Technically I know its a boy's name...BUT

[emmybee]

Beautiful!

I always thought Soren could work in English speaking countries as a unisex name. It's splendid with Magnolia!

That said, I prefer Seren. It is my second middle name, and I have always loved it. When pronounced with a lightly rolled "r" and the emphasis on the second syllable (in the way I believe it is pronounced in Welsh, like seh-RHEN) it sounds nothing like SARE-in gas.

You shouldn't prevent yourself from using it because of that!

Either choice is gorgeous. Seren Magnolia is pretty much a perfect name in my opinion!

[alyne1]

Thank you, thank you for all the wonderful responses! I have been convinced that Soren is definitely a boys name, but feel encouraged about Seren. I don't think I am completely ready to commit to it quite yet, but it certainly has a firm spot on my list!

Will probably list it both for Seren Magnolia and Seren Louise!

Thanks again!

[vivtaliesin]

I actually quite like Soren for a girl, but much prefer Seren. When I see the name Soren, i mainly just see the word sore which isn't the best association. But Seren just evokes such peacefulness. Paired with Magnolia, what a killer combo! Seren Magnolia gets my vote 100%.

If you're not yet convinced, you may also like the name Merrin/Meryn/Marin.

Merrin Magnolia? Now that is a name to lust after!

xo Viv

[pam]

I agree that Seren is a much better choice for a girl, and I think it's a more attractive name. A couple of other ideas I'll throw out: Senara -- http://nameberry.com/babyname/Senara -- which is an ancient name that was new to me and is actually the newest name on Nameberry! And the Irish Sorcha, which might be too exotic for you and definitely presents pronunciation issues; the closest in English is sor-ka.

[avalon27]

Seren is lovely and it means star in Welsh.

[hayley88]

@emmybee is correct re the pronounciation of Seren. It isn't pronounced the same as the gas (which I have never heard of),so the pp who said it would be like naming you child anthrax is being ridiculous.
It's a beautiful name, Seren Louise Lyne sounds lovely. I like a bit of alliteration
Soren is ok,but I think it would suit a boy more. I've never heard the name before so don't have strong feelings on it,it was just my impression of it.

[cristinamariane]

I don't see how Soren sounds so masculine. I'm pronouncing it like "Lauren" with an "S"...so is the S what makes it masculine? I think the name is obscure enough that people wouldn't automatically think male when they hear it. If you love it, I saw go for it!

For me, it is the O-heavy, non-a-ending quickness of it, plus it reminds me of/sounds similar to Sauron (?) from LOTR. Seren, on the other hand, is softer, similar to Sara and Serenella, and easily recognizable as a female name. Plus, with a better meaning.

[cristinamariane]

Soren is ALL boy to me. My cousin's sister in law has a boy named Soren (his twin is Elijah and sister is Georgia.. I wonder if she came here before naming? haha). They pronounce it sore-in basically. Technically this name isn't "legit" without the accent marks (I can't think of what they're called.. blah) according to BTN. It lists SÖREN (c/p, don't know how to make that character) as being pronounced "ZUU-ren (German)". They also list SØREN, with no pronunciation. They both say they are the same spot on the SSA list so the characters don't make a difference I guess. This is all new to me BTW, thought I'd share!

Anyways, I love Seren. I love Serena more, but as PPs have said, that's not what you're going for. Seren Louise sounds great!

I believe you're correct on the second Soren, the one with the slash through the O, and the prn. would be soar-en. However, the SSA list doesn't recognize marks like this, or hyphens or anything else.

[betsy buttercup]

As a mom of three boys, I'm usually extremely against using boy names on girls, because they almost always become unusable for boys after that, and boys just don't have as many great options as girls! BUT - Soren on a girl, I can definitely see it and actually, I think I approve!

[neuilly]

I'm 27 and my friends are much more familiar with the name Soren than they are with the gas. I'd say that if you can't get over the gas association, then go with something entirely different. I actually think Soren is one of those names that is fairly rapidly becoming familiar within the population.