But it means "strong worker" and hey, Norman French!
Toy could always concede to your mother that a more modern version of the name is in order... according to my 30 seconds of research the modern French version of "Melisende" is "Melisande". Or if you are wanting to avoid the modern French you could always change a different vowel e.g. "Melesende".
The biggest problem I think you'd face is no one would know how to pronounce it properly. Other than that though, I think it's a nice name.
You could always do what the parents of one of my uni mates did - they gave him a normal first name and unusual second name, and let him choose which he wanted to use when he was old enough to go to school. He picked the unusual one.
but what had they been calling him for the past four or five years? if they'd been calling him the weird name, then you'd assume he'd have identified with it by that time...
I'm picturing a child called 'Melisende' being known mostly as Mel, anyway... so pronounciation wouldn't be quite as much of an issue, although the Reading Of the Roll could be torture i guess.
Actually, I don't know which name they'd been calling him. I can't remember.
My sis is in a similar sort of boat. Her first name is the same as my aunt's name, so we've always called her by her second name. When she started school though, and then uni and work, she wanted to be known by her real name, so we're in the situation now where family calls her by the name we've always known her by, and work, uni and school mates call her by her first name, and so does her husband! She doesn't seem overly confused by it, or not that she's ever said. I might ask her actually, it's never occurred to me that she might want family to call her something different.
Dang, I might have to change all my nicknames for her :P No more Weedy Sea-dragon!! Noooooo!
Melisende, Hodierna, Alice and Yveta- sneaky and conniving women of the twelfth century. (actually i can't think of any instance of Hodierna conniving- perhaps she was hiding in shame, with a name like that)
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branchandroot
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Date: 2006-08-26 03:09 am (UTC)Toy could always concede to your mother that a more modern version of the name is in order... according to my 30 seconds of research the modern French version of "Melisende" is "Melisande". Or if you are wanting to avoid the modern French you could always change a different vowel e.g. "Melesende".
no subject
Date: 2006-08-26 04:08 am (UTC)whereas Melisende was Queen Regnant of Jerusalem in the 12th century. who wouldn't want a name like that?
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Date: 2006-08-26 01:52 pm (UTC)I think its a brilliant name.
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Date: 2006-08-26 01:53 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-08-26 05:56 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-08-26 06:12 am (UTC)and as david said, means 'strong worker'
no subject
Date: 2006-08-26 06:13 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-08-26 06:16 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-08-26 08:07 am (UTC)You could always do what the parents of one of my uni mates did - they gave him a normal first name and unusual second name, and let him choose which he wanted to use when he was old enough to go to school. He picked the unusual one.
no subject
Date: 2006-08-26 08:11 am (UTC)I'm picturing a child called 'Melisende' being known mostly as Mel, anyway... so pronounciation wouldn't be quite as much of an issue, although the Reading Of the Roll could be torture i guess.
no subject
Date: 2006-08-26 08:57 am (UTC)My sis is in a similar sort of boat. Her first name is the same as my aunt's name, so we've always called her by her second name. When she started school though, and then uni and work, she wanted to be known by her real name, so we're in the situation now where family calls her by the name we've always known her by, and work, uni and school mates call her by her first name, and so does her husband! She doesn't seem overly confused by it, or not that she's ever said. I might ask her actually, it's never occurred to me that she might want family to call her something different.
Dang, I might have to change all my nicknames for her :P No more Weedy Sea-dragon!! Noooooo!
no subject
Date: 2006-08-26 09:14 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-08-26 10:05 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-08-26 10:41 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-08-28 04:43 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-08-28 10:40 am (UTC)