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HelpHelp me like Alice, please.
Sometimes I seem to be the only person on these boards who doesn't like Alice. It's not necessarily that I dislike the sound or even find it dated, because I don't. However, Alice has always given me such... sad vibes. Like a classic tragic heroine in a melodrama. Did Lewis Carroll do this to me? I can't place how it started, only that the biography of medieval noblewoman Alice de Lacy (which I researched for something I'm writing) reinforced such a perception: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice_de_Lacy,_4th_Countess_of_Lincoln
(Warning: do not read the above Wikipedia bio unless you wouldn't mind wanting to watch the world burn afterward.)
If I were British I think I would quite like Alicia, as the intuitive pronunciation seems to be uh-LEE-see-uh; the uh-LEE-shuh pronunciation in the states doesn't do as much for me. But Alice still sounds so melancholic and wistful.
So, BtN members who love Alice... what do you love about Alice? And how do I escape the sad vibes?
***
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http://greens-end.myminicity.com/
(Warning: do not read the above Wikipedia bio unless you wouldn't mind wanting to watch the world burn afterward.)
If I were British I think I would quite like Alicia, as the intuitive pronunciation seems to be uh-LEE-see-uh; the uh-LEE-shuh pronunciation in the states doesn't do as much for me. But Alice still sounds so melancholic and wistful.
So, BtN members who love Alice... what do you love about Alice? And how do I escape the sad vibes?
***
Please rate my personal name lists:
www.behindthename.com/pnl/69381
www.behindthename.com/pnl/69381/117507
www.behindthename.com/pnl/69381/109399
hwww.behindthename.com/pnl/69381/132018
http://greens-end.myminicity.com/
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Replies
Robert Graves's poem 'Alice' is too long to post here, but it;s just a Google away and I do recommend it. And if it doesn't have you enthusing about Carroll's Alice, then nothing will. I hope it does!
I named a cat Alice, knowing that I'd never have enough daughters for all the names I love and also that Alice and Beatrice would be too close for sisters. Fine cat, fine name, in my view.
I'm not British either, though it seems I sound as if I am; the pronunciation of Alicia that I'm familiar with in South Africa is a-LISH-a, which I prefer for its brevity but wouldn't use, preferring the real thing to the Latinoid.
I named a cat Alice, knowing that I'd never have enough daughters for all the names I love and also that Alice and Beatrice would be too close for sisters. Fine cat, fine name, in my view.
I'm not British either, though it seems I sound as if I am; the pronunciation of Alicia that I'm familiar with in South Africa is a-LISH-a, which I prefer for its brevity but wouldn't use, preferring the real thing to the Latinoid.
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I really dislike Alice. When I try to describe why, I usually think of white gloves and the name Alistair, which is...an off-putting combination to me, apparently.
I feel like there's something hyperfemme and yet masculine seeming about it...almost like Adair but more prissy. That's something that could be likable to someone?
I do perceive Alys and Elise as being much nicer (Alys is sportier or something, and Elise is more delicate). I hate Alison / Allison, though.
I feel like there's something hyperfemme and yet masculine seeming about it...almost like Adair but more prissy. That's something that could be likable to someone?
I do perceive Alys and Elise as being much nicer (Alys is sportier or something, and Elise is more delicate). I hate Alison / Allison, though.
This message was edited 9/15/2020, 10:58 PM
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Thank you for reminding me of Elise's existence! Elise is so pretty. I forgot about it for a while because I met an Elisa who was... not the nicest person. Fortunately it's not exactly the same.
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I have to agree with you... I also dislike Alice. I also get very similar vibes. I also get like... creepy images of surrealism and fear from Alice in Wonderland.
I really don't feel a pressure to like the name.
But overall, the French pronunciation is MUCH nicer and gives the name a totally different vibe over the English or British, imo.
I really don't feel a pressure to like the name.
But overall, the French pronunciation is MUCH nicer and gives the name a totally different vibe over the English or British, imo.
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I read the bio ... it seems there's nothing new under the sun. Injustice is just habit to the unaccountable.
