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HelpRe: Lily or Olivia?
in reply to a message by oceanorchid
I used to love Olivia when I was a kid, it seemed like such a special name, very Victorian and rare. There was a character on my favourite show, Road to Avonlea, named Olivia and I just loved her. But then Olivia became so popular, it became boring. I switched my allegiance to Olive.
My husband really likes Olivia, so that's given the name some shine again.
I don't mind Lily, but I prefer it as a middle name, because it's so light and insubstantial. I also have an ancestor named Lillie who was a dreadful person, so Lily felt like a "mean" name to me. It's pretty, but Lily is cold, fussy, and pale, while Olivia is dark, intelligent, and has a certain refined class. I think the influence of Olivia de Havilland is pretty strong in my mind.
My husband really likes Olivia, so that's given the name some shine again.
I don't mind Lily, but I prefer it as a middle name, because it's so light and insubstantial. I also have an ancestor named Lillie who was a dreadful person, so Lily felt like a "mean" name to me. It's pretty, but Lily is cold, fussy, and pale, while Olivia is dark, intelligent, and has a certain refined class. I think the influence of Olivia de Havilland is pretty strong in my mind.
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I'm amused, for personal reasons, at your switched allegiance! A twig on my family tree, born before the First World War in England, was named Olivia but chose to be known as Olive; it certainly wasn't popular back then! And she was always called Ollie, I'm afraid, so really she needn't have bothered. Her sister's name was Muriel, and she stayed with it serenely; Ollie named her own daughter Muriel to honour her sister, which I think was very nice.
Ooh, I love Muriel too!