Elwyn/Elwynne

SherlockedMom

We are still hemming and hawwing. This whole baby name thing is ROUGH.

One we are kicking around: 

My husband's grandfather's name was Elwyn. He died pretty young (early 50's) and my husband is his spitting image (in looks and apparently in personality as well) 

I know he was a "he" and usually I'm not big on guys names for girls (except for Kit, I love Kit LOL) .....but I thought it would be nice to honor him and name the baby Elwyn (or the female version Elwynne) and call her "Winnie"

Thoughts? Is it totally awful?

Knottie1442268460

I like the name.

satuttle1014

I actually kind of like it and I love Winnie as a nn, so cute. Elwynn or Elwynne could work for a girl. 

MamaWren919

I've never heard it before and would have assumed it's madeup. It just looks madeup, especially because of the El girls name trend.

SherlockedMom

Definitely not made up : ) It's English and means "elf-friend" or "elf-like" (which is kinda funny, since Grandpa Elwyn wasn't very elf-ish) 

It was more popular at the turn of the century, and hovered around the Top 1000 in 1895, but was never overly popular. Grandpa Elwyn was born in the 1930's. 

Sassenach1743

Elwyn is an interesting and very uncommon choice. I like that it's a family name for you as well. If you have a boy I would think this would be a great choice to honor your husband's grandfather.

Elwynne is not a proper name at all though. It's not even a feminine variant of the the name Elwyn... it's just a made up version with a few extra letters to help it seem more feminine. If you have a girl I would suggest just using the masculine spelling, as it's actually the proper spelling of the name. Changing the spelling to make it more feminine is more side-eye worthy than just using a masculine name/spelling for a girl, IMO.

I would suggest Elowen... this is a proper feminine name. It's Cornish and means elm tree. It has a similar sound to Elwyn. 

SherlockedMom

Not a huge fan of Elowyn/Elowen. That wasn't his name. So, it's kind of defeating the purpose of using the name, I guess.   There's historical and genealogical proof of the variant "Elwynne" being used dating back over 100 years, so I'm pretty okay with it being a "real name"....if not a common name. 

Bringmemylongswordho

I don't get naming girls after grandfathers. I'm sure he was awesome, my favorite grandparent was a grandpa too, but so many people are like "I wanna honor grandpa with my daughters name" and it's like.....but what about grandma? Doesn't grandma deserve some respect too?

SherlockedMom

My 1st daughter is named after Grandma : ) 

SmrBrd2012

Can you middle name it?

Knottie1442268460

Don't middle name it. It's really nice.

WinnieLou82

I love it. I would stick with the original spelling of the name to honor the grandfather. The nickname is good too but as she gets older she may go back the original. I am named after my father and, especially now that's he's gone, I feel so proud to carry it. It would be a lovely nod to your family tree.

penelope4612

SherlockedMom said:

Not a huge fan of Elowyn/Elowen. That wasn't his name. So, it's kind of defeating the purpose of using the name, I guess.   There's historical and genealogical proof of the variant "Elwynne" being used dating back over 100 years, so I'm pretty okay with it being a "real name"....if not a common name. 

Elwynne wasn't his name either.

All I can think of when I hear this name is the Lord of the Rings.

Sassenach1743

SherlockedMom said:

Not a huge fan of Elowyn/Elowen. That wasn't his name. So, it's kind of defeating the purpose of using the name, I guess.   There's historical and genealogical proof of the variant "Elwynne" being used dating back over 100 years, so I'm pretty okay with it being a "real name"....if not a common name. 

You seem pretty set in your ways. This and your other post have given you some genuine opinions and suggestions to which you have only responded with an "I don't care, this is what I like" tone... if that's the case, fine. But why even ask us if you have it all figured out to your liking?

daystardreams

I feel like Elwyn is a pretty masculine sounding name although I adore Winnie. I do think it looks very Lord of the Rings and I would immediately think it was a trendy made up mess (I realize that it is not however). It looks ok written but when said aloud it's kind of awful. Because of these strikes against it I would not use it for a daughter.