Alice isn't sad to me. It's just a little staid, stuffy, antiquated, and a little smug or weak, like Beatrice. I struggle to imagine it as the name of a modern girl or woman. But if you change the spelling to Alys, I find it's magically transformed - seems modern and smart. Maybe even a little clipped and edgy, like a pixy cut. Like a very assertive Alyson's nickname, only not that - it seems more novel and youthful.
So ... for me, most of Alice's problem is the spelling! That -ice-pronounced-iss ending. It's just unpleasant to me somehow. Like a hangnail.
But I'll sell you Alys in its place, and hope you might escape the sad vibes that way.
I like Alicia with four syllables and not three, as well. It has the same problem as Marcia.
Alice isn't sad to me. It's just a little staid, stuffy, antiquated, and a little smug or weak, like Beatrice. I struggle to imagine it as the name of a modern girl or woman. But if you change the spelling to Alys, I find it's magically transformed - seems modern and smart. Maybe even a little clipped and edgy, like a pixy cut. Like a very assertive Alyson's nickname, only not that - it seems more novel and youthful.
So ... for me, most of Alice's problem is the spelling! That -ice-pronounced-iss ending. It's just unpleasant to me somehow. Like a hangnail.
But I'll sell you Alys in its place, and hope you might escape the sad vibes that way.
I like Alicia with four syllables and not three, as well. It has the same problem as Marcia.
This message was edited 9/15/2020, 5:45 PM
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I hope you don't mind if I steal this. :-)
I like Alyssa (another poster mentioned it), but I'm not so sure about Alys as I think it would lead to a lot of spelling headaches IRL outside of Wales. (I also thought it was pronounced uh-LEES, given the Welsh pronunciations of the similar Rhys and Emrys. Nope, it's pronounced like Alice!)
I forgot about Marcia, but I agree there as well. Here in the states it's always MARSH-uh, and I don't like names reminded me of marshes. But watching Midsomer Murders there was a character called Marcia (MAR-see-uh), and while the character wasn't likeable in the least I thought her name was pretty.
I like Alyssa (another poster mentioned it), but I'm not so sure about Alys as I think it would lead to a lot of spelling headaches IRL outside of Wales. (I also thought it was pronounced uh-LEES, given the Welsh pronunciations of the similar Rhys and Emrys. Nope, it's pronounced like Alice!)
I forgot about Marcia, but I agree there as well. Here in the states it's always MARSH-uh, and I don't like names reminded me of marshes. But watching Midsomer Murders there was a character called Marcia (MAR-see-uh), and while the character wasn't likeable in the least I thought her name was pretty.
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I think I've met some uh-LEE-see-uh Alicias in the states, although there are also uh-LEE-shuhs.
The things I like about Alice are that it's melancholic and wistful so if you don't like those things I don't really know what to tell you to make you like Alice!
Do you like Alyse, Alyce, Alise, Alisia?
The things I like about Alice are that it's melancholic and wistful so if you don't like those things I don't really know what to tell you to make you like Alice!
Do you like Alyse, Alyce, Alise, Alisia?
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As a Brit I have to sadly inform you that because of Alicia Keys, everybody I've ever heard speak the name says "a-lee-sha".
The one sole exception is the young witch Alicia from Moomins (1990) which was dubbed in Britain. That- that's it. That's the only time I've ever heard a-lee-see-a.
Alicia isn't actually a common name in my experience. Maybe it is in other parts of the UK, but not where I'm from. Perhaps if I met somebody who is older named Alicia, it would be "a-lee-see-a" but I have not
(Personally I prefer a-lee-see-a and I'm not keen on a-lee-sha at all)
Alice, on the other hand, I have experienced many of and each has been an entirely different personality. I can't even stereotype the name
The one sole exception is the young witch Alicia from Moomins (1990) which was dubbed in Britain. That- that's it. That's the only time I've ever heard a-lee-see-a.
Alicia isn't actually a common name in my experience. Maybe it is in other parts of the UK, but not where I'm from. Perhaps if I met somebody who is older named Alicia, it would be "a-lee-see-a" but I have not
(Personally I prefer a-lee-see-a and I'm not keen on a-lee-sha at all)
Alice, on the other hand, I have experienced many of and each has been an entirely different personality. I can't even stereotype the name
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This is genuinely surprising! I first heard the a-lee-see-a pronunciation in the pilot episode of Rosemary & Thyme (shot in the early 2000s), so I thought that was how Alicia was pronounced there. Though if it was an affectation, that would've admittedly fit the character.
