I really love the name [name]Philomena[/name] (pronounced “phil-oh-meena”) and the meanings it has (lover of strength, lover of singing) as I think its feminine and earthy, but still provides a sense of strength. Its just… so unrealistic to give to an actual girl, don’t you think? Plus its hard to find boy sibling names for it, so I could end up backing myself into a corner if I use it. Not only that, but I don’t like the nickname [name]Mina[/name] very much.
What do you all think? What could be some name alternatives, or names that can convey the same feelings I get with [name]Philomena[/name]? I really love O names, since my name is [name]Olivia[/name], and lately I’ve kind of taking a liking to [name]Ophelia[/name], especially the -phelia ending. In my signature are names I could really see myself using in real life, as the man also likes them too. I don’t know what he thinks about [name]Philomena[/name], or [name]Ophelia[/name] for that matter.
I also really want to incorporate [name]Ione[/name] as the middle name, to honor my grandmother. I’d also like to be able to use the middle name [name]Bernadette[/name], to honor my great-aunt (also [name]Ione[/name]'s sister), if by chance I have another girl.
I’d really love to hear ideas, input, suggestions, and all that jazz!
Since I first read your thread less than an hour ago, I see you’ve replaced [name]Philomena[/name] with [name]Ophelia[/name] in your signature list and relegated [name]Philomena[/name] to “guilty pleasure” status! I needed a bit of time to think.
Honestly, I think [name]Philomena[/name] might have less trouble in the “real world” than [name]Ophelia[/name] would. [name]Ophelia[/name] has the troubling [name]Hamlet[/name] association, which admittedly not everyone will realize, so I honestly see [name]Philomena[/name] as less problematic. And if [name]Penelope[/name], [name]Persephone[/name], [name]Wilhelmina[/name] and [name]Philippa[/name] are now being used again in the real world, why not [name]Philomena[/name]?
The aforementioned [name]Wilhelmina[/name] and [name]Philippa[/name] give me a similar feeling to that of [name]Philomena[/name]. I used Nameberry’s Super Search for the first time (!) to come up with these other suggestions:
I think it’s out there, but I don’t think it’s too crazy to use. [name]Mena[/name] is such an accessible nickname that I think it could actually work. Nobody would bat an eye meeting a [name]Mena[/name], and if [name]Philomena[/name] hates her name she has that. I know you said you dislike [name]Mina[/name], but it’s not your name- ultimately people choose what they go by, and you can’t tell your children they can’t use a nickname if they want to. If you’re that set against [name]Mena[/name], I don’t think you should use the name. Otherwise, I think you’re alright.
I think that [name]Ophelia[/name] lends itself as a much more compatible name to a young girl than [name]Philomena[/name]. As a younger kid, she could go by [name]Fifi[/name], [name]Lia[/name]/[name]Lea[/name], etc. I think that the “O” balances out the seriousness of the strong Greek-sonuding “phil” suffix/prefix. I also think that the syllable count for [name]Ophelia[/name] [name]Ione[/name] works better than [name]Philomena[/name] [name]Ione[/name].
I think [name]Philomena[/name] could be workable. With all the Sofias and Fionas in the next generation, there are going to be a lot of little girls going by “Fi.” An unusual name with a common nickname can hit the sweet spot for originality. There’s also “Lo,” which is pretty cute. And really, it’s not like [name]Philomena[/name] is harder to say than [name]Margaret[/name].
Or have you considered [name]Ione[/name] [name]Philomena[/name]?
[name]Pippa[/name] is a cute nickname, but I think it ruins the feel of what [name]Philomena[/name] gives me. Also I just couldn’t see myself with a little [name]Pippa[/name] running around.
Yeah, I did change that, and I feel silly for it because I change that dumb signature so often… And I did consider the association of [name]Ophelia[/name] in [name]Hamlet[/name] and that’s why I didn’t consider it for a long time. But I told myself that a lot of people aren’t going to know the history of that character… and besides, if I have a little [name]Ophelia[/name], she can make her own name for herself. Who knows, she could even reinvent the name for her English and Theatre teachers someday.
I did think about [name]Wilhelmina[/name] with the nickname [name]Willa[/name], but my guy’s best friend’s name is [name]Will[/name]. Honestly I like [name]Wilhelmina[/name] mostly for the nickname [name]Willa[/name], so I don’t think that would go well either. I like [name]Athena[/name] and [name]Helena[/name], but I just can’t see myself with one. I really appreciate the in-depth reply!!
I have considered [name]Ione[/name] as a first name, but every time I write [name]Ione[/name] as a character for a short story or play, my readers always ask “Why is my character named [name]Lone[/name]??” or “[name]How[/name] do I even pronounce this??” I blame [name]Arial[/name] font for making capital I’s similar to lowercase l’s… Also I’m afraid every time I called for little [name]Ione[/name], my mother would cry, as she misses her mother ([name]Ione[/name]) very much.
I think mostly why I love [name]Philomena[/name] is the “phi” or “pheel” sound to it. I think that’s why I thought [name]Ophelia[/name] was so similar to it. I like that [name]Ophelia[/name] starts with an O, but I mostly like the -phelia part to it. Its earthy and feminine. I really like hearing everyone’s suggestions and input!
My great aunt [name]Philomena[/name] was nick named [name]Philly[/name], I think it’s totally usable and not that dissimilar to Phillippa. My grandmother’s siblings were:
there were 13 in total but I can’t remember them all without looking them up! I have met a younger [name]Philomena[/name] in her 40s, my great aunt wad born in 1916. My family is Irish and it was far from uncommon in her generation. The younger [name]Philomena[/name] I met more recently was [name]Kenyan[/name].
