-may, and I like that a bit better than ezz-mee, but either is fine. In English-speaking countries there is always some hassle in having a name with an accent mark, and it will get get omitted or messed up half the time.
For me the name is strongly tied to the [name_m]French[/name_m] language in which Esmé means ‘esteemed’, so I strongly prefer the accent. But technically Esmé is masculine in [name_m]French[/name_m] (for boy it is ‘e’ with accent and for girl it is ‘ee’ with accent on the first ‘e’), so I would prefer Esmée to be honest (pronounced the same as Esmé). But I guess at least in the UK [name_f]Esme[/name_f] has become the standard (with indeed different pronuncations as mentioned). I really prefer the Ez-may pronuncation and in that case I would go with [name_f]Esme[/name_f] (and use the Ez-may pronuncation) or Esmée. Esmé for me just is wrong spelling for a feminine name.
thanks for the input, i have added Esmée to the bunch! i think it will be quite interesting to see which people prefer as Esmé/Esmée has grown on me significantly and will change the middle names i had in place for [name_f]Esme[/name_f]
I would use [name_f]Esme[/name_f] or Esmée for the same reasons outlined by pp, and I pronounce both as ezz-may. I’m from the US and have never heard of Ezz-mee for [name_f]Esme[/name_f]. To be honest that pronunciation seems really odd to me because it’s not the standard [name_m]French[/name_m] way. It would make me think that the parent read it in a book and had no clue how to actually pronounce it.
I prefer it pronounced Ez-mee so I’d go for [name_f]Esme[/name_f] but lots of people pronounce this with the accent anyway. I actually like the spelling [name_f]Esmie[/name_f] however I think this works better if its a nickname.
I prefer [name_f]Esme[/name_f] (EZ-mee). The accented versions sound beautiful and balanced in [name_m]French[/name_m] but I don’t love the harsh, heavily stressed “[name_f]MAY[/name_f]” sound you often get in English.
thanks for all your input so far! your reasons are all very interesting, giving me a lot to think about!
[name_f]Esme[/name_f] or [name_f]Esme[/name_f]
[name_f]Esmee[/name_f] looks somewhat weird to me.
thanks for your feedback!
which middle names do you like or what would you add?
Esmé [name_f]Scotland[/name_f]/Esmée [name_f]Scotland[/name_f]
Esmé [name_f]Vita[/name_f]/Esmée [name_f]Vita[/name_f] (concern with it being two short names)
Esmé [name_f]Serafina[/name_f]/Esmée [name_f]Serafina[/name_f]
Esmé [name_f]Mirabel[/name_f]/Esmée [name_f]Mirabel[/name_f]
adding Esmé [name_f]Tulsi[/name_f] to the list…
any suggestions or feedback for Esmé/Esmée is welcomed
I don’t love the way Esmée looks, so I’d go with Esmé.
For middle names, I really like Esmé [name_f]Vita[/name_f] (I think this combo sounds really nice despite both names being short) or Esmé [name_f]Serafina[/name_f].
I like the ezz-may pronunciation, and I think the accent is unneeded - I prefer the [name_f]Esme[/name_f] spelling. I like the middle names [name_f]Vita[/name_f] and [name_f]Serafina[/name_f].
I would say all of these spellings as ehz-may. I agree PP that pronouncing it ehz-mee would sounds rather odd. My preferred spelling is Esmé, but Esmée is nice too.
Esmée is a French name and the correct spelling is Esmée. I’m French so Esmé and Esme are just wrong for me. I would not use a wrong pronunciation or spelling… My rule is «if you use a name from a different culture, use it properly».
I loooove Esmée Scotland. Great choice!
@mccharlie: i wasn’t sure which one was correct as have seen it around both ways but i do like your point!
thanks for the votes of [name_f]Vita[/name_f], Serfina and [name_f]Scotland[/name_f]!