What do you think when you hear the combo [name_f]Helena[/name_f] Edelweiss?
It’s a new combo this week that DH actually said he liked right away (which very rarely happens).
[name_f]Helena[/name_f] would honor my great-grandma [name_f]Helen[/name_f].
A bit on the naming tradition in my family: [name_f]Every[/name_f] firstborn girl descendent of [name_f]Helen[/name_f] so far (myself included) has had some form of [name_f]Helen[/name_f] honorific. My grandma is [name_f]Helen[/name_f] [name_f]Margot[/name_f] (always called [name_f]Margot[/name_f]). My mom has [name_f]Helen[/name_f]'s maiden name, [name_m]Julian[/name_m], as her middle ([name_f]Helen[/name_f] had no surviving siblings so she was the end of her line). My mom’s female cousins both have [name_f]Helen[/name_f] as their middle. My middle is [name_f]Claire[/name_f]-[name_f]Helene[/name_f]. My cousin’s middle is [name_f]Julia[/name_f] in honor of [name_f]Helen[/name_f]'s maiden name. My firstborn female 2nd cousins are [name_f]Alexandra[/name_f] [name_f]Elena[/name_f] and [name_f]Beatrice[/name_f] [name_f]Elaine[/name_f]. I’m the first of my generation married and TTC. I am not entirely sure I’ll be continuing the tradition, but I am certainly strongly considering it.
As for Edelweiss, it would honor DH’s grandfather, as “Edelweiss” a la Sound of [name_f]Music[/name_f] was his favorite song. It seems like a great way to honor his memory, as Chinese families (DH is Chinese American and grandfather was very traditional) can sometimes be very touchy about naming “after” relatives, particularly recently deceased ones. We think that DH’s grandmother would be pleasantly touched by the name without worrying about the afterlife of her husband of 70 years. It would also serve to honor my [name_m]German[/name_m] heritage as well.
So what do you think of [name_f]Helena[/name_f] Edelweiss? What kind of girl/woman is she?
Could you see [name_f]Heidi[/name_f] as a nickname? [name_f]Edie[/name_f]? Is [name_f]Evie[/name_f] too far a stretch?
Uhm, I have the same combo (only I use two middle names) in my list for at least a year now, so yes, I think [name_f]Helena[/name_f] Edelweiss is one of the prettiest name combos out there.
[name_f]Heidi[/name_f]… maybe, I won’t get it at first but if I meet a [name_f]Helena[/name_f] who introduces herself as [name_f]Heidi[/name_f] I won’t mind calling her that. [name_f]Edie[/name_f] works but that’s also a bit confusing since it’s from the middle name. [name_f]Evie[/name_f] is too much of a stretch, imo.
It’s a very nice combo, but it sounds like you want the name [name_f]Evie[/name_f] (it’s too much of a stretch in my opinion). Traditions are nice, but you have to like and want it.
[name_f]Helena[/name_f] Edelweiss makes me think of medieval Europe, of castles and ladies and fancy gowns. [name_f]Helena[/name_f] feels like a classic, regal, almost aristocratic name to me, and Edelweiss makes me think of the flower, The Sound of [name_f]Music[/name_f], the song and the Alps. It’s a beautiful combo and I would love to meet someone named this! The family tradition of using a [name_f]Helen[/name_f] honorific is lovely.
I think [name_f]Edie[/name_f] or [name_f]Evie[/name_f] is too much of a stretch as a nickname unless you use Edelweiss as the first name. Edelweiss [name_f]Helena[/name_f] sounds lovely but I’m not sure how wearable it is, unless you call her [name_f]Edie[/name_f] or [name_f]Evie[/name_f] almost exclusively and Edelweiss is just for the birth certificate.
[name_f]Helena[/name_f] Edelweiss—wow, I love it! Elegant, sophisticated, but a touch of playful softness and whimsy. A few years ago, Edelweiss might have felt way too offbeat, but with the proliferation of flower names, it manages to feel modern and yet still uncommon. And the combination beautifully pays homage to both your families.
[name_f]Heidi[/name_f] and [name_f]Edie[/name_f] both make sense to me as nicknames, but [name_f]Evie[/name_f] is a stretch. (Though sometimes nicknames don’t have any organic relation to the original name—they just happen.)
What pronunciation would you use for [name_f]Helena[/name_f]? [name_f]Helen[/name_f]-uh or Heh-LAIN-uh? With the second pronunciation the most natural nickname would probably by [name_u]Lane[/name_u] or [name_f]Lainey[/name_f]. I don’t see [name_f]Heidi[/name_f] as being a nickname that would come up naturally for either first or middle name (it was originally a nickname for [name_f]Adelheid[/name_f]). [name_f]Edie[/name_f] maybe, but it’s kind of a stretch too, since Edelweis isn’t really pronounced the same way (Ay-dul-weis). The name is fine, but if you don’t really like it as it is, I’d probably keep looking.
@luneth, that’s a cool coincidence. Your combo of [name_f]Helena[/name_f] Illyria Edelweiss is gorgeous! I swear I didn’t see your list until now… not trying to steal your name, but I’m happy to have found someone who loves it nearly as much as I do.
