My elder daughter’s name is [name]Iris[/name] and I wanted something Greek to go with it for our younger daughter (currently I’m 4 months pregnant). Plus our last name begins with I and truly demands a consonant sound ending to the first name. Which is surprisingly limiting for girls’ names!
Anyway. I [name]LOVE[/name] [name]Xanthe[/name]. My husband however is mad about [name]Artemis[/name]. What do you think? I worry about three syllable names always getting shortened and I’m not in love with the nicknames for [name]Artemis[/name] ([name]Missy[/name], [name]Arty[/name], [name]Emmy[/name]).
Husband thinks [name]Xanthe[/name] is ‘Sloaney’ (which in the UK basically means preppy) though as I can only name one public figure (a food writer) and one other ‘known to me’ [name]Xanthe[/name] I don’t know how he has arrived at this conclusion. [name]How[/name] does it feel in the States?
Oh, I love [name]Artemis[/name] by far and away. If you don’t like the nicknames, I would call your baby by her full first name all of the time. It may not stop people from giving her a nickname, but it might help. Anyway, [name]Xanthe[/name] is a lovely name too, but I have a real soft spot for [name]Artemis[/name]. [name]One[/name] thing to consider is that both girl’s names will end in ‘s’ if you choose [name]Artemis[/name]. I don’t know if that’s a big deal or not. To some it is, so I thought I’d mention it.
Oh, and both [name]Xanthe[/name] and [name]Artemis[/name] would probably be considered more quirky in the US. I would imagine a quirky, sweet little girl with either one.
[name]Both[/name] names are wonderful but if you already have an [name]Iris[/name], I would choose [name]Xanthe[/name]. [name]Iris[/name] and [name]Artemis[/name] share the same ending so I don’t think that’s ideal.
I’ve been in love with [name]Xanthe[/name] for many years! There is a noticeable increase in its usage, based on the the birth annoucements I’ve scanned for years, in the last year or so (in UK). If usage is of concern to you, [name]Artemis[/name] is far, far behind [name]Xanthe[/name]. [name]Artemis[/name] is fab, but with [name]Iris[/name], [name]Xanthe[/name] sounds much better (variation of ending).
My aunt’s name was [name]Artemis[/name]. We all called her ‘[name]Arte[/name]’ (Ar-te). When I was younger I thought everyone was saying [name]Arta[/name] (Ar-ta) so that’s what I called her most of my life. Growing up with a name like that in the family was cool. Her name was very fitting!
I think [name]Xanthe[/name] is beautiful! [name]Artemis[/name] just is not. It seems masculine to me. [name]Iris[/name] and [name]Xanthe[/name] would be a perfect fit.
I really like [name]Xanthe[/name]. There’s something about the sound of [name]Artemis[/name] that I’ve never been able to love. She is a strong namesake though!
Thanks so much everyone! I hadn’t even thought of the [name]Iris[/name]/[name]Artemis[/name] endings being similar (perils of being limited to consonant endings maybe). I wonder why [name]Artemis[/name] sounds masculine? Maybe because of the [name]Artemis[/name] Fowl books… but to my mind she’s clearly the goddess (we learned all our classical mythology with the original Greek names).
[name]Iris[/name] is the messenger goddess of the rainbow. [name]Xanthe[/name] means golden and I think was also an Amazon. [name]Artemis[/name] is the goddess of the moon/the hunt - she’s a strong lady! All good origins.
I won’t be sad to settle for [name]Artemis[/name] (husband also likes [name]Lark[/name] which while pretty is a bit too alternative to meet my “could be Prime Minister” rule (I have been scarred myself by a terrible couldn’t-in-a-million-years be PM name…) as I really do like it. I just still like [name]Xanthe[/name] more… When we’ve decided I’ll let you know.
Thank you so much in the meantime. It’s amazing to have a resource like Nameberry as obviously you can’t discuss names with friends because if you plump for something you know they didn’t like you’ll always have that at the back of your mind!
This is a remarkable coincidence as my beautiful, blonde haired, blue eyed gdaughter is named [name]Xanthe[/name]. [name]How[/name] we love her and her name. She is a real survivor and at nearly 3 y.o. has had health problems but she always had a smile despite her problems. She is spunky and cute and oh so pretty, we all adore her. So without a doubt I can recommend you giving your daughter the name [name]Xanthe[/name].
I am confused-- you said your surname requires a consonant ending. This would rule out [name]Xanthe[/name], right? Or is the last syllable “thee” different enough to work?
I love [name]Artemis[/name] - it’s beautiful. However, if you have a daughter named [name]Iris[/name], I would suggest [name]Xanthe[/name]. I am not a fan of rhyming names, and [name]Iris[/name] and [name]Artemis[/name] might sound a bit tacky together. That said, I love your taste in names! They are all beautiful choices.