Lorelei is a fanciful German choice boosted by a popular dramedy.
Thanks to Dirty Hippy for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day.
BY THE RHINE
German folklore gives us Rhine maidens, a mix of mermaid, shape-shifter, and siren. They lured sailors to their deaths on the treacherous rocks of the Rhine River.
One especially dangerous boulder shared its name with one of the maidens – Loreley.
Legend says she’s the ghost of a lovesick maiden, drowned in despair.
Poets, composers and painters have been inspired by her tale for generations:
- In 1801, Clemens Brentano wrote a poem about Lore Lay.
- Heinrich Heine penned the poem Die Lorelei in 1838.
- At least a dozen songs share the title, and there’s an Italian opera by the name, too, as well as another one based on the legend – but it’s called Lurline.
The name comes from the murmuring sound of the water – lurlei or lureln – or maybe from the same root that gives us the verb to lure, plus the word ley, from a Celtic word meaning rock.
GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES
A handful of women were named after the poetry and operas, but it took a comic novel by Anita Loos to boost the name. Her 1925 bestseller was the story of a stenographer from Little Rock who shot a would-be suitor for his unwanted advances. The judge’s sentence? He re-named her Lorelei and packed her off to Hollywood to use her beauty for good. She ends up in Europe, on madcap adventures with her BFF, Dorothy. All ends well.
It became a comic strip, a 1928 movie, and then a 1949 Broadway musical. But it was 1953’s big screen extravaganza that cemented the story in our memories. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes starred Marilyn Monroe as Lorelei. The diamonds and pink dress are iconic – years later, Madonna borrowed her character for her “Material Girl” video. We all recognize it, even if we’re not exactly sure about the backstory.
As the various adaptations of Loos’ story succeeded, more girls received the name. Lorelei hugged the edges of the US Top 1000, breaking in multiple times, from the 1930s into the 1960s.
But it took the small screen to make the name a hit.
GILMORE GIRLS
The Gilmore Girls debuted in 2000. The show used the variant spelling Lorelai for its two main characters – a mother-daughter duo. The mom used the name in full, while the daughter was known as Rory. We eventually learned that they weren’t the first to bear the Gilmore family name. Rory’s late great-grandmother was yet another Lorelai, but she answered to Trix.
The show was a major success, and the name caught on – maybe because the mom and daughter both showed how wearable the name could be.
BY THE NUMBERS
Lorelei re-entered the Top 1000 in 2004. As of 2012, the original spelling charted at #533. By 2018, the name reached #473. As for Lorelai, it entered the US Top 1000 in 2006, and reached #568 by 2018.
That’s not too common, and yet, it’s also not exactly rare. It hits a sweet spot for plenty of parents.
Plus, it feels like a spin on the classic Laura, and boasts nickname options like Lola and Rory.
If you’re looking for something a little bit sparkly, with hints of German heritage but a current feel, Lorelei might be the name for you.
Would you consider this name for a daughter? Do you like the -lei or – lai spelling better?
Originally published on July 30, 2008, this post was revised and re-posted on September 2, 2013 and again on February 5, 2020.
My daughter is called Lorelai (born in early 2007) and I did know that the traditional spelling does not have an “a.” I went back and forth over how to spell it and decided the Gilmore Girls way was more phonetic – to avoid her being called “Laura-lay” or “Laura-lee.”
Also, Lolly’s Mom- mine is an outgoing firecracker as well! I hope the men in her future will be intimidated by the legend that goes with her name. We do have a family tie to Germany, but that wasn’t the reason I picked the name. Although, I very much look forward to taking my daughter to see the Loreley rock one day. What a great excuse for a trip to Europe.
Lastly, I was 29 when I had her and also have Master’s degree, so “Another” has been proven wrong again.
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.
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.
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!
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!