I would feel like I had to explain why I gave my daughter a strange, elven, male name every time I introduced her. I see that you have no problem defending your name choice but how will your daughter feel?

She will not know Grandpa Elwyn on a personal level and as much as I hate to say it, I have a grandfather that passed before I was born and although I've heard lots of stories about him, I feel like I wouldn't appreciate being named an awful, masculine name (his was Homer) after a man I don't know or hold any sentimental attachment to besides that he was my father's father.

I think your daughter will despise the name Elwyn...I'd be embarrassed to tell say a high school crush that my real name is Elwyn not Winnie...you might not feel that way but you can't say for sure how your daughter will feel. I think you should at least be considering her future with a name like Elwyn.

Heck, even Winnie as a standalone name seems like a better option to me. Good luck deciding!

little_bren

Not a fan of the name for either sex

SherlockedMom

I'm not so "set in my ways"....but it's unfair to say it's not a real name or it's "made up" when clearly its not, historically. That's all I'm saying.  

SherlockedMom

daystardreams said:

I feel like Elwyn is a pretty masculine sounding name although I adore Winnie. I do think it looks very Lord of the Rings and I would immediately think it was a trendy made up mess (I realize that it is not however). It looks ok written but when said aloud it's kind of awful. Because of these strikes against it I would not use it for a daughter. I would feel like I had to explain why I gave my daughter a strange, elven, male name every time I introduced her. I see that you have no problem defending your name choice but how will your daughter feel? She will not know Grandpa Elwyn on a personal level and as much as I hate to say it, I have a grandfather that passed before I was born and although I've heard lots of stories about him, I feel like I wouldn't appreciate being named an awful, masculine name (his was Homer) after a man I don't know or hold any sentimental attachment to besides that he was my father's father. I think your daughter will despise the name Elwyn...I'd be embarrassed to tell say a high school crush that my real name is Elwyn not Winnie...you might not feel that way but you can't say for sure how your daughter will feel. I think you should at least be considering her future with a name like Elwyn. Heck, even Winnie as a standalone name seems like a better option to me. Good luck deciding!

You make some excellent points here. Food for thought.....

scotten

Because it's a family name, I think it's perfectly acceptable to use Elwyn/Elwynne. Of course she's not going to know her grandfather, but that's not a reason not to use the name. The point of passing on names is to honor and carry on a tradition. My daughter is named after her great-great grandmother who she will obviously never know - it's not about forming a predetermined relationship between two generations, it's about continuing something/someone special in your family. Just some food for thought.

jmesue1030

I like it! Both Elwyn and Winnie are cute and I love names with family ties.

Elsa1984

Bringmemylongswordho said:

I don't get naming girls after grandfathers. I'm sure he was awesome, my favorite grandparent was a grandpa too, but so many people are like "I wanna honor grandpa with my daughters name" and it's like.....but what about grandma? Doesn't grandma deserve some respect too?

Not everyone has a close relationship with their grandmothers. 

Bringmemylongswordho

Elsa1984 said:

Bringmemylongswordho said:

I don't get naming girls after grandfathers. I'm sure he was awesome, my favorite grandparent was a grandpa too, but so many people are like "I wanna honor grandpa with my daughters name" and it's like.....but what about grandma? Doesn't grandma deserve some respect too?

Not everyone has a close relationship with their grandmothers. 

I get that. But it seems very telling about how society views women as a whole when we see multiple threads about giving girls masculine names to honor grandpa and no threads at all about giving boys names to honor grandma.

SherlockedMom

I had 2 grandma's, 1 that I named my 1st daughter after and the other I was not to close to at all. I saw her once a year. So, yeah, some folks just aren't close to grandmas. My husband's grandma is still alive and we love her and everything.....but not a big fan of her name : ) 

Sassenach1743

SherlockedMom said:

I'm not so "set in my ways"....but it's unfair to say it's not a real name or it's "made up" when clearly its not, historically. That's all I'm saying.  

Okay. Then I guess I'll just amend my response to fit your question in your original post... For a boy it's fine. For a girl it's totally awful.