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Esme has been in my Top 10 several times before. Technically I prefer Esmée, since pronunciation is unambiguous (love EZ-may, strongly dislike EZ-mee), and I think it looks more elegant; but I recognize that this spelling is far less practical, particularly in the first name slot. I've met one Esme in my life, who was a total hippie and seemed to come from a family of hippies (this was in college), and this name gives me the impression of "hippies with big goals" (rather than, say, hippies on a commune). Basically, preppy but also crunchy.

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I knew a Mira in college, as well, and actually knew her better than Esme. We lost touch after graduation, though. She was a Rabbi's daughter, and to my recollection genuinely held Jewish beliefs - which I found surprising only because she also did burlesque. She spoke both Hebrew and Yiddish, and had the reddest natural red hair I've ever seen (no copper / "ginger," rather dark actually). In short, there is a unique image in my mind of who "Mira" is, and aside from this image I've never really considered Mira as a name I'd use, even in fiction.

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Kira is cool. She was my favorite Barbie doll / character, but a lot of people seem to have forgotten she existed (I think she was supposed to be the "Asian" one, though her heritage always felt ambiguous). Kira feels smoky-cool, like French New Wave films.

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Ingrid is the only one of these four names I don't like. I suppose she should have a "cool" image, like Kira, due to Ingrid Bergman; but instead she has always sounded cold to me. Ingrid is icy like the fjords.

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Please rate my personal name lists:

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www.behindthename.com/pnl/69381
www.behindthename.com/pnl/69381/117507
www.behindthename.com/pnl/69381/109399
www.behindthename.com/pnl/69381/132018

This message was edited 7/3/2023, 11:54 AM