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Should we change the spelling??

Started by Guest_Lily_* , Feb 06 2017 01:49 AM

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4 replies to this topic

#1 Guest_Lily_*

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Posted 06 February 2017 - 01:49 AM

My wife Hanna, and I are expecting our first child in 2 months, a girl, and we have fallen in love with the name Phalia. We discovered the name in a book and it was spelled just like that. We didn't think anything of the spelling and are dead set on that being our daughters name. However... a close friend of ours remarked that while the name is pretty, the spelling reminds her too much of the word "phallus".... slightly horrified, we are thinking about changing the spelling to Falia. Even though we still love the "traditional" way to spell the name the last thing we want to do is open our daughter up to teasing. if our friend hadn't said anything the thought never would have crossed our mind... does our friend just have a dirty mind haha, or do other people see it too?
So here's our dilemma, do we spell her name Falia or Phalia?

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#2 charmingbabynames

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Posted 07 February 2017 - 11:58 AM

I think Falia is very pretty and might work better, it didn't cross my mind when I read the name. If you prefer Phalia then stick with that spelling, but Falia is also very beautiful and works just as well.

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#3 indi1993

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Posted 08 February 2017 - 07:57 AM

Phalia is a Tehsil in Pakistan in the region of Punjab. Phalia was named after Bucephalus [means "ox-head" in Ancient Greek- from the Ancient Greek βούς (bous) 'ox' and κεφαλή (kephalē) 'head'], the name of the Alexander the Great's dead horse.

Then yes, you can also associate it with a phallus, as your friend suggested.

You could name her Ophelia [derived from Greek οφελος (ophelos) meaning "help"] and nm her Felia... Despite or thanks to Shakespeare's Hamlet, it's an awesome name.

Thalia [from the Greek Θαλεια (Thaleia), derived from θαλλω (thallo) meaning "to blossom"] could be another option. In Greek mythology she was one of the nine Muses, the muse of comedy and pastoral poetry. This was also the name of one of the three Graces or Χαριτες (Charites).

And then there's Phyllis [means "foliage" in Greek], but imo it can also be associated with phallus. Though in Greek mythology this was the name of a woman who killed herself out of love for Demophon and was subsequently transformed into an almond tree.

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#4 Katie-Nana

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Posted 08 February 2017 - 11:17 AM

Haha! indi1993, I was just doing some research on this to see if they were derived from the same root and you beat me to it!

Yes, phallus and Phalia come from the same greek root for 'head' but teasing is usually done when kids are young and immature, and I don't think many kids of age would make the connection or even know the word phallus. So do I think by naming your daughter Phalia you are opening her up for ridicule? No. Should you change the spelling? If you it is still an issue for you, there is nothing wrong with changing a spelling, but if you love Phalia as it is. Go for it. I think indi1993 also gave some great alternatives if you still aren't sure.