K writes:
Here is my situation: my husband and I are expecting our first child, a baby girl, this fall and we have always wanted to name our first daughter after my deceased grandmother, whose name was Muriel. Here is my problem: our taste in names runs to the highly unusual (not in the top 1000), and while Muriel is currently unusual, it still seems very old lady-ish to me, and I’m not sure if it is ready for a revival like so many other “grandma” names seem to be these days.
So my question is, do you know of any forms/nicknames of the name Muriel that are a bit more modern while still unusual? We are not overly concerned with it matching with our last name or any particular middle, so just whatever you can think of! To give you an idea of our taste in names, our favorite girl names (for future siblings) are Verity, Romilly, Bronte, and Zellie. To clarify, we do not want to use one of these as a first name with Muriel as a middle. It is important for us to use some form of Muriel as a first name…we’re just hoping to find something that is more along the lines of the names above!
I think if I were you, I would go ahead and use Muriel as-is. Muriel, by being old-fashioned but unlike the currently-trendy old-lady names, will go along with the others without being as much of a risk for a sudden spike in popularity. It also seems to me like using your grandmother’s actual name would be pleasing, and it also gives you something to say if people react to the name with surprise (I’ve noticed the line “It was my ____’s name” quells many an unwanted opinion.)
If you wanted to modify it to a more modern sound, I’d suggest Mariel or Meriel or Miriel (I’m thinking of Mariel and Meriel with a MARE sound like Mary or Meredith, and Miriel with a MEER sound like Miriam). It’s a change of a single vowel, but it makes the name entirely more current.
Let’s put a poll over to the right with the various options. [Poll closed; see below.]
[Poll results (244 votes total):
Muriel: 116 votes, roughly 48%
Mariel: 87 votes, roughly 36%
Meriel: 8 votes, roughly 3%
Miriel: 33 votes, roughly 14%]
Oooh I love the name Mariel.
I adore the name Muriel. It was my favourite aunt’s name!
oh, but Mariel is much more current and hip I suppose, so either one.
Mariel, all the way. This may just be, however, because Muriel is my second least favorite name of all time.
(Mildred.)
I love grandma names! Who knew that such old-fashioned standbys would end up as highly unusual and hip? I really think Muriel is different, and it sounds really good with your other first names, especially Verity, Romilly and Bronte. The r’s in the middle make them go together without being too “matchy matchy.” They would be really cool sisters, but I’m getting ahead of myself.
Good luck!
I voted Mariel, but if you end up going with Muriel (or Mariel I suppose) I was trying to think of nicknames. What about Relly/Rellie? I know you like the name Zellie, so Rellie is similar enough to that and then you can name your other child one of your other great name options. Just a suggestion:)
I would go with Mariel. It’s fresh and pretty, unlike Muriel which sounds kind of harsh and frumpy in my opinion, sorry (Muriel is one of my least favorite names). For other alternatives there’s Miriam/Miranda/Mira, but those aren’t as close as Mariel… Or maybe Ariel would work as it rhymes with Muriel?
I actually have a sister named Miriel! And we’re close, so all my mental associations with the name are positive and of course I voted for it, not having any particular attachment to the other forms of the name.
I will say that I’ve never seen my sister get the “isn’t that old-fashioned?” reaction to her name that many people, myself included, have as a reaction to Muriel. Not that that’s a strong enough reason to use it, just thought I’d share that.
me again. I just thought that a good nickname might be Miri or Mari but I think Miri is cuter.
What about adding an “L” and and “E” to the end so that it reads Murielle. Looks and sounds a little more updated and allows for some cute nicknames – Elle, Ellie
I voted for Muriel because you like it and want to use it. It’s a name that will keep well among all the Charlottes and Lucys — same general feel, but a little step off the beaten path.
As for taste, I like Mariel better. (In fact, if you read through some of the early posts when I contributed, you’ll find that I managed to include it in about every other name list I suggested.) It’s a lovely name, without the old-lady feel to it.
Still, go with Muriel if that’s what your heart is set on. It’s a good choice.
I love the name Muriel just as it is!
What about calling her Muri as a nickname? Or Elle or Ellie?
It’s lovely, it has a special meaning- I say go for it!
I quite like Muriel. It’s certainly old fashioned, but in a nice way.
I really like Miriel though. It does sound more modern than Muriel, and I like that it’s a Tolkien name.
