[name_m]Just[/name_m] for kicks, I’m wondering what the [name_u]Berry[/name_u] take is on the name Tuulia. It’s an elaboration of the Finnish word (and word name) Tuuli, which means, “wind.”
http://www.nordicnames.de/wiki/Tuuli
Does the similarity to [name_f]Julia[/name_f] make it more appealing, or less? Does it come across as “foreign” or “kre8tiv” or something else? Discuss and have fun!
It comes across as kree8tiv to me, since [name_f]Tulia[/name_f] and Tulipa are both similar names. Obviously if you are Finnish or living in Finland, that would not be true.
[name_f]Tulia[/name_f] and Tuulia would suffer in Australia from the slang words “tool” and “toolie” which mean a person who is real jerk/idiot.
The double u’s make it slightly less visually appealing to me, but a very pretty name nonetheless. It’s not too “foreign” and definitely could fit in here.
Being a speaker of the Finnish language itself, I immediately connected it to tulla (the Finnish word for come) - which is definitely not as substantial or fitting as a name meaning wind.
I would imagine that certain foreign names are more familiar than others. Someone is more likely to pick up on an Italian name than a Nigerian name, for example. I don’t think Finnish is a common language for people to hear names from so it probably would seem more creative to someone not well versed. That being said, it does have a lovely sound/meaning. It all depends on if people scratching their head at the name when they first hear it bothers you or not. I think its similarity to something like [name_f]Julia[/name_f] would make it easier to remember the next time they see her.
I love the meaning but my first reaction was to think it was a Kree8iv spelling of [name_f]Tulia[/name_f].
Tuulia seems like a kre8tiv spelling of [name_f]Tulia[/name_f]/[name_f]Tullia[/name_f]. I prefer [name_f]Julia[/name_f] but [name_f]Tulia[/name_f]/[name_f]Tullia[/name_f] is fine.
My girls have a lovely little friend named [name_f]Tula[/name_f] and I always liked her name. Tuulia seems very sweet, although the spelling might be a headache. I don’t think the pronunciation is hard at all, though. I also like Tanssi - the Finnish word for ‘dance’. Seems like you liked [name_f]Tanzy[/name_f] at one point, too? (if I remembered correctly).
Interesting comments! I realized that I ought to have put this in the “Talk About [name_u]Baby[/name_u] Names” forum instead of the Girls one. Oh, well.
@oboeplayer - If you know other names that mean “wind,” please send them my way! I came across Tuulia while looking for that meaning, but there is certainly not an abundance of options.
@esita - The Aussie perspective is always so interesting! I have a [name_m]SIL[/name_m] who is Australian. She would think of things like this but is much too nice to say.
@mousehouse, no, I think someone else must have had [name_f]Tanzy[/name_f] on their list. I generally avoid T names as firsts because the alliteration with our surname gets to be a bit much.
My thoughts exactly.
I would like it if it were spelled [name_f]Tulia[/name_f]. I had a student last year named [name_m]Tulio[/name_m], so it doesn’t seem strange to me.
As a Finnish name Tuulia is a bit dated. I like Tuuli better. But ofcourse anywhere else in the world Tuulia would be quite new.
I agree with this. I’m not a Finnish speaker, but I also connect Tuulia to ‘tulla’, which means ‘joke’ in Norwegian. I think the spelling [name_f]Tulia[/name_f] would eliminate this problem.
I keep trying to make Tuulia into [name_f]Tallulah[/name_f]/[name_f]Talullah[/name_f], I think because of the nn Taluh it’s the closest familiar name I know of.
I like it, I think! [name_f]Julia[/name_f] makes it feel more accessible, and also My Big Fat Greek Wedding–the main character was [name_f]Toula[/name_f]. It’s quirky, and very different from your other kiddos, but I’m not sure that’s a bad thing? I can see C@spian, Zeph@n, Ev.e, Peregr!ne, Dulc!nea, and Tuulia being siblings, especially if you had a nn like Ev.ie and Da!sy do.
I only have one question–how would you pronounce it? According to the link I found on forvo, it’s almost said like TOH-lee-ah/DOUGH-lee-ah, but I had assumed TOO-lee-ah? I love the meaning, though, and everything about it. Tuulia is really cool.
I was saying it TOO-lee-ah, like [name_f]Julia[/name_f]. I don’t think I will use it, but I was still curious about what other people’s “take” on it was, just for the sake of discussion, and I did learn a couple of new things. I think it does lean toward looking a bit “kre8tiv,” which is kind of tragic since it’s really a traditional foreign name.