New Name Discovery - Could this be the one?

Girl Names
1

I have been searching for THE perfect name since I found out I am expecting. Amidst my search I realized that there probably isn’t a “perfect” name, that in fact no name can meet all of my criteria (sophisticated, edgy, and beautiful)…
That is, until I discovered: Az”lie (ah-ZAY-lee).

It is the French name for [name]Azalea[/name], and it is a Hebrew name meaning “flower” - I assume after [name]Azalea[/name], as well. I think it has the perfect meaning since I recently had a dream that my baby was a beautiful flower. I also love how similar it is to one of my favorites, Am”lie, but it won’t be confused for [name]Emily[/name] with an “A”.

What do you think? Is Az”lie too much, or is it a surprising beauty?

What would your reaction be to meeting a little Az”lie?

2

I love the sound. Very pretty.

My only concern is that I may get tripped up the first time I had to read / pronounce it, but I hardly think that’s a reason not to use it. I can’t really think of a better spelling.

Azalie?
Azaley?

Hm…

3

So funny, I just found that name this morning as well! I wrote it down too. I think it’s beautiful and since it fits all your criteria, I see no reason not to use it! Of course it would initially be met with some pronunciation/spelling issues, but it’s a legitimate French name and it has a really pretty (and strong) sound, so don’t let that stop you.

If I met a little girl named Az”lie, I would definitely compliment her name and think that her parents had very good taste in names. I’d probably even be a little envious!

4

I like it a lot. I would worry that people would mispronounce and misspell it. Azelie (esp as it will be without the accent a lot of the time) maybe could be read as AZ-lee? But people will catch on after one correction and I do think it meets your criteria. I actually quite like [name]Azalea[/name] too.

5

Thank you all for your kind words, and wisdom.
DH did bring up the thought that it would be mispronounced frequently, so that is definitely something to consider. I think that people will want to pronounce it like [name]Aisley[/name], rhyming with [name]Paisley[/name]. I think [name]Aisley[/name] is kind of cute in iteself, even though it is completely butchering the correct pronunciation. I don’t think it’s the worst thing in the world for her to be mistakenly called [name]Aisley[/name].

What middle names would you pair it with? I was thinking Az”lie [name]Sophia[/name], or Az”lie [name]Natalia[/name]. Opinions?

6

As someone with lot of years of education in French behind them, I just wanted to note that Azelie (sorry, my computer is not liking the accents right now) is not pronounced a-ZAY-lee. Although of course that is a very pretty pronunciation. A French speaker would say it more like a-zay-[name]LEE[/name]. The “zay” syllable is actually said the quickest and is not stressed at all. It’s the same principle as [name]Amelie[/name], which is more like a-may-[name]LEE[/name] than a-[name]MAY[/name]-lie. It’s a very pretty name regardless of the pronunciation but I just wanted to throw that out there in case it changes your mind.

7

I would deemphesize the zay as well, I speak french. If the stress on the Zay is catching you, just leave off the accent and prn it Uh-ZAY-lee!

:slight_smile:

Blessings,

[name]Bella[/name] <3

8

That’s the way I say it when I read it because I relate it to [name]Amelie[/name]. I actually prefer it pronounced with the emphasis on the last syllable.

I do really think it’s a beautiful unusual choice :slight_smile: If I met a little girl with the name I think it would be really striking and pretty. I also love it with both [name]Sophia[/name] and [name]Natalia[/name] as middle names because I think it needs a soft and familiar middle name. Best of luck!

9

I think you could just skip the confusion altogether by going with [name]Azalea[/name]. It’s beautiful, recognizable, and impossible to mispronounce.

10

I was also going to suggest [name]Azalea[/name] instead to avoid everyone else’s confusion/mispronunciation, and would pair that with the middle name [name]Sophie[/name] (to eliminate the repeated As in [name]Azalea[/name]/[name]Sophia[/name]). :slight_smile:

11

I think it’s pretty and interesting, but I wouldn’t use it if you live in an English speaking area. I think it’d be much harder to live with than [name]Amelie[/name]-- [name]Amelie[/name], at least, is a familiar name, and it’s easy to say “[name]Amelia[/name] with an E”, or “[name]Emily[/name] with an A”. Azelie would always get the accent mark left out, and without it, it looks (like you said) like a tryndee made up name. I can definitely see it being pronounced ‘ayz-lee’, or at the very least, a-[name]ZELL[/name]-ee.

My reaction to Azelie would be that it is a lovely name, and the parents have good taste, but I’m a name nerd and most people probably have absolutely no idea that it’s a name. I would try it out with friends and family and see reactions in the real world.

12

Sorry, my computer hates accents, too! You really had me there for a minute - I saw Azelie, loved it, and was going to come on here and say, “Wow, I think both Azelie [name]Sophia[/name] and Azelie [name]Natalia[/name] are winners. [name]Love[/name] 'em!” But, then I kept reading, and I got to the post about French pronunciations, and I got to thinking about [name]Amelie[/name], which isn’t [name]Amelia[/name] with an E or [name]Emily[/name] with an A, pronunciation-wise, and I think, if you live in a primarily English-speaking place (read that as NOT a primarily French-speaking place), you and your daughter - Azelie - will have some trouble with pronunciation, spelling, the works. And, as you noted, others have noted, and I’ve now noticed after typing Azelie so many times without its accent, it looks contrived, slightly made-up, and I really couldn’t tell you the right way to say it: ah-[name]ZEL[/name]-ee? ah-zah-[name]LEE[/name]? A-zeh-LIE?

