Megan writes:
We’ve got a baby girl name question for you. I’m due this fall. We have one older child, a boy (Jackson). In that pregnancy, our top girl name was Katelyn. Loved it and 100% would have used it if he had been a girl.
Now, it’s time to pick a girl name. We still like Katelyn. But… we found another name that we LOVE. It’s a French name – Maelynn. We love the way it sounds (and that it’s unique), but here are our issues/questions that we’re ruminating on:
1. It always shows up as a misspelling (in a Word document, an email, etc.). Will that be annoying for the rest of her life?
2. It looks made up. It’s a real French name, spelled Maelynn. Sometimes we think Maelyn LOOKS less made up – but we really don’t like the idea of made-up names, and to pick a made-up version of a name so it doesn’t look made-up is just crazy! The meager results of internet searches have demonstrated that A LOT of people think Maelynn is made-up… and that the parents just smushed Mae and Lynn together. Side note: we’ve also read that some people think it’s a made-up American spelling of a Chinese name.
3. Related to the point above, if we use it, we think it would be wise to spread the word that it’s a lovely French name, not a made-up name. I’m thinking something along the lines of sending the birth announcement with pronunciation and meaning underneath the name (I can picture it… hopefully it’s coming across in an email). It gets the information out there without having to tell people explicitly. And maybe it can be pulled off like a cute birth announcement and not “oh-my-word, we’ve been worrying about this for 5 months!”?
4. Is it too unique? Will she have too hard of a time with it as she grows up? I keep saying it’s a “real French name,” but in truth it’s a unique name, even in France.
A few final thoughts – both Maelynn and Katelyn have the same “sound” to them, and they both go well with Jackson and with our last name. No issues there to pick between them. We’ll use the same middle name for either – my maiden name – and because they’re both the same sound, that also doesn’t help us pick between them.
So – what’s your advice on the name Maelynn?
My fingers are crossed you pick this question to answer. There is almost NOTHING online about Maelynn. It would be great to get some honest advice! In return for advice, I’ll send you baby girl’s name when the final decision is made and she makes her debut. :)
Let me deal first with the question about whether you should take into account that the name shows up as a misspelling in computer programs: No.
Here’s a screen shot of a section of the Social Security Administration document I use to find out how many times a name is used each year:
Katelyn is in the same red-underlined boat, as are Kaitlyn and Mya and Jordyn and Brooklynn and Lyla. It is very common for spell-checkers not to recognize proper nouns. It is also very common for spell-checking programs to have an “Add to dictionary” function, so that you can stop seeing the red underline on a particular word. While I know that different people have different priorities, and so you would find me completely willing to work with a “Must show up in spell-checking dictionary” preference if you had one, I’d say that if you find you have a choice whether to care about this or not, I’d strongly urge you to come down on the “not” side. I would go so far as to say that to me it’s a complete non-issue.
I vote no on the birth-announcement name explanation idea. Well, or I could see it being done in the style of the name bookmarks/magnets sold at greeting card stores (big fancy script first name, with meaning in quotes underneath), as part of the decoration. Like this:
But I don’t think that does anything at all to explain that it’s a real French name and not made-up (Maelynn / “Real French name, not made up”), and I don’t think I’d try to use the birth announcement to explain the pronunciation or origin. Here’s how I’d gradually do that instead, at every single opportunity:
You: “Her name is Maelynn.”
Person: *expression or exclamation of some sort*
You, demurely: “It’s French.”
Person: *adjusting perception of name accordingly*
Here is why you’re running into issues with people thinking it’s an American spelling of a Chinese name, or people thinking it’s Mae + Lynn: because it IS. It is both those things, as well as being a French name (where it ALSO might be Mae + Lynn) and probably a name in other countries as well. It’s the same with Katelyn, which is both an American respelling/repronunciation of an Irish name AND Kate + Lynn. Sound-pieces such as Mae/May and Lyn/Lynn/Lin are used in many parts of the world to form many sorts of names. This might annoy you if you want people to think of it ONLY as a French name—but in its favor, it means the name is not going to be as unusual or startling as you fear. May and Lynn are both perfectly familiar names in the United States, and I don’t think anyone is going to blink at seeing them combined. Similar names such as Kaelyn and Braelyn and Jaelyn make it feel even more familiar.
