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HelpDeirdre and Debra Wdyt?
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Oth are ok
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I have warmed up to Deirdre a bit. It's still not my favorite part I kind of like the sound now. I used to go to church with a girl a few years younger than me named this and she was pretty nice. She was the only one I've ever met so it doesn't leave a bad taste in my mouth or anything. Debra feels too old for me. Too matronly.
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I really like Deirdre, even though I always, without fail, stumble over the spelling and pronunciation. Like I'm pretty sure I say it differently every time, just depending on whatever the spirits demand in that moment, I guess. Deer-dree, Dee-druh, Deed-ree, Deer-druh, Dare-drah.... just, all kinds of chaotic ignorance.
I knew a Deirdre growing up (in Canada) and everyone said her name like "Dee-druh". She was the older friend of one of my friends, and to a 9 year old, she seemed devastatingly sophisticated. I was in awe of her. That really gave the name a lot of mystique and power. Nowadays, Deirdre appeals to me because it's got a very heady mix of working class grit and tragic fairytale romance. The character on Coronation Street probably helped with that a lot as well.
I am just starting to come around to Deborah... Debra doesn't do anything for me. I understand the appeal of simplifying the spelling, but like Anneza, all I can see is "de bra" like it's a lingerie store in New Jersey right next to a jeweler called "Bada Bling".
............oh no, now I've given Debra a personality and I'm starting to bond with it.
I knew a Deirdre growing up (in Canada) and everyone said her name like "Dee-druh". She was the older friend of one of my friends, and to a 9 year old, she seemed devastatingly sophisticated. I was in awe of her. That really gave the name a lot of mystique and power. Nowadays, Deirdre appeals to me because it's got a very heady mix of working class grit and tragic fairytale romance. The character on Coronation Street probably helped with that a lot as well.
I am just starting to come around to Deborah... Debra doesn't do anything for me. I understand the appeal of simplifying the spelling, but like Anneza, all I can see is "de bra" like it's a lingerie store in New Jersey right next to a jeweler called "Bada Bling".
............oh no, now I've given Debra a personality and I'm starting to bond with it.
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Deirdre is gorgeous - the only problem is that you can run into pronunciation issues. The original Irish is something like DEHR-dreh (though the pronunciation key on BtN indicates that the Es are actually "liquid": DYEHR-dryə. I admit I have some difficulty saying this, particularly the second syllable.) My pronunciation here in the US, which I've also heard among non-Hispanics (there's a reason I'm making the distinction), is DEER-drə.
I specify non-Hispanics because I went to primary school with a Hispanic girl named Deirdre (I think there might've been one at the other school I went to for a short time as well, pronouncing it the same way), and her name was said as DEER-dray, as though there were an acute accent over the final E.
In many other countries, Deirdre is pronounced DEER-dree, with a long-E at the end. I really dislike this pronunciation, but worldwide this actually seems to be the most common one.
Really don't like Debra. Or Deborah. Don't like Deb or Debbie, either. It's that middle B, it hits harshly (especially followed by a D). However... I do like Devora. The V makes all the difference to me.
I specify non-Hispanics because I went to primary school with a Hispanic girl named Deirdre (I think there might've been one at the other school I went to for a short time as well, pronouncing it the same way), and her name was said as DEER-dray, as though there were an acute accent over the final E.
In many other countries, Deirdre is pronounced DEER-dree, with a long-E at the end. I really dislike this pronunciation, but worldwide this actually seems to be the most common one.
Really don't like Debra. Or Deborah. Don't like Deb or Debbie, either. It's that middle B, it hits harshly (especially followed by a D). However... I do like Devora. The V makes all the difference to me.
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Deirdre is OK; I've heard Deardree and Deardray, which rather puts me off. I imagine Deirdre would spend her whole life explaining, correcting, doing it again ... Debra is awful: I'd expect her to have a sister named Deknickers and a brother, Desocks or maybe Dejock. Deborah is a very good name, but only in full. All the nns are off-putting, maybe not Deb, though it isn't interesting, but Debby is fine for the under-fives only. And where I live, Afrikaans speakers shorten Deborah to Borrie, which is their word for turmeric. A risk not worth taking.
ETA I've just remembered that my mother had a friend whom she'd known for years as Dora. To her surprise, she found that Dora was a family nickname for her friend's actual name: Deborah! Perhaps they pronounced it deBOREuh?
ETA I've just remembered that my mother had a friend whom she'd known for years as Dora. To her surprise, she found that Dora was a family nickname for her friend's actual name: Deborah! Perhaps they pronounced it deBOREuh?
This message was edited 3/28/2023, 6:09 AM
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Diedre seems like the name of a moody rather brutally honest teenager in the 90s who is a couch potato. Debra seems like the name of a middle aged woman who manages a McDonald’s restaurant like it is a military operation.
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