So, yes, I think I, too, would recommend [name]Azalea[/name] as a compromise, though it is so spunky, whimsical, and utterly striking on its own that I can’t really even call it a compromise! [name]Azalea[/name] [name]Sophie[/name] is really very sweet, but [name]Azalea[/name] [name]Sylvie[/name] might get you to a closer compromise with Azelie, right? Plus, [name]Lea[/name] is a totally adorable nickname!

Whatever you decide, go with what makes you happiest. Best of luck!

[name]Lemon[/name] :slight_smile:

13

Great food for though! Thank you!

I will be completely honest, I don’t like how straight forward [name]Azalea[/name] is. In my opinion, it’s a beautiful name (as well as flower), but it is too “in your face, I’m a flower” type of name. [name]Don[/name]'t get me wrong, I love plenty of flower names, like [name]Lily[/name], for example. I think what I truly love about Az”lie is that it is abstract, and not straight forward.

It’s true that it will be a nuisance to correct the mispronunciations, but quite honestly, I think the character of the name is worth it. It is so beautiful and unique… it is definitely worth correcting people.

As for pronouncing it ah-zay-[name]LEE[/name], I’m sure it’s correct, but it’s a little difficult for the average American to say naturally. Considering that the name is also Hebrew, I’m not worried about there being only one correct pronunciation. I’m sure it could be pronounced differently all over the world considering all of the different accents and languages. In [name]Italy[/name] they would say her name with and Italian accent - which is different from the French way - and that is different than the Hebrew way, etc. I am comfortable with pronouncing it ah-ZAY-lee, and will teach my family and friends to pronounce it that way, as that is how we would choose to pronounce it, if we do in fact name her Az”lie. My mom has a VERY unusual name, and daily people mispronounce it, and misspell it. She gets annoyed, but ultimately just brushes it off. As long as my baby thinks her name is beautiful, it is worth the extra effort.

As long as DH and I agree on it, and I have strong support from all of you wonderful nameberries, that this name is indeed a rare beauty, I am 100% satisfied that we would be making a good choice for our daughter.

After all, it’s better than some made up, misspelled, or completely unheard of name.

So back to my last question, what do you all think of Az”lie [name]Sophia[/name] or Az”lie [name]Natalia[/name]?

(a little tip, you can hold ALT while typing 0233, and the accent aigu should show up over the e - at least that’s how my computer does it.)

14

I think I prefer [name]Natalia[/name] as a middle name. Very pretty!

[name]Lemon[/name] :slight_smile:

15

I’m wondering, where did you find it as a Hebrew name? It doesn’t seem to like at all like any Hebrew names I’m familiar with, and the accent certainly wouldn’t be there. I can’t seem to find a reliable source stating its origin as Hebrew…

As for middles, I like [name]Natalia[/name] better based on flow but I think [name]Sophia[/name] would better balance out its unfamiliarity.

16

I did some more in depth studying of the name, and found that Azelie is the female form of the male Hebrew name Azeliah (az-el-EYE-ah), which is derived from Atzalya. Azeliah is the father of Shaphan in the old testament (II Kings 22:8-10). I found that it doesn’t mean flower, instead it is translated to “close to God” or “reserved by God”. It is also influenced by the Greek “azelos” meaning “not jealous”. I think that those are wonderful meanings, with a great history. I love to study the Hebrew Old Testament, as well as the New Testament, so learning these facts made me fall in love with the name even more.

You are correct about the accent aigu not being present in the Hebrew language. That is definitely the French, and I think it is more pleasing to the eye with the accent present. I prefer ah-zay-lee to ah-zehl-ee. However, it is not necessary for us to include it in our final decision of the spelling. The pronunciation and spelling is seeming to have become a bit “political” for lack of a better word. I’m not worried about either of those in the slightest. I’m just smitten by the name.

I really appreciate all of your input! Thank you :slight_smile:

17

It’s a great name, and even though I’m the one who originally pointed out the French pronunciation thing, it’s really not a big deal if you don’t live in a French speaking area. A French speaker will try to say it that way but everyone else will say it the way you tell them to. I think the a-ZAY-lee pronunciation sounds fantastic and is distinctive. If you love it, then go for it. You sound like you’re prepared to correct people’s pronunciations and probably your daughter will be too. With the French pronunciation I prefer Azelie [name]Sophia[/name] (or [name]Sofia[/name]) but with your preferred pronunciation I think I would choose Azelie [name]Natalia[/name]. I think a middle name that doesn’t end in a vowel sound would make a more “finished” sounding choice though. Something like Azelie [name]Caroline[/name] or Azelie [name]Grace[/name], although those are just examples and you will of course be able to think of something more to your taste.

18

Azelie [name]Sophia[/name] gets my vote (:

19

Yes, very cute. Only downfall is the spelling/pronunciation.

20

Well, I told my mom that we were considering Az”lie. She was very nice about it, and said “I’m sure it’s very cute” lol, but I could tell that she wasn’t very excited about it. She loves my old favorites [name]Ava[/name] and [name]Sophia[/name], because of their elegance - which is exactly what made me love them for so long. While they are elegant, they are also very predictable, which is exactly what I want to stay away from. My mom did advise me that Az”lie is not elegant. So that made me question the name even more now. I love that it is cutting edge, but is it a cute and spunky edge, or beautiful and sophisticated edge? I really wanted beautiful and sophisticated…