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Help[Opinions] Re: Nell and Norn
in reply to a message by Caprice
Nell is fine as a full name: retro rather than dated.
I can trace two relatives, both born in the 19th century - one on my father's side, and one who married into my mother's - who were both named Nellie. I'd always assumed that Nellie had to be short for something like Eleanor, but not in their day, clearly. Both were born in England.
I was at school with an Afrikaans-speaking girl whom we all knew as Nell: her given names (Catherine Cornelia) had been in the family for generations, so perhaps they'd run out of all the usual nns. Cornelia doesn't have a Nell sound in Afrikaans at all, but they must have used the spelling to their advantage.
I don't enjoy Nellie much, but Nell is pleasant. I'd prefer it as a nn for something like Eleanor, Fenella, Penelope just because there would be more (potential) variety built in.
Norn is amazing: I've seen Norna, though only in a names list in the back of an old dictionary, and I didn't like the idea because it would surely be mistaken for Norma several times a week for ever. It must be the history of the word that appeals, because apart from the Norma issue, I don't like the name Dawn at all and they rhyme.
I can trace two relatives, both born in the 19th century - one on my father's side, and one who married into my mother's - who were both named Nellie. I'd always assumed that Nellie had to be short for something like Eleanor, but not in their day, clearly. Both were born in England.
I was at school with an Afrikaans-speaking girl whom we all knew as Nell: her given names (Catherine Cornelia) had been in the family for generations, so perhaps they'd run out of all the usual nns. Cornelia doesn't have a Nell sound in Afrikaans at all, but they must have used the spelling to their advantage.
I don't enjoy Nellie much, but Nell is pleasant. I'd prefer it as a nn for something like Eleanor, Fenella, Penelope just because there would be more (potential) variety built in.
Norn is amazing: I've seen Norna, though only in a names list in the back of an old dictionary, and I didn't like the idea because it would surely be mistaken for Norma several times a week for ever. It must be the history of the word that appeals, because apart from the Norma issue, I don't like the name Dawn at all and they rhyme.
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