I just had a quick question about the name [name]Thomasine[/name]. I find out in a little under 2 weeks whether my baby is going to be a boy or a girl. A friend of mine who lives in the U.K. (I’m from Australia but currently live in the U.S.) asked me what names we’d decided on. My husband is an American and has a rich family history going back to the Mayflower and back. From his family tree, I selected girls names to be placed together as given names.
I was going to go with [name]Aveline[/name] [name]Sybilla[/name] [name]Thomasine[/name] L**
(L- being our last name)
For the pronunciation of [name]Aveline[/name], I am rhyming that with ‘line’ as opposed to ‘lean’.
When I told my friend in the U.K. she said she thought [name]Aveline[/name] and [name]Sybilla[/name] were fine, but that [name]Thomasine[/name] sounded REALLY redneck / trailer trash. I’ve personally never encountered a [name]Thomasine[/name] here in the U.S. and to that point hadn’t thought it sounded redneck or trailer trash in the slightest. She said she could just imagine some woman yelling “Thomaseeeen get back in this here trailer and get me some moonshine”.
Considering the [name]Thomasine[/name] in DH’s family was actually born and raised in [name]England[/name] in the 1400s I really can’t fathom it being associated with ‘trailer trash’ or even sounding as such.
Of course, now that my friend has raised her concerns I’ve got SERIOUS doubts about the name.
Does anybody else construe the name [name]Thomasine[/name] as Redneck / trailer trash?
Thanks in advance, and thanks for listening to me ramble
I’m also from the UK and I can see what your friend is saying, but it’s our perspective of the name rather than the perspective of the country your baby will be living in. The more I think [name]Thomasine[/name] over, the more I like it though. It can come across as quite old fashioned to me if you broaden your mind. I think if it’s going to be a middle name then you shouldn’t worry about it at all and just go ahead and use it if you like.
Best thing to do is the Starbucks Test. Go into Starbucks and order a coffee for [name]Thomasine[/name] and see how people react when the name is called out. Or get your partner to call you [name]Thomasine[/name] for the day and see how it sounds in public.
As for [name]Aveline[/name]; I say [name]Ave[/name]-lean too but I think if you like the [name]Aveline[/name] pronounciation it’ll be fine! She might have to correct it a few times but those close to her will know how to say it and I doubt it’d be too much of a hassle.
[name]Sybilla[/name] is not my style but there’s no problem with it
Wow. I’m from the US so my idea of “trailer trash names” is probably pretty different. I can say, some of the names we consider “hillbillyish” here in the US are really old, more elaborate names, from literature, from the Bible… The language of Appalachia is archaic- they say it’s the closest to Shakespearean English of any American dialect… and there are some incredible Appalachian names to be mined… or should I say fracked (sorry W. [name]Virginia[/name]!) Names like [name]Keziah[/name], [name]Temperance[/name], [name]Caledonia[/name], Verlisie, [name]Zilpah[/name], [name]Griselda[/name]… adventuresome names, mixed in with the Nells and the Pollies and the [name]Billie[/name]-Jeans. Many of these names are very old and a bit cumbersome, but I find them beautiful.
[name]Aveline[/name] [name]Sybilla[/name] [name]Thomasine[/name] is truly one of the most glorious things I’ve seen on Nameberry in a while. Really special.
No, it’s absolutely not a trailer trash name! That said, I think [name]Aveline[/name] and [name]Thomasine[/name] do not work well together at all. A really nice option could be to use the diminutive form of [name]Thomasine[/name], [name]Tamsin[/name]. Then you would have [name]Aveline[/name] [name]Sybilla[/name] [name]Tamsin[/name] - which I think flows much better and doesn’t replicate the -ine ending (even if they are pronounced differently).
I don’t find it trashy at all, more upper class if anything, but I agree with palejewel in that it doesn’t work well with [name]Aveline[/name]. [name]Thomasina[/name] would have a bit of a better flow, but then again it’s an extra syllable to an already mouthful of a name - as it is, the name is nine syllables long not including the surname.
Huh. I was thinking [name]Aveline[/name] was pronounced “A-vah-line” not “A-vah-leen.” The name would work beautifully with that pronunciation. I agree that [name]Aveline[/name] and [name]Thomasine[/name] are a bit rhymey. But changing [name]Thomasine[/name] to [name]Thomasina[/name] only results in a rhyme with [name]Sybilla[/name]. I don’t like [name]Tamsin[/name] as much as [name]Thomasine[/name].
[name]How[/name] are you pronouncing [name]Aveline[/name]?
I agree that if I was pronouncing Aveline, Aveleen it wouldn’t go well with [name]Thomasine[/name] at all. The pronunciation of [name]Aveline[/name] (rhyming with Line / Vine) I actually got from a 1980s British TV show called ‘Bread’ (where I confess, the character WAS trashy) so when it popped up throughout DH’s family tree I just pronounced it as such.
Another plus about [name]Thomasine[/name] is that one of my middle names is [name]Tamzin[/name] which as palejewel said is the diminutive form of [name]Thomasine[/name].
I’m glad that it seems that most of you don’t think the name [name]Thomasine[/name] to be trailer trash / redneck! I asked my husband last night if he thought it was (the choice of a girl’s name is up to me, boy’s name is up to him) and he said no, that my friend didn’t know what American Trailer Trash was. We did however agree that depending on how you say a name, you can construe anything as ‘redneck’. Put on a fake Southern accent and you can make anything sound trailer trash!
I do agree that the name [name]Aveline[/name] [name]Sybilla[/name] [name]Thomasine[/name] L** is long winded, but as our last name is only one syllable I think it will be okay.
My name is super long too (my Mum was crazy into names evidently) so to me, my daughter’s name isn’t going to be as bad as mine. In fact, it’s comparatively short.
I’ve got 5 given names (all of which are 2 or 3 syllables) and my maiden surname was double barreled (5 syllables total for my surname). It’s much easier going by my first name and super short married surname!
I like it, and no, it’s not a redneck / trailer trash name.
Btw, I’m sorry to mess up your combo, but I think I prefer [name]Aveline[/name] [name]Thomasina[/name] [name]Sybil[/name] (except if it doesn’t match the last name).
