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Help[Opinions] Tirion
Time for a thread on a name I love that (I suspect) most people will dislike. (:
Tirion has slowly been climbing up my list of girls' names since I first spotted it on the BtN board a while ago. It's a Welsh name meaning "gentle", and to my knowledge it's only been used recently there. I think it's sweet, graceful and quite lovely, but with backbone as well. I'd place it among those enchanting, uncommon but down-to-earth names like Tamsin or Elspeth. Tirion seems a little softer and has a mellow quality, however.
Understandably, it's not to everyone's taste -- the few comments I have seen on the name usually point out that it sounds like a boys' name (it's been used for both genders). I'm sure the Song of Ice and Fire character and visual similarities to Tyrone and Tyron don't help, either. Tirion seems more feminine to me, however, and I have an easier time imagining it on a girl. I don't have the England/Wales statistics on hand right now but I believe Tirion was listed for girls but not for boys.
Thoughts? Any fellow fans? Any comment is welcome, of course -- there are few things that can kill my love for a name, and I like knowing opinions on some of the more uncommon names I like. I have noticed that some posters like it (or variants) as a boys' name, which is cool, I guess. (I actually started out liking it for boys as well, but my love for it as a feminine name won over).
Tirion has slowly been climbing up my list of girls' names since I first spotted it on the BtN board a while ago. It's a Welsh name meaning "gentle", and to my knowledge it's only been used recently there. I think it's sweet, graceful and quite lovely, but with backbone as well. I'd place it among those enchanting, uncommon but down-to-earth names like Tamsin or Elspeth. Tirion seems a little softer and has a mellow quality, however.
Understandably, it's not to everyone's taste -- the few comments I have seen on the name usually point out that it sounds like a boys' name (it's been used for both genders). I'm sure the Song of Ice and Fire character and visual similarities to Tyrone and Tyron don't help, either. Tirion seems more feminine to me, however, and I have an easier time imagining it on a girl. I don't have the England/Wales statistics on hand right now but I believe Tirion was listed for girls but not for boys.
Thoughts? Any fellow fans? Any comment is welcome, of course -- there are few things that can kill my love for a name, and I like knowing opinions on some of the more uncommon names I like. I have noticed that some posters like it (or variants) as a boys' name, which is cool, I guess. (I actually started out liking it for boys as well, but my love for it as a feminine name won over).
This message was edited 9/23/2011, 7:18 AM
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It's reminiscent of Tolkien names and that makes me like it, but I can only see it as masculine. It could be because names ending in -on in Lord of the Rings are masculine (for example, Eldarion, Aragorn & Arwen's son). Also, recently there are many invented boys' names ending in -on or -ion (ex. Travion, Xavion, Braylon).
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You're right, and I think the Tolkien comparison came up in a previous discussion. I'm struggling to recall any feminine character names ending in -ion. The closest I can come is -ien, which kinda sounds similar. But I don't think the suffix was gender-designated, either.
I think the name looks pretty gender-neutral, but it sounds more on the feminine to me. It has elements that appeal to me when it comes to female names. I would also call it a soft boys' name before a masculine girls' name (I also like softer boys' names). I understand where you're coming from, though.
As for modern, nonliterary boys' names: I choose to ignore them. ;)
I think the name looks pretty gender-neutral, but it sounds more on the feminine to me. It has elements that appeal to me when it comes to female names. I would also call it a soft boys' name before a masculine girls' name (I also like softer boys' names). I understand where you're coming from, though.
As for modern, nonliterary boys' names: I choose to ignore them. ;)
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I quite like it - probably not enough to use, but it's nice to see. I've come across two irl, one male, one female. It's been in use since at least 1865, not very often, and there have been around 150 of them born since 1984 - mostly female, but it is used on boys sometimes. I don't think it looks or sounds either harsh or 'unfeminine'- no more so than Ffion or Rhiannon, or Sharon or Alison.
This message was edited 9/23/2011, 3:01 PM
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Thanks for the additional information -- I had no idea it had been in use since the 1980s. I've seen it labeled as "modern" so I thought it was even more recent than that!
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1865 is the earliest verified use I can find.
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Yeah, I somehow missed that when re-reading your post -- I thought "1800s? Neat!" And then when I glanced back, I didn't look carefully enough, and only saw 1984.
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Yeah, I'm not into that one at all. It's weird. And I thought of Tyrone immediately.
"You betta caaall Tyroooooone"
"You betta caaall Tyroooooone"
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I like it. It's definitely gender neutral and I tend to like gender-neutral names on boys, rather than girls. This name is no different, Tyrion occasionally makes my top 10 boy name list. Still, I think it would fit a girl fine, too. Plus the meaning is so sweet. I agree it is fairly similar to Tamsin, but not Elspeth. Elspeth is very soft.
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I was considering Tyrian for a boy, so I find it hard to see Tirion as girl's name. It doesn't look very feminine, but has a lovely meaning. It could grow on me, but for now there are nicer Welsh female names for me. I love Tamsin at the moment, so I can see where you're going with it.
This message was edited 9/23/2011, 11:25 AM
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I like Tirion but I've never heard of Tirion on a girl, and to be honest, I really, really dislike it on a girl.
It totally sounds like a boys name is you ask me. I also like Tirian - for a boy. Or even Tilian / Thilian.
What about Tiria or Tilia / Thilia for a girl? Sounds more feminine to me.
