<p>Gina (since that at least looks like her original name)
Dianne
Diana</p>
<p>I heard a short interview on the radio just yesterday. The interviewee was a woman who has made a career defining names and the images they provoke. Thought this might be of interest. <a href=“http://www.namestructures.com%5B/url%5D”>http://www.namestructures.com</a></p>
<p>I happen to think Siobhan IS too Irish if you don’t have the right surname. I’m Irish & love Irish names. But I married a man with a very ethnic (Slovak) surname, so our choices were limited. I don’t like seing Pedro O’Flaherty or Bridget Eisenfelder or Itzhak Scarpelli combinations. Just doesn’t flow.</p>
<p>I like Deanna best. I do know a person named D’Anne, though (pronounced deeann).</p>
<p>I know what you’re saying, living now in the world of “Yuko Bloom” although I enjoy that world.</p>
<p>I was making a different point about the sensitivities of a young girl about race. I can’t see how I’d tell a young teen today, “don’t sound Black” when they have friends from every race in their friendship circle. I think it starts an argument and she’ll remember the reason for the objection being old world, not new. To me, it makes the mom sound bad, and I doubt she is. I waited for 6 pages and saw nobody objected to that so I piped up.</p>
<p>I think you have made a very good point, p3t.</p>
<p>" can’t see how I’d tell a young teen today, “don’t sound Black” when they have friends from every race in their friendship circle."</p>
<p>I agree. Whether or not one intends to sound racist, that’s what that statement sounds especially since if one is going to attach racial labels to names, most of the other names sound “white.” The implications seem to be that there’s something wrong with having a name that sounds Asian (at least that’s what the D seems to be assuming since she wants to change her name) or black.</p>
<p>The sad thing is that studies have shown that “black sounding” names do have a negative impact on employment. I saw a tv show in which they sent in resumes to companies with classic American/British sounding names and “black sounding” names. It was astonishing and very dispiriting to see that most of the applicants with the “black sounding” names were turned away. Personally, I find many of these names to be very inventive and beautiful. But the reality of the world at present is what it is, unfortunately.</p>
<p>I did a little checking on google. Most of the cites with the name “Dreanne” pull up references to french literature. I would assume the name, en francais, is pronounced “Dray-on” (to rhyme with crayon, but with the gutteral “dr” sound). I can’t think off the top of my head of an “american” name that sounds like that. I do think that there have been lots of good suggestions here (ie Andrea, Adrienne, Adrianna, etc). I would, however, still like to hear from the OP as to how and why her d. came up with this name. It is obviously meaningful to her d. for some reason. If it sounds similar to her given name, that makes sense. Another sort of similar sounding name to the french pronunciation might be “Ray-ann”, but that is a sort of made up name too.</p>
<p>paying3tuitions: I was thinking the same thing. I think issue is really class and taste (i.e. stripper name) but expressed poorly, although class prejudices are not to pleasant either. My H’s mother has pronounced Brooklyn accent, but named him Mark. I am amazed that she can’t hear herself calling for her son, “Mock”. I changed S’s name (what I wanted to name him) because H had a problem saying it. D’s name was unusual when I gave it, but now 13th most common name to her dismay.</p>
<p>I think OP really means that her D doesn’t “feel” the associations her name evokes, and maybe saying is it awkward, dreary, hard to pronounce is enough. Keeping it as nick name honors her choice but gives her something more elegant should the need arise.</p>
<p>A close friend’s parents named her Candace Eaton, which morphed into Candy Eaton. she is a tremendously gifted painter, but she did work as an exotic dancer to make ends meet. Always wondered what role her name played in her choice. She took me to lunch once on a hundred dollar tip, so maybe not such a bad choice after all. We were in our early twenties and that was a lot of money to me!</p>
