No baby for me anywhere in the near future but I’m always thinking of and negotiating names with my partner because I’m not kidding when I say that agreeing on a name could take us years!
I love complex, completely unexpected names such as [name_f]Olympia[/name_f] and [name_f]Aoife[/name_f], and I love the greatness of these names - Olympias was [name_m]Alexander[/name_m] the Great’s mother and [name_f]Aoife[/name_f] is from Irish mythology. My partner has completely ruled out these names and any other ‘unusual’ name, even [name_f]Delilah[/name_f] is apparently ‘too weird’! Devastating
Now to the thread question. He absolutely loves the name [name_f]Faye[/name_f], I want to like it but I work in aged care and now [name_f]Faye[/name_f] is only a little old lady’s name to me. I also can’t help but think of fairies as per the meaning and it has no ‘greatness’ to me.
What are your thoughts on [name_f]Faye[/name_f]?
Are there any historical/literary/mythological tales which you can tell to convince me of this name?
What middle name would you but with [name_f]Faye[/name_f] that isn’t too ‘out there’?
I really love [name_f]Faye[/name_f]. I’ve always liked the AE sound in names, but it really started to grow on me after watching The [name_f]Secret[/name_f] Circle, based on the book series by L.J. [name_m]Smith[/name_m]. There is a character in the series called [name_f]Faye[/name_f] Chamberlain who forms a coven with three other young women. I also associate [name_f]Faye[/name_f] with Arthurian legend’s [name_u]Morgan[/name_u] le [name_f]Fay[/name_f]. I know she’s often portrayed as an antagonistic sorceress, which might be a turn off for some, but I see her as a confident and powerful female figure. I think when you dig a little deeper into Arthurian legend you find more to like about [name_u]Morgan[/name_u] le [name_f]Fay[/name_f] than what you get from surface representations in film and television.
Thank you! This does help, the antagonist aspect of it doesn’t bother me, they’re often the stronger, more determined in a story! I also just read that there is speculation which connects [name_u]Morgan[/name_u] le [name_f]Fay[/name_f] to Irish goddess [name_f]Morrigan[/name_f] who I love.
I like [name_f]Faye[/name_f] [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f], [name_f]Rosalind[/name_f] and [name_f]Catherine[/name_f] which works great because I’m [name_f]Kathryn[/name_f].
Still looking for more tales and mn’s to help me love [name_f]Faye[/name_f] but we’re off to a good start!
My partner’s family is Irish and I do like names that connect to either of our heritages (mainly his since my heritage is English which is not nearly as interesting!) so that is great, I had no idea that it was a common name in [name_f]Ireland[/name_f].
I agree that it seems quite whimsical which is one of the things I don’t really like about it. I really love/want strong names.
What about [name_f]Maeve[/name_f]? [name_f]Queen[/name_f] Méadbh ([name_f]Maeve[/name_f]) is an Irish mythological figure. She is a warrior queen and the name means “she who intoxicates”.
Or [name_f]Sadhbh[/name_f] (can be anglicised to Sive).
There’s no letter V in the Irish language!
[name_f]Ethereal[/name_f] is a good way to describe it! Now that you mention it I can see that in [name_f]Faye[/name_f].
I love [name_f]Maeve[/name_f] but he doesn’t think it’s modern enough, he also doesn’t like the idea of using Gaelic spelling because as he says, “if you liked a Chinese name you wouldn’t spell it using Mandarin characters so why would you use Gaelic spelling in Australia?”, and I don’t feel like I would want to use most, [name_f]Maeve[/name_f] being an exception, Irish names without using the original spelling, I feel like something’s lost in them otherwise.
Seriously impossible to please us both! I’m starting to like [name_f]Faye[/name_f] a little more, maybe if I pair it with a name I feel is strong and great it will work, like [name_f]Faye[/name_f] [name_f]Alexandra[/name_f].
I also keep trying to remind myself that it may make me think of fairies but fairies were originally feared and respected, they were powerful and mischievous, not pretty, pink, winged things.
Any chance he’d go for [name_f]Phaedra[/name_f] nn [name_f]Faye[/name_f]? [name_f]Faye[/name_f] is not my style and I think it lacks substance, but I can see the appeal. I just think as a grown woman, I wouldn’t want to be left with being just [name_f]Faye[/name_f].
There is no way my partner would go for [name_f]Phaedra[/name_f], he likes [name_f]Faye[/name_f] because it’s so simple and easily recognisable and spelt. I don’t think [name_f]Faye[/name_f] is a bad name on a grown woman, as I said, I see it as an elderly lady’s name, it just lacks grandiosity for me.
