Ginevra...?

Girl Names
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[name_m]Hi[/name_m] everyone!

[name_f]Ginevra[/name_f] has been on my mind recently.

I love how it’s frilly and strong at the same time. I enjoy that it has multiple nickname possibilities -most of which I like. I love that it has special meaning to me - it’s the name of my favourite character, [name_f]Ginevra[/name_f] Fanshawe, from my favourite book, [name_f]Villette[/name_f], who I wrote my dissertation on.

But like with every name, I have a couple of reservations:

  1. Is it weird to use an Italian name without any Italian heritage or does [name_f]Ginevra[/name_f] feel universal enough?

  2. [name_m]Will[/name_m] people link it too much to [name_u]Harry[/name_u] [name_m]Potter[/name_m]?

  3. Is it ‘too much’ or too different to [name_f]Sarai[/name_f]?

  4. [name_m]Will[/name_m] people misread it/mispronounce it as [name_f]Gin[/name_f]erva as opposed to [name_f]Gin[/name_f]evra?

  5. [name_f]Ginevra[/name_f] Fanshawe is definitely an acquired taste - if you’ve read [name_f]Villette[/name_f], is the association too heavy?

  6. I love the combo [name_f]Ginevra[/name_f] [name_u]Snow[/name_u] but that feels a little too [name_f]Villette[/name_f].* [name_f]Ginevra[/name_f] [name_f]Hazel[/name_f] and [name_f]Ginevra[/name_f] [name_f]Mabel[/name_f] are other options but I’m not sure!

Thank you for any thoughts -I really appreciate it

  • the main character of Villette is called Lucy Snowe and Ginevra is a character in the same book
2

I absolutely love it. It feels magical and I don’t see the [name_u]Harry[/name_u] potter reference all that much as she was a [name_f]Ginny[/name_f] mostly.
I think you can use it despite it being Italian. A lot of Greek names are used these days and people don’t necessarily have Greek ancestry.
I haven’t read the book. But regardless I do think it is usable.

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  1. To me, [name_f]Ginevra[/name_f] doesn’t seem overtly Italian and I don’t think anyone would bat an eye at someone with no Italian heritage using it. People use plenty of other Italian names, so I don’t see why [name_f]Ginevra[/name_f] wouldn’t work!

  2. To my name nerd self, [name_f]Ginevra[/name_f] is so far removed from the [name_u]Harry[/name_u] [name_m]Potter[/name_m] character that I forget the connection exists (I think it’s helped by the fact she almost always goes by [name_f]Ginny[/name_f]). Though when I first came across the name on here, HP was all that I could think of. I don’t think it’d be too big of an issue though – especially if she went by a nickname other than [name_f]Ginny[/name_f]. I knew a little girl called [name_f]Hermione[/name_f], and if that can work irl then I think [name_f]Ginevra[/name_f] could too.

  3. Ginevra and [name_f]Sarai[/name_f] are quite different, but I think with both of them being unusual they still seem to fit together. [name_f]Sarai[/name_f] seems to be a fairly versatile name!

  4. It’s definitely a possibility, but I don’t think it’s one you should spend too much time dwelling on. I’m a [name_f]Georgia[/name_f], a name which should be virtually problem-free, but I still get the occasional “[name_f]Georgina[/name_f]?” or “[name_u]Georgie[/name_u]?”. It doesn’t happen often enough to be a big deal, and I think [name_f]Ginevra[/name_f] would be similar.

  5. I personally liked [name_f]Ginevra[/name_f]! She wasn’t a particularly bad person, and people name their children things with far worse connections. I don’t think the association is too heavy at all – most people likely won’t even make the connection.