I think [name]Philomena[/name] is far more usable than [name]Ophelia[/name] (oh-feel-ya). Obviously I adore it. [name]Minnie[/name] or [name]Mina[/name] are nice nicknames and [name]Philomena[/name] [name]Ione[/name] is a gorgeous combo.
I don’t like [name]Philomena[/name] at all, sorry.
I think [name]Ophelia[/name] [name]Ione[/name] is beatiful and I think [name]Ophelia[/name] is quite usable due to the similarity to [name]Olivia[/name] - 4 syllables, starts in O, ends in ia, same consonant-vowel structure.
I actually don’t like the nickname [name]Philly[/name]; [name]Philomena[/name] is just so beautiful, and [name]Philly[/name] doesn’t convey the same feeling, in my opinion. I love the idea of bringing old names back.
I thought the combo was beautiful too! Besides, [name]Ophelia[/name] has a kind of rhyming thing with [name]Aurelia[/name], which we both adore so much. I did find out though that he LOVES [name]Ophelia[/name], as he is a big theatre nerd like me. I just really don’t like the idea of sibling names to rhyme; it leaves out the other siblings too, and there will be a lot of mix-ups.
The problem there lies within my name, as it is [name]Olivia[/name]; many friends and family just call me [name]Olivia[/name], which sounds very much like [name]Ophelia[/name].
I know a [name]Philomena[/name]. It seems usable enough to me. I like it. It’s no longer than [name]Isabella[/name]. None of the sounds are particularly challenging. It’s not incredibly hard to work out the pronunciation. I don’t think its particularly hard to pick brother names for it? It actually works pretty well with [name]Donovan[/name] I think - similar length and not too theme-y otherwise.
I don’t find it more awkward than [name]Ophelia[/name], quite the contrary actually. I love Shakespearean names but [name]Ophelia[/name] is not one I would gravitate to at all. [name]Viola[/name], now, gives me heart flutters. So does the Nameberry-standard [name]Imogen[/name]. And Much [name]Ado[/name] makes me love [name]Beatrice[/name]. [name]Ophelia[/name]… nah.
[name]Ione[/name] is really exquisite, I am jealous you can use it. I cannot and I wish I could.
I like [name]Donovan[/name] and how it sounds with both [name]Philomena[/name] and [name]Aurelia[/name], and it’s always been the man’s favorite boy name, but I have a father named [name]Donn[/name], my mom’s twin brother is [name]Donald[/name], and I have a cousin named [name]Don[/name] too. Plus I was never fond of the nickname [name]Don[/name] or [name]Donnie[/name]. So that can stay a middle name… haha!
I’ve never really been too fond of [name]Viola[/name] or [name]Violet[/name]; maybe because it sounds like my paternal grandmother’s name, and I haven’t been happy with her for years. I’ve always loved [name]Imogen[/name], but that’s the name my best friend is going to use, and I’m totally okay with it–I can much more picture her with a little [name]Imogen[/name] rather than me! I’ve never liked [name]Beatrice[/name]… it always makes me think of Aunt [name]Bea[/name] from the [name]Andy[/name] [name]Griffith[/name] Show.
And I’m really lucky my maternal grandmother (who was a very sweet, loving lady) was named [name]Ione[/name], and I can honor her by using it. Same with her sister, [name]Bernadette[/name], who was like my second grandmother to me. I’m also lucky that I really like both of those names.
But the more I sat down and thought about it, I would be very unhappy if I just settled for a name that was more common or easier to spell than using a name that really speaks to me. I’d would regret naming my first girl something I didn’t really like all that much in comparison to [name]Philomena[/name].
If it makes any difference, the Donovans I’ve known have been Vans, just as how the Dominics I’ve known have been called [name]Nic[/name]/[name]Nick[/name].
I think [name]Philomena[/name] is incredibly striking, but I don’t think its unusable. It reminds me of one of the names my own best friend wants to use - [name]Raphaela[/name] (and, I’ve already been informed, NEVER [name]Ella[/name]!) Flowery and a bit dramatic, but not completely unwieldy.
[name]Philomena[/name] isn’t unrealistic at all. It’s lovely and striking. [name]Philomena[/name] isn’t any more or less elaborate than [name]Isabella[/name], and I see no reason why it couldn’t work.
[name]Philomena[/name] is one of those names that seems perfectly realistic in a book or whimsical other-world where the impossible is all very possible. Sadly, I don’t think that applies to our day-to-day lives; I couldn’t take, say, a psychiatrist or lawyer named [name]Philomena[/name] seriously. Someone with an over-the-top, breezy name like that in a serious setting would come off as flaky to me.
Image aside, there was a time I almost started to grow on the name. Since it’s become the next [name]Maeve[/name], however, I can’t even see it as a GP now.
I did think of [name]Van[/name] instead of [name]Donnie[/name], but I don’t know. I’ll keep it in mind and maybe it’ll grow on me. I think [name]Raphaela[/name] is beautiful too, and [name]Ella[/name] would be a cute nickname to it; to bad your friend doesn’t like it!
Hm, maybe. [name]Minka[/name] reminds me too much of mink. Now I’m just being picky; I guess [name]Mina[/name] is good enough, especially since the whole name is so worth it.
I discovered the name a few years ago, after I saw it somewhere. I mentioned it to my mother, and she told me that my grandmother [name]Ione[/name]'s best friend was named [name]Philomena[/name]. She was a dear family friend. [name]Ever[/name] since then the name just really grew on me, and I love it. I love that it evokes whimsical, other-wordly feelings because I love to write stories and plays. I started in my childhood, often wishing (and I still do) that this world had magic. I love the name because I could see it in a story, and I’m hoping that my children would be able to make a name for themselves in this world. I guess that’s why I want them to have such unique names that the people they meet will remember them.