Forum Baby Names

Ylva or Mirre

3 replies

LucyGuest ·
We still haven't settled on a girl's name. We're really torn between Ylva and Mirre. My boyfriend likes Mirre more, but I'm leaning more and more towards Ylva. We both think Mirre is a nice name, but in Greek mythology, the story goes that Myrrha seduces her father, gets pregnant by him, and is then turned into a thorny bush by the gods. That meaning really takes away from how I experience the name. I know that Mirre also means a precious substance, but still... We both like Ylva too, but my boyfriend wonders if it's not too unusual and is afraid people will make "vulva" out of it. In short; we're not fully convinced yet and are curious to hear your opinions. Any name suggestions are also welcome.

Replies

  1. Lou Guest #2

    From a Swedish family I know that the real pronunciation of Ylva is different from the Dutch one. The v still sounds like a v, but leans a bit towards w, for example. The meaning 'wolf' is tough. But in Dutch it will quickly be pronounced as ulva, which indeed rhymes with vulva. If you want to avoid that, you might better choose Yva/Iva? I find Mirre beautiful. Sounds a bit more normal, but here too - albeit less innocently - confusion can arise, e.g. that people hear Mirte. Both are great names, but I find Mirre more beautiful. However, Ylva is not wrong at all.

  2. Lucy started this #3

    It seems like Mirre is clearly the favorite over Ylva. We’d pronounce Ylva as Ilva. Yva just sounds very different to me and not as nice. And Mirre will probably be heard as Mirte quickly enough. We’re still thinking it over carefully. We’ve got 8 weeks left and can still decide at birth.

  3. Lou Guest #4

    That's a good idea, Lucy! Luckily you still have time. My Swedish family pronounces Ylva as Uulva, where the V sounds a bit like a w. Ilva is of course much more logical in Dutch. I still find Mirre nice, but Ylva is great too!

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