[name]Hi[/name] berries, I’d love your opinions on the name [name]Penelope[/name]. We’re considering it for one of our triplets, if one is a girl. We love it because it seems feminine but not frilly. It has a literary connection (The Odyssey) just like our daughter’s name [name]Gwendolen[/name]. Plus, we’d be able to use the nickname [name]Nellie[/name], which I’ve always loved. But I’d love to know your thoughts on the following.
What do you think of the name [name]Penelope[/name]?
I love [name]Penelope[/name], and love the nn [name]Nellie[/name]! I think it will age well (I can even picture [name]Nellie[/name] on an adult). It sounds great with [name]Gwendolen[/name]! [name]Gwen[/name] and [name]Nellie[/name] can be a tongue twister when said quickly together, but it isn’t bad. The only name I can think of at the moment that sounds great with [name]Gwendolen[/name] is the name [name]Carys[/name]…I love that, too!
[name]Penelope[/name] gets a lot of love here on nameberry, but I do not like it at all. When I was at school (a very long time ago), I knew of one [name]Penny[/name], never called [name]Penelope[/name]). I can see the charm of [name]Penny[/name] but the lope part of the name reminds of the word for wolf in French (loup). It is a name that has been around for a long time but it doesn’t have the whimsical, flowing and gentle vibe of [name]Gwendolen[/name].
On the other hand I think that [name]Helena[/name] is a really lovely, elegant and pretty name and traditionally the nn of [name]Nell[/name] and [name]Nellie[/name] have been derived from this beautiful name.
[name]Gwendolen[/name] and [name]Helena[/name] look much better together than [name]Gwendolen[/name] and [name]Penelope[/name].
[name]Helena[/name] [name]Willow[/name]
Look up www.nymbler.com put in [name]Gwendolen[/name] and similar names will be suggested.
I’m a big [name]Penelope[/name] fan myself; as a matter of fact, the name is on my short list. I would only use it for a middle name, though. I think it’s quirky, fun, and the type of name a girl could make her own. I think the name will age just fine. All of the nickname possibilities help with that. [name]Penelope[/name] goes wonderfully with [name]Gwendolen[/name].
Names that go with [name]Gwendolen[/name] and [name]Penelope[/name]:
I love [name]Penelope[/name]. I think it ages well. My dd goes by [name]Penny[/name] mostly (or [name]Pen[/name]-[name]Pen[/name] by me!) but I could see her using [name]Penelope[/name] when she gets older. She tells me she loves her name. I considered using the nn [name]Ellie[/name] or [name]Nellie[/name] before she was born… I wanted to be a little different I think and my older dd goes by [name]Carly[/name] (which is not the most natural nn from [name]Scarlett[/name]). However, when she was born, I just took to calling her [name]Penny[/name] and it didn’t even occur to me that I changed my mind until a she was a few months old and I was like, “oh wait! is she a [name]Nellie[/name]? no she’s not.” lol
[name]Gwendolen[/name] and [name]Mirabelle[/name] were the names we picked out for our twins – but they were shot down by a couple family friends and then my DH decided he didn’t like them. So, I’ll throw those two out there as a possible sib set w/ [name]Penelope[/name]. [name]Mirabelle[/name] was a bit of a stretch, but in my sibset, people said it worked to kinda tie everything together. The other girls names kinda toned down the frilliness of [name]Mirabelle[/name].
I love [name]Penelope[/name], unfortunately my husband does not! I think it works well with your older daughters name and it ages very well. Good luck!
