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HelpMuriel
Someone recently got my daughter's name (Miriam) mixed up with the name Muriel. I was a bit surprised. I get Mariam, Marian and Mary Anne often, but never Muriel.
The thing is - I'm not sure how I feel about Muriel. It gives me a feeling of a shrewish woman who isn't shrewish at the same time. It's the name of a character in The Accidental Tourist so I'm guessing my feeling of the name stems from that book. Problem is I read it many years ago and the only things I remember is that the character was an over-protective parent with a bad perm and who liked to shop in thrift stores.
Anyway, thoughts on the name?
The thing is - I'm not sure how I feel about Muriel. It gives me a feeling of a shrewish woman who isn't shrewish at the same time. It's the name of a character in The Accidental Tourist so I'm guessing my feeling of the name stems from that book. Problem is I read it many years ago and the only things I remember is that the character was an over-protective parent with a bad perm and who liked to shop in thrift stores.
Anyway, thoughts on the name?
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I love Muriel! It calls to mind a seasoned sage of a woman whose past is studded with secrets and unexpected flairs of grandeur.
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I like it & could stand to see a few more of them. It's a nice heathery colour and I like the soft mur sound.
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I had two Muriel relatives who were interesting, wonderful, lots of fun, everything that family members should be! One was named after the other - her aunt.
So I should like the name, right? Sorry. It seems like a total wet weekend of a name, nothing bad about it but nothing good either. Just damp and boring and grey.
I rather enjoy Mariel, though!
So I should like the name, right? Sorry. It seems like a total wet weekend of a name, nothing bad about it but nothing good either. Just damp and boring and grey.
I rather enjoy Mariel, though!
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I like Muriel. True, it is pretty old-ladyish, but the elements of the name are totally my thing. It has a dark, crystalline quality to it, like a rich, chunky piece of jewelry lost for ages in some unassuming box in an attic. It looks unfashionable now but once it was something grand and beautiful.
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Miriam is absolutely beautiful in both look and sound, and nothing like Muriel as far as I can tell.
I do know two people called Muriel.
One is a Jewish lady in her 80s whose Hebrew name, I presume, is Miriam or something else beginning with M.
The other is a woman in her early 60s whose elder sister is called Dorothy: both names were rather old-fashioned when they were named, particularly Muriel, and both names are equally dowdy in my eyes.
Muriel would be OK for a kitten ("mew") and cat, but on a girl I prefer Mariel or - better still - gorgeous Mireille.
I do know two people called Muriel.
One is a Jewish lady in her 80s whose Hebrew name, I presume, is Miriam or something else beginning with M.
The other is a woman in her early 60s whose elder sister is called Dorothy: both names were rather old-fashioned when they were named, particularly Muriel, and both names are equally dowdy in my eyes.
Muriel would be OK for a kitten ("mew") and cat, but on a girl I prefer Mariel or - better still - gorgeous Mireille.
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Stop what you're doing and rent "Muriel's Wedding," starring Toni Colette. I had to watch it a couple of times before I really got into it because it starts out as a comedy but gets pretty heavy in the middle. But I came to love it and the name Muriel, which her sister Joan pronounces as, "MYOOOOOOOOOR-ee-yel."
Ultimately, I associate Muriel with WWII Britain and no-nonsense shoes. Iris, Muriel, Joan, Enid, Myra, Glynis, and Jean. So romantic.
Ultimately, I associate Muriel with WWII Britain and no-nonsense shoes. Iris, Muriel, Joan, Enid, Myra, Glynis, and Jean. So romantic.
This message was edited 3/9/2014, 6:10 PM
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It find it really unattractive. It makes me think of Muriel's Wedding, which is one of the most annoying movies I've ever seen.
It also makes me think of muesli.
It also makes me think of muesli.
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It's ugly, like a mewling, gurgling sound.
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It was the name of one of my great-aunts. I could see from pictures that she had been a very pretty young woman. She and my grandmother, her sister, had looked much alike, with red hair, dark eyes, and high cheekbones. I was told that up until about age 50, which for her was the middle 1960s, she had been a quiet and reserved woman, but I have no memory of her that way.
She was married, but she and her husband never had children because he had a low sperm count. Back when they were young, there wasn't anything to be done about that. Not having any children was a life-long heartbreak for her.
When she was about 50, I was told, she went crazy for a while, believing crazy things, such as that her husband was going to drive her off a bridge, and if she ate in a restaurant her food would be poisoned, and that there were people inside the TV looking at her. I remember hearing a story about how she caught sight of herself in a department store mirror, and burst into tears and ran out of the store because she no longer looked the way that she had when young.
She got over believing the crazy stuff, but after that, her personality changed completely, and she became brash and loud, and started smoking cigarettes, which she had never done before, and drinking, and wearing a ridiculous wig, and short, loud dresses which were unsuitable for her age. That's the only way that I remember her, as I was just a child when she went through her crisis. She died in 1988.
So that was Aunt Muriel and whenever I hear the name I think of her. Pretty much think, "Crazy old lady."
However, I am able to separate the name from that image, and when I do, I think it's actually quite charming and would be a nice change of pace from the names that are popular today. I used to think that I liked Mariel more, but no I don't, I prefer Muriel because it's a much older name than Mariel and has a real etymology. Muriel is Celtic, which makes sense, since my great-grandmother, Aunt Muriel's mother, was Irish.
She was married, but she and her husband never had children because he had a low sperm count. Back when they were young, there wasn't anything to be done about that. Not having any children was a life-long heartbreak for her.
When she was about 50, I was told, she went crazy for a while, believing crazy things, such as that her husband was going to drive her off a bridge, and if she ate in a restaurant her food would be poisoned, and that there were people inside the TV looking at her. I remember hearing a story about how she caught sight of herself in a department store mirror, and burst into tears and ran out of the store because she no longer looked the way that she had when young.
She got over believing the crazy stuff, but after that, her personality changed completely, and she became brash and loud, and started smoking cigarettes, which she had never done before, and drinking, and wearing a ridiculous wig, and short, loud dresses which were unsuitable for her age. That's the only way that I remember her, as I was just a child when she went through her crisis. She died in 1988.
So that was Aunt Muriel and whenever I hear the name I think of her. Pretty much think, "Crazy old lady."
However, I am able to separate the name from that image, and when I do, I think it's actually quite charming and would be a nice change of pace from the names that are popular today. I used to think that I liked Mariel more, but no I don't, I prefer Muriel because it's a much older name than Mariel and has a real etymology. Muriel is Celtic, which makes sense, since my great-grandmother, Aunt Muriel's mother, was Irish.
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I've never known a Muriel personally and the only real exposure I've had is the Toni Colette's character in the movie Muriel's Wedding. So she's who I associate with the name... not a bad character association tbh. But I don't really like the sound of it much for some reason. I like the "iel" sound and I don't hate the "mur" but together it's just not pleasant to me.
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Muriel just have a completely different vibe to me, although I was recently told that both are "ugly and old-fashioned" *shrugs*
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