I grew up in a German family where everyone was an immigrant except for me and my father. I listened lovingly to stories about Lorelei in the Rhine and always wished that my name was Lorelei instead of plain old Laura. (not to mention i know about 500 other Laura’s)
AND if Laura wasn’t my name, I’d name my daughter Lorelei in a heartbeat. Especially if you are German and have strong German roots, this name is extremely meaningful and even sounds like the hills and mountains looks in rural Germany.
Very poetic name, full of mystery yet down to earth.
I am a 34 year old mother of four, 2 boys and 2 girls. I feel a bit offended by the rude comment about the name “Lorelei”.
My elder daughter’s name is “Laurelie”, a variant of “Lorelei”. My husband and I chose this name because of our heritage (family roots) and also because our family and friends feel that it is a pretty name.
Please do not stereotype, it is extremely rude.
FYI, I own a masters degree and so does my husband. Our other children are named Jayden, Jeran and Loraine. Does anyone have a problem with that?
Yes, Carla, I guarantee that someone has a problem with your kids’ names. And my kids’ names. Someone has a problem with every name every parent has ever given to a child since we began exercising any degree of choice over what we named our children! Our family and friends don’t always tell us because a) they love us; b) they love our kids; c) especially with our friends, the things we have in common often extends to similar taste in names.
For the most part, the comments here are rather gentle. Yahoo! Answers would rip some of my favorites – like Hester – to SHREDS. TheBump would NOT be a good place to suggest naming your kids Madasynne and Kaidhen. But really, if you open up your favorite names to the big ol’ interwebs, you’ll find that lots of people don’t like the names you’ve given your kids, and they don’t like the names I’ve given my kids either.
Happily, we’re not required to get the blessing of everyone in the world to choose a name, but if we go looking for feedback, it is at our own peril. That’s not necessarily a bad thing – if not for the wide variety of given names, I’d have nothing to write about! 🙂
Abby, where’s the ‘Like’ button on here? J/K 🙂 Terrific reply and I couldn’t agree more! 🙂
Thanks, Sarah. 🙂
This post has officially generated more hurt feelings than any … I’m beginning to think that Lorelei is the feminine equivalent of Cohen. Only while I understand why Cohen generates concern, Lorelei is a mystery …
I would venture a guess that most people’s feelings get hurt if their name/child’s name is characterized as a name used by “pregnant 15 year old Wal-Mart shoppers” 🙂
I think Lorelei might generate that connotation because she sounds like Laura-Lee which sounds like a made-up smoosh name and we name enthusiasts tend to REALLY dislike made-up names! I also agree with an earlier comment you made that names which rapidly gain in popularity tend to generate love it or hate it feelings.
But Lorelei really seems different from names like Nevaeh because she has some history behind her. I just checked the SSA and in 2009 her ranking (601) is really similar to the year she debuted (#619 in 1938). That would seem to put her in line with more of the popular old-style revival names like Evelyn as opposed to nouveau picks like Madison or Nevaeh.
Best friends of mine named their daughter Lorelei last year so the controversy in this thread is particularly interesting. Oh well, as you said, someone has a problem with every name ever given 🙂
I grew up with a name so common that I always had my last initial tacked on so that we could be differentiated. My husband has that kind of name too. So we went with Lorelei Hope for our daughter 6 years ago and so far she’s the only one we know. We totally got the name from the Gilmore Girls and decided to start calling her by that name while she was still in utero. My family and my husband’s family hated it and we were subjected to all sorts of opinions on the topic. When she was born, we could see clearly that the name fit and now she wears the name-it doesn’t wear her. She is a Lorelei through and through. What does that mean exactly? Well you would have to meet the kid. The tones, syllables and lilting quality of the name fit my outgoing little firecracker. Our families have come around too. I don’t care if people don’t like it (although they almost always do) because I picked the right name for my girl. I think the name Ella is overused and Mackenzie is the new “Sarah” but who cares? I bet the Mackenzies and the Ellas of the world are rockin’ their names too! I do see your point about how the name makes you feel. I cringe when they call her “Lora-leeee” at the Dr’s office because that, to me, is reminiscent of a character on Hee Haw. I am also willing to bet if you met my little L, you would change your mind 😉
I’m not sure where you get the pregnant teen shopping at Walmart reference??? Going with your strange logic, I suppose everyone who is named Anne should be compared to Anne Boleyn or other Annes in history? I sure hope your husband’s name isn’t Henry.
