Why does everyone love it so much? I’m assuming it’s pronounced im-oh-jen and it reminds me of emoji. I’m not trying to offend anyone, but it’s not very pretty in terms of spelling or pronunciation to me. [name_f]Do[/name_f] you mind explaining why [name_f]Imogen[/name_f] appeals to you? Maybe there’s a special meaning I’m missing?
I googled 'how to say [name_f]Imogen[/name_f]" and the pronunciation sounds more like Im-uh-jen (instead of im-o-jen)
It is a little matronly, I figured the appeal lies mostly in the fact that there is a big vintage revival but it doesn’t do much for me personally. I see there’s a connection to a Shakespearean story which is cool.
Eager to see the responses…
I like it because it reminds me of a children’s book I loved (Best [name_u]Christmas[/name_u] Pageant [name_u]Ever[/name_u]), and it just seems sweet and a bit old-timey/Midwestern to me (despite the adorably bratty character in the book). Also, I relate it to the word ‘imagine’ which has excellent connotations.
I say it a bit quicker, so it comes out as Im-eh-jen, not a long oh sound. It’s more like [name_f]Imagine[/name_f] when I say it. I think it’s a beautiful name, as it’s unexpected here, yet it seems quintessentially British.
I don’t understand it either. I’ve seen alot of pronunciations and I don’t like any of them. Perhaps some day I’ll change my mind.
I don’t like it either. It reminds me of [name_f]Phoebe[/name_f], [name_f]Chloe[/name_f] or [name_f]Zoe[/name_f] which all seem kind of preppy to me.
I agree with Poster Tiennarose. We pronounce as long I muh jen.
Many people shockingly are not on Facebook anymore or never were, thus, they haven’t even heard what emoji is. Second it is rarely heard .
I pronounce it more like im-uh-jin. I really like it. I wouldn’t ever use it, but I am really, really fond of it. I like the sound and look of it, and I also think the nickname [name_f]Immy[/name_f] is cute. I also love the [name_m]Shakespeare[/name_m] connection.
I don’t understand why it is so baffling? Everyone likes names for one reason or another and certain sounds or letters appeal to different people. I don’t like the sound or look of the name [name_u]Logan[/name_u], but that’s very popular and obviously there is a reason that it appeals to so many people!
I like [name_f]Imogen[/name_f] for these reasons…
- it’s different from the norm where I live
- it’s Shakespearean so has literary credentials
- it’s very British and I’m an unapologetic Anglophile
- it reminds me of the word “[name_f]Imagine[/name_f]” so I think of [name_m]John[/name_m] [name_m]Lennon[/name_m]'s beautiful song
For what it’s worth, you don’t have to “understand” [name_f]Imogen[/name_f] or any other name. People have different tastes and that’s not a crime.
@emrys and @mischa I’m not normally like this, but with names I get very apologetic. I always feel bad when I don’t like a name, especially when someone ends up naming their child said name and my first thought is “ugh, why that name?” I’m just want to know why a certain name is special to them. It helps me appreciate it a little more
I don’t get it either. Not a fan.
I adore [name_f]Imogen[/name_f].
The appeal for me is: it’s literary, it’s a name almost everyone has heard of but very few people use, it has a similar sound to the names that are currently “in” so it won’t stand or horribly but doesn’t sound exactly like everything else either, it has a victim to [name_m]Shakespeare[/name_m], and the most important for me: it reminds me of a book I loved as a child.
A friend of mine recently named her new baby Emm@-J@ne and I honestly have no idea why she chose it over [name_f]Imogen[/name_f], since they sound so similar. But I’m glad she did, because I like [name_f]Imogen[/name_f] for me.
I’d never use it, and it would never be on my list, but I say it Im-uh-jin and I think it sounds cute. I think this name may be hard to wear, but I’ve never met a little [name_f]Imogen[/name_f] so maybe not.
I’m the same way with the name [name_f]Penelope[/name_f]. The sound isn’t pleasant to me and as a kid I thought it was “[name_u]Penny[/name_u]-lope” (like Cantelope hahah)
I have a cousin (a toddler) named this and we all pronounce it im-uh-gen or jin, the ‘o’ sound doesn’t really sound like an o. They just came back from living in [name_u]America[/name_u] for about a year actually and apparently everyone there thought it was pronoucned im-og-en. Like, an og sound, like hog or fog. Crazy.
I personally like it well enough. It’s a Shakespearian name and is uncommon but not entirely out there. Personally, though, I don’t think it’s been hyped up, nor do I think it’s overly popular or loved, so I don’t quite get where this question is coming from …
I live in Australia and I know three Imogens so I just see it as a normal name. The thing I dislike about it is the nn Immi, [name_f]Emmy[/name_f] is okay but Immi just annoys me.
The shakespeare association is nice but [name_f]Viola[/name_f] and [name_f]Rosalind[/name_f] are much nicer.
[name_u]Love[/name_u] the name [name_f]Imogen[/name_f]! Pronouncing it Im-oh-gen is like pronouncing [name_f]Phoebe[/name_f] Fo-bee. It’s wonderfully British and as others have mentioned, makes me think of [name_m]Shakespeare[/name_m] and [name_m]John[/name_m] [name_m]Lennon[/name_m]'s “[name_f]Imagine[/name_f]”.
If anyone wants to hear how it’s pronounced in [name_f]England[/name_f], it is the name of the baby [name_m]Hugh[/name_m] [name_m]Grant[/name_m] is forced to hold in the beginning of the movie “About a Boy”
I also agree that it has such a matronly sound. I have never understood the appeal of [name_f]Imogen[/name_f]. ???
I love it. (I am American but I’ve emigrated to [name_m]Oz[/name_m]). I am fond of three-syllable-ends-in-n names for both boys and girls: [name_m]Gideon[/name_m], [name_m]Sebastian[/name_m], [name_m]Damian[/name_m], [name_m]Finnian[/name_m] / [name_f]Lillian[/name_f], [name_f]Rhiannon[/name_f], [name_f]Gillian[/name_f], [name_u]Vivien[/name_u]… and yes, [name_f]Imogen[/name_f].
I also love the Shakespearean connection. http://shakespeare-online.com/plays/characters/sisterhood/sisterhoodimogen.html This is a write-up of the character I like. Honestly I adore the idea of a sibset with [name_f]Viola[/name_f], [name_f]Miranda[/name_f], and [name_f]Imogen[/name_f].
For me [name_f]Imogen[/name_f] unfortunately falls in a weird place - to my American family it’s too “difficult” or “made-up sounding” (!) and for my Australian husband and in-laws, it’s “too common!”
I don;t understand the hype either. I personally dislike the name a lot!
I love [name_f]Imogen[/name_f]! Like others, it has a classy and sophisticated, very British vibe to me, and I’m a total Anglophile. The [name_m]Shakespeare[/name_m] character is a likeable and gutsy one. It’s quite unique here too; many people I know [name_m]IRL[/name_m] have never heard of it. I pronounce it im-uh-jin.