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I'm convinced the switch was Alicia Keys.
I'm 26 and was born in 1994. According to Wikipedia, Keys' career started the very same year.
I can't tell you how popular Alicia was before then as the database only goes back to 1996, but according to the England and Wales chart, it ranked #98 in 1996 and has dropped to #231 since then with the sharpest decline occurring from 2005.
In 2001 Keys released her first album that hit the UK Album charts at #6 and the R&B charts at #1. Her second album in 2003 also hit the R&B charts at #1, but the Album charts at #13 (which is still significant). The rest of her albums follow similar trends, almost consistently hitting the #1 spot in R&B and her 4th album #1 on the Album charts.
My point is Alicia Keys is a VERY POPULAR ARTIST in the UK.
My guess for the decline of the Alicia-name popularity was due to Keys as she is literally the only association for many people, if not the most prominent figure in pop culture with the name. I love Ariana, I got it from Harry Potter, but I can't stop associating it with Ariana Grande despite not knowing her music or knowing what she's like as a pop figure. I don't want people to make the assumption that I named my baby after her because I don't know who she is.
So basically kids growing up around this timeframe, including myself, would read "Alicia" and hear "Alicia Keys" and not "a-lee-see-a" and it's just become one of those modern celebrity names.
Suppose you could compare Britney (Spears) which also seems to follow a similar pattern of dropping in use after Spears' career made it into a "celebrity name". (ranked #148 in 1999 and fell completely off the chart by 2003, but admittedly the England and Wales charts don't go further than top 500, but that's still a significant change)
I'm 26 and was born in 1994. According to Wikipedia, Keys' career started the very same year.
I can't tell you how popular Alicia was before then as the database only goes back to 1996, but according to the England and Wales chart, it ranked #98 in 1996 and has dropped to #231 since then with the sharpest decline occurring from 2005.
In 2001 Keys released her first album that hit the UK Album charts at #6 and the R&B charts at #1. Her second album in 2003 also hit the R&B charts at #1, but the Album charts at #13 (which is still significant). The rest of her albums follow similar trends, almost consistently hitting the #1 spot in R&B and her 4th album #1 on the Album charts.
My point is Alicia Keys is a VERY POPULAR ARTIST in the UK.
My guess for the decline of the Alicia-name popularity was due to Keys as she is literally the only association for many people, if not the most prominent figure in pop culture with the name. I love Ariana, I got it from Harry Potter, but I can't stop associating it with Ariana Grande despite not knowing her music or knowing what she's like as a pop figure. I don't want people to make the assumption that I named my baby after her because I don't know who she is.
So basically kids growing up around this timeframe, including myself, would read "Alicia" and hear "Alicia Keys" and not "a-lee-see-a" and it's just become one of those modern celebrity names.
Suppose you could compare Britney (Spears) which also seems to follow a similar pattern of dropping in use after Spears' career made it into a "celebrity name". (ranked #148 in 1999 and fell completely off the chart by 2003, but admittedly the England and Wales charts don't go further than top 500, but that's still a significant change)
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I don't love it, but I do like it because it's so turned-down. It's a gentle antique, midmorning or early afternoon teatime kind of name. Thoughtful. Natural lighting. Self-contained.
There was a really powerful, un-sad woman in my life named Alice so that probably helped.
There was a really powerful, un-sad woman in my life named Alice so that probably helped.
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I don't like it either. It definitely does feel dated to me, since up till quite recently it actually was out of fashion. It's frumpy and ditzy at the same time; the Brady Bunch's maid, Alice, was well-named, I think.
I much prefer Allison or Alyssa. Alicia is nice too, but the a-lee-sha pronunciation feels more natural to me, even though it maybe isn't quite as pretty as the a-lee-see-a one, which is so uncommon here it feels affected, like saying vahz for vase.
I much prefer Allison or Alyssa. Alicia is nice too, but the a-lee-sha pronunciation feels more natural to me, even though it maybe isn't quite as pretty as the a-lee-see-a one, which is so uncommon here it feels affected, like saying vahz for vase.