But I suspect what you’d like to do is keep people from associating the name with names like Kaelyn and Jaelyn. This is where Pop Psych 101 kicks in: you won’t be able to control what other people think of the name. You might be able to nudge/correct some of them with frequent demure repetitions of “It’s French,” but if they think you chose the name because those sounds happen to be in style right now, rather than because you have an affinity for highly unusual French names, you won’t be able to stop them. Furthermore, -lynn is not a familiar French ending (as -elle and -ette and -ine are), so it won’t SOUND French to people in the United States even if it IS French and even if you TELL them it’s French. And even if you find a way to explain the whole thing in the birth announcement, there are still all the teachers and classmates and classmates’ parents and school/doctor office staff and on and on.
So the decision comes down to this: Is what other people might think of the name important enough to you that you’d rather give up the name? That’s a question that sounds like I’m implying the right answer would be “No,” but that’s not the case: I personally care quite a bit what other people think of my children’s names, and about what impressions those names give. There were some names on my list where “People will think ____” was enough to cross the name off my list. There were other names I liked so much I thought “So what?” Or in this case, you might think, “Well, and they’re partly right. It’s just, that’s not where we got the name or how we think of it.”
I think it might be helpful to consider what it is you mean by “made-up name”—and what it is you don’t like about names you consider made-up. All names are made up at some time or another, so is it that you want a name with a long history? Is it that you think of people who invent new names as being a certain sort of person, and you don’t want to be perceived as that sort of person? Is it that you only like the name Maelynn if it contains the concept of Being French, but not if it’s May + Lynn? Is there anything that worries you about Maelynn that isn’t the same worry with Katelyn? Thinking through these issues can help you decide if other people’s impressions are important enough to rule out the name. Since Maelynn is a very uncommon name in both the United States and France, I think it will be more common for people to hear it as “Mae + Lynn” than as “French name.” (And even in France, perhaps they hear it as “Mae + Lynn.”)
I don’t think it’s too unusual to use. I do think it’s a name she will have to spell every single time. And sometimes people will say MAY-lin (like Palin) and sometimes they will say may-LYNN, and sometimes they will emphasize both syllables the same, so it’s good to think through ahead of time if this is the sort of thing that will drive you crazy. And I think it might sometimes be mistaken for Madelyn. But as a “Kristen, that’s K-r-i-s-t-E-n, no, not Kristine or Kiersten or Kirsten,” that doesn’t seem like a deal-breaker to me as long as you accept that it comes as part of the name parcel.
Here’s how people were spelling the name in the United States in 2012, to give you an idea of the spellings you’re likely to encounter:
Maylin 187
Maelyn 93
Maelynn 82
Maylen 76
Malin 65
Maylynn 28
Maylyn 17
Maelin 12
Malyn 9
Malynn 9
Maylinn 6
Mayelin 5
If you would like my personal opinion, I prefer the name Maelynn to the name Katelyn, and I prefer the spelling Maelynn to the spelling Maelyn. It doesn’t sound either made-up or French to me; I’d hear it a combination name, like Maryella or Avamarie or Lilyanna, or possibly as a surname name (Malin); it also makes me think of names like Marin. Let’s have a poll to see what everyone else thinks!
[yop_poll id=”16″]
Name update! Megan writes:
I loved that you posted my question and LOVED reading your responses and the reader votes. We read every comment – they were so spot on. Awesome advice. Thank you so much to you and your readers!
In the end, we decided we love Maelynn, and you and your readers were right to say STOP justifying (and saying it’s French – apparently it’s not as “securely” French as we thought!). Jackson and Maelynn. Jack and Mae. So great!
But… SURPRISE! It’s a boy! The ultrasound missed an important boy part… but it was discovered at a later ultrasound. That would have been VERY surprising at delivery! “It’s a… what?”
So the update on the Maelynn vs. Katelyn debate is… Dominic! Jackson and Dominic will be brothers, and maybe one day a little Maelynn will join them.
Or, more likely, maybe one day there will be another Swistle advice post: Maelynn vs. ________ (some other name we find we love).
Thank you so much for your help!
I have to ask – what makes it so clear it’s a French name? I am not French, but I am from an adjacent country, and am very familiar with French given names. I’ve never heard of anything like Maelynn. I’d just be curious to know where the parents got this information.
I think the sound of Maelynn is very pretty, but also very on-trend for other -n names right now, plus the “Mae” sounds like faux-Victorian names that are also in style, so I’d agree that it’s going to be pushing the boulder uphill to convince people that it’s French and not a combination name made of various on-trend styles.
