Pretty Saro?

Girl Names
1

What do you think of [name_u]Saro[/name_u] for a girl?

It’s from an old [name_f]English[/name_f] folk song, Pretty [name_u]Saro[/name_u]. The song had been lost to time but was rediscovered in the early 20th century in the Appalachian Mountains. [name_u]Saro[/name_u] is believed to be a variant/pet form of [name_f]Sarah[/name_f].

Here’s [name_m]Bob[/name_m] [name_u]Dylan[/name_u]'s rendition of the song :musical_note:

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I kind of like it. :grin: I prefer it the way he’s pronouncing it “SAIR-o”. Nameberry has it as SAH-ro which sounds a bit like sorrow to me.
It could just be an accent thing though. “SAIR-o”
reminds me of [name_u]Sparrow[/name_u] and I like it!

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Ooh, [name_u]Saro[/name_u] is adorable. Charming and sleek

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4

I’m not a fan. [name_u]Saro[/name_u] pronounced as sah-ro sounds like sorrow and [name_u]Saro[/name_u] pronounced as say-ro reminds me of someone saying zero with a Spanish accent. Sorrow and zero aren’t very positive.

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6

I really don’t like sah-ro, it sounds like the name of a grain or something, but sair-oh is actually kind of spunky and cute. I can see it working.

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7

I instinctively say it to rhyme with [name_u]Sparrow[/name_u], but I’m not sure if that’s the original way.

For me…

Saro/Sparrow are SAH-row/SPAH-row (short vowel sound, like in “cat”)

Faro is FAAH-ro (longer vowel sound, like in “car”)

Sorrow is SOH-row (round o like in “[name_m]Bob[/name_m]”)

But I see what you mean about some or all of those vowel sounds being close or identical in many American accents!

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8

Yes, I say [name_u]Sparrow[/name_u] as “SPAIR-oh” and sorrow/SAHR-oh sound the same.
It could be more usable as “SAH-row” where you are though. :blush:

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9

I quite like that! I’m not certain my instinctual pronunciation (SAH-roh) is correct, but the name is very pretty! I’ll have to go digging into the history of that song.

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10

Please share if you find anything interesting!

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11

I love the way [name_u]Saro[/name_u] looks and the O ending. However, I agree that depending on pronunciation it could sound like sorrow. It’s interesting!

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12

I want to like it but it reminds me of [name_f]Sarah[/name_f] (a name I really don’t like and find quite bland) and “sorrow.” It’s a shame because I do love my -o names!

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I’ve read a bit about the song, and most of the origins are a little obscure.

This explains a bit about the origins of the song and includes a more Appalachian style performance of it. I’m not sure exactly what the lyrical changes they mention were.

This lead me into reading about [name_m]Cecil[/name_m] [name_m]Sharp[/name_m], who compiled all kinds of folk songs (he lived in [name_f]England[/name_f], Australia, and the States) during the turn of the century (20th) folk revival. I’ve linked the Wikipedia for an introduction (I obviously can’t verify the accuracy).

I also found some of his diaries and photographs he had taken that are interesting to skim through!

https://www.vwml.org/topics/sharp-diaries

https://cecilsharpinappalachia.org/

Obviously I veered very off course from the song, but it was very interesting! I may ask a woman I know who was studied Appalachian folk music if she knows anything.

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This is so interesting @almostactually, thank you!

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15

It kinda reminds me of [name_f]Juno[/name_f] which is cool

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I actually quite like it as a nickname idea for [name_f]Sarah[/name_f]! It’s sweet!

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17

This is a bit late, but wow, I really like it! It sounds dainty but strong at the same time :slightly_smiling_face:

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18

I think it is a good nn option for [name_f]Sarah[/name_f].

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19

I’ve always loved this little folk song! Unfortunately I see it getting mispronounced as sorrow, but otherwise I think it’s lovely

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20

I think if I heard this IRL I’d like it!

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