Pondering about [name_f]Guinevere[/name_f]
I’ve been on bed rest for over a week now which leaves far too much time for thinking. We don’t know if our little bundle is a boy or girl so all this pondering could be in vein but it’s impossible to stop thinking when I have nothing else to do. The situation is that the only girls name my husband and I agree on is [name_f]Guinevere[/name_f]. We don’t however agree on how it should be spelt. I prefer [name_f]Guinevere[/name_f] he prefers [name_f]Gwenevere[/name_f].
My reasoning is basically that [name_f]Guinevere[/name_f] is the correct spelling, end of story. His reasoning is more complicated. He thinks…
[name_f]Gwenevere[/name_f] clears up some pronunciation issues she might face.
[name_f]Gwen[/name_f] makes more sense as a nickname for [name_f]Gwenevere[/name_f] than [name_f]Guinevere[/name_f] when it’s written down.
[name_f]Gwenevere[/name_f] looks more feminine.
Compared to our other daughters’ names [name_f]Guinevere[/name_f]/[name_f]Gwenevere[/name_f] is very out there, so the [name_f]Gwen[/name_f] beginning might make it seem less strange to our family and friends.
I actually agree with almost everything he says but can’t get over the fact that it’s not the correct spelling. I know that almost all berries prefer [name_f]Guinevere[/name_f] to [name_f]Gwenevere[/name_f] but do you think I should compromise on the spelling? I already got the choice of my top name so is it fair to let him choose the spelling? Would people really be confused by the [name_f]Guinevere[/name_f] spelling?
We haven’t talked about is excessively but like I said I’m stuck on bedrest and have nothing to do but think all day.
I’m with you on this one-- [name_f]Guinevere[/name_f] is correct, while [name_f]Gwenevere[/name_f] just plain looks wrong (and far more “strange” than the correct beginning, [name_f]IMO[/name_f].) I think he’s worrying needlessly. People are familiar enough with the name [name_f]Guinevere[/name_f] that most know how it’s pronounced, and I think [name_f]Gwen[/name_f] makes perfect sense as a nickname for [name_f]Guinevere[/name_f] (certainly much more sense than, say, [name_f]Maisie[/name_f] does as a nickname for [name_f]Margaret[/name_f]!) I also disagree that [name_f]Gwenevere[/name_f] looks more feminine–the I feels way girlier than the E does to me.
[name_f]Gwenevere[/name_f] looks so odd! And it’s just plain misspelled… [name_f]Guinevere[/name_f] is so feminine, and I think it’s familiar enough that people won’t have a problem with it.
I just met a little girl named [name_f]Guinevere[/name_f] last week. She was adorable and wore it well 
[name_f]Guinevere[/name_f] is uncommon, but it’s also very familiar. I don’t think people will be confused by the traditional spelling. You can still use [name_f]Gwen[/name_f] as a nickname (I love [name_f]Gwen[/name_f], by the way!). As someone else pointed out, it’s not uncommon for nicknames to have slightly different spellings than the original name. [name_f]Sadie[/name_f] for [name_f]Sarah[/name_f], [name_m]Jack[/name_m] for [name_m]John[/name_m], [name_m]Bob[/name_m] for [name_m]Robert[/name_m], etc.
[name_f]Guinevere[/name_f] is a beautiful, feminine name and I personally [name_f]ADORE[/name_f] it! : )
I agree with pp’s [name_f]Guinevere[/name_f] is the way to go! [name_m]How[/name_m] do you want it pronounced? I pronounce it Guin (like [name_u]Quinn[/name_u]) not [name_f]Gwen[/name_f]. Is that the problem with the name?
I think people will assume you didn’t know how to spell the name if you went with your DH’s spelling.
Nickname spellings often have very little to do with the actual name. [name_m]How[/name_m] else can you explain [name_m]Jack[/name_m] for [name_m]John[/name_m] or [name_m]Bill[/name_m] for [name_m]William[/name_m], or even [name_f]Betty[/name_f] or [name_f]Lizzie[/name_f] for [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f]… Seriously.
