[Opinions] I think it comes down to trends at the time...
in reply to a message by Lily8
When Nicole was at the height of its popularity, French names, especially those ending in -le, were really 'in' and variants ending in -a were not as popular. Nicole, Danielle, Michelle, and Gabrielle, for example, were all more considerably more popular during that period than Daniela, Michaela (any spelling), or Gabriela. I bet Nicola wasn't used as an alternate path to Nikki at that time because Nicole itself was so fashionable.
The pendulum has swung in the other direction now, and the -a ending is hot while old Gallic favorites sound dated. So, Danielle is falling while Daniela/Daniella climbs, and so on. Nicola should be more popular than it is...I'm starting to think it must be the pronunciation issue.
The pendulum has swung in the other direction now, and the -a ending is hot while old Gallic favorites sound dated. So, Danielle is falling while Daniela/Daniella climbs, and so on. Nicola should be more popular than it is...I'm starting to think it must be the pronunciation issue.