My daughter is named Lorelei, and she is a beautiful baby! I am a highly educated mother who named her for sentimental reasons relating to my family heritage. I am in my thirties, so there goes your pregnant teen idea.
I don’t care if you like the name or not (and your dislike of it may be a compliment, after reading your rude post), but let’s not label children or their parents with ridiculous stereotypes. Perhaps the pregnant teen in Wal-mart has more class than some adults in the world, or at least more than people who make a generalization about everyone who names their child Lorelei.
I have never watched the Gilmore Girls, although people have asked me if my daughter is named after one of the characters in the show. While she isn’t, I wouldn’t make fun of someone who found a lovely name that way and used it.
I know there are critics of everything everywhere…such is the world. I work with children, and I can tell you that they will find something to rhyme with every name or something to tease every child about. If they say, “Lora-lies” in reference to my child’s name that is a lot better than some other things that they say with more common names. I expect that from children…not so much from adults. I wonder what “Another” named her children… hmmmm….
Hi Classy,
I’m never sure what to say when a post – or a comment – touches a nerve. I’m tempted to fall back on the old “we’re talking about names, not people” except that isn’t how it feels, right? I absolutely agree that every child’s name will eventually be twisted into something unimaginable. It’s the way of the world. And even kids saddled with the most eye-poppingly strange names often turn out perfectly fine.
Names do catch on because of television series all the time – it is actually surprising how often that’s the case. I’m certain Lorelei (and the Gilmore spelling of choice Lorelai) has risen in the rankings because of the show’s appealing characters.
But there’s something to be said for not hiding our irrational dislike of a name. I can’t stand the name Savannah. That’s something I usually don’t admit, because an old colleague of mine has a lovely, very smart wife (she’s actually Dr. So-and-so) who plans to use this name should they ever have a daughter – she has since before they met.
Dislike can be voiced gently, but I have never deleted a post for being harshly critical of a name. I’m sometimes surprised to see that reaction leans that way – Huxley, one of my favorites, was pretty much bashed. It’s happened a few other times, too – Hester, I think, was compared to child abuse. Maybe so … unusual names do spark a lot of conversation.
I appreciate that you took the time to read, and comment, and I’m sorry that you didn’t find more to enjoy.
Best,
Abby
This is an old thread, but I just had to chime in. I named my daughter Lorelei and I am not quite the 15, 16, or 17-year-old referenced by “Another.” However, I do have to laugh because I definitely shop at Wal-Mart to save a buck or two – not quite sure the logic there of equating retail choice with the liklihood of choosing a “lowbrow” name, but I digress.. Love it or hate it, there isn’t a name out there without critics. And let’s not forget how much negative interactions with others color our opinions. I dislike every name owned by every person who has ever been nasty to me in my life: Jeff, Sally, Troy and, yes, there’s even a Heidi in there, “Another.” I could go on, but what’s the point? My biggest complaint about the names I’m seeing nowadays – Wal-Mart mamas and Saks shoppers, alike – are the ridiculous spellings that have found their way onto birth certificates everywhere. Seriously? Mackenzee, Izabell, Breanha – I have seen ’em and it’s a little scary. I’m not sure whether to be concerned about the parents’ inability to spell, or the fact that these children will likely spend the rest of their lives trying to correct legal documents and maintaining a long list of aliases. Choose whatever name you want, just spell it like it was intended and spare your kids the hassle of having to explain their “unique” names to everyone they meet.