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I absolutely LOVE Penelope. It's been my favourite name for years. It's gorgeous, it has a brilliant namesake in Mythology, and it has so many possible nicknames, all of them quite nice!

I adore it. It was going to be our baby's name until we found out we were having a boy. :)

Penelope is lovely. Well, okay, so it's a little bit dorky. It's dorky the way Clarence is dorky. Which isn't the worst kind of dorky. It's nice enough and interesting enough, without being eccentric or difficult. Real people aren't harmed by having slightly dorky names that are still interesting and pleasant.

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I'd be willing to use it myself, but I'd call the girl Penny. Penny is a darned spunky name but is classic enough that it isn't too puppydoggy.

Here's a powerful shove on the positive side: versatility! Penelope by itself (same rhythm as Elizabeth, which nobody minds), Penny (fine), Nel or Nell or Nellie (varying degrees of fine), Poppy (trendy right now, and my least favourite, but not bad) - and the associations with Mrs Odysseus are wonderful.

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Just one thing that might tip you on to the other side: I used to know an Yvonne Frances whose nickname as a baby was Squeaker for obvious reasons. She became known as Penny Squeaker, and then as Penny, and had difficulty recognising herself as an Yvonne. But then some of her friends started playing around with Penelope and came up with Lopes! (As in I lope, you lope, she lopes; not like Lopez.) Of course, the chances of that happening twice are pretty small.

I love Penelope and love the history of the name. I think it is easy to make combos with, though I would say that my favorite is with Iris either as a first or middle name.

I really like Penelope. It has a quirky vibe, and an interesting sound that you don't hear very often. It also has a lot of nickname options, which makes it wearable for a variety of girls.

I honestly think it's a hideous name, in both looks/sound. There's nothing appealing about it.

I never understood the appeal of Penelope. It sounds goofy to me, like a Muppet.