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In a nutshell? It's an aristocratic surname that sounds a bit like Emily, only more yooneek. I'm not keen - it feels flimsy, and doesn't have any historical background as a female name.

I have an easy time saying why I think a name lacks appeal, but doing the opposite is like trying to describe the appeal of sushi or coffee to someone who just doesn't share my tastes--not so easy! :)

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- I like the way Romilly looks.
- I like the way it sounds. If I stop and think about some of my other favorites, like Rose, Rosalind, Millicent, Camilla, Molly, and Bonnie, Romilly is a natural fit.
- Doesn't feel overly fussy or frilly to me (something that keeps me from liking many longer names).
- It has a number of appealing nicknames.
- When I look at its history as a place and surname, I'm able to draw positive associations.

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I guess these are basically the same reasons why any name appeals to me.

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Emma Thompson used Romilly as her daughter's mn, and I've heard there's a British news broadcaster named Romilly Something, but neither she nor Thompson inspired my love for the name. For me, I met a woman online with a daughter named Romilly about 6 years ago. I thought it was cute, but didn't think of it much beyond that. Years later, it occurred to me that it would make an adorable nn for my top combo Rose Millicent. Rose has become unusable for me, but I still love Romilly, and I'd now use it as a standalone.

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Romilly seems to be a name that a lot of people talk about, but few people use (there were 0-4 born in the US last year--not enough to even make the extended Beyond the Top 1000 list), so I don't know if it's worth keeping an eye on unless you have a real interest in the name.

I don't understand the appeal of Romilly myself. It doesn't sound all that nice to me.

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Emma Thompson has a daughter named Gaia Romilly, but aside from her, I don't know of any other famous bearers.

I think it's more popular in the U.K. Emma Thompson's daughter is named Gaia Romilly. The only Romilly I know of was born in Scotland.

I don't know. I dislike it myself.

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I'm glad we all have different name styles though, or else the world be pretty boring. :)

Not sure what the appeal is, it's not one my my faves. I think Emma Thompson used it as mn for her daughter a while back. It sounds like an adverb to me.

I don't see the appeal myself, though it isn't exactly tacky or garish, so I don't mind soooo much. Romola is better, I think.

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Rom-, though?.... :-\

This message was edited 10/6/2012, 3:49 PM

I have no idea myself. It doesn't look right to me.

I like it, a lot actually. I think it's because people can envision it on a smaller child, but because it's sort of old-fashioned and has British history (the Romilly barons) it would work on an adult as well.

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It also has great nickname potential. I love Romy and was thinking about using Romola or Romana (or even naming a boy Roman just to get that nickname) when I read a biography about the infamous Mitford sisters, one of whom married a British anti-fascist named Esmond Romilly. Since then I've loved Esmond for a boy and Romilly for a girl.

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Milly's cute, too, but Romy seems more grounded and original.

This message was edited 10/6/2012, 1:15 PM

I'm not a fan, either. I think it sounds kinda dumpy. But it has a fashionable ending and a fashionable beginning, a fashionably surnamey/placenamey feel, and shortens to fashionable Romy or Milly. So... I sorta see its appeal.

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I think it was noticed because of a British TV news presenter.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romilly_Weeks

This message was edited 10/6/2012, 11:49 AM