[Opinions] Thoughts on Jasmine?
I'm trying to decide if I like Jasmine and Yasmine / Yasmin (yaz-MEEN) on a girl. I'm Jewish, so Yasmin would be the Hebrew name no matter what (it's somewhat common in Israel, to my knowledge), but I don't know if I'd use it stateside because of the birth control pill. Which name do you prefer? Is Jasmine "trashy?" I know that there are 1,001 kree8iv variations on Jasmine, the latest of which is Jazzminn (recent BA at home, urgh), but I don't know if that makes Jasmine itself feel downmarket or anything. What are your thoughts? Any MN suggestions?
Replies
I don't consider Jasmine trashy. I know some lovely Jasmines who are far from trashy. Unfortunate about the bc pill (which incidentally has a bad rep for causing blood clots in some women) stealing an otherwise perfectly good name. Wish drug companies wouldn't do that to people.
I think both names are pretty, but I prefer Yasmine, as here in Australia it isn't popular at all. I don't think I've ever met a Yasmine/Yasmin actually!
I feel about Jasmine the same I do about Ariel; its just a dated Disney princess name. That's really all I get from both names. As much as I love flower names thanks to Disney I will never be able to appreciate Jasmine as a flower name. Unfortunately, most people I have met with the name do lend to it a pretty tacky image overall, especially with all the variations going on out there. A name I liked as a kid because of Jasmine, and then grew out of because of Jasmine. :/ Yasmine is lovely though, unique without being too strange, and I like the ties it has for you. I am pretty sure the pill is pronounced differently than the name anyway.
It does "feel downmarket" a little bit - and dated. It goes with Chelsea date-wise, and goes with Amber and Kendra stylewise IMO. And it also goes with other Disney princess names Tiana and Ariel, stylewise.
However it's still one of my favorite names and I would totally use it. It's not my first pick, but I would not mind being a Jasmine at all. I personally would hesitate to use Yasmin, because for some reason that's obscure to my conscious mind, that spelling evokes sensuality to me - it seems pornstarrish or underwear-modelish, and that dovetails with the contraceptive name. Anyway if spelling it Yasmin was meaningful to me, that would not stop me from using Yasmin. It's likely that my associations with Yasmin are idiosyncratic. And it's an ordinary enough name that my impressions wouldn't seriously affect my impressions of a real life Yasmin.
To me, a name being a little bit "downmarket" is often on the plus side. I'm not a fan of names that seem to aspire to be classy; that style seems tacky in a different way to me. Like, if Jasmine or Yasmin is really up your alley, but you're all anxious that it seems downmarket because of all the Jazzmyns out there or the name of a contraceptive brand ... so you name your daughter Jocelyn instead ... that seems yuckier IMO.
However it's still one of my favorite names and I would totally use it. It's not my first pick, but I would not mind being a Jasmine at all. I personally would hesitate to use Yasmin, because for some reason that's obscure to my conscious mind, that spelling evokes sensuality to me - it seems pornstarrish or underwear-modelish, and that dovetails with the contraceptive name. Anyway if spelling it Yasmin was meaningful to me, that would not stop me from using Yasmin. It's likely that my associations with Yasmin are idiosyncratic. And it's an ordinary enough name that my impressions wouldn't seriously affect my impressions of a real life Yasmin.
To me, a name being a little bit "downmarket" is often on the plus side. I'm not a fan of names that seem to aspire to be classy; that style seems tacky in a different way to me. Like, if Jasmine or Yasmin is really up your alley, but you're all anxious that it seems downmarket because of all the Jazzmyns out there or the name of a contraceptive brand ... so you name your daughter Jocelyn instead ... that seems yuckier IMO.
As far as the "sensual" feel, maybe you're thinking of Yasmin Bleeth (sp?), who was on Baywatch? She was gorgeous. (I'm dating myself here! Heh)
I like Jasmine, Yasmin, and Yasmine. I know a Yasmin (yaz-MEEN) but everybody calls mer YAZ-min. She doesn't mind, but if you want yaz-MEEN you might want to go for Yasmine.
I like Jasmine because it sounds "cool" (like the ocean or a light breeze) and I like the delicate, white imagery of Jasmine flowers. And the smell of Jasmine tea. :)
I know it's a Disney princess and there are a lot of trendy spinoffs like Jazzmynn, etc. but I can't help but like Jasmine itself. Especially when it's paired with an elegant, sophisticated middle name.
I think Yasmin(e) sounds and looks warmer than Jasmine, a little more exotic and definitely doesn't carry any of the unwanted baggage that Jasmine does.
I like Jasmine because it sounds "cool" (like the ocean or a light breeze) and I like the delicate, white imagery of Jasmine flowers. And the smell of Jasmine tea. :)
I know it's a Disney princess and there are a lot of trendy spinoffs like Jazzmynn, etc. but I can't help but like Jasmine itself. Especially when it's paired with an elegant, sophisticated middle name.
I think Yasmin(e) sounds and looks warmer than Jasmine, a little more exotic and definitely doesn't carry any of the unwanted baggage that Jasmine does.