Would you consider something like Evelyn? I think it’s a lovely name that definitely has a history, and has the -n sound you seem to like.
I think Swistle’s response is multifaceted and perfect. You are lucky to have someone analyze the situation so clearly and from so many different angles!
I’m not sure what I can add, except that as soon as I read your letter I thought, “But Katelyn is a made up spelling.” The authentic Irish is spelled Caitlin (and actually pronounced closer to Kathleen). Katelyn is a very modern variant, and a smoosh name, made up of the elements “Kate” and “Lynn”. I don’t know how long Maelynn has been used in France (it sort of looks like it could be medieval– or modern– either– which is part of its appeal!), but I have a feeling it has been in use longer than “Katelyn”.
You are in love with the name Maelynn and probably not looking for alternates. But if you happen to be– Magali, Maelys (pronounced May-LEESE) or Mailys, Manon (man-YEN), and Lilou are all cute, “authentic” French names. I personally really like Maelys.
I love the suggestion of Maelys!
I have am eight year old daughter and her name is Maelyn, very unique as we have not yet found another who carries the name. My biggest concern is how much her name is separated and spoken in more of the Asian form Mae-Lyn. Best of Luck and I wish we would have added that extra n to the end.
To me, the name Maelynn — especially in combination with Jackson — evokes the American South. Maybe I only feel this way because there’s a M’Lynn and a Jackson in the film “Steel Magnolias.” That’s not necessarily a problem, but it could be another impediment to people viewing the name as French.
YES! I live in Charleston, SC, so that obviously influences me. But I immediately read it in a strong Southern accent like “maeLYN.” Then when I saw that it was French I was just confused. It’s pretty, but sounds too Southern for me.
I read it the same way Jennifer did–maeLYNN. I think it sounds southern to me because of Sally Fields’ character in Steel Magnolias was M’Lynn and I always loved the sound of that.
Also, on second thought– I agree with KikiM above. Where are you getting your info that it is French? It might very well be a “made up name” in France.
So I just did a google search for “Maelynn” restricted to French-language results:
https://www.google.com/search?as_q=Maelynn&as_epq=&as_oq=&as_eq=&as_nlo=&as_nhi=&lr=lang_fr&cr=&as_qdr=all&as_sitesearch=&as_occt=any&safe=images&tbs=&as_filetype=&as_rights=
I quit after three pages of results, so certainly possible I missed something, but in those three pages, it’s 90% French-language baby-name websites (many of which are the same text exactly), one Canadian person, and a person whose real name may or may not be Maelynn.
I guess I just really question the idea that Maelynn is a Genuine French Name, and if that is very important to the parents loving it, I would take a hard look at how genuine the French origin is before deciding.
It also occurs to me that I recently met a little girl named Mayalin (brother was also a Jackson). Maybe some variant of that would work?
Something to keep in mind is the idea of names being attached to a particular time period. With the popularity of “long-a-plus-lynn” names right now, she’ll be recognizable as being part of the early-2010s generation to anyone who knows her name. Tiffany is the prime example of this to me–whenever I see the name Tiffany, I know she was probably born in the 1980s because there was such a spike. It sounds like you’re wanting something a little more timeless than that, or at least a name with connections to the more classic Katherine/Kate, based on your dislike of “made-up names.” Everyone who meets Maelynn is going to group that name together with Jaelynn and Braelynn et al, so if that bothers you, don’t use it!
I like Maelynn! The fact that it’s more unique than Katelyn is a bonus.
It reminds me of Sally Field’s character in Steel Magnolias – I looked it up and apparently the name of the character was M’Lynn, which was probably a nickname of some kind. I don’t think that’s a negative association, though – she was a great character!
I think you want to name her Maelynn, so that’s what I voted for. :)
It doesn’t sound made up to me at all. I think it’s really pretty, but like Swistle said, if it’s causing too much worry about what people will think about it I would brainstorm some other possibilities. I love the suggestion of Evelyn above, as well as Maelys.
I read it out loud and immediately thought “oh, like the Chinese name?”
I LOVE the name Maelynn, though I’ve never heard it before. However, I did just want to let you know that my gut reaction to the letter was to question the claim that the name is actually French. Maybe it is, I don’t know, but I speak fluent French and it is a very awkward word to say in a French accent and does not have a spelling that the French are accustomed to pronouncing in their native language.
