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[Opinions] Louise or Louisa?
Louise was my great grandmother's name and I always thought I would use it as a middle name, but lately it's been growing on me for a first name. Opinions? And how would you pronounce Louisa, with a soft "s" or more of a "z" sound? I think Lou-ee-za, not sure though.
Thanks!
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I pronounce Louisa with a 'z' sound, not an 's'. Out of both Louise and Louisa, I prefer Louisa.
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I definitely prefer Louisa, I like it a lot and pronounce it with more of a 'z' sound.Louise is ok but it's a bit dull and genuinely about half the people I know have it as their mn!
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I'd also use Louisa to honour someone, and I'm more inclined to use it as a middle name because of the dated, dull image the name has. IMO Louisa has more allure than Louise.
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I love Louisa and really dislike Louise. That 'a' makes all the difference to me. I prefer the soft s sound but I think I may be in the minority.
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Love Louisa, hate Louise. I pronounce both names with a soft s and I prefer that sound. The Z sound is too harsh imo.
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I prefer Louisa, I just think it sounds much nicer that way. Louise is pretty and would work well as a mn (especially if it's honoring), but it is a very filler mn. But Louisa/Louise would make a great first name; it's not in the popularity charts, but well-known.
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Louise is pretty and very often used as a mn, which is the way I prefer it. As a first name I prefer Louisa - it is less used, and I think the final a gives it a touch of class. There are alot of Louises around from the 1970s. Louisa is more distinctive. I have only ever encountered the z sound and think that's the one to use.

This message was edited 4/28/2008, 11:57 PM

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I pronounce it Lou-ee-za I think. I really like Louise, and prefer it to Louisa (I actually don't like Louisa. Louise is on my list, I especially like it because of the character in To Kill A Mocking Bird (Scout's real name is Louise).
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I like both but prefer Louisa, which I prn. more often with a Z sound but sometimes with an S sound. In some places (like the UK), Louise is very common as a mn, so even though it's not very common for a mn here, I find it more interesting as a fn.
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I've never been a fan of the name Louise. I dislike the EEZ sound at the end of it. However I very much like the name Louisa pronounced lou-EE-sa with a soft s.
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Louise ("loo-EEZ") gmv.Louisa ("loo-EE-zuh") is nice, and doubtless is the more popular form at the moment. But I'm a contrarian and just felt like voting for the more stream-lined French form.My favorite variant is Aloisia ("al-o-EE-see-uh").

This message was edited 4/28/2008, 4:15 PM

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I like Louise. I like Louisa more. I would pronounce Louisa with a soft "s" sound.
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I like both Louise and Louisa. I prefer Louisa because it's less common and I like the sound of it better. Louisa is pronounced "loo-EE-za" or "loo-EEZ-a."My favorite combo is Louisa Caroline.

This message was edited 4/28/2008, 3:40 PM

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I love the name Louisa. It's pretty, classy and not too popular but not unheard of either. I'd pronounce it Lou-ee-za.Louise is ok, but it's been really popular and I find it a bit boring. It's especially boring as a middle name but if it has significance for you then that's fine.
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I prefer Louise and considering your great grandmother's name was Louise, I would go with that instead of Louisa. I pronounce it with more of a "z" sound, like lou-EE-za.
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I strongly prefer Louisa (it's in my top ten for girls), but Louise is nice as well.I pronounce Louisa with a "z" sound.
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I would go with the z sound personally!!
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I like both. Personally, if Louise was your ancestor's name and you want to honor her, then go with Louise. Louisa is different, but I usually pronounce it with more of a z sound which annoys me sometimes.
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Louisa, soft 's': 'lou-EES-a'. Louise is dull, overused and dated now. Louisa is at least a bit different.
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