Tessa writes:
We are expecting our third daughter the end of the month and are having trouble making a decision on the spelling of her name. My name is Tessa and my husband is Matt. Big sisters are Clara Jane (called Clara or CJ) and Louisa Ann (called Lulu). All of our children have the same last name as my husband, Barris with an H.
The name we are set on for the new baby is Elise Catherine. I am fond of this spelling. However, my husband feels that by looking quickly at the name one will easily be confused and she may be called Elsie, which is a name neither of us like. He thinks that the spelling Elyse will prevent our daughter from having to correct people. I feel that the y spelling makes the name look made up and I prefer (what I consider to be) the more traditional spelling. We both love Elise/Elyse but we can’t seem to agree on the spelling. I don’t want to set her up for a lifetime of explaining her name but, I’d also prefer not to use an alternative spelling especially as our other daughters have such traditional names.
What are your thoughts? Is one spelling better than another? Can you recommend another name for our daughter? We are fairly determined to use Catherine as a middle name as that honors her godmother and our older daughters both have middle names after their godmothers.
Other names we have considered are Helen, Eleanor (nn Nora), Eloise, Lydia and Rose.
Names we like that we can not use for one reason or another include Harriet, Charlotte, Abigail, Ava, Lucy and Grace.
If this child were a boy we would have chosen the name Benjamin Matthew.
If you are able to spare a moment and offer us any wisdom you might have we would be truly appreciative. We surely could use your help!
I would spell it Elise. It is, as you say, the standard spelling of the name, and I am even a little incredulous that anyone would mistake it for Elsie. It’s like worrying that people will mistake Clara for Carla, and considering changing the spelling to Claira to avoid that problem. Maybe once in a while it will happen, the way sometimes someone mistakes Kristen for Kirsten or Clara for Carla. But not because there’s anything wrong with the spelling, and not at a rate that would make me even consider changing the spelling to a non-standard one that will cause far more issues with spelling.
Let’s have a poll:
I voted for Elise, but I have to point out that Elyse isn’t exactly “a made up” spelling — it comes from Elysia and Elysium, meaning “blissful” (while Elise comes from Elizabeth). Both are nice names.
As for your other names:
– Helen is lovely.
– Eleanor is great but I don’t like how Nora rhymes with Clara (Ellie or Nell would work, though)
– Eloise & Lydia are a little close to Louisa (I’m not a fan of having repeated initials in a small sibset unless it’s all the kids)
– Rose is pretty but a little popular and not as “fresh” as the other names.
Other suggestions:
Eliza Catherine
Alice Catherine
Elodie Catherine
Eve Catherine (“Evie”)
Ada Catherine
Beatrice Catherine
Eliane Catherine
Elise is most definitely the spelling that will ring true to anybody who took piano lessons as a kid! Fur Elise is deep in the memory of anyone who hung in there long enough to tackle their first Beethoven. Elyse will need to be spelled, and spelled, and spelled :) Take it from a “Jessemy.”
I feel like you would just be setting her (and yourselves) up for a different kind of correction by spelling it Elyse. Yes, some people may read Elise as Elsie, in a similar way to how occasionally some people hear my name as Alice instead of Alex, but it would be a minor and infrequent problem.
Spelling it Elyse would, I feel, require constant correction along the lines of ‘my/her name is Elise, spelt ee-el-why-ess-ee’, every time that someone new might need to write down or recognise her name. Also, seeing it in the concept of ‘Elise or Elyse’ makes the pronunciation clear to me, but if I just saw the name Elyse on it’s own, I would wonder at least momentarily if it was ‘Elise’ or perhaps ‘Ellis’ or something closer to ‘Eli’s’ or even ‘El-yes’, and that wondering would be sufficient to give me pause when attempting to pronounce it for the first time.
In my head, the issue of Elsie-oh-no-sorry-it’s-Elise IS a slight issue, but it’s lesser than the issue of Elise-no-wait-it’s-spelt-with-a-‘y’-right-there. Gorgeous name, though.
Oh my goodness, I love all three of your daughters’ names.
I am all for the standard spelling of names. Comically, DH and I had the exact problem swistle mentioned. We have a Clara, and DH thought it was spelled Claira. I was like :O. He refused to budge for a while, and I told him that we would have to pick a new name then because I would not intentionally misspell my daughter’s name. He eventually came around.
I’ve only ever known anyone with it spelled Elyse, so that seems like the traditional spelling to me. Does Lynn look like a made up name just because it has a y in the middle? No. And neither does Elyse. But to spell it that way just because Elise has the same letters as Elsie, seems like silly reasoning.