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I think it's a great classic name, easy to spell and pronounce and suits all ages
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Wish I could help ya, but I don't like it either. I should. It fits my style, but I've always thought that sound was kind of gross. I do like Allie but I'd name her Alexandra before Alice. I like Alison in terms of sound much more than I like Alice.
I don't see it as sad. I see it as stuffy, like I see Sophie or Victoria. Where Elizabeth or Anna seem clean and classic and tailored, Alice, Sophie and Victoria feel like heavy chintz furniture and high necked Victorian clothing.
I don't see it as sad. I see it as stuffy, like I see Sophie or Victoria. Where Elizabeth or Anna seem clean and classic and tailored, Alice, Sophie and Victoria feel like heavy chintz furniture and high necked Victorian clothing.
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There have been so many people named Alice that it is hard for me to have only one impression of the name. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice_(given_name)
I like the meaning "noble type" or "noble sort." It sounds like someone who tries to do the right thing even when the deck is stacked against her because that is the sort of person she is; "To thine own self be true." There is a sort of resiliency to Alice that I find endearing. I also like the name is equally medieval as Victorian, which gives it a historic flexibility, as if Alice could carve out a niche for herself anytime, anyplace.
Melancholic and wistful is how I would describe Ophelia, Desdemona, and maybe Cassandra. However, some people like the gentle wistfulness that comes with transience. The Japanese have an aesthetic built around it called mono-no-aware.
I am American and have heard both pronunciations of Alicia. Sometimes the spelling Alisha is used to reduce pronunciation confusion. How do you feel about Alyssa?
I like the meaning "noble type" or "noble sort." It sounds like someone who tries to do the right thing even when the deck is stacked against her because that is the sort of person she is; "To thine own self be true." There is a sort of resiliency to Alice that I find endearing. I also like the name is equally medieval as Victorian, which gives it a historic flexibility, as if Alice could carve out a niche for herself anytime, anyplace.
Melancholic and wistful is how I would describe Ophelia, Desdemona, and maybe Cassandra. However, some people like the gentle wistfulness that comes with transience. The Japanese have an aesthetic built around it called mono-no-aware.
I am American and have heard both pronunciations of Alicia. Sometimes the spelling Alisha is used to reduce pronunciation confusion. How do you feel about Alyssa?
This message was edited 9/15/2020, 12:21 PM
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I like Alyssa, though it feel a little dated (I knew several Alyssas growing up / in school). However, I checked the popularity statistics for Alyssa and was surprised to see it was still a Top 20 name as late as 2009. It feels "90s baby" to me! As of now it's still in the Top 200, so it's not completely out of fashion yet, I guess.
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Alicia is Alisha here, for the most part.
Alice doesn't give me sad vibes, it gives me youthful vibes. We have radio DJs here called Alice, and sportier girls often go by Allie. But if you don't like it, then you don't like it.
What about the delightfully medieval Alison?
Alice doesn't give me sad vibes, it gives me youthful vibes. We have radio DJs here called Alice, and sportier girls often go by Allie. But if you don't like it, then you don't like it.
What about the delightfully medieval Alison?
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Regarding Alison, I've never been too fond of feminine names ending in -son (so no Alison or Madison for me).
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I can only speak for myself but I think Alice is an acquired taste. It has always given me “holier than thou”, goody two-shoes feeling. Sickly sweet, cutesy cute. Kinda like Mary makes me feel. Annoying.
But I’m warming slightly up to it. I don’t hate it anymore and now I’m mostly neutral. I recognise that it has qualities I normally like in other names and I think it would probably just take a story with a character that I’d fall in love with for me to be positive about it.
Edit: I don’t know if this was any help ;) My point was: It often helps me if I encounter someone admirable, fictional or real, with the name.
But I’m warming slightly up to it. I don’t hate it anymore and now I’m mostly neutral. I recognise that it has qualities I normally like in other names and I think it would probably just take a story with a character that I’d fall in love with for me to be positive about it.
Edit: I don’t know if this was any help ;) My point was: It often helps me if I encounter someone admirable, fictional or real, with the name.
This message was edited 9/15/2020, 11:22 AM
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I think I get that "goody two-shoes, sickly sweet" vibe from it, as well.
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