[name_u]Love[/name_u] the way it sounds, it would also be an honour name for my grandmother [name_u]Merle[/name_u] [name_f]Lorraine[/name_f] and my grandfather [name_m]Wray[/name_m].
But I wouldn’t want to chose it and look like I’m just corrupting a [name_u]French[/name_u] name. Thoughts? Thanks!
I wouldn’t call any name trashy.
Marae/Merae looks like a separate name rather than a spelling of [name_f]Mireille[/name_f] to me, I actually wouldn’t have made the connection, so it’s fine imo
Thanks for that. [name_m]Just[/name_m] trying to be respectful and address how it’s viewed. I personally don’t see any names as trashy either, but I know others sometimes feel that way. Thanks again!
If anyone uses the word trashy to describe a name you like you shouldn’t trust their opinion IMO! Definitely not trashy.
Would you pronounce it Muh-ray or Mer-ay? I really love the sound of Mer-ay, it’s beautiful!
Thank you! Yeah, I certainly prefer the Mer-ay pronunciation too. 
[name_f]Mireille[/name_f] is pronounced with Mee-ray, therefore [name_f]Marae[/name_f] just looks way too confusing.
In my country we’re using [name_f]Mirela[/name_f] as variation to [name_f]Mireille[/name_f].
Not at all! I think it’s cute
[name_f]Marae[/name_f] looks pretty and I’d assume it was a different name 
I knew a girl named [name_f]Marae[/name_f] and it was pronounced differently than [name_f]Mireille[/name_f] so it felt like a completely different name.
I like Marae / Merae! They’re certainly easier to pronounce for non-French speakers! And they look quote nice!
A [name_f]Marae[/name_f] (muh-RYE) is a sacred place used for religious and social activities in Māori and Polynesian communities.
Despite my familiarity with the Māori pronunciation, I wouldn’t think it was pronounced the same as [name_f]Mireille[/name_f] just looking at it.
[name_f]Marae[/name_f] is lovely! I wouldn’t have connected it to [name_f]Mireille[/name_f] at all myself!
I was thinking this too. Definitely would be very inappropriate here in NZ! I’m hesitant about it being used in other countries, but perhaps less of an issue if you never plan to come to NZ…
Where I live in NZ, a [name_f]Marae[/name_f] is a traditional meeting house for Māori so I associate it with that but I think that’s a very country/culture specific association.
That’s what I would associate it with too, but I agree that it’s quite culture specific.
Thanks everyone! I was unaware of the Maori connection. We live in Australia, so I’m considering nixing it from my list as we may visit NZ eventually.
Ehhh I’d just go with [name_u]Merle[/name_u] [name_m]Wray[/name_m] honestly or [name_u]Raine[/name_u] to combine [name_m]Wray[/name_m] and [name_f]Lorraine[/name_f].
Like Mirei looks better to me if you’re going for a spelling that matches the sound. Marhea and Morraine are possible options too.
If I had to choose from the ones presented I’d choose Merae. It’s not trashy either way. It’s all just personal perference.
Thank you for the suggestions.
I think [name_f]Mariel[/name_f] may be a happy medium for us or Merae. I’m not particularly in love with [name_u]Raine[/name_u] or [name_u]Merle[/name_u] [name_m]Wray[/name_m]. Oh well, back to the drawing board!
It’s not trashy at all, rather very adorable and unique actually!
I wouldn’t even recognize it as [name_f]Mireille[/name_f], because [name_f]Mireille[/name_f] sounds more like mee-RAY and not muh-RAY.
I would definitely stick with [name_f]Mireille[/name_f].
You might also like the Turkish name [name_f]Miray[/name_f] (MEE-rye).