Elise is more common than Elsie. Why would people mistake a more common name for a less common name?
I was going to say something along the same lines. I hear Elise on the under 5 crowd more often than I hear Elsie. Elise is a lovely name that people are familiar with. A family member of mine was strongly considering it, and while they didn’t end up using it, I have always thought they should have! I say use it as is, it meshes perfectly with your other daughters’ names!
I think Elise is pretty similar to Louisa. Would you consider Helena?
Oh dear, I hear that too. When I say all three names it becomes “Clara, Louisandelise”- the last two names run together. I think the deciding factor is how often Louisa is called Lulu. If Louisa is mostly Lulu and only called Louisa on official documents, I don’t think it’s a big deal. However, if Lulu is a pet name/family nickname it might be more of a problem.
However, if it doesn’t bother you I think Elise is a great name. Every name will be misspoken once and awhile and I don’t think it’s something to worry about.
Congratulations on your daughter!
I agree with this… Louise and Elise are too close for me (regardless of spelling).
Clara, Lulu and Elise sound fine though.
I voted Elise, but I think either spelling is fine, i just fine the “mistake it for Elsie” thing a bad argument.
Other names I like for you: Helena, Edith, Marianne, Marietta, Daphne, Eliza, Susan/Susannah, or Jane.
I think if the similar sounding first/last name pair Clara (H)arris doesn’t bother them, Louisa/Elise won’t either. The only Elyse I’ve ever known spelled it with a ‘y’ so the ‘i’ looks odd to me even though it’s more popular. Know that no matter what you name your kid there will always be a way to misspell/mispronounce it. A small correction once in a while is no big deal.
I, too, think that Louisa and Elise are too similar. I voted for Elise, by the way.
The first 2 syllables of Louisa (Louise) and Elise rhyme. I imagine that at times when you call for Louisa, Elise will come running instead. And some people will get tongue twisted when saying your daughter’s names, accidentally saying something like Elisa and Louise. That would be the bigger issue for me than having Elise accidentally called Elsie from time to time.
If that’s not a big deal to you, then Elise is a lovely name and I like all your children’s names!
For me, it comes down to wondering if my name were Elise/Elyse, what would annoy me more? Having to spell out my name every time (No, that’s Elyse with a Y), or once in a while having to correct someone if they misread my name (No, it’s Elise, not Elsie). Personally, I think the first would be more annoying because I think it would happen more often. The simple misreading of the name won’t happen Every Time, and people will get the correction right away.
Very much agree!
Plus the Elyse spelling makes me want to say “El-lice” or “EE-lice” instead of “Eh-leese” or “Ell-eese”.
That’s the first thing I thought when I read this post.
“Elyse” doesn’t look at all like it’s meant to be pronounced “Elise”. It totally looks like “Eh-lice” to me.
Elise is a beautiful name and I do like the spelling Elise (and think of it as the traditional spelling whereas Elyse is not). I agree with Alex that I might wonder if Elyse was Ellis or Eli’s or something with different vowel sounds.
However, I disagree that Elise and Louisa are too similar. Eloise is, but not Elise. I love your naming style!
I just asked my friend Elsie, and she says people call her Elise all the time. So maybe Elise is much stronger in people’s minds?
I know two little girls – one Elise and one Elyse. I didn’t even know that one was the more typical spelling. I think they’re both perfectly lovely.
My dear sister is named Elise. I just asked her- she has never once been called Elsie and she’s in her late twenties. She loves her name, and I asked my mother- she still loves it too. Plus, I’ve never met another Elise – it sounds so familiar, yet it is unique. Good luck!
I think Elise sounds very similar to your second daughter’s name, Louisa. I would change it to Alice Catherine. It sounds similar to Elise but stands out from Louisa. Other names to consider:
Tess Catherine
Violet Catherine
Eve Catherine
If I’m completely honest, spelling the name Elise vs. Elyse is, to me, akin to the Caitlin/Caitlyn/Kaitlin/Kaitlyn issue—they’re both standard/common spellings.
I voted Elise because if I heard someone say the name and wrote it down, that would be my instinctual spelling, but I would not be shocked to hear “Actually, I spell it with a Y.” I think it’s honestly a small issue, and I hope you and your husband can come to an agreement you’re both satisfied with, because it’s a lovely name. I do agree with some previous commenters that Elise might be a bit close to Louisa for my taste, but perhaps not for yours. I also love a previous commenter’s suggestion of Helena.
Elise is a beautiful name and I prefer this more traditional spelling, especially with your other daughters’ names. My daughter has a friend named Elise and she has never had the “Elsie” problem as far as I know.