@ziggy2112, On the contrary, I’m actually not tied to [name_f]Evie[/name_f] at all, and I’m removing it from the possible nicknames for [name_f]Helena[/name_f] Edelweiss based on the feedback. [name_m]Just[/name_m] looking for nickname possibilities.
@bonfireazalea and @ceryle, I love the imagery you shared. Your descriptions are in many ways what I’m hoping for, so that’s great to hear.
@annica, I would use the [name_f]Helen[/name_f]-a pronunciation. Unless it’s spoken by a close-to-native Spanish-speaker, I don’t like the '[name_f]Elena[/name_f]-with-an-H pronunciation very much at all. It wouldn’t bother me to have to correct people (and I don’t mind putting that burden on my child, as a ‘[name_f]Lilian[/name_f], with one L in the middle, please’ myself) in order to enforce the [name_f]Helen[/name_f]-a pronunciation.
[name_f]Heidi[/name_f] and [name_f]Edie[/name_f] will be possible nickname contenders. My nickname growing up had very little to do with my name: I went by [name_f]Elsie[/name_f], for my initials L.C., until high school, when I started going by my first name, [name_f]Lilian[/name_f], for the first time. I just like the idea (and my own experience) of having a nickname that’s much more juvenile and playful, and a full first name that says sophisticated young lady. Can you see [name_f]Hildie[/name_f] as a nickname, possibly? [name_f]Hildred[/name_f] was my 2nd great-grandmother. One of my other possible names is [name_f]Mathilda[/name_f], nn [name_f]Hildie[/name_f], but I’m leaning more toward [name_f]Helena[/name_f] Edelweiss now. [name_f]Do[/name_f] you think [name_f]Hildie[/name_f] is usable and wearable for a [name_f]Helena[/name_f] Edelweiss?
I actually almost added the suggestion of [name_f]Hildie[/name_f] (or [name_f]Hildy[/name_f]) to my original post, so yes, I think it could work as well as [name_f]Heidi[/name_f], at least.
No, no, of course I didn’t say you steal it. I was just surprised to see it, really. I put [name_f]Helena[/name_f] on my signature back then, but after a while I moved it to the linked list. No wonder you’ve never seen it before. Yeah, [name_f]Helena[/name_f] Edelweiss is very lovely indeed.
[name_f]Heidi[/name_f] and [name_f]Edie[/name_f] will be possible nickname contenders. My nickname growing up had very little to do with my name: I went by [name_f]Elsie[/name_f], for my initials L.C., until high school, when I started going by my first name, [name_f]Lilian[/name_f], for the first time. I just like the idea (and my own experience) of having a nickname that’s much more juvenile and playful, and a full first name that says sophisticated young lady. Can you see [name_f]Hildie[/name_f] as a nickname, possibly? [name_f]Hildred[/name_f] was my 2nd great-grandmother. One of my other possible names is [name_f]Mathilda[/name_f], nn [name_f]Hildie[/name_f], but I’m leaning more toward [name_f]Helena[/name_f] Edelweiss now. [name_f]Do[/name_f] you think [name_f]Hildie[/name_f] is usable and wearable for a [name_f]Helena[/name_f] Edelweiss?
[name_f]Lilian[/name_f] C. nn [name_f]Elsie[/name_f] is very cool. My friends called me with my initials too back then, but I didn’t have initials that can sound like another name like that. I really like that idea.
Honestly [name_f]Mathilda[/name_f] nn [name_f]Hildie[/name_f] is much easier. IF a [name_f]Helena[/name_f] insists she is called [name_f]Hildie[/name_f] then I won’t mind calling her that, but really I won’t get it, because the sound is completely different.
If it is like for example [name_u]HILlary[/name_u] [name_f]DIanne[/name_f] then yes it makes sense. [name_f]Heidi[/name_f] is stretch to me, [name_f]Hildie[/name_f] is… even more of a stretch.
I like name with many possible nicknames, but I guess I prefer ones that still a bit more obvious.
I like [name_f]Helena[/name_f] and would default to saying HEL-en-a (like [name_f]Helen[/name_f] with an a sound at the end).
Edelweiss might grow on me; it’s a bit ‘out there’ for me. I’d pick a different [name_m]German[/name_m] based name. Like [name_f]Gretl[/name_f] (also sound of music) or [name_f]Gretel[/name_f] but I am biased cuz I’m obsessed with that name
[name_f]Helena[/name_f] Edelweiss is very pretty! I have honestly never heard Edelweiss used in a name before. I agree with a previous poster that [name_f]Lena[/name_f] would be a good nickname, although I also like [name_f]Heidi[/name_f]. At first glance, it seems out of the blue, but if you combine sounds from [name_f]Helena[/name_f] and Edelweiss, I could see where [name_f]Heidi[/name_f] came from. [name_f]Hallie[/name_f] could potentially flow from [name_f]Helena[/name_f], as well. It would be kind of like [name_f]Margaret[/name_f] and [name_f]Maggie[/name_f].
As for [name_f]Edie[/name_f], I’m not such a fan. I don’t really like nicknames made solely from the middle name as it makes it feel, to me, like the first name then becomes just a placeholder. If that makes sense. haha
