[name_m]Hi[/name_m] ladies! Due in [name_u]January[/name_u] with a little girl!
Here’s the scoop. Kind of a roundabout narrative, but here goes!!
So, we’d like to honour my husband’s grandfather, [name_m]William[/name_m]. He went by [name_u]Willie[/name_u].
We really love the sound of [name_m]Llewellyn[/name_m] (prn. [name_u]Lue[/name_u]-[name_f]Ellen[/name_f]), which is a Welsh name, meaning strong leader, or lion-like. The “wel” sound lends itself so well to “Welly” as a nick name, which we totally love, because it sounds so much like [name_u]Willie[/name_u], and is fun and playful.
But because [name_m]Llewellyn[/name_m] is typically for males, we’re not sold. Also, neither of us has Welsh background. A friend suggested [name_f]Luella[/name_f], which we also really like… But you can’t get to “Welly” quite as easily. At least not when you’re looking at it. And Lewella looks weird, right?
What do you guys think? [name_f]Luella[/name_f]? Or [name_m]Llewellyn[/name_m]? Middle name will likely be [name_f]Fey[/name_f]. We even considered “Weleigh” as a stand alone!
OR! Can you guys think of any other way to get to Welly? Creative suggestions welcomed.
NOTE: We don’t like [name_f]Willow[/name_f] or [name_f]Wilhelmina[/name_f]. They’re pretty names, but not for us.
My issue with [name_m]Llewellyn[/name_m] is that it just looks so masculine in my opinion. I agree that [name_u]Lou[/name_u]-[name_f]Ellen[/name_f] does sound feminine but I also think it sounds a bit dated. [name_f]Luella[/name_f] sounds fresher and prettier. I definitely think Welly works as a nickname!
I would want to say Weleigh “well-[name_m]LAY[/name_m]” not like Welly so I much prefer [name_f]Luella[/name_f] “Welly”. I think that’s such a cool nickname for [name_f]Luella[/name_f]!
[name_f]Luella[/name_f] definitely works. You can definitely use the nickname Welly. [name_f]Noelle[/name_f] is another way to get to Welly? I assume you’ve considered [name_f]Willa[/name_f]? Or [name_f]Wilma[/name_f]? [name_f]Gwendolyn[/name_f] has the right letters for Welly. Nicknames are pretty flexible so I wouldn’t worry about things not looking as intuitive. I don’t like Weleigh though as a standalone. I’m afraid she’s grow out of it so I think it’s safest to give her a fallback formal name.
As I understand it, the Welsh pronounce it almost as a TH sound. But here in [name_f]Canada[/name_f], there are many people with the last name [name_m]Llewellyn[/name_m], of Welsh decent, who pronounce it [name_u]Lue[/name_u]-[name_f]Ellen[/name_f].
My roommate in uni was [name_f]Katie[/name_f] [name_m]Llewellyn[/name_m], pronounced [name_u]Lue[/name_u]-[name_f]Ellen[/name_f]. I guess it’s been Anglicized in [name_u]North[/name_u] [name_u]America[/name_u] over the years. We’d be pronouncing it the way it’s spelled in our country, so I don’t know if that’s “wrong” necessarily…
I think that [name_f]Luella[/name_f] nn Welly works. [name_m]Llewellyn[/name_m] is typically a boy name. There’s a pub here in St. [name_m]Louis[/name_m] called [name_m]Llewellyn[/name_m]'s pronounced [name_u]Lou[/name_u]-ellen. I think that pronunciation is pretty standard. It’s not as sweet as [name_f]Luella[/name_f] though.
I prefer [name_m]Llewellyn[/name_m], and as pps have said, the standard English pronunciation is straightforward. [name_f]Luella[/name_f] just doesn’t appeal to me - sounds insubstantial somehow. For Welly I think [name_f]Elowen[/name_f], [name_f]Ellen[/name_f] [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f], Gwenllian all work too.
[name_m]Llewellyn[/name_m] is definitely a male name for me, and will probably be misspelt and mispronounced frequently, so I vote for [name_f]Luella[/name_f]!
I also love previous posters’ ideas of [name_f]Willa[/name_f], [name_f]Gwendolen[/name_f], and [name_f]Elowen[/name_f].
I would prefer [name_f]Luella[/name_f] myself, and think that Welly definitely works as a nickname. [name_f]Luella[/name_f] is very sweet and airy and has a nice vintage feel and I think [name_f]Luella[/name_f] [name_f]Fey[/name_f] makes for a lovely combo.
That’s fine. I was just under impression you’re not properly informed. Sorry if I was rude, I just thought you would not think it’s going to be any funny if you found about it after you named it.
[name_m]Llewellyn[/name_m] is pronounced with a sort-of CL sound, not TH. Maybe it’s just because I am Welsh, but I couldn’t see this being used on a little girl. I’d go with [name_f]Luella[/name_f].
I see [name_m]Llewelyn[/name_m] as such a boy name, it’s hard to imagine on a girl, though it doesn’t necessarily sound like the most “masculine” name.
I think you are correct in thinking that any English-speaker who doesn’t also speak Welsh will say “loo-ellen,” as that is the anglicized version and probably the more familiar and popular pronunciation at this point. If someone named [name_m]Llewelyn[/name_m] went to [name_f]England[/name_f] or [name_m]Wales[/name_m], they could perhaps expect the original pronunciation, but otherwise I’m not sure you’d hear it.
I think [name_f]Luella[/name_f] works fine, but I think [name_f]Gwendolen[/name_f], [name_f]Elowen[/name_f], and [name_f]Willa[/name_f] could work just as well. Also [name_f]Wellesley[/name_f], [name_f]Jewel[/name_f], or [name_m]Maxwell[/name_m] (also more masculine but [name_f]Jessica[/name_f] [name_m]Simpson[/name_m] used it for her little girl).
