Been thinking about these three a lot today and would love some opinions!
Elisa
Xenia (specifically, how unrealistic is the Polish ksen-yah pronunciation? and is Cici/Sisi too far out there as a nn?)
Xanthe (specifically, Christian berries, if you liked the name, would you use this knowing it came from another religion? I never really linked it to Greek mythology until crushing on it lately, I always thought of it a bit as an honor name for my sisters (who are both blond), but would the mythological origins put you off?)
Would also love combo ideas if you have them - I’m toying with Violet Elisa and Xenia Charlotte, but have no real ideas for Xanthe (which I more envision as a middle, but would be open to it as a first with the right combo). If I used Xenia, it would probably be Xenia Charlotte [family name], but Elisa and Xanthe are much more open to ideas (and I could be convinced to use either as a first or middle for the right combo).
[name_f]Elisa[/name_f] is sleek, sweet and pretty with a hint of sparkle and sass - maybe with a twist of international and classic too.
[name_f]Xenia[/name_f] is distinctive, warm and strong, a bit starry and cool. I think seh-nee-uh or zen-ee-uh is more likely to be the way it’s pronounced, if it isn’t spelled [name_f]Ksenia[/name_f]?
[name_f]Sisi[/name_f] could work
[name_f]Xanthe[/name_f] is bright, interesting, kind of clunky-cool and sassy. I like it a lot (but can’t comment on the religious aspect)
[name_f]Xenia[/name_f] [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f] is lovely!
Elisa - Love her !! I love how she feels so timeless & international, and in general she has a friendly, sunny feel, and really cute nicknames! She’s a bit unexpected but very familiar and wearable.
Xenia - I’m conflicted! I definitely like the kseh-nee-ah pronunciation much more. I wouldn’t call it the Polish pronunciation (that would be closer to KSEH-nyah) but if you want it to be pronounced more like that pronunciation, I’d spell it Ksenia, the way it’s spelled in Polish! It looks much nicer to me than Xenia anyway, to be honest, which always had an almost sci-fi vibe to me because of the X beginning. But if you’re really attached to the Xenia spelling, I think the kseh-nee-ah pronunciation can work, it just takes more effort. Sisi makes enough sense to me to work as a nickname too!
Xanthe - I always find this Christian question around Greek names a little odd, to be honest. I’m Greek, Greece has an estimated 81% to 90% Christian population, and we use names from Greek mythology all the time. We’re not any less Christian for it. And it’s not against one’s religion to like a name from old myths, as far as I know Similar to the popularity of Freja and its spelling variations in many English-speaking, majority Christian countries. Or if we’re going back to Greek myth, the popularity of Iris and Athena. I don’t see why those are fine but Xanthe wouldn’t be! And Xanthe isn’t a religious name anyway, so I’m not sure how it would even be a “name from another religion”? It wasn’t the name of a deity that was worshipped, it seems from the Wikipedia page that it was used on both human and non-human figures in myth, so it’s hardly a name I’d call strongly religious, the way I would Apollo or Hestia. And it’s also just a word name, anyway - the Greek word for “blonde”.
[name_f]Love[/name_f] [name_f]Xanthe[/name_f] - I’m not the right person to provide any insight on the situation re a conflict with Christianity though. I always just liked the name and considered it for my eldest daughter.
[name_f]Elisa[/name_f] and [name_f]Xenia[/name_f] aren’t my thing, I prefer the sleeker [name_f]Elise[/name_f] or the more classic [name_f]Eliza[/name_f] to [name_f]Elisa[/name_f]. [name_f]My[/name_f] preferred pronunciation for [name_f]Xenia[/name_f] would be the Polish one, but I think the likelihood of this depends where you are, certainly where I am people would assume ZEEN-i-a which I really dislike as it makes me think of xenophobia, as does the name [name_f]Xena[/name_f]. Another possibility is X-een-i-a. Regardless, I think it’s a name with a few possible pronunciation options so I feel if you have a strong preference for one, I’d maybe stay clear.