Sure, it’ll be mispronounced when she orders a pizza, or at her first interview; but people catch on pronunciations pretty quick, and it’s better have the correct spelling then to just pick the more convenient route (besides, [name_f]Guinevere[/name_f] is so pretty!). And I actually think [name_f]Guinevere[/name_f] looks both more feminine and less strange than [name_f]Gwenevere[/name_f] : ) It goes great with [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] and [name_f]Annabelle[/name_f], too.
P.S. As the previous poster mentioned, nicknames often have little or nothing to do with given names. [name_m]Jack[/name_m] out of [name_m]John[/name_m] is a great example, and who thought of [name_f]Peggy[/name_f] from [name_f]Margaret[/name_f]? So [name_f]Gwen[/name_f] from [name_f]Guinevere[/name_f] is fine : )
Definitely [name_f]Guinevere[/name_f]!
I wouldn’t compromise on the spelling. [name_f]Gwenevere[/name_f] looks like the person naming the child didn’t know the correct spelling. There’s no reason why you can’t get the nickname [name_f]Gwen[/name_f] from the [name_f]Guinevere[/name_f] spelling. Lots of nicknames don’t derive perfectly from their formal name. I’d be surprised if many people had trouble pronouncing [name_f]Guinevere[/name_f]. It’s not a commonly given name but it’s recognizable.
I’m excited to hear about someone possibly using [name_f]Guinevere[/name_f] as a first name. I love it.
Thank you all for your feedback. I showed it to my husband and he has given in (for now at least, lol)
@alliecat, I sort of pronounce it as a cross between the two, I think that’s partially an Australian accent thing. I don’t mind either pronunciation really but even looking online I have seen that lot of people pronounce it wrong. Some people even say it with a hard G or ‘[name_m]Gun[/name_m]’ at the beginning
[name_f]Guinevere[/name_f] is so elegant and mystical. [name_f]Gwenevere[/name_f] is just wrong. However, Gwenyvere is the version used by [name_f]Malory[/name_f] in [name_m]Le[/name_m] Morte d’[name_m]Arthur[/name_m], and I think that’s very pretty too. There’s also Gwenifer, but I don’t like that one as much, it’s a late medieval twist.
[name_f]Guinevere[/name_f] is pretty and so classy. [name_f]Gwenevere[/name_f] has more chances to be mispronounced, in my view, just because a lot of people know the legend character [name_f]Guinevere[/name_f], spelled like this but [name_f]Gwenevere[/name_f] seems strange. I also like [name_f]Gwenore[/name_f], but it’s another thing.
It’s clear from everyone’s responses that ‘I win’. Not that it’s about winning or I would say that to my husband.(And [name_m]Timothy[/name_m] if you’re stalking me on Nameberry again it’s your own fault that you’re seeing this!)
I think all this thinking time because I’m on bedrest is doing me more harm than good in some ways. It’s also probably why I’m wide awake and on Nameberry at 3.30am…
I agree with the poster who said that [name_f]Gwenevere[/name_f] looks like you don’t know how to spell it.
If I saw that spelling I’d think…why didn’t they look up the name they used before they gave it?
I can’t imagine it causing all that much trouble, especially if she regularly goes by [name_f]Gwen[/name_f].
Honestly, those who don’t know how to spell it won’t spell it right even if it’s [name_f]Gwenevere[/name_f], so why cater to the ignorant?
As for pronunciation, I can’t think of another way to pronounce [name_f]Guinevere[/name_f]…I guess ghin-uh-vere? like Guinness? But that’s an easy correction and I think most people have heard of [name_m]Arthur[/name_m] and [name_f]Guinevere[/name_f].
Maybe Gwenfair (Behind the Name: View Submitted Name) if [name_f]Guinevere[/name_f] nn [name_f]Gwen[/name_f] doesn’t work.