It totally sounds like a boys name is you ask me. I also like Tirian - for a boy. Or even Tilian / Thilian.
What about Tiria or Tilia / Thilia for a girl? Sounds more feminine to me.
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I don't think Tiria, Tilia, or Thilia are as nice sounding, personally. They're a little too flimsy and dainty for me. The boys' names you've listed are more attractive, however.
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Oh, I know just how you feel. :)
When I saw Tirion I assumed it was masculine, pronounced TIE-ree-in or TEER-ee-in, and Latin or Greek or something. It's black and red and was very stony and warrior-esque. So you can imagine my surprise when I read that it's feminine, Welsh, and means gentle (looked it up in the Welsh dictionary and it's along the lines of kind and tender too... awww).
I'm fascinated with names that have such a hard strength to them, yet they're feminine and can be quite sweet (Tamsin is a perfect example, although I wouldn't categorize Elspeth with them). So I'm drawn to that part about it, but wouldn't say I specifically like it.
I think I could really get behind it as a masculine name, though. I'm not a super fan of the sound, but I really love the idea of a strong looking/feeling name like that meaning gentle/tender/etc.
When I saw Tirion I assumed it was masculine, pronounced TIE-ree-in or TEER-ee-in, and Latin or Greek or something. It's black and red and was very stony and warrior-esque. So you can imagine my surprise when I read that it's feminine, Welsh, and means gentle (looked it up in the Welsh dictionary and it's along the lines of kind and tender too... awww).
I'm fascinated with names that have such a hard strength to them, yet they're feminine and can be quite sweet (Tamsin is a perfect example, although I wouldn't categorize Elspeth with them). So I'm drawn to that part about it, but wouldn't say I specifically like it.
I think I could really get behind it as a masculine name, though. I'm not a super fan of the sound, but I really love the idea of a strong looking/feeling name like that meaning gentle/tender/etc.
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World of Warcraft is what I think of. TEER-ee-awn. It's a boy name to me. Usable for a boy. Looks too sci-fi/LOTR to me on a girl, and I'm not very sensitive about that in general. Maybe I could see Tirrian on a girl.
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haha, yeah - the first thing I thought of when I saw the name was asoiaf's Tyrion Lannister.
I like the first sylablle well enough for either gender, but the -ion ending seems masculin to me, calling to mind names like Hadrian and Fabien. Though I understand that ending is pretty popular for feminine names, too - Adrienne, anyone? Hmmm, now I'm playing the "create you own spelling" game. Maybe I'd be more open to Tirion if it was spelled, say, Tirienne or Tyrienne, but who knows? For now, I'm in the "it seems like a boys name" camp.
I love the other names here, though! If I spontaneously birthed a girl child, Tamsin would be a strong contender for her name, and I'm fond of Elspeth, too.
I like the first sylablle well enough for either gender, but the -ion ending seems masculin to me, calling to mind names like Hadrian and Fabien. Though I understand that ending is pretty popular for feminine names, too - Adrienne, anyone? Hmmm, now I'm playing the "create you own spelling" game. Maybe I'd be more open to Tirion if it was spelled, say, Tirienne or Tyrienne, but who knows? For now, I'm in the "it seems like a boys name" camp.
I love the other names here, though! If I spontaneously birthed a girl child, Tamsin would be a strong contender for her name, and I'm fond of Elspeth, too.
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I like it. At first I thought it was a boys name because it reminded me of Tyrion Lannister, but the "i" does make it look more feminine, and I like the meaning. Is the "on" said like the word "on", or is it more of a schwa?
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I agree that the I makes it more feminine, which makes it stranger to me that the trend is to feminize names with Ys. With some exceptions, I think Y is more masculine! Tyrion, for example, is definitely more of a male name to me than Tirion.
The pronunciations I've heard online say teer-ee-ohn, but the "ohn" sounds somewhat watered down (so it doesn't sound exactly like English "on"). That's my impression, it may be wrong, though.
EDIT: Here's some pronunciations.
Forvo: http://www.forvo.com/word/tirion/
The vowel in the final syllable seems closest to ɑ.
BBC: http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/rmhttp/wales/livinginwales/tirion.mp3
Here the pronunciation is closer to ɐ.
Personally, I think the BBC pronunciation is more attractive. Pronunciation may also vary by region.
The pronunciations I've heard online say teer-ee-ohn, but the "ohn" sounds somewhat watered down (so it doesn't sound exactly like English "on"). That's my impression, it may be wrong, though.
EDIT: Here's some pronunciations.
Forvo: http://www.forvo.com/word/tirion/
The vowel in the final syllable seems closest to ɑ.
BBC: http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/rmhttp/wales/livinginwales/tirion.mp3
Here the pronunciation is closer to ɐ.
Personally, I think the BBC pronunciation is more attractive. Pronunciation may also vary by region.
This message was edited 9/23/2011, 5:04 PM
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I'm sorry, but I don't like it. I immediately thought it was a boys name, and also that it sounds like a science fiction character. I don't really find that it sounds softer than Elspeth (which is one of the softest-sounding names I can think of), in fact I think it has quite a harsh sound.
However, I might be pronouncing it wrong. I'm saying TIH-ree-on....?
However, I might be pronouncing it wrong. I'm saying TIH-ree-on....?
This message was edited 9/23/2011, 7:33 AM
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