  6. They’re all nice options, though I agree about [name_f]Ginevra[/name_f] [name_u]Snow[/name_u]. Some suggestions:

Ginevra [name_u]Lou[/name_u]
[name_f]Ginevra[/name_f] [name_f]Maisie[/name_f]
[name_f]Ginevra[/name_f] [name_f]Daisy[/name_f]
[name_f]Ginevra[/name_f] [name_f]Chloe[/name_f]
[name_f]Ginevra[/name_f] [name_f]Poppy[/name_f]
[name_f]Ginevra[/name_f] [name_u]Winter[/name_u]
[name_f]Ginevra[/name_f] [name_f]Kate[/name_f]
[name_f]Ginevra[/name_f] [name_f]Claire[/name_f]
[name_f]Ginevra[/name_f] [name_f]Florence[/name_f]
[name_f]Ginevra[/name_f] [name_f]Mae[/name_f] / [name_f]May[/name_f]
[name_f]Ginevra[/name_f] [name_u]Story[/name_u]
[name_f]Ginevra[/name_f] [name_f]Maple[/name_f]
[name_f]Ginevra[/name_f] [name_f]Hattie[/name_f]

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  1. Ginevra reads as Italian to me, but perhaps that’s just because I’m familiar with Italian names. I’m not sure if the average British person would know that it’s Italian. Many people are just not knowledgeable about name origins. Either way, lots of Italian names are used internationally (e.g. [name_u]Luca[/name_u], [name_f]Francesca[/name_f]), so I don’t see any particular problem with using [name_f]Ginevra[/name_f].

  2. Perhaps [name_u]Harry[/name_u] [name_m]Potter[/name_m] fans would, but I don’t think the average person wouldn’t be aware that [name_u]Harry[/name_u] [name_m]Potter[/name_m] has a [name_f]Ginevra[/name_f] in it.

  3. I like [name_f]Ginevra[/name_f] with [name_f]Sarai[/name_f]. They both have an elegant, exotic vibe.

  4. Possibly, because it’s not a very common name. But I think it’s a simple enough correction.

  5. I’ve never read the book so I can’t comment.

  6. I really like [name_f]Ginevra[/name_f] [name_f]Hazel[/name_f] and [name_f]Ginevra[/name_f] [name_f]Mabel[/name_f]. [name_u]Snow[/name_u] is NMS, but if you love it I don’t think the association is a big deal.

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Answering #4 I did want to read it as Ginerva , or maybe Gineva, and really had to focus to get it right. But I’m prone to seeing what is more common for me and swapping sounds around.

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I think it’s usable. Not too “Italian sounding” for me. I agree it isn’t too tied to [name_u]Harry[/name_u] [name_m]Potter[/name_m]. [name_f]Sarai[/name_f] and [name_f]Ginevra[/name_f] are lovely together in my opinion! They both have a lovely sound and the same touch of uniqueness.
I like all your combo options, though I haven’t read the book so I can’t say if [name_f]Ginevra[/name_f] [name_u]Snow[/name_u] is too associated.

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@anon25197097 thank you!!

@Gia.berry thank you for your detailed thoughts! I love [name_f]Ginevra[/name_f] [name_f]Florence[/name_f] and [name_f]Ginevra[/name_f] [name_f]Poppy[/name_f]!

@choupette Thank you for your detailed comment -very helpful!

@seawillow aw, thank you!!

@hellobanjo thank you!!

@planetnames thank you!!

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  1. I definitely think [name_f]Ginevra[/name_f] is versatile enough to be used on anyone. It doesn’t strike me as distinctly Italian the way [name_f]Francesca[/name_f] or [name_f]Chiara[/name_f] do.
  2. And, no, I don’t find it too tied to HP, especially not compared to some names like [name_f]Minerva[/name_f] and [name_f]Hermione[/name_f]. Probably because that [name_f]Ginevra[/name_f] goes by [name_f]Ginny[/name_f] all the time, and so the name doesn’t feel wholly connected to her.
  3. I do think it is much different than [name_f]Sarai[/name_f] in style. Whether that’s a bad thing or not, though, I don’t know.
  4. I would imagine the pronunciation would be straightforward enough, but people mispronounce almost any name that’s not super common, so it’s possible. Easily corrected though, if it does happen.
  5. I instantly associate it with her, but Villette is not the most popular of CB’s novels, so I don’t think it will be too strong for most people. I, for one, like the connection. It makes the name feel literary, yet unexpected – not like [name_f]Lucy[/name_f], for example.
  6. Ginevra [name_f]Mabel[/name_f] is so charming!! [name_u]Love[/name_u] it.
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@elanorelle thank you so much for your thoughts!

