Name best pronunciation

[AnaKristina]

Hi my 4 month old boy is named Abel. The pronunciation in English is like of the word able. Alternative pronunciation is like in a name Isabel. We are from the country where it's pronounced like in Isabel but we live in Scotland. I would like to hear your opinion what would be the best, easiest for my son to be called in order not to have name confusion all the time and have to keep explaining his name when bigger. This was my partner's choice.

[Chaffinch4]

Lovely name. I'd pronounce it like able, but it's your choice! It might be easier to keep the pronunciation as most local people would say it (so like able if you're in the uk), but like I say, totally your choice. It wouldn't need correcting more than once for me.

[2014newme]

Sons of anarchy!

[Sugarpiehoneyeye]

Great name, I too agree Abel, as in table.

[BernardBlacksHangover]

Your choice, but I would probably guess able if I saw it written down.

[RavenWings]

I would have pronounced it as Abel = table/fable. I think it's up to you really though, your country's pronunciation (like a bell?) isn't too difficult, but there would be name confusion/explaining for him at the start.

[DiegoMadonna]

We have a son whose name is pronounced differently where we're from and where we live, but we like our way much better, so we just tell people. The way we saw it is it's fine if doctors or one-off people use the pronunciation that is common in this country – we still know and he still knows that they're referring to him – but we corrected everybody who knows him/talks to him regularly (family, friends, teachers, etc. Kids at school repeat what they hear rather than what they see written down, so they're all fine with it) and there hasn't been any problem.

Abel in your way (and mine) is much nicer that "able" in my opinion, so I'd tell people it's pronounced that way if it was me!

[LinoleumBlownapart]

I would go with the way you like best. I have a son called Mateus, we're abroad now so no explanation needed but in the uk people often said it Ma-ti-us. One simple explanation that it's more like Ma-tay-os and that's it, his name said correctly. He didn't come across new people everyday so it was hardly very taxing on our daily lives.

[MikeUniformMike]

Able

[HoratioNightboy]

If you opt to have it pronounced like it is in your country, I wouldn't recommend explaining it as "like Isabel" to others, especially as you're in Scotland. Isabel is generally pronounced to rhyme with "visible" so you might find people don't get it straight away (I didn't).

If it sounds like "a bell" than that would be the best way to explain it on occasions when you need to.

[pipilangstrumpf]

I would pronounce Abel as Ah-bel, with the emphasis on the Ah.

[SuperBeagle]

I would pronounce Abel to rhyme with table.

Do you mean a-bell, with the emphasis on the bell? That's how I pronounce Isabel.

[DiegoMadonna]

I would say "ah-BELL" rather than the second 2 syllables of Isabel, which is more like "uh-bell".

[AnaKristina]

Thanks for the help. His dad who has chosen the name is not calling him Abel but using an invented nickname. . I was going for a name with a universal pronunciation. When I speak to local people I use English pronunciation but when with him at home my home country pronunciation seams more natural. I'm confused myself. Abel is a Scottish surname by the way.

[AnaKristina]

I came across a girl on FB buying and selling page with Abel surname and then googled it.

[nooka]

I'd not worry too much. Go on pronouncing the name the way you like it and accept that others will probably pronounce it slightly differently (unless it really bothers you). I don't think it will cause your son any issues.

Do you use something like the Italian pronounciation from this site OP?

[MikeUniformMike]

I know an Abel pronounced AB-el and someone whose surname is Abel pronounced Able. Say it your way. Correct the first time then ignore.

[lunabear1]

I'd pronounce it like A bell but that's because singer/rapper The Weeknd is called Abel and I know it from that :)

[elQuintoConyo]

I'd pronounce it a-bell, but i'm in Spain.

How much do you think it will P off your child having to pronounce his name to everyone who gets it wrong? Could you stick to able/table where you live and a-bell when you are with family abroad?

Lovely name

[Usuallytootiredbuthappyanyway]

I would pronounce it the way you prefer but also expect the majority of people to pronounce it differently, it's not such a big difference. My name is Paula and I grew up with everybody I knew pronouncing it 'Paw'la but my Mum and her family pronouncing it 'Po'la. I also lived in the states for a while and everyone there called me 'Po'la, I even started pronouncing it that was when introducing myself because they didn't recognise the name when I said 'Paw'la.

[HenryBiggleswade]

I’d pronounce it to rhyme with table. Lovely name OP