I’m not actually trying to convince you that it’s not actually French. Rather, just an observation that if you make a big point of telling everyone that it’s French, you’re likely to encounter a lot of people who have the desire to tell you that it sure doesn’t sound very French. (I mean, I’m the 3rd or 4th person in this comment thread to bring it up. This is probably representative of the reactions you’re going to get out in the world!) So maybe if you love the name and that would bother you, you might want to avoid mentioning its French roots.
It looks like the French name is actually Maëlynn, which would be pronounced “mah-ELLE-in.” Using the umlaut would definitely call attention to the Frenchness of the name, and might help people pronounce it correctly…but in America you wouldn’t be able to use it all of the time. I found a French couple debating whether to spell it Maëlynn or Maëlyne. The second is even more clearly French to my eye, although most of the actual French people seem to prefer Maëlynn, so what do I know.
If you plan to pronounce it May-Lynn, I think you have to be prepared to accept that that is not a French name, although a very pretty one made up of two very classic components. (More like Annabeth than like Jaelyn).
Sorry, I think that’s actually Mah-ay-leen.
It’s definitely mah-eh-LYNN.
Great point about pronunciation.
Apparently it’s a Breton name. That may be why most of us who speak French have never heard of it or are unsure as to how to say it.
A “genuine” french person here to add to the chorus of those questioning the “genuine-ness” of Maelynn as a Real French Name. I found a chart which shows it’s popularity over time, which I think explains why people are having the same reaction as me – it’s a new, trendy adaptation of a Breton name (Maël).
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/prenoms/prenom/54426/maelynn/
All this to say that “it’s a real french name” should not be your go-to argument, because many people will have the same reaction I did.
But it’s a nice name, and everything Swistle said is sensible, and it goes well with your son’s name. I’m mostly commenting to offer a data-point…
I grew up in France and I just don’t believe that it’s a French name. They aren’t fond of Ys
That being said, it’s a sweet name.
I just don’t think it’s French.
first result http://www.thinkbabynames.com/meaning/0/Maelynn variant of “May”
Madeline = French. maybe it was misread?
What if you spelled it like Maelinne? That looks more French to me (spoken as a Canadian). If a French appearance is important to you then the spelling is likely the only thing you can control which *might* influence people’s perception. However, as Swistle pointed out, your control over that is minimal. If you love the name, just use it and don’t worry about what people think!
I agree that Maelynn does not look or sound like a French name; nonetheless, it is a pretty name. I like the spelling Maelyne even better, and to me it looks more French.
If a solid French origin is important, what about Mireille? (mee-ray).
I think that people will react the same way to Maelynn as they would to Katelyn. They are both combination names that sound modern and Southern. Since you were prepared to use Katelyn with no reservations, I think that this type of name is just your style and that you don’t need to rationalize it.
My first thought was “has to be Chinese-American,”
Second thought was “not at all unique, very on trend”
Second thought was “how will anyone be able to remember it?” It’s so similar to so many other names–Phelan, Galen, Baylin, Jaelyn, Kaylinn………
I think we live in very tough naming times, though. There’s so much pressure to come up with something new, and unbeknownst to us, a lot of other parents-to-be are also attempting the same thing.
To me, the most daunting and tricky-to-overlook feedback from the above comments is what the pronunciation would be if the name were actually French. I think the only way to use the name honorably would be to embrace its smushiness and not be embarrassed about that .
I think Maelynn is very pretty! I don’t think it sounds particularly ethnic and I don’t think it sounds “made up”. I agree with Kerry, it’s more like Annabeth. I say go for it and don’t worry about explaining its origins!
I’m another who would strongly encourage you to carefully research the French origin of this name. I am a (non-native) French speaker & have never heard it before. I have a friend who is a native French speaker (from France) and she’s not familiar with the name either. However, I will point out that she’s been in the states for close to 20 years, so if it is a more recent invention she just may not be familiar with it.
I don’t think the fact that I have concerns about the origin of the name should matter much though. As a combo name, Mae+Lynn is perfectly reasonable to me. It feels very similar to your Katelyn, which Swistle pointed out isn’t “really” an authentic Irish name. I don’t consider combo names in quite the same category as names that are “made up.” My biggest concern is that even though it is fairly unique, it sounds so much like so many other popular names that I can see it getting lost in the crowd.
BTW, I wouldn’t worry too much about spell check. My name always comes up as “wrong” I just go in & add it to my dictionary. Problem solved.
