Hello,
I’m looking for some opinions on the name [name_f]Nephele[/name_f]. There aren’t many threads on the name so I’d figure I’d ask about it. I like the meaning, the sound, and the look of the name. I’m Greek so it wouldn’t be too weird for me to use it. My question is about pronunciation. The name is pronounced “neh-fell-ee”. I figure most people would say “neh-fell”. Should I go with the Greek spelling: Nefeli (it doesn’t look as pretty to me but seems more intuitive pronunciation wise)? Should I change it to Nephelie (which isn’t a legit spelling, which I hate, but it would make pronunciation easier)? Or should I try Nephelë with the umlaut/diaeresis? I don’t know if the diaeresis would just be a nusiance and if it would work at all since I’m from the USA.
So, give me all your opinions about the spelling. If you want to give me opinions on the name itself, go for it. Thanks so much!
HTB
Really guys? Nothing? BUMP!
[name_f]Nephele[/name_f] vs. Nefeli – hmm. I usually prefer “f” over “ph” but I’m torn in this case. I think I’m going to be useless giving an opinion on that. I will say that yes, Nefeli is definitely more phonetic. However, I intuitively say both of these the same – though I am familiar with the Greek goddess whereas we obviously can’t assume who is and isn’t. I would only go with a legit spelling. If you are in the US, accent marks will not necessarily make anything easier…they actually might make things worse. I think that when you say the name people are going to ask how to spell it or may come up with some interesting ways to do so. You’ll just have to be okay with correcting people and be willing to spell it out. I don’t think that’s such an issue. People have to do that with even very well known and traditional names. [name_f]Catherine[/name_f] being case in point.
This name has great meaning, which imbues the name with strength and history and relevance. Take away those associations (which I think is always important to consider – sometimes meaning overpowers the actual sound), I think it sounds very sweet and spritely. I like it quite a bit!
I really like how it looks with the umlaut, personally. Very classy and distinctly Greek.
I’d rank the spellings:
- Nephelë
- Nephelie - It doesn’t look made-up; it looks [name_m]French[/name_m], a la [name_f]Ophelie[/name_f]/[name_f]Aurelie[/name_f]/[name_f]Amelie[/name_f] (which might bring on more pronunciation issues, now that I think about it…)
- [name_f]Nephele[/name_f]
- Nefeli - I think this spelling takes away some of the name’s appeal. I also think it would get lost amid the trendy [at least in my area] names of the Hispanic community. I’d assume Nefeli was similar in origin to [name_f]Araceli[/name_f]/[name_f]Aracely[/name_f].
Why not mash up the two spellings? Keep the stately ph in the name but use the i ending: Nepheli. When I first read [name_f]Nephele[/name_f] I read neh-[name_m]FEEL[/name_m]. I am fairly educated and have many international friends and associates and I still got it wrong originally so I think a more phonetic spelling would be wise. But I agree with other posters, the ph seems classier/prettier than the f.
I personally prefer the [name_f]Nephele[/name_f] spelling, and I think the pronunciation is as obvious with that spelling as with Nefeli. Either way there would probably be a few mispronunciations, but I don’t think it would be too difficult to correct. Nephelie I’m not a fan of because it takes something away from the attractiveness of the name, plus it’s not legit. Nephelë I think could be an added complication, but if it’s familiar where you live, then it would probably be okay.
So [name_f]Nephele[/name_f] is definitely my favourite, and I love [name_f]Nephele[/name_f] (and loads of other names in your signature!)
I prefer [name_f]Nephele[/name_f] spelling. [name_f]Lovely[/name_f] name, btw.
It’s strange, since I tend to prefer “ph” over “f” and Greek names with an “ee” sound at the end to spelled with an “e” instead of a “i”, but for some reason, the look of Nefeli appeals to me slightly more than [name_f]Nephele[/name_f]. (Maybe because it reminds me of [name_f]Nefertiti[/name_f], which I always thought was an awesome name.) I also kinda like the look of Nepheli, which eatapp8 suggested. If you’re going with a made-up spelling, I’d go with that instead of Nephelie, which just looks weird to me. I’m afraid Nephelë most likely would be very troublesome in the U.S. and probably wouldn’t help that much with the pronunciation.
I like [name_f]Nephele[/name_f] a lot more than Nefeli, not sure why. I think spelling and/or pronunciation will be an issue either way, as someone else said, even with well-known names like [name_f]Katherine[/name_f]. Likewise, I think accents and umlauts will only complicate things (and they are not really used in US English so many are not familiar with what pronunciation they signify, anyway). I would go with whatever spelling you like the most, and just be prepared to explain it either way - it is a fairly uncommon Greek name, so people will probably inquire about it even if they do get the spelling and pronunciation correct.
[name_f]Nephele[/name_f] is very pretty! I’ve never heard the name but I immediately pronounced it ‘nef-fel-lee’. It looks intuitive to me and with the popularity of [name_f]Penelope[/name_f] I think others will figure it out too
I have never heard this name, but it is lovely! I prefer [name_f]Nephele[/name_f] because it looks balanced and elegant (I hope this makes sense!). I do not like names ending in -ie, so Nephelie is out. Nefeli looks incomplete, and Nephelë may be too difficult to pronounce/look too different in [name_u]America[/name_u].
I am already familiar with the name and the mythological figure, so I prefer the [name_f]Nephele[/name_f] spelling. But I understand your concerns. [name_m]Even[/name_m] [name_f]Penelope[/name_f] or [name_f]Persephone[/name_f] get people trying to pronounce them as “[name_u]Penny[/name_u] Lope” or “Purse a Phone”, and they are both more common.
I prefer Nepheli over both Nefeli and Nephelie. Accenting letters in the USA feels like a vain attempt if you are trying to avoid problems with the name. Many places will outright refuse to acknowledge or use them anyway (though maybe all of the ones she cares about will try!).
Personally, I would stick with the original spelling. But I’ve been through life with an oft-mispronounced name and it never really bothered me.
I am in a similar state about Nephelë.
Mostly because despite the fact it attracts my attention as being very pretty, for want of a better word, but would not use it in my area. Its lovely, so are quite a few names but they don’t fit. As you say you are a good contender to use it.
Diacritics mean little to most here. I personally love Raphaëlle and
the feedback I get all the time is diacritics make it worse as has been said. I love diacritics.
And the ‘ph’ is much nicer [name_f]IMO[/name_f]. That too is not popular but I would not compromise on it.
I agree with megan_muffin and someone before, if you go away from the original spelling- I too think Nepheli is doable for the [name_f]Nefertiti[/name_f] reason. Best of [name_m]Luck[/name_m] -its worth it,