Stone palette of a Nereid sea-goddess riding a...
Stone palette of a Nereid; Image via Wikipedia

Looking for a mermaid name less common than Madison or Ariel?

Thanks to Christina for suggesting Nereida as our Baby Name of the Day.

Okay, Nereida isn’t a mermaid.

About Abby Sandel

Whether you're naming a baby, or just all about names, you've come to the right place! Appellation Mountain is a haven for lovers of obscure gems and enduring classics alike.

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What do you think?

11 Comments

  1. Can’t say I’m a huge fan of the name, maybe its the pronunciation, or just the way it sounds. Nerea is a bit better.
    Madison and Ariel will never be mermaid names to me, one is son of Maud, the other is lion of God.

  2. I really like all things mermaid, but I’m just not digging Nereida. I think the proper pronunciation is pretty, but I admit to initially stumbling over it. My brain wanted to say Nuh-RYE-dah, which I find to be kind of clunky. This one isn’t really my style.

  3. Huh. I wanted to pronounce this Nuh-REE-Duh. Maybe I was thinking of Areida, Ella’s BFF from Ella Enchanted. The proper pronounciation is pretty, but I would have to stop myself from pronouncing it the way I thought it was at first. Also, I like Nerissa better, but I am a fan of all “sea” related names, so Nereida is a good options.

  4. Nereida sounds so pretty when pronounced by a native Spanish speaker. Alas, I feel it’s probably best used in the middle name slot in English-speaking countries.

    1. That’s what I was wondering! Although I couldn’t find any connection between Neruda and Nereida’s one appearance in US Top 1000.

      I could grow to like Nereida, but my brain wants to pronounce it neh-RYE-dah, so the Nerida spelling would make more sense.

    2. Neruda would be really cool to honor the poet, but I would have trouble bestowing Neruda on a child in the U.S. because of the word ‘rude’ smack dab in the middle. I know the potential for teasing isn’t reason enough to not use a name, but the strong sound of ‘rude’ would really give me pause.

  5. I could swear I went to first & second grades with a Joseph Nereida. It so struck me as a surname when I saw Nereida at first but admit, it’s got a pretty, girly sound. Nerissa’s more my speed, generally but Nereida’s pretty neat. Funny how movies change the plot a bit from the original mostly unnecessarily. ‘Clash of the Titans’ is the story of Perseus & Andromeda. In the flick, it’s Hera (and Hades) her mother ticks off. Hence the Titan being released to wreck the city. Even as a kid (the original was shown in 81 or 82) and I remember wondering “huh” at first. But it’s such a fun romp through mythology, I enjoy the flick despite the change. I really liked the reboot, too. Oh the FX! 😀
    But I digress, Nereida’s not such a tough spell, has a pretty sound and an unusual initial. She’d stand out in a sea of Isabella’s for sure! 🙂