I’m [name_m]Christian[/name_m] and have a daughter called [name_f]Xanthe[/name_f] [name_f]Jane[/name_f] It means golden or yellow haired anyway so it’s not a god name or anything like that.
It’s obviously my favourite out of the three names you mentioned as well
I especially adore [name_f]Xenia[/name_f] with the kseh-nya pronunciation!! I think she’s really beautiful and unexpected, and the pronunciation makes her feel very classy. I also like [name_f]Sisi[/name_f] as a nn, so sweet!!
[name_f]Xanthe[/name_f] is also super pretty, and while I’m not [name_m]Christian[/name_m], I think it’s totally okay to use names with other historical backgrounds!! I love the golden-y, summery vibes she gives
[name_f]Elisa[/name_f] - Also very pretty, and I think a little more subtle than your other picks (if that’s something you want!!). She feels very feminine and delicate to me, very lovely!!
I agree with tallemaja. I’m [name_m]Christian[/name_m], and I don’t see the problem with using Greek names whether they came from mythology or not. [name_f]My[/name_f] own daughter’s name comes from Greek mythology, and it was first chosen by my devoutly Catholic grandmother. I’m sure many early Christians had names that originated in mythology. [name_f]Xanthe[/name_f] is beautiful!
[name_m]Christian[/name_m] here too- the meaning of the name is what matters, not cultural origin, imo. For example if a name meant “worshipper of Zeus”(random example) you probably shouldn’t use it. But if its meaning is such as [name_f]Xanthe[/name_f]- “golden” I don’t see any reason not to use it.
That being said listen to your convictions. Pray over it. Ask [name_m]God[/name_m] for guidance. Ask Him to convict you if there is an issue…The [name_f]Holy[/name_f] [name_f]Spirit[/name_f] will guide you. Seek Pastoral opinions too, or others in church you trust
Exactly! I’m glad someone else understands. I just don’t feel right picking a name that in some way glorifies a god/goddess I don’t even believe in over my own [name_m]God[/name_m] and [name_m]Savior[/name_m]. I have been sort of ok with names that don’t seem to be names of outright gods or goddesses, like [name_f]Penelope[/name_f] (who as far as I know wasn’t), or even names like [name_f]Iris[/name_f] or [name_f]Aurora[/name_f] who have ties to God’s creation (like the flowers or aurora borealis). But as I was reading about [name_f]Xanthe[/name_f], it said she was an Oceanid, and I thought oh great she’s ok, but then I looked up Oceanid and it defined it as a type of goddess… and that’s where I am lol.
Not sure I’ve ever heard the ex- sound at the beginning of [name_f]Xenia[/name_f], that’s interesting. I think the one I knew in real life said ZEE-nee-ah. But maybe the myriad of pronunciations makes ksen-yah more accessible.
@greyblue - I’m not the guest fan of Mathilde/Matilda or [name_f]Tamsin[/name_f], but I do like [name_f]Elisa[/name_f] [name_f]Mathilde[/name_f] and [name_f]Elisa[/name_f] [name_f]Tamsin[/name_f]! [name_f]Tamsin[/name_f] + [name_f]Elisa[/name_f] especially are lovely together.
Oooof. Yeah I couldn’t remember if the Polish was nyah or nee-ah and got lazy and didn’t check before posting. I always thought I liked the Russian best but forgot about the ksyen-yah extra Y sound… definitely like the Polish best! I like [name_f]Ksenia[/name_f] too; I just prefer the X I think.
