Jennifer,

My fiancee and I are already considering names for when we decide to start a family. We both love Beatrice (especially me due to the name’s wonderful association with Dante’s poetry), however, my last name starts with an S and our fear is that Beatrice S**** will be too cumbersome to pronounce because the two S-sounds will run together. We’ve already looked at alternative forms such as Beatrix, Beatricia, Beatriz, etc., but we prefer Beatrice. Any thoughts?

Thanks,
Cole

Dear Cole,

Having a first name that ends with the same sound as the beginning of the last name does put a little burden on the child. For example, if you were considering Taran Nagel – people wouldn’t know if you were saying “Tara Nagel” “Taran Egel” or “Taran Nagel.”  The child would be doomed to spell it his/her entire life.

However seeing that Beatrice and your last name (which I saw on your email) are both common and cannot be confused with other names, I don’t see it being a problem with spelling or pronunciation.  I’ve said the name several times out loud and it’s not a tongue twister.

I say if you love Beatrice, go for it!

Sincerely,

Jennifer