Marianne vs. Marian

[Anonymous]

Opinions on which to choose for a baby girl?

[Anonymous]

I prefer Marianne. Sounds better, and Marian will get misspelled as "Marion" constantly (or misheard as "Marilyn")

[Anonymous]

I feel like Marian isn't really a name - seems like a misspelling of Mary/ianne or Mairin/Marin?

[Anonymous]

I like Marian better. It's a different name, and I prefer the sound of Marian over Marianne.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I feel like Marian isn't really a name - seems like a misspelling of Mary/ianne or Mairin/Marin?

Of course Marian is a name. It's pronounced "Merry-un," which is distinct from Mary Anne or Marin ("Mair-in"). It's less common, but still lovely.

I think Marian would be more distinct, OP. Great name!

[Anonymous]

I really think these are very distinct names. Like I would pronounce Marianne like "Mary Anne" - emphasis on both Ma- and Anne. And I would pronounce Marian like the anglicized version of Marian Cotillard's name -- all one word with the emphasis on the Ma- only.

I personally prefer Marian because I associate Marianne with women of my mother's generation -- I have a former coworker and a Kindergarten teacher with that name and it doesn't sound like a child's name to me. I also always think of Marianne the Librarian, which isn't necessarily a bad reference, but also feels old fashioned and a bit stodgy.

Marian feels a bit fresher to me.

[Anonymous]

Don’t they have different pronunciations? Marion has the emphasis on the first syllable and Marianne, the emphasis is on the last.

[Anonymous]

I love the name Marianne, so that is my vote. It just looks so pretty on the page. And this is irrational, because they are probably pronounced the same, but i think it sounds better than Marian.

i think of marianne faithfull who is glamorous and beautiful. when i hear marian i think of maid marian from robin hood, the disney version with foxes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Don’t they have different pronunciations? Marion has the emphasis on the first syllable and Marianne, the emphasis is on the last.

This.

OP, do you like a more romantic (Marianne) or crisper (Marion) name sound?

[Anonymous]

I'm Catholic so to me, Marian relates to the Virgin Mary. Personally I would use Marianne or Marion unless that doesn't bother you

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I really think these are very distinct names. Like I would pronounce Marianne like "Mary Anne" - emphasis on both Ma- and Anne. And I would pronounce Marian like the anglicized version of Marian Cotillard's name -- all one word with the emphasis on the Ma- only.

I personally prefer Marian because I associate Marianne with women of my mother's generation -- I have a former coworker and a Kindergarten teacher with that name and it doesn't sound like a child's name to me. I also always think of Marianne the Librarian, which isn't necessarily a bad reference, but also feels old fashioned and a bit stodgy.

Marian feels a bit fresher to me.

+1 These aren't alternate spellings, they're totally different names. I prefer Marianne (actually I prefer Maryanne) but I like more old fashioned names, so I guess I agree with PP that Marian feels fresher.

[Anonymous]

I love Marian and vote for that. I do think it will get mispronounced as Mary-Ann, but it's really lovely and I'd charge ahead anyhow

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm Catholic so to me, Marian relates to the Virgin Mary. Personally I would use Marianne or Marion unless that doesn't bother you

+1 Marian is an adjective to me.

[Anonymous]

I'm biased because my sister is "Marianne," but it just sounds and looks better than Marion. Less likely to be mispronounced and more feminine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I feel like Marian isn't really a name - seems like a misspelling of Mary/ianne or Mairin/Marin?

Of course Marian is a name. It's pronounced "Merry-un," which is distinct from Mary Anne or Marin ("Mair-in"). It's less common, but still lovely.

I think Marian would be more distinct, OP. Great name!

Ok, You are right. I looked it up, it is a name. Interestingly, its the female form of Marius! (Les Mis anyone?) And a common male name in Slovak/Czech.

Apologies.