A rose by any other name

[melaniesuzanne]

So, Venetian names.

I have so many "M" things; I should keep that initial for my persona name. Hubbyfink's favorite is Margarita for obvious reasons, while my personal favorites are Micola and Marte which were actually recorded in Venice in the fourteenth century (Margarita shows up in a Venetian census in the 16th century; although, Gerita [a pet form] appears in the 14th).* To be perfectly honest, I'm not jazzed by any of those. Marcella is pretty, if a teensy bit post my preferred time period, but some people feel it's too close to Marcellus.

Bah. I don't really like the M names. :/

What do I like? Colleta, Cristina, Elizabeta, and Thomisina. I could make the M part of my surname. There are some AWESOME last names like Malipiero, Menegi, Mocenigo, Morosini and Muxe. Fabulous, every last one of them.

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*Names info cribbed from The Academy of St. Gabriel.

Comments

[reasdream.livejournal.com]

Oh bother! I'd forgotten I have to call you something new! ;)

I hold true to my standard suggestion of saying names in front of a mirror until you feel like you're talking to yourself. I do like Marte, tho. I think I would giggle trying to call you Thomisina, although you shouldn't let that stop you.

[melaniesuzanne.livejournal.com]

I kid that I'm going for the longest entry in the O&A. I fear that it's no longer a joke. ;)

[shalmestere.livejournal.com]

You don't have to change your name immediately--maybe after you've soaked in the culture for a while, the right name will come to you :-)
P.S. Lotsa good fifteenth-century Italian dances you can learn... :-)

[melaniesuzanne.livejournal.com]

This is true. :)

I'm very excited about all the new musical experiences out there!

[ballistabob.livejournal.com]

How about "Maridonna"?

[melaniesuzanne.livejournal.com]

Mmm... no. I'm not fond of Mary/Marie names.

[ballistabob.livejournal.com]

How about something simple and cute, like "Pipa"

http://www.ellipsis.cx/~liana/names/italian/napleswomen.html

[melaniesuzanne.livejournal.com]

That is awfully cute. Nnnngh. Too many choices.

[penguininarmor.livejournal.com]

Veto. Too close too Maradona (as in Diego) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diego_Maradona) and I hate him as a player. :-)

[melaniesuzanne.livejournal.com]

*laugh* You're so cute.

[strawberrykaren.livejournal.com]

Madiana? Meliorata? Meliore?

[pinkleader.livejournal.com]

Oh, I like Meliore, like Melody or Melanie but different!

[melaniesuzanne.livejournal.com]

How do you think Meliore is pronounced? It's kind of pretty in type.

[shalandara.livejournal.com]

My guess is:

Meh lee OR ree

Accent on third syllable. This is from nothing more than hearing lots of names pronounced/sung/etc through genealogy/work/libraries/etc. And the fact that I love names and most of my "novels" written as a child were really just a collection of neat sounding characters.

[melebeth]

You think ree not ray? I was leaning towards ray for the final syllable, but I'm not sure why.

[salviati.livejournal.com]

I think "ray" based on (relatively) standard Italian pronunciation, bearing in mind that the Venetian dialect is a bit different from Tuscan, which is what standard Italian is derived from (thanks Dante!). I don't know much about how the Venetian dialect differs from the Tuscan, though.

I would pronounce it "may-lee-OR-ray" but I'm certainly not fluent! I know enough to get to the hotel, order dinner and find the bathroom. :-)

[shalandara.livejournal.com]

I'm now 50/50 on ree vs ray

I never said I was an expert. :)

[melebeth]

I would assume "mel-eee-or-eh"

But Tomasina Morisini makes me giggle. In part because the character Thomasina in Arcadia is so HAPPY. You should totally be a Thomasina.

[danabren.livejournal.com]

I like "Morosini" as a family name.

[melaniesuzanne.livejournal.com]

That one's my favorite. Cristina Morosini has such a lovely ring to it.

[salviati.livejournal.com]

It does sound lovely. I like it!

[mmcnealy.livejournal.com]

Colleta Mocenigo, I like it!

I recommend doing something unusual and memorable, that way you don't get confused with someone else.

[melaniesuzanne.livejournal.com]

That's pretty!

[shalandara.livejournal.com]

On a weird note, Muxe looks close enough in spelling to be Mouse, but I am sure it is pronounced oh so differently. :)

[melaniesuzanne.livejournal.com]

Ha! I hadn't noticed that. Hooray, subconscious. ;)

I assume it'd sound like "Mooks" with a teensy little aspirated "eh" at the end. Or it could be "Moosh" with the same aspirated "eh". I need to befriend a northern Italian person.

[danabren.livejournal.com]

heh heh heh MOOK heh heh

[woodwindy.livejournal.com]

MOOSHEE!

Just not Micola, whatever you do -- you'll spend the rest of your days correcting people who hear Nicola.

[melaniesuzanne.livejournal.com]

I've begun to think that Micola is a little too close to Micheloeb for my taste...

[kath-a.livejournal.com]

I went for Cathelina as I liked it knew I'd answer it and my sister felt it suited me more than any other name I liked (LOVE Pipa/Pippa but it doesn't suit me unfortunatly), but I looked a bit at 'M' names too as I was considering Maria.

Elizabeta I LOVE, and Colleta is quite cute.
Other names I like are Helena, Agneta (because of my wierd obsession with Agnes I suppose)Giovanna, Gostanza, Betta, Isabella, Isabetta, Lisabetta (noticing a pattern here? lol) and Marianna.

Maria and Marianna are really the only two 'M' names I liked.

In the end go for something you love, feel like its 'you' and will answer to.