There is a Louisa/Elise similarity though but I’m not quite sure if it really bothers me or not. If I had a daughter named Louisa would I name a following daughter Elise? Maybe not. I would probably go with a combination of the other lovely names on your list. Such as Elizabeth Kate, Katherine Elise or Lydia Rose.
I’d like to suggest Adelaide Elise or Adelaide Rose, nn Addie/Ada, which sounds absolutely gorgeous with your other girls’ names. Clara, Louisa and Adelaide. Love this!
All the best!
I honestly don’t think Elise will get mistaken for Elsie. However, I do remember that a friend named Brian complained about constantly getting typos of his name so it would come out Brain. So there may be typos where Elise gets transposed to Elsie but that would not be s big enough problem to change the spelling of the name.
I am not sure about Elise in your sibset though. It seems a bit close to Louisa (not nearly as similar as Eloise would be though) and strikes me as a bit 1980s (maybe because of the sitcoms Family Ties). Clara and Louisa are very “early 1990s” to me. Of the names you considered, I love Rose – both on its own and in your sibset. Clara, Louisa, and Rose are stunning together.
That should read 1900s not 1990s.
I love the name and like both spellings, with a slight preference for Elise. Eliza Catherine is also great–Clara, Louisa & Eliza.
I like Elise, but I don’t really see Elyse as a made up spelling.
I think Elise is beautiful with your sibling set and disagree that it is too similar to Louisa. In my opinion, with feminine names like these, especially ones that end in -a (like Louisa) or that could end in -a (like Elisa), running together is always a possibility. That’s a reason not to use them on the same kid (Louisa Elise), but on siblings I think it ties them together in a beautiful, feminine style.
Good luck!
I voted to keep Elise, but I think either spelling is just fine. I know one Elise and one Elyse and I thought they were both standard. I do think that either way it’s a lovely name. I find Elise and Luisa similar, but not similar enough to not use Elise if you love it.
I do love the suggestion of Edith and Eleanor is a favorite of mine (would probably be my kiddo’s name if he were a she as it was the ONLY girl name my husband and I could agree on). Either way you and your husband have chosen stunning names for you children.
Best wishes and keep us updated.
My best friend is named Elise and never been called anything else except Elise. Go with Elise, Elyse looks wired and might be pronounced wrong. Best of luck and congratulations.
I also think Elise will not be confused with Elsie, but also Elise and Louise are a little close for me boat.
One other spelling to consider would be Ellyse. This is my daughter’s middle name, using the same spelling as my sister and her namesake.
Stumbled across this post and was just wondering what name you chose? My daughter is “Elyse” and people still call her “El-see” when they are quickly glancing at her name. My husband and I debated the spelling but I’m so happy we went with Elyse.
Hi there! As you can see, I’ve got some personal experience with this name dilemma! I’ve been called everything from Elsie, to Alice, to Alysia! Recently, at Starbucks, I got Elice! My mom and I both agree (although our opinion is obviously bias) that Elyse is nicer looking! I think with any name you’re going to have spelling issues and mix-ups, so go with the one that best suites yourselves!
I feel your pain. Every time I say my name, people spell it wrong. Also, when people read it, they think that it’s pronounced Alice or something weird.
My name is Elyse. Name her after me.
My daughter is named Elysse Alexandra Ihaven’t even seen that! Her twin sister is Blair Elizabeth so I accidentally named twins the same name (Elysse being a variant of Elizabeth ). I just thought Elysse looked prettier and that is how it was spelled in the baby name book!
I had to chime in. My name is Elyse. I’m happy with the spelling. BUT people have called me Elsie my entire life. It is actually pretty ridiculous. I like how they ‘y’ looks though so that works for me.
I know this is an old thread but I am having a similar dilemma. My husband and I are trying to decide between Elise/Elyse but we want the nickname options to be Elsie or Ellie. Our other children are Liam, Alivia, Alayna, Logan, Eleanor, Gabriel, and Elowyn (Wynnie). What would your vote me Elise Ann Luu or Elyse Ann Luu?
What did you end up naming your daughter? My name is Elyse and my main nicknames have been ‘lysey’ (Lee-See), ‘lyse’ (Lease) and ‘El'(ell).
I came across this post because my name is Elise and a lot of my friends have the middle name elyse but I see a lot of people with their first name elise people don’t call me, Elsie but sometimes when they spell my name, they spell it as elsie when they’re typing it, but not handwriting my name, I have been called Alice and alisa/alyssa, but not actually been called elsie. i think the Y, prettier at first glance, but the spelling elise makes more sense to me. and most people I’ve met with the same first name spelling as me(elise), not, elyse.What did you end up naming her??