I do not like names respelled to end with an i.
Maci, Juli, Kari – no, no, no. Macy, Julie, Carrie – yes, yes, yes.
Nicknames – Ceci for Cecilia – get a pass. And I don’t so much mind Ashlie and Averie, though I think it might be frustrating to introduce yourself as “Ashlie with an ie” for ever and evermore.
Except that I do find myself completely in love with names that conventionally end in i, perhaps because it is rather rare – at least in English. And so this week’s list is all about girls’ names that end with the letter i, stylishly.
Naomi – Maybe the best example of an enduring appellation that ends in i, the Biblical Naomi has been quietly on the rise for years, reaching #96 in 2010. Looking for something similar, but less popular? The French Noemi is an option, but Noemie is the more common spelling. And now there’s the Scandinavian Noomi, worn by Swedish actress Noomi Rapace, known for her roles in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and the new Sherlock Holmes movie.
Eleni – I’m dazzled by Eleni’s, the New York cookie company known for their elaborately decorated sweets. Eleni Gianopulos is the baker behind the business. Like many famous bearers of the name, she’s Greek – but then, there was also a sixteenth century Empress of Ethiopia called Eleni, so the name has international cred. And, of course, Eleni has impeccably classic roots – she’s derived from Helen. With Elena, Eleanor, and Helena all feeling current at the moment, Eleni is both striking different and appealingly familiar.
Kateri – The Mohawk version of Catherine, popularized by a seventeenth century convert to Christianity, is something of a puzzle. The pronunciation is debated, and I’m not sure if any one else answered to Kateri until Catherine Tekakwitha came along. She’s scheduled to be canonized shortly, possibly encouraging more Catholic parents to consider Kateri for their daughters. Still, I think she could work for parents of other faiths. First, she’s considered the patron of environmental causes. Second, Kate names are mainstream.
Iolani – If non-Catholic parents hesitate to embrace Kateri, perhaps those without a connection to Hawaii will pause before considering Iolani. But I love her meaning – it translates roughly to “heavenly bird” – and the former royal palace in Honolulu is the ‘Iolani Palace. Iolani also reminds me of Iolanthe – the Violet-variant first used by Gilbert and Sullivan.
Anjali – She’s an Indian import that could wear well circa 2012. Her sound is close to the evergreen Angela and yet her look is worlds away. Like Iolani and Kateri, she might be too much of a risk for some parents. But if you dare, Anjali could be that rare name – attractive, unusual, and cross-cultural without requiring constant explanation.
Do you have any strong feeling about ends-in-i names? Are any of these daring enough to make an exception?
I’m a fan of I… at the start of a name… at the end, things get dodgy, as you’ve mentioned. Generally, I find the ends-in-i names less than inspiring, although you’ve got a nice collection here, but they aren’t really for me. Ends-in-i respellings and nicknames are always dated to the 80s for me and I automatically picture the heart over the i (was this an 80s thing or does it persist to this day?)… Cindi (heart dot), Vicki (heart dot), Nicki (heart dot), Toni (heart dot), etc. Juli, however, looks very weird to me – like the last letter was forgotten, rather than purposely omitted.
I’m not big on respelled ends-in-i names either; for some reason they often seem incomplete and almost childish.
Of the ones you mentioned, Naomi is my favorite. I also adore Anjali. Along the lines of Anjali, I would add Amani for your consideration. I don’t know what it means, but Amani is a legitimate Arabic name. I have two cousins with the name and a friend in MI has a 2 year old Amani (older sister is Maari@).
For boys I love Rafi, Ari, and Levi. Rafi is a serious contender for us, but that I-ending really gives me pause and makes me want to put Raphael on the birth certificate.
I grew up listening to Raffi so I totally <3 Raphael (and I used to sing Baby Beluga to my daughter endlessly in my turn <3)
Catherine, I grew up listening to Baby Beluga as well 🙂 I know the singer is most people’s only association with Rafi/Raffi, but I knew a friend of a friend in college who was Raphael nn Rafi and I’ve been sold on it ever since.
I’ve always loved Kateri! I have only ever heard it pronounced (kuh-TARE-ee).
I’ve never liked Angel- names but Anjali is growing on me.
I agree with you about the respelled -i endings…My sister went with the spelling Luci for my neice … she has even admitted to wanting to continue the trend if she has another girl, Holli seems to be the front runner. *cringe* I plan to try and convince her that Mali (Molly) would be a better fit.
or Mairi 🙂 or Heidi (unless Miss Montag ruined the name for everyone).:
Actually, my sister’s best friend named her daughter Heidi. Is Mairi pron. like Mary?
Names respelled to end in -i annoy me to no end. The names you listed are nice enough, and I wouldn’t mind seeing them on someone else’s child. They just aren’t for me.
My mother is a Noemie, but she doesn’t it like it very much. I much prefer it to Naomi, which always makes me think of the angry, phone throwing supermodel. Of the ones you mentioned I particularly like Kateri. It is a great alternative to Catherine but still has all her charms.
Eleni’s been a long time favourite of mine 🙂 lots of Anjalis where I live (huge huge East Indian and Pakistani communities).
It’s strange how spelling and accent can change a name. I had to force myself to read Kari and Carrie as the same. Kari is instantly CAR-ee and Carrie is CAH-ree.
I went to school with a Kari (Kahr-ee) and a Kari (CAIR-ee). My brain still has trouble with that.
All of these are awesome! I also like ends-in-i names, a lot, so I’ve broken down my favorites into categories:
Girls’ names: Ani, Araceli, Joni, Lindi, Miri, Heidi
Boys’ names: Alexei, Avi, Ari, the French Henr
These are all very stylish I-enders; I have seen an Eleni and two Anjalis recently born. Iolani has a beautiful meaning.
During the dazzling deluge of Christmas names, I was taken with Lumi and Lumikki – Finnish for “snow” and “snow white”.