Hey Berries!
My FIL’s name is Phillip and I’ve been tossing up the idea of maybe using a Phil- middle name on a girl (if we have another!) as an honour name. Generally, we aim for the same meaning or root with our honour names, not sound, but no harm in experimenting!
Phila
Philene
Philomena
Philomene
Philanthie
Philopena
The above list are my favourite feminine Phil- names that I have found so far. What do you think of these options? Love, hate, why, why not?
Our naming pattern for girls tends to be a long, elegant first name with short and sweet middles. Phila does lend itself to that pattern perfectly… but I do love some of these longer names too!!
If you could only pick one, which would it be??
- Phila
- Philene
- Philomena
- Philomene
- Philanthie
- Philopena
Feel free to suggest any other Phil- names you know! (However, I will state for the record up front that I really don’t like Phillipa… sorry, purists!)
K xx
[name_f]Philomena[/name_f] is classic and I don’t think you can go wrong choosing her, but something about [name_f]Philomene[/name_f] is really calling me. It’s distinct enough from [name_f]Philomena[/name_f] to catch the eye while still being close enough to feel familiar.
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Philopena is fun and bright, but I do pronounce it very similarly to [name_f]Filipina[/name_f] the nationality, which is a lovely word but could be confusing in some situations. [name_m]Easy[/name_m] way to get to [name_f]Pippa[/name_f], [name_f]Polly[/name_f], or [name_f]Poppy[/name_f], if those nicknames appeal. I personally like them all.
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Philanthie is interesting and cute, very offbeat. Makes me think of the word Philanthropy.
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Philene and [name_f]Phila[/name_f] [name_f][/name_f]- Don’t appeal to me as much as the others. They just feel a bit less sparky and a bit more like straight feminizations of [name_m]Phil[/name_m] than their own district names.
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[name_f]My[/name_f] favorites are [name_f]Phila[/name_f], Philene, [name_f]Philomena[/name_f] and [name_f]Philomene[/name_f]
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Other ideas:
[name_f][/name_f][name_f]Philadelphia[/name_f]
[name_f][/name_f]Philemona
[name_f][/name_f][name_f]Phillida[/name_f]
[name_f][/name_f][name_f]Phillis[/name_f]
[name_f][/name_f]Philiberta
[name_f][/name_f][name_f]Philomel[/name_f]
[name_f][/name_f][name_f]Philomela[/name_f]
[name_f][/name_f][name_f]Philothea[/name_f]
[name_f][/name_f][name_f]Philou[/name_f]
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[name_f]Philomena[/name_f] is lovely! [name_f][/name_f] I also love [name_f]Philou[/name_f] although it’s not as long and flowy as [name_f]Philomena[/name_f]. [name_f][/name_f] If I were honoring a [name_m]Philip[/name_m], I would probably use [name_f]Philomena[/name_f], [name_f]Philou[/name_f], or maybe [name_f]Philippine[/name_f] as a middle… it’s a GP but I do really like it as a middle (like [name_f]Grace[/name_f] [name_f]Philippine[/name_f] or [name_f]Claire[/name_f] Philippine!).
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Good luck!
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I like the grandeur and elegance of [name_f]Philomena[/name_f] but how it rolls easily off the tongue too!
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Philene is cool too [name_f][/name_f]- zippy yet sleek.
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[name_f]Phila[/name_f], I’m not sure on [name_f][/name_f]- how is it said? phee-luh? phill-uh? not sure I vibe with either of those [name_f][/name_f]- a bit too ‘filler’ or ‘feel-y’?
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Philanthie is intriguing [name_f][/name_f]- bold but fun to to say [name_f][/name_f]- with a virtue-adjacent kind of vibe
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[name_f]Philomena[/name_f] is a longtime love of mine so I had to vote for her! [name_f]Philomene[/name_f] is also gorgeous.
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I actually really like the idea of [name_f]Philou[/name_f] for you the best! It follows your pattern of short middles and has lots of spunk and grace.
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I like [name_f]Philomena[/name_f] & [name_f]Philomene[/name_f] and it just depends on first and last name flow & rhythm as to which. But I also like Philene [name_f][/name_f]- chic and fresh feeling.
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I would start clear of names that could sound like related to Philia or Pen*s so the first and last on your list are a No for me. And Philanthe is OK but sounds a bit like philanthropy or philandering.
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Others:
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[name_m]Pip[/name_m]
[name_f][/name_f][name_f]Pippa[/name_f]
[name_f][/name_f][name_f]Philou[/name_f]
[name_f][/name_f][name_f]Sophia[/name_f] (via root meaning)
[name_f][/name_f][name_f]Rosamund[/name_f] (via meaning)
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@FreyByTheWay[name_f][/name_f] I do agree! There’s something enchanting about Philomene… perhaps because it’s familiar, but different enough to be refreshing. I really love the look and sound created by the -e ending (instead of -a).
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I had thought about Philopena sounding like [name_f]Filipina[/name_f] [name_f][/name_f]- good catch! [name_f]Poppy[/name_f] is a great nickname option, though!
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[name_f]Do[/name_f] you think Philanthie sounding like philanthropy is a bad connection??
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@Johannaa[name_f][/name_f] Thank you for the other name suggestions! I hadn’t come across some of those. [name_f]Philothea[/name_f] and [name_f]Philomela[/name_f] are interesting… I don’t love “lou” names in general, [name_f][/name_f] but [name_f]Philou[/name_f] is intriguing and I love that it’s [name_m]Dutch[/name_m]!
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@ashthedreamer[name_f][/name_f] Oooooh… LOVE Philippine!! That wasn’t on any list I looked at. That’s so pretty!
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@Greyblue[name_f][/name_f] Agreed! I like the kind of “trendy” vibe that Philene gives off, while maintaining a kind of classic sound.
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[name_f]My[/name_f] instinct was to pronounce [name_f]Phila[/name_f] as 'fill-uh", but I should look it up and double check! You’re right… it does sound like “filler” (especially the way we say it here!)
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@EloiseT[name_f][/name_f] Yes, I was trying to avoid anything phallic sounding! That would be an unfortunate situation! I hadn’t connected the sounds of Philanthie and philandering… good catch!
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