I completely agree with the majority of comments above it is a very pretty and lovely name but does not at all sound French to me. To me it will always sound like Mae + Lynn which is a perfectly lovely name for your baby girl.
If of any origin at all it strikes me as being very American sounding with a very southern feel and right on trend with the lyn suffix from what I see on this website and other American based sites. I also agree with Kaela in that Katelyn to me is a made up spelling as I feel Caitlin is more traditional.
If you love the name then go for it but as you can see you will have a tough time convincing people that it is French. Also please don’t worry about spell check!
All the best with little Maelynn
Caitlin, the “original authentic Irish” pronunciation was something closer to Caught-leen if I’m not mistaken. Sounds like the same may be true for the “French” Maelyn based on prior commenters. If I, in 2013, were to name my daughter Caitlin and expect Americans to pronounce it Caught-leen or recognize its “Irishness,” I’d be disappointed. Its pronounced kate-lynn now and several other spelling are far more popular than the “original” one.
That said, for all the reasons Swistle said, if you love the name Maelynn enough to get past whatever reservations you may have about how you think people may perceive the name, I say go for it. Its a lovely, current-sounding name, but I doubt there will be 3 of them on her soccer team, you know?
That said I have a Brendan named in 2004. On his soccer team there was: another Brendan, a Landon, a Brandon, and a Jordan.
Maelynn may have a Kaelynn and a Kaitlin and a Braelynn and a Gwendolyn on her soccer team.
Our boys were the “Dans.” Maybe your girls will be the “Lynns?” My point is, choose the name you love. Dom’t apologize for it or try to come up with a “we swear its French” justification. It’ll be fine.
I’m another person who wonders where you heard Maelynn was a French name. I American, but I’m somewhat familiar with French names and have studied French. I know about Maelys and Maelle (can’t do umlaut on my computer). As someone has posted, Maelynn or Maelyne seems to be a new variant of Maelle, but is not pronounced Mae-Lynn. I think it’s fine to use a name that is not authentic, but I’d like to KNOW whether it is or not, especially is that were important to me, as it seems to be for you. I rather like Katelyn, although it’s not an authentic spelling or pronunciation of Caitlin. I love Maelys, although the correct pronunciation here may be problematic. When I see Maelynn, I do think of Braelyn and Jaelyn and Kaelyn because that’s a popular sound right now, and Maelynn could be next. Because of the spelling, I don’t think of the Chinese name – I’d have to see Mei Lin and I pronounce that with a slightly different emphasis. I like the suggestion of Evelyn as a name with more history. I am curious to know which name you will choose!
I knew a girl named Mai-Lin (I think she was part Chinese), but either way, I think it is a beautiful name and you should just go for it and not worry about all the possible thoughts people might have about it.
Let me clarify, I do care what other people think of a name but more like “will they like it?” not “will they think it is made up” or “will they think it is too unique?” I think people will like it whether or not they think you made it up and despite whether or not they think it is too unique or not french or whatever. The bottom line is, it is a very nice name and I think people will like it and so you should go for it!
I think it’s a gorgeous name.
You have to decide how you feel about what others may think and how much weight that carries with you. Nobody else can answer that question for you.
I think the birth announcement thing could work if you had one that looked like a dictionary entry, but you’d have to be 100% certain of the meaning or it could end up being embarrassing. That said, as others have pointed out, it won’t eliminate the possibility (probability) of you needing to explain it later in your daughter’s life.
I really do love the name.
I have a friend with a daughter (2ish) named Malin.
I never considered that it was a made-up name or trendy in any way. I’ve always thought of it as unusual with a slight retro flare. It’s reminded me of Mavis, Marin and Meave and brought to mind Norman Mailer.
It strikes me, though, that when I read this post, I DID think of Maelynn as made up and trendy. I think it’s the “y” because a lot of the trendy, creative-spellings-of-familiar-names include the “y.” Since I’m used to seeing this name as M-a-l-i-n, seeing it with a “y” seemed very contrived to me.
I agree with all of this. “Malin” seems kind of retro-fresh and vaguely unisex to me, “Maelynn” seems very of the naming moment, and the “y” does make it feel like an invented name to my brain.
one problem with “malin” and calling it french is that it’s pronounced differently and it’s a word that means mischievous or crafty. it also has the distinctively masculine (in french) -in ending.
(i know this from living there, but here are some sources)
http://www.forvo.com/word/malin/
http://translate.google.com/#fr/en/malin
I found a few Maelynns in the US, born 1912-1917 (so extremely rare – but the name did exist!).
