Either spelling is fine imo. I do prefer [name_f]Melissande[/name_f] though I think. I believe it’s more like [name_f]Lillian[/name_f]/[name_f]Lilian[/name_f], but since I am a fan of kreativ spellings, I’m not 100% sure.
As I expected, [name_f]Melisande[/name_f] seems far more popular. I would love to hear from those voting that way as to WHY you prefer [name_f]Melisande[/name_f].
I just did a quick search on Behind the Name. They do not list [name_f]Melissande[/name_f]. Behind the Name is an excellent, reliable source for all kinds of information on names.
Well… It’s not the same pronunciation.
[name_f]Melisande[/name_f] = Z
[name_f]Melissande[/name_f] = SS = Like in Snake.
Mélisande is a [name_m]French[/name_m] name pronounced Mélizande in [name_f]France[/name_f] because a S between two vowels must be pronounced Z (Isaure, Yselle, Isabelle, Isander, Iseult, etc). That’s why there are two SS at [name_f]Melissande[/name_f], to make the S sound. In my opinion, when you pick a name from a different culture, you should respect the pronunciation, the spelling and the gender. Its historical background in general.
When I mispronounce a word or a name in English, people correcte me too.
If you pronounce it like Sand, then go for Melissande. It’s not made-up.
If you say Z, go for Melisande.
It depends on the pronunciation you want.
I picked “It should be [name_f]Melisande[/name_f]” because I just think it looks prettier and more elegant. [name_f]Melissande[/name_f] does come across as a creative spelling to me, although not a totally terrible one.
The page shifted up while I was voting and I accidentally clicked the it should be [name_f]Melissande[/name_f] option -_-
Really though, I lean toward [name_f]Melisande[/name_f], but I don’t think adding an extra S really makes that much difference in this case. It doesn’t add or take away from the pronunciation from what I can tell (in English, at least).
[name_f]Melisande[/name_f] is familiar to me from the play/opera, and quite close to the form of the name that I’m most familiar with ([name_f]Melisende[/name_f]), so it feels more intuitive to me. I’d never come across [name_f]Melissande[/name_f] before, so I would have assumed it was a creative spelling (though more like [name_f]Lillian[/name_f] than [name_u]Aspyn[/name_u]). I also find [name_f]Melisande[/name_f] more visually appealing.
I don’t think [name_f]Melissande[/name_f] is bad, I just prefer [name_f]Melisande[/name_f]. It’s an uncommon enough name that she’ll probably be asked to spell it anyway, so I think you should use whichever you prefer.
I prefer [name_f]Melisande[/name_f] because it’s the spelling I’m familiar with, so it looks more “right” to me. Either way, it’s a beautiful, elegant name with so much history- I’d love to meet a [name_f]Melisande[/name_f]/[name_f]Melissande[/name_f]!
I think either is fine. I would probably assume one S, just because I’ve seen it that way more often, but two Ss wouldn’t throw me off or feel wrong.
It’s not an incredibly popular or well-known name, so you’d probably have to spell it for people either way. Whichever way you choose will be the version people become familiar with.