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go for it!! :heart:

if you’re looking for nicknames (perfectly fine if you aren’t), and you don’t want [name_f]Ginny[/name_f] as a nickname (maybe because you feel it’s too tied to HP but I still love it) maybe [name_f]Evie[/name_f]? it’s a stretch but still

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  1. I don’t think it’s weird to use an Italian name without Italian heritage. [name_m]Plenty[/name_m] of people who aren’t Italian use Italian names, and it happens with other cultures too, not just Italian, so it should be okay. Most people probably won’t know it’s Italian unless you tell them, or they are Italian themselves.

  2. I don’t think the average person will know it’s a HP name. [name_f]Ginny[/name_f] is only called [name_f]Ginevra[/name_f] a couple times, so they probably won’t even remember it’s her full name. I think only super-fans would know but the average person wouldn’t.

  3. I think it fits good with [name_f]Sarai[/name_f]. Both are pretty and unique and I think they work just fine.

  4. The occasional person might misread it as [name_f]Gin[/name_f]erva but I don’t think most will. If they do misread it, just simply correct them a couple times; many will get it after the first couple times they are told.

  5. Never read Villette so I don’t associate it with the book; Where I am, most people don’t seem to have read the book.

  6. I like [name_f]Ginevra[/name_f] [name_u]Snow[/name_u], it’s a pretty combo. Like I said, I don’t think many people have read Villette so I don’t find the association too strong-- most people also won’t know her middle so it’d be fine. If you feel it’s too strongly associated though, [name_f]Ginevra[/name_f] [name_f]Hazel[/name_f] is pretty too.

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I LOVE [name_f]Ginevra[/name_f], and I love the book [name_f]Villette[/name_f]. I inherited a vintage copy from my Grandmother so I totally get your love for it. I’m also a [name_m]Potter[/name_m] fan so I don’t really mind that association although book [name_f]Ginny[/name_f] is way better than film [name_f]Ginny[/name_f]. I wouldn’t be bothered about Italian heritage, people take inspo from all cultures so I wouldn’t worry about that. Also kind of love [name_f]Ginevra[/name_f] [name_u]Snow[/name_u] and I think luckily [name_f]Villette[/name_f] isn’t that well known as a novel so again, I think you could get away with it no problem.

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Ginevra is a wonderful name! So refreshing.

I do not believe a person needs to be Italian to use an Italian name, etc. etc. [name_m]Way[/name_m] too narrow for me.

I don’t know anything about [name_u]Harry[/name_u] [name_m]Potter[/name_m] except that from nameberry I can see that Rowling used about a million names throughout her series.

I don’t think names have to match. Our children are individuals, not matching powder blue Samsonite suitcases. :slight_smile:

I think they’ll say it how it’s spelled which is good.

Sad to say, but most people don’t read the Brontes.

All your middles sound fine to me. I’d name her [name_f]Ginevra[/name_f] [name_u]Fjord[/name_u]. :slight_smile:

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  1. Didn’t even know [name_f]Ginevra[/name_f] was Italian, so I think you’re safe.
  2. Didn’t know there was a character named that (never read or seen any of them tho)
  3. I don’t think so!
  4. When I first came across the name on here a few years back, I did read Ginerva. Most people will be hearing the name before seeing it, though.
  5. Don’t think so!
  6. Ginevra [name_u]Snow[/name_u] is great, but that would feel very tied to [name_f]Villette[/name_f]. Maybe [name_f]Ginevra[/name_f] [name_f]Maple[/name_f]? Your other options are great too!