On one french site, it appears the name popped up in 2003 in France. From then until 2010 a total of 105 babies were given the name Maelynn. There are several variations to the name with Maëline being the oldest and most popular. That name showed up around 1992 and was derived from Maelle (as mentioned by previous posters). Maëlle appeared in the 60s. (Notrefamille.com > Mamans > Prénoms > Tout sur votre prénoms > Entrez votre Prénoms: Maelynn > Trouvez)
I think it is a beautiful name and I hope that you’ll use it if you love it!
Another French name that you might want to consider and is very similar is Maelle (pronounced May-elle). Good luck!
My name is spelled “Melynn” and it is pronounced like Melinda, without the last syllable. I recommend this as there is less confusion about my being Asian than there would be if my name were pronounced “May-Lin.”
I named my daughter Melynn =D pronounced the exact same way and that’s how I tell people it’s prounounced. My inspiration was actually steel magnolias and I had a class mate named melyn. What’s the inspiration behind your name?
Hi!
My parents claim they made up my name, but I have met other people my age who are named Melynn (very few, but some), so I don’t know.
The character in Steel Magnolias is technically named “M’Lynn.” :)
My daughter’s name is actually Maelynn and I thought it was a clever combination of my mother’s (Lynn)and her aunt’s (Allie Mae) names. Never knew it was an actual name and never would have guessed it was French, but it fits her well. Maybe, your parents did think they had created it.
I had the same reaction a lot of other commenters had: extreme skepticism about it’s really being a French name. From a couple of well-informed comments, it looks like it’s actually sort of the equivalent of a trendy made-up name over there, a modern spin on an old and well-used name component. French parents can make up names too, after all. It sounds like you’re using “It’s a real French name!” to imply “It’s a classic name with an established history!” which doesn’t seem to be correct in this case.
Even without knowing all that, if I met someone with a little Maelynn and she was quick to tell me, “It’s a French name,” I wouldn’t believe her (based on my moderate knowledge of the French language.) I would assume that she got that out of the kind of baby book that makes up name meanings and origins willy-nilly… that the baby book TOLD her it was a French name, and she accepted it without doing any further research. I fully admit that I have an inner judgy elitist, and that it often has Opinions about other people’s baby naming, even though I think that’s kind of unjust and classist of me. But if what you’re going for with “It’s a real French name!” is to silence people’s inner judgy elitists, you should know that it won’t necessarily work, and may even backfire (as in, “Not only did she give her daughter a made-up name, but she bought into some cheap name book’s made-up origin for it!” Ugh. SO MEAN. But I probably would think it, even if I immediately scolded myself for doing so.)
That’s not to say you shouldn’t use the name… it’s very pretty, and goes well with Jackson! But I think if you’re going to use it, you should let go of the “real French name!” thing. It’s a real name because it is given to real babies, both here and in France. It is NOT a name with a long established history… it’s a name people are using because they like the way it looks and sounds. And there’s nothing wrong with that.
I agree 100% with all of this.
So do I. My thought process would be exactly this (unfortunately).
+1000
With any name, if the parents were to tell me, “It’s French!” my response would be, “Yay?” (Ditto “It’s Swedish/Ethiopian/Brazilian!”) Using an unusual name from a country you have no connection to is not somehow more sophisticated than using a common but “made up” name from your own country. If anything, you risk coming across naive or nouveau riche or hipster. (It’s not the name that’s naive/nouveau riche/hipster, it’s the explanation.)
Like Swistle said, it’s totally fine to care about how people will respond to your child’s name. But in this case, I don’t think responses would switch from “ew, made up name” to “ahh, French, that makes sense.” If you don’t love a name enough to use it without justifications, then don’t use it.
I don’t mean to discourage you from using Maelynn. It’s sweet, you love it, you should use it. But your daughter’s name should be “Maelynn,” not “Maelynn, it’s a French name.”
I didn’t read all the comments so someone else may have mentioned this…
I think Maelynn is a beautiful name, on paper and when spoken, and I actually grew up with a Maylin so to me, it doesn’t seem made up at all. It does not read as “French” to me, though, but the way you spell it reminds me of the very French name, Maelys (with an umlaut over the e, so it’s pronounced mah-eh-LEEZE). If you’re worried that Maelynn seems too “made up” and others aren’t picking up on it’s Frenchness, maybe consider Maelys instead. :)
If I heard the name pronounced I would assume the named person were Chinese and that it were spelled Mei Lin. If I saw it written as here, I would assume that it was a combo name like May + Lynn or Mae + Lynn.
