Noël or Noëlle?

General Name Discussion
1

So we want to use either Noël or Noëlle for a girl or a boy. Pronounced No-el both ways, as that’s how it’s said in french. But I was pondering if you could use Noël for both genders? or would you see Noël and instantly pronounce it like knoll. I never really understood the Knoll pronunciation, since even in the christmas carol it’s said No-el. Any feedback would be appreciated :slight_smile: Also any middle name suggestion would also be great :slight_smile:

2

I’ve always seen the boys name as [name_u]Noel[/name_u] (without the umlaut and therefore pronounced ‘nole’) and the girls name as [name_f]Noelle[/name_f], pronounced as if it has the umlaut but not spelt with it.

I see ‘noël’ as just a word.

3

In [name_m]German[/name_m] both are pronounces as No-el (with and without the umlaut) and I’m not a big fan of the English “nole” either.

I think [name_f]Noelle[/name_f] (with or without the umlaut) is safer to get the pronunciation you desire as many will drop the umlaut and just read it as [name_u]Noel[/name_u] (also the umlaut isn’t found on most English keyboards making it harder to spell the name the way you want it).

4

Same here. I think [name_u]Noel[/name_u] for a boy is prn ‘nole’ same as [name_m]Joel[/name_m]. But if you do use the umlaut I would say no-el, but maybe with the emphasis on the first syllable, versus no-[name_f]ELLE[/name_f] for a girl.

5

Go with [name_f]Noelle[/name_f], no umlaut. Take that from someone whose name has an accent aigu that consonantly gets dropped or confuses people.

[name_f]Noelle[/name_f] is the feminine version. [name_u]Noel[/name_u] is the masculine version.

6

I feel the same, that [name_f]Noelle[/name_f] is more feminine and [name_u]Noel[/name_u] more masculine (for me it doesn’t matter umlaut or no umlaut).
If you love [name_u]Noel[/name_u] and want to use it despite the gender, I’d use it in the middle spot for girl. If you really want to call your girl [name_u]Noel[/name_u] - go for it, but for me it’s a bit daring as I see it as masculine name :slight_smile:
And if you couldn’t tell, [name_u]Noel[/name_u] is my favorite boys name and I’d use it in a heartbeat for a future son!

7

1 word. Scantrons.

Noël becomes [name_u]Noel[/name_u]
Noëlle becomes [name_f]Noelle[/name_f]