I “discovered” this name the other day. (It may or may not have been while forcing my husband to go through a list of Scottish/Irish baby names. :))
I’m really not sure what I think of it, so I guess I’m asking for opinions. [name_f]One[/name_f] day I’ll think it’s cute and hipster-ish (just like my husband!), the next day I’ll think it’s kind of strange and can’t picture it on a future daughter. I think my biggest issue with the name is that it just doesn’t feel Irish to me.
[name_m]Just[/name_m] to be clear, I’m talking about the Irish [name_f]Talulla[/name_f], derived from the Gaelic name [name_f]Tuilelaith[/name_f], and NOT the Native American [name_f]Tallulah[/name_f], meaning either “leaping waters” or “town.” (I actually think I might prefer the [name_f]Tallulah[/name_f] spelling, but that would kind of defeat the purpose of choosing a Scottish/Irish name!)
I do like the sound of [name_f]Talulla[/name_f]/[name_f]Tallulah[/name_f], although I share with you reservations that it’s maybe too much. I think to the extent people are going to know the name, they’re going to know the spelling [name_f]Tallulah[/name_f]. I get that it has different origins, but [name_f]Talulla[/name_f] is already an Anglicization and the distinction is going to be lost on most people - I’ve heard the Native American origin and meaning for [name_f]Tallulah[/name_f] are regarded as sort of dubious anyway.
Anyway, go with [name_f]Talulla[/name_f] if you love it more than anything. Are you OK with Anglicizations? If you wouldn’t consider [name_u]Keeva[/name_u] for [name_f]Caoimhe[/name_f] or you wouldn’t consider [name_f]Shavonne[/name_f] for [name_f]Siobhan[/name_f], you might want to think about this one. If you don’t mind them (I certainly don’t), then OK.
It sounds like you’re on the fence maybe and it’s too bold a name to be on the fence about. I do think it could make a really charming middle!
@jesba: You make a very good point about [name_f]Talulla[/name_f] being an Anglicization anyway. I guess I could always spell it [name_f]Tallulah[/name_f], and when people asked just explain the Irish background. As far as how I feel about Anglicizations, I basically just go by which I find more appealing. In this case I definitely prefer [name_f]Talulla[/name_f]/[name_f]Tallulah[/name_f] to Tuileflaith haha. I do think now that I’ve thought about it more I would only use it as a middle, but I could see myself happily using it in that slot (with the [name_f]Tallulah[/name_f] spelling). Thanks!
Are [name_f]Talulla[/name_f] and [name_f]Tallulah[/name_f] pronounced the same? Because looking at [name_f]Talulla[/name_f], I’d pronounce it more like [name_u]Tal[/name_u]-[name_m]ULL[/name_m]-uh rather than [name_u]Tal[/name_u]-OOH-luh because of the placement of the single and double Ls. If it’s meant to be said the same, you’re probably likely to get people spelling it as [name_f]Tallulah[/name_f] on guess purely because it’s the more common spelling.
I love it! Sweet, spunky, versatile - and I prefer this spelling which looks lighter and more friendly to me than the other way. Plus, I love the fact that you could have the nn of Lullaby!
This is exactly what I was thinking, except I pronounce [name_f]Tallulah[/name_f] as tah-LOO-luh (and would want to pronounce [name_f]Talulla[/name_f] as tah-lull-uh).
@essjay and casilda: Hmm, good question. I thought they were pronounced the same. I would definitely want it to be pronounced tuh-LOO-luh, so maybe another reason to use the [name_f]Tallulah[/name_f] spelling.
I guess my big question at this point is: could I use the [name_f]Tallulah[/name_f] spelling and still justify saying it has an Irish origin?
And of course I’d still like to know what everyone thinks of the name in general.
[name_f]Tallulah[/name_f] is one of my favorites! I love how it rolls off the tongue and is so much fun to say. Plus it has so many great nicknames [name_u]Tally[/name_u], [name_f]Lula[/name_f], [name_f]Lulu[/name_f]. I could picture us having one, but its boldness does make me think twice. My friends dont like it, only my husband and I. But I do think a girl could easily wear it.
As far as origins go- -yes, you can def use [name_f]Tallulah[/name_f] spelling and claim Irish origins. My daughter [name_f]Kaia[/name_f] has the same issues. Its used in so many different origins, but not one is stronger than the other. I chose it because of the Scandinavian form of [name_f]Katherine[/name_f]. I dont go into the complexity of the name
[name_f]Hope[/name_f] this helps!
[name_f]Tallulah[/name_f] is lovely - the nn [name_u]Tally[/name_u] reminds me of the cigarette papers [name_u]Tally[/name_u]-Ho, but [name_f]LOVE[/name_f] the nn [name_u]Tully[/name_u] for [name_f]Tallulah[/name_f]
