Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, no umlaut please.

(It's not an umlaut, it's a diaeresis. An umlaut changes the sound of the letter; a diaeresis says that you're supposed to pronounce the letter separately (i.e., like No-el, instead of like Knoll).)

OMG thank you! I always wondered why some places (the New Yorker of course) put the dots over things like Cooperation. And the umlaut never made sense.

Noel is male (generally one syllable when used as a male name in English speaking countries), Noelle female (two syllables, like the French pronunciation). Noël is French (masculine) and best left to those who know what they're doing. Along with Noëlle.

Anonymous wrote:I like the international flair of the dots.

Of course you do

I like the international flair of the dots.

I'd only use this name for the female Noelle. Not a great male name, as others have pointed out there become a lot of pronunciation and gender questions.

I know it as male=Noel and female=Noelle. I know one guy Noel pronounced noELL and one pronounced NOul.

Anonymous wrote:Yes, no umlaut please.

(It's not an umlaut, it's a diaeresis. An umlaut changes the sound of the letter; a diaeresis says that you're supposed to pronounce the letter separately (i.e., like No-el, instead of like Knoll).)

Yes, no umlaut please.

Normally Noel is male and Noelle is female. I do know a female Noël. Officially her name is spelled with the umlaut because her father is French American. She doesn't use it much in everyday usage, It's kind of like having a full name and using a nickname in daily usage. She only uses it when she needs to use her formal name.

I know an adult male named Noel (rhymes with Joel, mole, bowl, etc). People see his name and mistake him, sight unseen, for a woman all the time. Agree with the no dots--unless you live in a country which uses that alphabet, it's unnecessary for pronunciation. And most people, including me, would have no idea how the ë changes how you pronounce it.

I had a Noelle in on of the classes I've taught. She said everyone calls her Nicole.

Noel for a boy, Noelle for a girl. Although I know someone who used Noel for a girl - I think it is weird.

No dots please.

There is no reason to put unnecessary punctuation in a first name.

I would not name a boy Noel. Noelle for female.

Which is the female version? And which is the male, or can they go either way?
Do you (or someone you know) use and enforce the ë? Is that an issue?