<p>We have a very Irish last name, and I very specifically picked simple Irish first names with easy spellings, I figured it would be too hard to constantly have to spell first and last hames and correct prounonciation for both</p>
<p>I would suggest dropping the R, as it would be DREENE to everyone prounouncing it, that is how I would, the Ann at the end, I wouldn’t pick that up</p>
<p>also, double check the initials DG…</p>
<p>Northstar, I noted that the name sounded ghetto to my ear. Not black. The vast majority of blacks I’ve known over the years have named their kids very typical, common names like Michael, Robert, etc. No Twanishas or other made-up names. It’s socioeconomic, not racial. Regional as well. Plenty of little girls of all races named Tiffany in the south. Not so many up north.</p>
<p>I have to say that, en francais, I’ve never heard of Dreanne. I have no objections to names sounding “ethnic” but I fear that Dreanne will come out as “drain.” Kids can be merciless and will make fun of names like that.</p>
<p>I have a very unusual name, rare and to some it sounds made up, but it is not</p>
<p>anyway, my life was constantly correcting spelling, etc, now when they ask for my name at starbucks, I use Elvis or Bob, or whatever</p>
<p>Dreanne, well, to be honest, isn’t really pretty, Draino comes to mind</p>
<p>its that DR combo I think it</p>
<p>Giang is a beautiful name. It means “River”. If you move to California you should know that there are million names from all over the world! You can not please anybody since everybody has to spell their names to everybody in California. Welcome to California</p>
<p>Good contribution, compaq10. Sounds like the melting pot is up to a rolling boil in California :)</p>
<p>Moving to a new place does play a role. I know there are readers on this site who will get this humor, and I can never tell this to anyone, so here goes: when we moved from Canada to upstate NY, my D at age 10 had learned some French at public school, and also knew some Yiddish phrases from her extended family life. She had not yet met any American Black people, although she knew some in Canada.</p>
<p>She came home from her first day in 6th grade, giggling to herself over something (she does that still)… so I asked. She said she couldn’t laugh it out loud, but the girl sitting next to her was named “Quel’Shanda” which in French + Yiddish means, “What a shame!” I told her she was good to be that polite at school and keep up the good work.</p>
<p>Out of curiousity’s sake, how is the name “Giang” pronounced?</p>
<p>Nevermind… I found this explanation:</p>
<p>Giang : river (pronounced “yaahng” in the south or “zaahng” in the north)</p>
<p>I think it’s a lovely name.</p>
<p>I personally don’t like the name Dreanne, but I like the name Deanna. Deanna sounds like it would be an appropriate name for a high school student but also for a professional. It’s not excessively common, but it’s not “weird” or anything either. I think sometimes the very popular names, though they might be nice names, sort of lose appeal because they become overused.</p>
<p>Marite-
I found this <a href=“http://www.reservoir-jeux.com/jeux-de-roles/autres-jeux-de-roles/coeur-de-dreanne/coeur-de-dreanne.php[/url]”>http://www.reservoir-jeux.com/jeux-de-roles/autres-jeux-de-roles/coeur-de-dreanne/coeur-de-dreanne.php</a> et <a href=“http://www.promachos.fr/coeur-de-dreanne.php[/url]”>http://www.promachos.fr/coeur-de-dreanne.php</a> et <a href=“http://www.ludocortex.fr/boutique/fiche_produit.cfm?type=7&ref=coeurdedreanne&code_lg=lg_fr&pag=1&num=6[/url]”>http://www.ludocortex.fr/boutique/fiche_produit.cfm?type=7&ref=coeurdedreanne&code_lg=lg_fr&pag=1&num=6</a></p>
<p>Would you pronounce it “Dray-onn” or “Dray-onnay” (though there is no accent)? Either way, I’m with those that are not big fans of the name, without some explanation of it’s origin/reason the OP’s daughter selected it. Still waiting to hear…</p>
<p>What a strange request. Why don’t you just let her pick her own name? It is HER name, after all.</p>
<p>All these opinions, but what does SHE think?</p>
<p>I think her original choice (Dreanne) sounds nice and unique. I’ve never heard the name before so there’s no connotation at all. </p>
<p>I think she is certainly old enough to make this decision herself, and if you interfere she may resent it later.</p>
<p>My son just changed his name and I wouldn’t dream of interfering with his choice.</p>
<p>Dreanne does sound a bit like dream, actually. Very nice sound to it, I think.</p>