I like the name. I can’t speak to its authenticity as a “French” name. But, I think you should use it if you like it. If you want it to appear less “made up” especially given the comments about whether or not it’s French, I would just use May Lynne or Mae Lynn and keep it separately but used together. Mae happens to be a favorite name of mine and I think the double name is sweet, even if it does have more of a Southern and less of a French feel to it.
If you’re looking something that will scream “I’m a FRENCH name!” to all that hear it, I would go for something else.
I like Maelynn. Reminds me of another lovely French name: Mylène.
This is my 2nd comment – This discussion has been interesting. One of my interests in given names is observing names that are used in other countries as well as the US, and how names are perceived in other countries – would love to know more about this. I often look at the statistics on baby names published by other countries – many of names are kind of surprising. Of note, what Americans think of as popular French names, German names, or whatever, are often regarded as very old-fashioned there/only used as a nickname/not seen as a “real name” or used at all. I think it’s just fine to use those names, but I just like to know these things.
In my home country, many (but not all) foreign-origin names have the aura of being the choice of working-class parents. French and Scandinavian names are mostly exempt from this, and are usually chosen by upper-class parents. But English-lanuage names were definitely “kinda tacky”.
I have heard what KikiM said about the name Kevin when used in Germany.
When I first saw the name in the title of Swistle’s new blog post, I thought….. “Oh, another smush name. I really don’t like smush names”. (That was after I read the name correctly – at a very brief glance at my dashboard I actually thought it was Merlyn. Ha ha!).
After thinking about it and reading some of the interesting comments, this is my personal opinion.
1) I think it will be perceived as a smush name, even if that is not what you intend. Mae + Lynn. It will not seem “too unique or weird” – I can’t imagine you’d meet many other Maelynns, but she’d fit right at home with Katelyns and Kaelynns and Jaelynns, current sounds that are very trendy and will sound dated in 20 years (I think they already are dated as in “That was so 2010”).
2) It doesn’t sound French to me, but it does sound very Southern (cue the strong Southern accent). If you’re wanting a genuine French name, I think you should go with something else. What about Madeleine or even Madelyn?
3) Despite my own opinion about smush names, I do think Maelynn is pretty, and each syllable is a name in its own right. Mae is lovely. Jackson and Maelynn do sound good together, and Jack and Mae are super sweet sibling nicknames! I wish you luck – I know it’s a tough decision!
I think maelynn will become more known as the actress Malin Ackerman grows in popularity ( in a similar way to how Isla has with Isla Fisher.) I know maelle’s and a maelys and think those are beautiful alternatives if the ‘Frenchness’ is important to you.
Malin is a very traditional sweedish name (Malin Ackerman described it as the ‘Gertrude’ of Sweeden) It however is pronounced like ‘Mahl-in.’
Wish I had seen this blog prior to naming my Maelynn, may have changed it or changed the spelling to Maylin. My sisters and I all thought my dad was weird when he said it sounded Asian and I chose to ignore him but apparently I should have listened to him!
We are using the name MaeLin for our daughter we are adopting from China. Mei Lin in Chinese means “beautiful jade.” We are spelling it “MaeLin” because we are honoring a great-grandma whose name was Mae and “Lin” was part of my MIL’s maiden name. She will have ties to her birth country with the pronunciation and to our family with the spelling. We liked that people will (hopefully) know how to pronounce it. We are originally from the great South, so I can’t wait to hear our relatives there say it. Actually, when “Mei” is pronounced in Chinese with the correct tone , it is almost two syllables! I love it, however you spell it. We have only gotten great responses when we’ve told people her name!
My name is Maelyn and it does get annoying but people love my name. its different and cool. It’s not something you hear everyday like Brianna or Cassie. The name sounds sweet and innocent(:
This was one of my favorite updates so far. Ha ha!
Yep, awesome update. Congrats!
Thank you for your article. It was an inspiration if not the reason on how we spell my daughter’s name. =)
Shannon
Also, my daughter is a mixed of Caucasian and Chinese, so I loved that Maelynn sounded Chinese but is actually French.
No, it´s a Breton name , from Brittany, it´s part of France now, but the language there is different, close to Welsh. People from there are Celts. The name Maelynn comes from the name Mael, a Welsh man who fled from the Germanic tribes, and settled in Brittany.