Comments on: Name of the Day: Lorelei

By: Baby Name of the Day: Nyx | Appellation Mountain

Baby Name of the Day: Nyx | Appellation Mountain — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 07:03:15 +0000

[...] not related, there are also water sprites in Germanic folklore called nixies, nix, or nixe. With Lorelei attracting so much attention, can other mermaid names make waves? Figures from myth and folklore [...]

By: simone

simone — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 23:34:58 +0000

i have called my daughter Lorelai with an a so that if she doesn’t like that it comes from a mermaid when she is older then it isn’t spelt the same. i picked her name because the myth of the mermaid i very much like. and i don’t care if people don’t like it. They don’t have to call their children it, i think they should have a bit of respect for people who have called their daughters it or have it as their name.

By: bugandzoe

bugandzoe — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 01:52:53 +0000

Lorelei is the name of my three year old daughter. I love it; although the (infrequent) mispronunciation of it as “loralee” annoys me. For most of my pregnancy, our favourite name was Ruby. My mother hated it and campaigned against it. A week before she was born, I was overdue and fed up with my husband’s family calling her Ruby before she was born (especially because we’d never said it was officially the name but just that we liked it). We also strongly suspected she would be redheaded (which she is), and Ruby seemed to be a bit much in that case. So, a week before she was born Gentlemen Prefer Blondes was on TV, and I remembered it. I’d always really liked it because of the Ella Fitzgerald song. I thought it was very pretty. I also liked that it’s always the name of scandalous and strong women. My daughter is bright and wild, and it fits her perfectly.

By: appellationmountain

appellationmountain — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 15:28:00 +0000

And Lorelei continues to generate more controversy than any three syllables should! I think there are clearly plenty of Americans of German descent who find Lorelei an appropriate nod to their heritage. It’s often the case that “heritage” names wouldn’t fly in the country of origin – at least not at that moment in time. That’s not necessarily false legitimacy – it is just the difference between a name that Americans perceive as having German roots and a name that actually is currently in use in Germany. As for spelling a name wrong? *Shrugs.* That’s really, really tough to call. I’ve written about it here. While there are variant spellings that are excessive and confusing, often different spellings are just variations – no better or worse than their originals, and sometimes with good reasons for families to use one or other.

By: Millie

Millie — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 15:11:18 +0000

No German would name their child Lorelei.
And they definitely wouldn’t spell it wrong.
It’s fine to me that you like the name and want to use it – Germans understand that Americans are funny namers and don’t hold it against them in any way – but there’s no need to assign false legitimacy to it. Liking it is reason enough, as long as you fully understand that it is, originally, the name of a rock that has caused a lot of deaths.

By: Fetching Names: Elaborate As with Tomboy Nicknames | Appellation Mountain

Fetching Names: Elaborate As with Tomboy Nicknames | Appellation Mountain — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 07:02:51 +0000

[...] Aurora – A Disney princess that converts to the boyish Rory. Aurora belongs in a ballgown, while Rory feels rough and tumble. Hesitant to use Rory for a daughter? Errol Flynn did, back in the 1950s, as did 1990s television favorite The Gilmore Girls, where Rory was a nickname for Lorelai. [...]

By: s.m.h.

s.m.h. — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 02:51:51 +0000

well I once knew a Lorelei myself, she too had a daughter with the same name as the lead water sprite’s daughter…. Nixie! I do understand that this is probably just a small coincedense, being as the two names are linked so closely together in ancient lure. The most perplexing part about it all is that the “L-dub” I once knew was definitely a “one of a kind”. At any rate I have to say that I truly love the name for the mother and daughter both! If you are anything like the one I once knew I imagine you do indeed have the strength, character, and integrity of …. the most precious stone known to man. . That being said I think that would have made a unique and one of kind “middle name” for your daughter. It seems as though she is truly the “sunshine” of her mothers life?! Oh and how have you been… haha Seems as though things are going great which truly does make my heart smile! Very very glad to hear it! -Honestly not a stalker
smh

By: Sabrina

Sabrina — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 04:26:51 +0000

I so want to like this name because my husband loves it and really wants to use it for our second daughter. I don’t dislike it, but I don’t particularly like it either. Something about it seems made up to me — maybe it’s the Laura-lee pronunciation and the dozens of variant spellings. I do think it is a pretty name, and I absolutely love the nickname Lola, so this may end up being the name of my little bundle, who is due in eight days!

By: Reader Baby Name Story: She Picked Her Own Name | Appellation Mountain

Reader Baby Name Story: She Picked Her Own Name | Appellation Mountain — Sat, 07 May 2011 16:12:40 +0000

[...] Lorelei Alanna (also too much ‘L’) [...]

By: Rachel

Rachel — Tue, 03 May 2011 15:20:24 +0000

Lorelei is my absolute favorite name. It’s the only name my fiance and I can agree on. I love different names Though names like Sarah and Mary are pretty, I wouldn’t want my daughter named that. I want her to be unique but not so far out there that she always has her name pronounced wrong and all. Lorelei is gorgeous to me! it’s different and lovely, but not too out there. Very gorgeous! my daughters full name would be Lorelei Michelle Eischens (eye shins) A little long but very pretty!