Well, I’ve gotten bad responses from [name_f]Cleora[/name_f], so I guess I should just move on and leave it as a GP. I love [name_f]Cleo[/name_f] as a nn, and someone suggested Cléophée. [name_f]Cleo[/name_f]-fay. I love the sound. I’d probably drop the accent on the first e, as I don’t live in [name_f]France[/name_f]. What do you think? Usable? I grew up with a hard to pronounce name, and hated it. But Cléophée is so pretty. I think I could get over it. What do you think? Any other [name_f]Cleo[/name_f] names you like better?
If you think it is usable, should I spell it Cléophée, Cleophée, Cleophee? Something more phonetic?
I really love Cleo, but not on its own. Cleo just feels too short (and it was a dog on the TV show Clifford the Big Red Dog when I was a kid). I’m really struggling to find a name I could use it for. I’ve gotten Calliope, but I feel like it is a big jump. Cleopatra is a 1 woman name. Cleome, Cleone, Cleona? Nothing feels right. Lost & confused. Need some convincing on which Cleo name is best. So if no to Cléophée, tell me your favorite Cleo nn name.
Thanks!
HTB
might like being named that, but I cannot think of any. I teach kids and it just seems cruel to name a child that name.
But I could be mistaken. Talk to some grade school, middle school, and high school girls and see what they say.
What about just [name_f]Cleo[/name_f] or [name_f]Clio[/name_f]? Sometimes simplest is best and where you want to be is where you should start.
I think Cléophée is a lovely name, but spelled like this I’d pronounce it [name_m]Clay[/name_m]-oh-fay, if it was spelled Cleophée, I’d pronounce it Clee-oh-fay (which I prefer), and I think most people would do the same. But I’m just using my rather limited knowledge of [name_m]French[/name_m] pronunciations to base this on. It is a really beautiful name, I’d use it.
@lesliemarion- I understand what you are saying. It is just too weird for real use, too grand and strange looking. I thought about it last night, being named Cléophée would not be so great. Spelling/pronunciation would be a nightmare. But I do love the sound. [name_f]Cleo[/name_f] just feels too short/nicknamey to me. I’ll have to think about it, let it grow on me a bit.
@myosotis- I’m glad someone other than myself loves the sound of it.
SO, if Cleophée is a dud/not usable, is [name_f]Cleone[/name_f] (or [name_f]Cleonie[/name_f]?) or [name_f]Cleona[/name_f] better? Or Cleome? Which is best?
Cleophee regardless of where the accents are, is a little too frou-frou for me, but I really, really like [name_f]Cleonie[/name_f]. I’m also a big fan of [name_f]Clio[/name_f].
Wondered if I had been too hard on the name. I do like [name_f]Clio[/name_f] or [name_f]Cleo[/name_f] AND [name_f]Faye[/name_f]/[name_f]Fay[/name_f], was wondering if you could just name her [name_f]Cleo[/name_f] [name_f]Fay[/name_f] Last Name.
I love Cleome, for the plant. People might still not be sure how to pronounce it, but once they knew, they would remember. I also like that it is the name of something lovely.
I haven’t heard [name_f]Cleone[/name_f] or [name_f]Cleonie[/name_f] before, but I am mad about [name_f]Leonie[/name_f].
What about [name_f]Clemence[/name_f] or [name_f]Clementine[/name_f] or [name_f]Clementina[/name_f] and call her [name_f]Cleo[/name_f]?
Best of luck!
[name_u]Leslie[/name_u]
I think [name_f]Clio[/name_f] is a great name itself, maybe if you paired it with a longer middle name it might sound more complete to you?
[name_f]Clio[/name_f] [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f]
[name_f]Clio[/name_f] [name_f]Vivienne[/name_f]
Otherwise, [name_f]Clover[/name_f] or [name_f]Cornelia[/name_f] might work.
Good luck!
@roseymaam- Yeah, I guess Cleophee is really frilly. [name_f]Cleo[/name_f]/[name_f]Clio[/name_f]. I’m trying to like it on its own, but I guess I just need to let it grow on me. [name_f]Cleonie[/name_f] growing on me.
@lesliemarion- No, you weren’t too harsh. I’ve gotten the suggestion before of [name_f]Cleo[/name_f] [name_f]Faye[/name_f] Lastname or [name_f]Cleo[/name_f]-[name_f]Faye[/name_f] (double barreled first name), but I’m not 100% on [name_f]Cleo[/name_f] by itself (even though I know it is perfectly fine on its own). And I’m not a fan of doubled barreled first names. Cleome has a pretty sound, and the flower is pretty. [name_f]Cleone[/name_f]/[name_f]Cleonie[/name_f] has a nice sound too. I like [name_f]Leonie[/name_f] too, but I would only use it for characters. I have gotten the suggestion of [name_f]Clementine[/name_f] before but unfortunately I’m not a fan ([name_f]Clementine[/name_f] is a food, can’t get over it). I guess I just don’t like any of the [name_u]Clem[/name_u]- names for girls, which is weird because [name_m]Clement[/name_m] is a big GP for me.
