BTW, in Spanish there´s also “Georgina”.

I’ve known several old women named Georgia, so perhaps that ruins it for me. It was in the top 200 until 1953. It’s not horrible, but it’s not a name I get very excited about. That’s a personal thing, though. I certainly have some “old-lady” names at the top of my list. (Clara and Violet were definitely my grandmother’s and great-grandmother’s generation.)

Speaking of George, it’s my kitten’s name — that’s the name he was given at the shelter, and it suited him so well we couldn’t bear to change it. We sometimes call him “St. George” because he’s the better-behaved of our two kittens. (Bartholomew sometimes gets nicknamed “the Dragon” because he’s the wilder one.) I like George’s old-fashioned kingly feel, but the sound isn’t very appealing to me.

Still, I’d use it.

As for Georgina/Georgiana? I had no idea there was a potential pronunciation issue. I’ve always heard Georgina said jor JEE nah, and assumed Georgiana would be jor jee AHN ah. But I’ve heard both very sparingly, so I feel like it’s tough to say. That’s interesting about the movie, Lyndsay – I haven’t seen it yet. I wonder if it is a historical relic or just a quirk of the woman herself?

The Georgiana in Pride and Prejudice is how I first came across this name. Pronouced with four syllables: George-ee-ahn-ah – to me she feels like Georgina’s slightly frillier cousin and while I’ve never met one, she appeals in a way that overtly frilly names rarely ever do.

Back to the original topic for coversation: Georgia. I first decided that I really like Georgia whilst watching Ally Mcbeal (well I might as well be honest about these things!) prior to that I had heard precious little of her – not having the same overt associations with the name that American’s clearly do. I find her pucnhy, sassy and yes, flirty in her own old school southern way.

She’s much more well known in the UK these days, in a way that has put me off her a bit. I don’t know why, but to my mind she has lost some of her jazzy ‘Georgia on my mind’ appeal. Perhaps, this relates to an issue which I know I have prattled on about before but seems relevant here. To me, the name Georgia is intrinsically linked with the American state that bears the same name and indeed Southern culture in general (like any name who’s associations are rooted to a place). The point I’m making is that to name a child Georgia and have no links with that place/culture seems unnatural somehow and therefore a bit awkward…

I like Georgia, but prefer a little frillier names for girls, like Georgiana. I’m considering George right now for my boy… I feel like I’ve been saying that every day, but you’ve just been doing names I like over and over again!