Spelling? Lorelei or Lorelai?

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-18-2006
Spelling? Lorelei or Lorelai?
8
Mon, 05-01-2006 - 2:24pm

Spelling? Lorelei or Lorelai?



  • Lorelei Michelle Thomas (traditional spelling)
  • Lorelai Michelle Thomas (alternative spelling)
  • Loralei Michelle Thomas (2nd alternative spelling)


You will be able to change your vote.


iVillage Member
Registered: 06-14-2003
Mon, 05-01-2006 - 2:51pm
I guess I need to know, 1st, how you will pronounce it. With your prior posts I assumed it was LOR-uh-lee. The other spelling changes it, for me, to LOR-uh-lye.
iVillage Member
Registered: 01-18-2006
Mon, 05-01-2006 - 3:15pm
Yes, I would pronounce it Lor-a-lye (just like the Gilmore girls - but no, I didn't get it from there). :) Would you spell it Lorelei in that case? That is the traditional spelling.
iVillage Member
Registered: 12-08-2004
Mon, 05-01-2006 - 3:21pm
It depends on which association you want. On The Gilmore Girls, it's Lorelai, but in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Marilyn Monroe plays Lorelei Lee. These are the two most obvious associations with the name. Loralei and Loralai look utterly made-up to me.
iVillage Member
Registered: 01-18-2006
Mon, 05-01-2006 - 3:26pm
I've never seen Loralai before...I don't think that was an option on my list. :) I don't particularly want either association - with the tv show or the movie. Although if I were to lean toward one, it would probably be the original Lorelei. This also seems to be the most common historical spelling when referring to Lorelei Rock on the River Rhine, which is what I am mainly basing it on. I suppose most people will know how to pronounce Lorelei, don't you think?
iVillage Member
Registered: 10-14-2005
Mon, 05-01-2006 - 3:56pm

100% Lorelei. The others look very strange to me (sp. Loralei) and I



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iVillage Member
Registered: 12-08-2004
Mon, 05-01-2006 - 4:09pm

I wasn't suggesting that you were naming your child "after" one of these characters. I was merely noting that these are going to be the things most commonly associated with the name here in America, unless you're planning to introduce her as "my daugher, Lorelei, whose name comes from Lorelei Rock on the Rhine River." I doubt you're going to do this. :-) It wasn't meant to be rude...just to point out to you the very different cultural associations there are...you can't get much farther removed from Marilyn Monroe than Gilmore Girls. I've never heard of Lorelei Rock (though I have heard of the Rhine River :-) ) so my first thought was Gilmore Girls, and my second was Marilyn Monroe. That's NOT a bad association...it's just an association.

To answer your question, no, it would never have occurred to be to pronounce Lorelei as Lora-Leigh. Never. It looks like Lora-Lye. I think that most people will pronounce it correctly.

My inclusion of the Loralai spelling was not meant to suggest that it was included in your list...I just remembered that one "lora" spelling was included in the list, but I couldn't remember which one. It was just meant to be illustrative of the fact that I think the "lora" spellings look made-up. When I said it, I was assuming that you were leaning toward Lorelei, since that's the spelling you've used consistently on other posts. If you were leaning towards a "lora" spelling, then I apologize for any offense...it wasn't intended.

Let us know what you decide...Lorelei, Lorelai, or ... Nora!

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-18-2006
Mon, 05-01-2006 - 4:45pm

Oh, I wasn't offended in the least nor did I think you were being rude. That's the unfortunate thing about posting comments - I can't exactly reflect tone. :) I totally understand that most people will associate Lorelei with the Gilmore Girls or with Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. In fact, I would be quite surprised if they didn't. The average person won't be familiar with Lorelei on the River Rhine or anything related to German mythology. I'm prepared for those cultural associations, and I completely understand what you were saying.

And yes, I am leaning toward the spelling Lorelei - I just wanted other people's perception of it. Also, you're right. I do keep going back to other names on my list every now and then. Just to make sure, you know? I'm such a second-guesser, and I completely over analyze my decisions, as you can tell by the numerous posts regarding the name Lorelei :)

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-08-2004
Mon, 05-01-2006 - 6:50pm

I think you're good to go with Lorelei...just stay with it for a while to see how you feel about it, you know? See how it feels to refer to the baby as Lorelei exclusively for a day or two...or a week...and see if you like how it feels. I, personally, like it.

And you're right about posts not being able to convey tone...it seems like I spend a lot of time explaining myself when I really never mean to offend anyone to begin with! I'm glad you didn't take offense. :-)