@larajames- Maybe the longer middle will help, I’ll have to try it out with my list. I’m not really a fan of [name_f]Clover[/name_f] or [name_f]Cornelia[/name_f], but thanks for the suggestion. I love your son’s name! [name_m]Quentin[/name_m] [name_m]Charles[/name_m] [name_u]Walker[/name_u] is adorable.
It’s gorgeous, but not unless your child will be [name_m]French[/name_m] which would justify the issues she’d have. Surely it should be more like ‘claai-OHH-fae’ in a [name_m]French[/name_m] accent? But I guess without it sounds a bit weird.
Outside [name_f]France[/name_f] it would probably be pronounced clee-oh-fee, which I prefer to clee-oh-fay anyway. It shouldn’t matter since you were choosing to ignore one of the accents in the first place.
If you did want clee-oh-fay, I’d drop the last ‘e’ which is confusing for a non [name_m]French[/name_m] speaker. Cleophe.
Some one on Nameberry once recommended Cleome for a hypothetical sibset. Which in my opinion is a really awesome and fun looking flower and name. It’s also close to Cleophee. Cleophee also reminds me of [name_f]Nanny[/name_f] [name_m]McPhee[/name_m].
I love Cléophée but I shudder to imagine how it would be pronounced by non-[name_m]French[/name_m] speakers. The correct pronunciation is something like kleh-oh-FEH, so you don’t really get “[name_f]Cleo[/name_f]” from it.
And please, don’t drop the accent… if you’re going to use a [name_m]French[/name_m] name, then commit to it. It’s annoying when people create these pseudo-[name_m]French[/name_m] hybrids like [name_f]Anais[/name_f] and Esmé.
The latin form, Cleophea, would work much better in an English-speaking context (and it’s also quite pretty!).
Alternatively, you could easily take [name_f]Cleo[/name_f]/[name_f]Clio[/name_f] from a different name altogether, like [name_u]Abby[/name_u] from Appellation Mountain did with her daughter, [name_f]Claire[/name_f]-[name_f]Caroline[/name_f] “[name_f]Clio[/name_f]”.
[name_f]Cleopatra[/name_f]
Cleopâtre
Cleophora —*this is a botanical name
Cleopha — feminine form of Cleophas
[name_f]Clementine[/name_f]
[name_f]Claudie[/name_f]
[name_f]Clothilde[/name_f]
Cloelia
[name_f]Clover[/name_f]
[name_f]Claire[/name_f]-[name_f]Louise[/name_f], [name_f]Claire[/name_f]-[name_f]Olivia[/name_f], [name_f]Claire[/name_f]-[name_f]Leona[/name_f]…
@oliviasarah- my child will most likely not be [name_m]French[/name_m]. I’m Greek, but who knows who I’ll marry? Cleophe looks off to me, but the double e makes it look like [name_f]Cleo[/name_f]-fee, which is not as appealing to me. It sounds so pretty, but I’m thinking it isn’t going to work.
@natural- Cleome is growing on me, I like it. I do like the flower association and such, but I love the sound of Cleophee. The -phee at the end of Cleophee did initially remind me of Nany [name_m]McPhee[/name_m] as well. I can’t win.
@sugarplumfairy- The pronunciation I got from Forvo was more like Clee-oh-fee/Clee-oh-fay. But I can see how Kleh-oh-fay would be the proper pronunciation with the accents. Usually I don’t accent drop, but I think it would be confusing with them to non-French people. After I posted I originally, I thought that Cléophée looks a lot better with the accents anyway. Out of the names you listed I do really like Cleophea, though not as much as Cléophée, but I probably have to let it grow on me (Cléophée took me a few days).
So I guess Cléophée is out. Now it is between Cleophea, Cleome, [name_f]Cleonie[/name_f], [name_f]Cleone[/name_f], & [name_f]Cleona[/name_f]. Any thoughts/opinions on these?
It looks a bit off to me too. Shame because it’s so pretty.
And haha, who knows I’m absolutely pathetic but I have a list on international names I’m allowed to use if my childrens’ father is Italian/Spanish/Persian/Turkish/Irish or whatever. Literally.
[name_f]Cleora[/name_f] would be lovely and quite original since it is stated on nameberry that it is a now extinct name.
but here are some alternatives
[name_f]Cleopatra[/name_f]
[name_f]Cleona[/name_f]
[name_f]Cleola[/name_f]
Cleonella
Cleotilde
Cleotilda
[name_f]Cleonie[/name_f]
Cleobella
Cleomena or Cleomina
Cleope
[name_f]LOVE[/name_f],
[name_f]Daisy[/name_f] [name_f]Liv[/name_f]
@oliviasarah- I understand, I have to make my names translatable to Greek, because of my Greek family.
@Daisyliv- I love [name_f]Cleora[/name_f], but berries and other sites have told me it is too close to cloaca and cholera, not such nice associations. From what you mentioned, I like: [name_f]Cleona[/name_f], [name_f]Cleonie[/name_f], & Cleomena/Cleomina. I really like [name_f]Cleona[/name_f] & [name_f]Cleonie[/name_f]. I’m just not 100%. I need berry approval.
So, berries do we like or not like Cleophea, Cleome, [name_f]Cleonie[/name_f], [name_f]Cleone[/name_f], & [name_f]Cleona[/name_f]. Because if you guys don’t like them, it is not likely that normal people (not name nerds) will.