Plus [name_f]Phaedra[/name_f] reminds me of daedra from a video game which puts me off it. It does make it less fairy-like though
@aleerakate Right, I didn’t mean that it’s bad for grown women, I just know personally I wouldn’t like such a soft and simple name as my complete first name. It peaked in the US in 1934 when names like [name_u]Jo[/name_u], [name_f]Mae[/name_f], [name_u]Pat[/name_u], and [name_f]Sue[/name_f] were popular so it was a different naming climate than today. I just prefer a name that packs a lot of punch and it sounds like you do too, so for what it’s worth, I don’t think you should settle on [name_f]Faye[/name_f] if you don’t love it. However, a little girl would be lucky to have a name like [name_f]Faye[/name_f] that her parents chose with love. Good luck!
Personally I love [name_f]Faye[/name_f] (as [name_f]Fae[/name_f]) because [name_u]Shea[/name_u] has a ready made ethereal, supernatural quality as pp’s have mentioned, as well as being whimsical and magical, which I really like. But I also find the folklore and legend behind faeries really fascinating, and that in itself adds a lot more substance, weight and imagery to [name_f]Faye[/name_f]. It’s also why I strongly prefer the [name_f]Fae[/name_f] spelling (and [name_f]Fey[/name_f], but the meaning isn’t so great), since it takes it away from the less substantial (in my opinion) Disney-esque image of fairies, and highlights the history and darker side. To me [name_f]Faye[/name_f], and particularly [name_f]Fae[/name_f], is sweet, gentle, kind, and lovely, but there’s to more to her than it might seem, and especially with a longer, feisty middle, I think [name_f]Faye[/name_f]/[name_f]Fae[/name_f] is wonderful!
[name_f]Faye[/name_f] is so sweet and simple, and yet feminine. I like the meaning, and that you can “hear” the meaning in the name, as per [name_f]Delphine[/name_f] and [name_u]Clare[/name_u]. [name_f]Faye[/name_f] would make a lovely middle name, to go with many longer names, but is beautiful as a first. I knew a [name_f]Faye[/name_f]-[name_f]Marie[/name_f], but she just went by [name_f]Faye[/name_f], once she reached her teens, for the most part. I prefer [name_f]Faye[/name_f] as a spelling, but [name_f]Fay[/name_f] is lovely, too.
I do like [name_f]Faye[/name_f] more now than I did before this thread, I’m still hoping for it to grow on me, but other than [name_f]Faye[/name_f] (which is still his favourite) I think I have so far convinced him of [name_f]Jane[/name_f] (which just makes me think of [name_m]Tarzan[/name_m] and [name_f]Jane[/name_f], which I love), [name_f]Gwendolyn[/name_f] and [name_f]Alexandra[/name_f], all of which I like, even if they’re not my favourite. We have progress!
Personally, I really don’t like it… I find it flat, and boring, and as you say - belongs to people over 65.
I love your styles of names. So beautiful! I’d work towards more of a compromise if I was you. [name_m]Don[/name_m]'t just let your partner toss out your names, and don’t feel you have to settle for his dull options either.
He is stubborn enough that there are some names such as [name_f]Aoife[/name_f] that I will never win, I still hope [name_f]Olympia[/name_f] has a chance but that’s why I’m already trying to convince him of names, if we only had 9 months to decide I legitimately think it could cause issues between us, we’re both too headstrong to settle!
I have already vetoed his first idea which was to name son or daughter after himself. He is [name_u]Tristan[/name_u] so though it is a lovely name for a boy and nice, not my style, but nice for a girl, he is absolutely not naming a girl after himself. Our conversations have been something along the lines of:
“Girl or boy it will be [name_u]Tristan[/name_u]!”
“No it won’t.”
“But [name_u]Tristan[/name_u] is a nice name for a girl.”
“Not if it’s her dad’s name too.”
“What about [name_u]Kristan[/name_u]?”
We will find something we both like eventually but I hope if his names grow on me, my names will grow on him too.
I personally [name_f]ADORE[/name_f] [name_f]Faye[/name_f]. It’s cute, sweet, and ethereal. It’s been on my middle name list for a few years now and I still love it. ” If you can’t bring yourself too love [name_f]Faye[/name_f], maybe consider [name_f]Freya[/name_f]? It’s very similar but more modern. [name_m]Just[/name_m] a thought. Good luck!