Mariel is also pretty good, but Miriel gets my vote, followed by Muriel.
I like Miriel also (and Miriam), but Muriel is pretty cool, u sounds are uncommon and funky. And muri or murry for a nickname is so fun! It might be weird but Romilly is so close, I kinda like Rumielle, so you are just changing around the m and r but its totally original. And Rumi makes for a cute nickname also. Whatever you come up with will still honor your grandma, and thats the important part!
I like Mariel – or even Mariella – but I tend to prefer very feminine names for girls.
I picked Muriel, because that is your Grandma’s name. If you like it then pick it. No matter what name you choose, there will be people who dislike it.
I like the nn suggestions of Muri or Miri. Cute!
I went to school with a Mariel, who pronounced it mari (like sari) – elle. I can’t tell if that is what you intended in the original post, but it seemed more like Mary-elle, which is pretty as well. I also think Mireille might work.
I like Murial just fine. I’d say go with that.
If you are into the more modern names though….maybe Merrill? To my mind, Merrill goes better with the other names you are interested in for future kids.
I really like the name Muriel, and like it even better knowing that it’s your grandma’s actual name. The nicknames Muri, Murry, or Elle are cute and have a slightly more updated feel. Muriel gets my vote.
If, however, you do decide to go with a variation on the name, my choice would be for Miriel, as its sounds closest to the original to me, and has the lovely nickname of Miri.
Truthfully, though, with any of the options your daughter will be gorgeously named. Best of luck!
I like the idea of Ellie for a nickname, or even (might be a stretch?) Emmy, because of the “M” that Muriel begins with. I think if it’s a namesake name, then it doesn’t matter about popularity or people’s reactions. Go for it!
I say use it as is and let a cute nickname come organically. I immediately thought of a great aunt of mine who went by “Muz” her whole life (I don’t think her name was Muriel, but it could totally work, I think), and then when I saw “Mairzy” in the comments, I wondered if Mursie (to rhyme with Jersey) might work, too. Plenty of options and these things have ways of working themsleves out.
Also, I was so excited to see Romilly on someone’s list! I have a 2 1/2-year-old Romilly (who was nearly Verity at one point in my pregnancy, I might add). Incidently, as much as we had planned her to be Romy for short, she was dubbed Ro-Ro by her big sister and hasn’t managed to shake it off so far :)
I knew an old lady named Muriel, and she went by Mert, which is, well, not exactly a hip alternative to an already lovely name.
I knew a girl name Mirelle, but considering that it was pronounced “Ma-ray” and she always had to correct people on its spelling or pronunciation, I wouldn’t recommend it.
Mira would be a cute alternative. I like Muriel, personally. The fact that she’s named after a beloved family member will be something she can always cherish
Even though I’m not fond of the name Muriel, it’s lovely of you to honor your grandmother. Stick with Muriel.
I have always liked the idea of naming a girl Miranda and calling her Mirry, like Marie, but accenting the first rather than the second syllable. I have the same opinion of Murry, very cute. If not that, you can always find a middle name that creates cute initials:
Muriel Jemma (MJ)
Muriel Evangeline (ME)
Muriel Zellie (MZ or use Maizy)
Muriel Astra (MA)
The way you spelled it..is great..never heard that name but I love it!!! So new and sweet!
-sandy toes
I think to truly honour your grandmother you should name her Muriel.
As for nicknames – i think that they can be just a wink and a nod to the original name (not actually directly pulled from) so what about:
Ree
Rea (pronounced like rhea)
Mimi
Millie
I saw something the other day on a bulletin board that mentioned the city Murietta and I immediately thought that might be an interesting name for a baby. Perhaps you’ll like it.
As much as I try to like it, Muriel doesn’t appeal to me – I can’t shake off that old lady feel. Mariel seems new and fresh, while still honoring your grandmother. I would definitely use it! It’s very pretty and I don’t think it will become popular any time soon. Possible nicknames could include Mary, Marie, Mare, Mara, Elle, and Ellie.
I like Mariel. You could update any of these names with adding -le to the end. Such as Murielle or Marielle. Still pronounced the same way but look more modern.
I’d just go with Muriel but I was going to make the same suggestion as Stormin’ (Murielle) to make the nn Elle or Ellie more natural. I also think Amanda is on to something with using the middle name to lead to a nice nn.