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Forum -> Pregnancy & Childbirth -> Baby Names
English Girl's Name: Portia
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amother


 

Post Wed, Aug 06 2014, 1:40 pm
What do you guys think of it?
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Brownies




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Aug 06 2014, 1:58 pm
Personally it makes me think of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar which I did in high school. Not the sort of name I'd go for but if you like it, each to their own!
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rising hero




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Aug 06 2014, 2:17 pm
You have to like it. It's your child. If you like the sound of it, that's all you need. I don't think it sounds weird or embarrassing, (for the child in the future) if that's what you're worrying about.

Ellen's wife is Portia. That's who I thought of when I saw the name.
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MaBelleVie




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Aug 06 2014, 2:19 pm
My mind immediately goes to Portia de Rossi. Next I think of the car.
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etky




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Aug 06 2014, 2:31 pm
Brownies wrote:
Personally it makes me think of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar which I did in high school. Not the sort of name I'd go for but if you like it, each to their own!


but also the heroine of the Merchant of Venice, with its anti-Semitic overtones ...
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amother


 

Post Wed, Aug 06 2014, 2:34 pm
I don't like it at all, sorry. It's a trashy name to me.
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DrMom




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Aug 06 2014, 2:37 pm
I think of Shakespeare.
To my ear, it sounds a little pretentious, but feel free to ignore me!

Perhaps a good Hebrew name would be Poriah?
Or Porat?
Pnina?
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sequoia




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Aug 06 2014, 2:43 pm
I do think of Shakespeare, but as to which play is foremost in my mind, I really couldn't say.
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PinkFridge




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Aug 06 2014, 2:44 pm
Madam F. wrote:


Ellen's wife is Portia. That's who I thought of when I saw the name.


Was, AFAIK. And yeah, I thought Shakespeare too, and not knowing the reference fully not sure if it's a positive association or not.
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boysrus




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Aug 06 2014, 2:50 pm
my first thought on seeing this was Julius caesar! Apart from that, I have never heard this name used.
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rising hero




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Aug 06 2014, 2:56 pm
PinkFridge wrote:
Was, AFAIK. And yeah, I thought Shakespeare too, and not knowing the reference fully not sure if it's a positive association or not.


This is the first time I read about it so I googled it up (can I say that?) It says it's a rumor and doesn't say anything definite. Either way, that's who I think of when I hear this name.
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morah




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Aug 06 2014, 3:03 pm
Not a good idea for a Jew. She is the heroine of Merchant of Venice who brings down the wicked Jew Shylock.
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proudema




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Aug 06 2014, 3:04 pm
amother wrote:
What do you guys think of it?


Made me think of Portia from The Hunger Games. I think she was a stylist. Also like others have said, Ellen's partner.
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debsey




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Aug 06 2014, 3:05 pm
I immediately think "The quality of mercy is not strain'd...." I'm a former lit major. I think most major critics see Shakespere as more anti-Semitic than not in this play, despite Shylock's "Hath not a Jew...." speech. To me, it's saying: Great - Jews have common humanity with us, but look how they ACT. So hate them anyway. The fact that Jews in Venice had no choice but moneylending doesn't seem to hold much water.
So for me, totally negative connotations.....
Debsey
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PinkFridge




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Aug 06 2014, 4:19 pm
Huh. That's what I get for getting my information from the checkout line Tongue Out
OP, what led you to this name? Did you have a relative who went by that name? Is there something about the sound that grabs you? If the former, what was the Hebrew name? Maybe you can play with it. If the latter, maybe we can brainstorm, though all I can think of now is Pesha, which doesn't fit your bill. Oh wait. Patricia? Tricia?
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amother


 

Post Wed, Aug 06 2014, 6:01 pm
PinkFridge wrote:
Huh. That's what I get for getting my information from the checkout line Tongue Out
OP, what led you to this name? Did you have a relative who went by that name? Is there something about the sound that grabs you? If the former, what was the Hebrew name? Maybe you can play with it. If the latter, maybe we can brainstorm, though all I can think of now is Pesha, which doesn't fit your bill. Oh wait. Patricia? Tricia?


Like the sound of the name. The attitude as it portrays as well, but so not like the "anti Semitic vibes people are getting " and the possible claim that it means pig. Relative was Pesha.
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amother


 

Post Wed, Aug 06 2014, 6:12 pm
Like the sound of the name. The attitude it portrays as well, but definitely not liking the "anti Semitic vibes people are getting " and the possible claim that it means pig. Relative was Pesha.
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groisamomma




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Aug 06 2014, 6:44 pm
I dislike it immensely, but it's your baby and ultimately only your opinion counts here. I wouldn't do Poriah or Porat either.
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zaq




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Aug 06 2014, 6:55 pm
I don't like it. Portia did, after all, personify "moral Christianity" triumphing over the "evil Jew". Ick. (Sorry, the antisemitism cancels out any credit for feminism.)

Not to mention that it sounds like Porsche, which, being a German auto company, also has negative associations.

And on a totally different tack, in Noo Yawk City and vicinity she'd be called Pawsha, a cute name for a pet carrier shaped like a car, but not so much for a girl.
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Dolly Welsh




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Aug 06 2014, 7:25 pm
Perel

Among English speakers, Pearl.

On the schoolyard, Pookie (?)


(Portia won't do for a Jewish woman.)
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