Ahh see, I am not ok with [name_f]Athena[/name_f] either. Like I mentioned to [name_f]Mikayla[/name_f], I just don’t feel right honoring a god/goddess I don’t believe in over the [name_m]God[/name_m] I believe in and love and serve! It feels a lot like breaking the commandment to not put other gods before Him. Which doing so surely doesn’t save me, but because I love Him, I want to keep His law as best I can! I certainly don’t judge others for the decision they make regarding using [name_f]Freya[/name_f] or [name_f]Athena[/name_f] etc. but for me it is a choice I have made, and probably is a very cultural decision. I know mythology names make up a huge part of Greek naming culture. But it is more reassuring to know that in Greek it is just a word name… that makes it easier to see as an honor name for my sisters over a name from another religion. Still a little put off by the websites I see saying Oceanids were goddesses… but I’m still making up my mind.
Ahh I dearly love [name_f]Eliza[/name_f] as well! Mistakenly as a teen I thought that [name_f]Elisa[/name_f] and [name_f]Eliza[/name_f] were interchangeable in [name_f]English[/name_f] much like [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] & [name_f]Elisabeth[/name_f] are in the US, and fell for the softer [name_f]Elisa[/name_f] spelling then… but also love the ties to [name_m]Brazil[/name_m] as [name_f]Elisa[/name_f] is fairly well known there and [name_m]Brazil[/name_m] is a very special place to my heart. I have many friends there and sponsor 5 kids from there… love that [name_f]Elisa[/name_f] is one of the few Portuguese names I could use and it would probably be said mostly right in [name_f]English[/name_f] (unlike [name_m]Simao[/name_m] or Benjamim). I mostly prefer [name_f]Eliza[/name_f], I think, especially in sound, but I saw it in writing recently and my heart was drawn to it again. Especially liking the idea of her as a middle for [name_f]Violet[/name_f].
Ahh thanks girl. Still weighing my options and trying to come to the full understanding of Xanthe’s mythological weight; my hesitation is that I’ve seen websites that say [name_f]Xanthe[/name_f] was a Oceanid (which they defined as a type of goddess), but it has helped hearing that it’s basically just a word name in Greece for blonde. Would love to have no hesitations adding it to my list, will definitely pray about it before making a decision.
That is another good point, thank you! Have definitely been prayerfully considering.
I still don’t really see it, at least from my own knowledge as someone who was raised with these myths, since the only ones who were actively worshipped were, well, the gods. As I mentioned Xanthe isn’t a true goddess name, so it isn’t one related to religion! People in Ancient Greece had to have names too, obviously, and this includes characters in myth, but that doesn’t make any name that shows up in out myths automatically religious That’s why I pointed out that Xanthe was used on human characters too, because it is just a name and not something religious! The grand majority of nymphs were not worshipped, the Oceanids were generally not worshipped, so the name isn’t linked to religion. Unless you consider something like Penelope a religious name just for being a woman from Greek myth, I don’t see why you would Xanthe!
Edit: If you’re still concerned about it for whatever reason, you could also approach your use of Xanthe as using it as a short form of Xanthippe and claim that as its origin. It still retains the meaning of blonde you want, it means blonde/golden horse, but it’s not a name associated with myth.
Similar to the popularity of Freja and its spelling variations in many English-speaking, majority Christian countries. Or if we’re going back to Greek myth, the popularity of Iris and Athena. I don’t see why those are fine but Xanthe wouldn’t be! And Xanthe isn’t a religious name anyway, so I’m not sure how it would even be a “name from another religion”? It wasn’t the name of a deity that was worshipped, it seems from the Wikipedia page that it was used on both human and non-human figures in myth, so it’s hardly a name I’d call strongly religious, the way I would Apollo or Hestia. And it’s also just a word name, anyway - the Greek word for “blonde”.
It means golden or yellow haired anyway so it’s not a god name or anything like that.
That’s why I pointed out that Xanthe was used on human characters too, because it is just a name and not something religious! The grand majority of nymphs were not worshipped, the Oceanids were generally not worshipped, so the name isn’t linked to religion. Unless you consider something like Penelope a religious name just for being a woman from Greek myth, I don’t see why you would Xanthe!