My SO and I had a significant discussion about the name [name_u]Seren[/name_u] last night. We both agreed that we liked it a lot.
I think it’s pretty, and that this spelling is intuitive to pronunciation. But he is struggling with the "e"s specifically. Some alternative suggestions he provided (Saren, Seryn, Sairen) all look off to me.
Does anyone have any thoughts about the spelling/pronunciation of [name_u]Seren[/name_u]? [name_f]Do[/name_f] you think it would be hard for people to understand or pronounce in the US? Any other suggestions similar? (He is really interested in names of Scandinavian origin).
[name_u]Love[/name_u] [name_u]Seren[/name_u]!!! Many people in the U.S. would naturally pronounce it sarin, if I’m correct, and that may be an issue. I strongly suggest sticking to the original spelling. Probably she would constantly be explaining how to pronounce her name if you live in the U.S. The thing is, even the simplest names can be mispronounced easily. If you truly love the name, use it… it isn’t so difficult. [name_u]Seren[/name_u] has history as a name, it’s simple once you know how to spell and pronounce it, and the name is beautiful with a great meaning. I also agree that if you know how to pronounce [name_u]Seren[/name_u] the spelling is intuitive.
I like [name_u]Seren[/name_u]. The pronunciation seems straightforward to me but I live in [name_f]England[/name_f] and I suppose we encounter Welsh names here a lot more often than Americans do. If you don’t think it would be pronounced correctly then I’d recommend considering it as a middle name instead.
I’d also suggest Sanna/Sanne. It’s a Scandinavian name that sounds a bit like Seren.
I would pronounce it seh-ren, like seven with an r, too. Or, as you say, like the beginning of serendipity. When I first saw the name I thought it was sair-en too, but a lot of names are often mispronounced at first and people will get it once you correct them. Having a similar word to compare it to makes it easier for people to get it too. (I know a girl who explains her last name as R!zza, like pizza.)
As a [name_u]Brit[/name_u], I pronounce it seh-ren. It’s like my name ([name_f]Eryn[/name_f]) with an S. I love the name but it’s too close to my own name to even consider.
Seh-ren. I [name_u]LOVE[/name_u] it. And the meaning “star” is a huge bonus to me. I have it on my list as a nickname, but I think it’s stunning as a full name too.
[name_f]Lovely[/name_f]! I’d go with the [name_u]Seren[/name_u] spelling, as I think using the most common spelling is most likely to help people to recognize the name and pronounce it correctly :). [name_m]Even[/name_m] if it seems to make more ‘sense’ spelled a different way, if it’s not spelled the way most people would recognize the name, you might end up with even more trouble getting people to get it right (people who would confidently pronounce [name_u]Seren[/name_u] correctly when spelled the traditional way might be confused seeing it another way and would have to ask, is that pronounced like [name_u]Seren[/name_u]…?)
I pronounce it seh-ren too, but I am in [name_m]Wales[/name_m] where it’s very popular and I’ve met several. I think it’s the kind of name that you might have a pronounciation issue with, but I think you’d only need to correct someone once - since it’s quite short and simple, most people will remember. I think it’s sweet, and the meaning is lovely!
I love the name [name_u]Seren[/name_u]! I think it’s beautiful. I’m from the US, and I’ve never met one, but I also pronounce it like the beginning of [name_f]Serendipity[/name_f].
I think you might have some people mispronounce it, but I don’t think it should stop you from using [name_u]Seren[/name_u] if you really love it!
Thanks for all the input, everyone! Sometimes it’s nice to just get other viewpoints.
@bugberry thank you for the suggestions! We discussed some of these last night as well! I like [name_f]Annika[/name_f] and [name_f]Carys[/name_f], he likes [name_f]Caren[/name_f], and we mutually agreed that we like [name_f]Freya[/name_f], [name_f]Signe[/name_f] and [name_f]Thora[/name_f]. [name_f]Saffi[/name_f] is definitely appealing, but might be too close to my name.
I love [name_u]Seren[/name_u]! I have no trouble with the pronunciation (I’m from the east coast of the US). I don’t see how anyone could mispronounce this, since it’s the same as [name_f]SERENdipity[/name_f]. I like this name a lot as well as its meaning of “star.”
I will say that my partner has a family member who named her daughter Saryn (same pronunciation) and it honestly bothers me a lot. Not that it’s my place to judge someone else’s choice, I just can’t help but feel like it should have been spelled [name_u]Seren[/name_u], since that name has such a strong history of usage, and seems so beautiful to me. To each their own I suppose!
Another option is [name_f]Serena[/name_f], which means “tranquil.” That would be pronounced a bit differently of course, but it’s a similar idea.
[name_u]Seren[/name_u] is lovely. Any change in spelling is an eye-sore and a mangling imo.
It is pronounced as in serendipity as others have commented (closest anglicized approximation to the full blown Welsh).
