[name_f]Do[/name_f] you say “lie-n” or “leen”? Would you want YOUR name to be [name_f]Opal[/name_f]?
Is [name_f]Penelope[/name_f] boring to you since it’s so popular? [name_m]Or[/name_m] are most Penelope’s going by [name_f]Penny[/name_f] so it’s not even as “popular” as the SSA says? I personally don’t know of any!
[name_f]Opaline[/name_f] is gorgeous! I would personally love to be an [name_f]Opal[/name_f] (I use the “leen” pronunciation).
I don’t believe I’ve ever met a [name_f]Penelope[/name_f], but it’s also not my cup of tea bc of the pig associations lol. I realize not everyone has the same associations & she does have a sweet sound
I pronounce the ending of [name_f]Opaline[/name_f] as ‘leen’.
I think both [name_f]Opaline[/name_f] and [name_f]Penelope[/name_f] are gorgeous names. If you really love [name_f]Penelope[/name_f], I don’t think popularity should be a dealbreaker (especially because it has a bunch of nicknames), but if you love both equally, and you would prefer a more unique name, perhaps you should choose [name_f]Opaline[/name_f].
(Personally, I like [name_f]Opaline[/name_f] better.)
I have a tiny bit of pig association, haha so I get it. BUT I don’t think that’s a lasting iconic movie by any means so it doesn’t put me off too much.
Interesting you say “leen” I thought most would say “line” like [name_f]Caroline[/name_f]!
Opaline - I like this. My first instinct is to pronounce it Opal-leen, but Opal-line is pretty too.
Penelope - I like this name too. Supposedly it’s popular, but I’ve never actually met one! So no, I don’t feel like Penelope is boring and overused, but I guess it must depend on where you live.
I’d say Opaline with a -leen sound! Pronounced that way, I think it’s so dainty and pretty and magical! I like it a bit less woth the -line pronunciation (for some reason it sounds vaguely medical to me?) but regardless, I absolutely would love to be an Opal, it’s such a fun name! I’ve actually met an Opal; she was Dutch and pronounced it aw-PAL, and I remember me and my family discussing what a cool name it was. I like just Opal more than Opaline, but both are lovely!
I generally don’t mind popular names either, though! If you love a name, I don’t think popularity should matter too much. My only worry with Penelope in an English-speaking context is how it skyrocketed in popularity. I can’t tell if it will become a modern classic, or if in 30 years from now it will feel rather dated to the 2010’s and 2020’s. Other than that, the sound is cute, the nicknames even cuter, and I love the myth of Penelope!
In terms of a full name for Poppy, Penelope makes more sense to me. I’d probably call an Opaline "Ollie’, “Pallie/Polly”, “Opal” or “Lina” as a nickname, Poppy wouldn’t really cross my mind. Although, if you introduced your daughter as Poppy and I later found out it was short for Opaline, I wouldn’t be surprised! I just think it’s something you’d need to try and enforce because it may not come as naturally as Penelope “Poppy”
[name_f]Opaline[/name_f] is sleek and interesting - I’d say it as LINE. I do prefer just [name_f]Opal[/name_f] as [name_f]Opaline[/name_f] feels descriptive to me, but yes, I would absolutely love to be called [name_f]Opal[/name_f]. One of my favourite stones and names.
I do like [name_f]Penelope[/name_f] too though - elegant, stylish and fun. In this case, my vote still goes to [name_f]Opal[/name_f] because I genuinely love it more, but [name_f]Penelope[/name_f] is still a great name.
As an Aussie I’m all for [name_f]Opal[/name_f] in all its forms it’s a gorgeous gem. I love [name_f]Opaline[/name_f] too and I would say it as [name_f]Line[/name_f] as I prefer that pronouncation it sounds more delicate to my ear but that being said i wouldn’t surprised by either pronouncation.
[name_f]Penelope[/name_f] is a name that I don’t like it always sounds a bit snobby to me and I don’t like [name_f]Penny[/name_f] as a nickname because of the currency association… I have met a few in my time but I wouldn’t say the name feels popular just familiar.
[name_f]Opaline[/name_f] is “leen” to me; I had never thought of the “line” pronunciation, but I quite like it.
[name_f]Opal[/name_f] is my cup of tea for myself, but it’s a fine name. I think I’ve actually ran into more Opals than Penelopes?
Penelope’s definitely on the radar, but I don’t think it’s the new [name_f]Sophia[/name_f], so it could be ok, especially if she has a fresh nickname like [name_f]Poppy[/name_f].
[name_f]Penelope[/name_f] “Poppy” is actually delightful!
I love the Aussie naming style! So how do you feel about [name_f]Poppy[/name_f] instead of [name_f]Penny[/name_f] for a nickname? That one seems more familiar in Australia.
I actually like the “line” pronunciation better as well!
Poppy is a nice option for a nickname for Penelope it’s not intuitive for me so I’m not sure if it’d stick. You’d probably have to work hard initially to ensure it was used. That being said if you called her for example: Penelope Opal Paige then I would quite readily understand from her initials how Poppy was her nn and really enjoy using it.
(I use the “leen” pronunciation).
