Yeah, there’s lots of names that just start with an I. And I have a few I like. Most of them are a short i or an ee- sound though.
Can anyone help me find more EYE-names with a long I sound? I’ve got:
[name_f]Ivy[/name_f] - I love it, but the -y ending is not great with our surname.
[name_f]Iris[/name_f] - I like it, and the mythology connection, but it’s a bit old lady, and my husband is not convinced. Are there variations that keep the long I?
[name_f]Ida[/name_f] - Husband: “nooooooo!”
[name_f]Ayla[/name_f] and [name_f]Isla[/name_f] - I love the meaning of [name_f]Ayla[/name_f] but [name_f]Isla[/name_f] is more familiar here. [name_f]Isla[/name_f] is also Top 20 here. Husband finds [name_f]Isla[/name_f] too reminiscent of [name_f]Isla[/name_f] [name_m]Fisher[/name_m] and also claims to know too many to truly love it, but it’s “okay” he says.
[name_f]Irene[/name_f] - I think the “eye-REEN” pronunciation gets the least love on Nameberry but I like it. I wouldn’t mind an -a or -ee sound ending but I’d like to keep the long I.
Anymore? [name_m]Just[/name_m], please, not [name_f]Eileen[/name_f]!
I’m also a fan of the ‘eye’ sound. [name_f]Aira[/name_f] (EYE-ra) is my favourite of course. Finnish and means ‘messenger’. And just yesterday I realised that [name_f]Sapphira[/name_f] ‘saff-EYE-ra’ also has the ‘eye’ sound. So:
I’ve fixated on just the LETTER I for a long, long time but I realized yesterday that when it’s a short i, as cute as they are, I lose some of the feel.
Oh, aurra, I love the idea of [name_f]Isis[/name_f], but I can’t get him to agree to it. Closest I can come is [name_f]Isidora[/name_f] or Isidra (“gift of [name_f]Isis[/name_f]”). Good style though.
[name_m]Ian[/name_m] is pronounced ‘EE-an’. As far as I know, both of the pronunciations I listed are right though I’m more sure about the Russain because I looked into their girl’s name [name_u]Ira[/name_u] and was disappointed that it was pronounced ‘EE-ra’ and was a nickname for [name_f]Irina[/name_f]/[name_f]Irena[/name_f].
Oops, I wasn’t trying to throw this into doubt. I meant “I thought [name_f]Ianthe[/name_f] was ee-anth-ee, similar to more widely known [name_m]Ian[/name_m]”
They rhyme almost exactly with my married name. :eek: [name_f]Ione[/name_f] Maroni (last name is a different spelling but same pronunciation) is terrible. But I love your taste!
[name_f]Ayla[/name_f]'s a great one, tfzolghadr. Ayda is like [name_f]Ida[/name_f]?
I really like the suggestions of [name_f]Isis[/name_f] and [name_f]Ione[/name_f]. I do like [name_f]Iona[/name_f] but it sounds like “I own a ….”. There is also Ibis and [name_f]Io[/name_f] – a little more daring perhaps.
I’d encourage you to rethink [name_f]Iris[/name_f]!
It’s beautiful and has a great history in Greek Mythology.
And just think: every “old lady” with that name was once a young girl too.
‘ee-an-thee’ That’s what I said originally, I think?