Active discussions

Help protect children from gaming harms.

Take our survey

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

Original poster

Think we found our name ... Sabine ... but I'd like to check how you'd pronounce it

56 replies

edeluna · 20/01/2011 13:22

Expecting a girl in a few weeks. The name in the lead right now is Sabine.

I love it but I'm just a little concerned about whether its correct pronunciation would be baffling to anyone here in the UK. I'm not sure if people here are familiar with the name at all.

It's pronounced zaBEEna and comes from Italian; it is a familiar name in German and French.

Both Sabine and Sabina are acceptable spellings, though we prefer the former. However, I don't want her to have to constantly correct people's pronunciation. So if it seems likely that people might call
her saBEAN or something like that, maybe we go with the spelling ending in -a.

Grateful for any thoughts on this one!

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Set a reminder
New posts on this thread. Refresh page
UriGeller · 25/04/2014 15:40

Ruthless, i got the earworm too, "Them women were sobbin sobbin sobbin up to their ears"!

Sabine (Sabeen) is a beautiful name. Most names are pronounced fed differently in other languages, mine is, so when in UK and France she'll be Sabeen and in Germany she'll be Zabeena.

hungrybadger · 25/04/2014 15:32

The assistant at my daughter's kindergarten was called Sabine spelled like that but pronounced SabEEna. Of course everyone else called her SaBEEN which is the French way of pronouncing it. Think it drove her slightly mad, understandably. I'd say if you want to pronounce it as Sabina then that is how you should spell it.

InTheMiddleOfOurStreet · 24/04/2014 13:59

Zombie thread - little Sabine is about three now!

FrankUnderwood · 24/04/2014 11:23

Put the a on the end, please.

Nestabee · 24/04/2014 10:31

Sab-bee-nuh.

EverybodysStressyEyed · 23/04/2014 21:43

I have a couple of friends with names with same ending issue as Sabine - they all put the a on the end after much agonising.

personally i would pronounce sabine the french way

we have similar issue with our dc french names with silent letters at the end. their german family don't get that they are silent despite reminding them! If they decide to live in germany when they are older i guess they will have to live with it!

Theas18 · 23/04/2014 21:42

Sabine = sah been ah

Spell it as you like. You'll have to tell people maybe but they'll get used to it!

RuthlessBaggage · 23/04/2014 21:39

Sa-BEEN.

And I'd get the song "Sobbin' Women" from Seven Brides stuck in my head.

AmysTiara · 23/04/2014 21:36

Sa been

badtime · 20/04/2014 23:35

I would ask, because I know French and German people with this name. If I knew it was an English person, I would probably lean towards expecting the 'sa-been' pronunciation.

LionsTeeth · 20/04/2014 23:31

I would pronounce it say-bine and immediately think of the rape of the Sabine women in early roman history Confused

Boodimum · 19/04/2014 20:37

I would pronounce the name Sabine, (Sa bee nah). I have a cousin with the name and that's how she pronounces it in Germany. I think it's a lovely name, but in this country I would substitute the e for an a. Saves an awful lot of correcting and explaining.

diddl · 21/01/2011 08:34

I´d say Zabeenuh-but I´m in Germany atm.

Before then, would have said Sabeen.

QueeferSutherland · 20/01/2011 23:48

Sa-biyne here, but I know someone with that Surname.

senua · 20/01/2011 22:32

I know a German Sabine so I would assume it was Sa-been-a.

But not keen on the association with Rape of the Sabine Women.

weimy · 20/01/2011 22:23

If it is Italian then it 'eh' at the end rather than 'a' or 'n'.

PlanetLizard · 20/01/2011 20:20

Sa-BEEN

freerangeeggs · 20/01/2011 18:41

I'd pronounce it Sa-BEEN, but it would only take one correction to get it right. It is lovely. I actually like both pronunciations, and both spellings.

taintedpaint · 20/01/2011 18:41

I think Sabina could easily be thought of as Sabrina spelt wrong by anyone not hugely familiar with the name, so for me, Sabine is the spelling of choice. 'Sa-bean-er' doesn't sound very nice, but 'Sa-bean' is lovely.

Firawla · 20/01/2011 18:41

i think it might make life easier to spell it sabina, i would be unsure whether to go for sabeen or sabeena pronounciation if i saw it written down. if it was a german person i would go for sabina but otherwise not sure, alot of people would say sabeen i think
wouldnt worry too much about people mistaking it for sabrina, some might but less people than you will get saying sabeen i think

Blu · 20/01/2011 18:39

In the context of history and art the word 'Sabine', usually pronounced say-bine, isn't the best link for a girl to have.

I would go for Sabina.

Lotster · 20/01/2011 18:33

Liked = Looked!

Lotster · 20/01/2011 18:33

If it helps I've just liked on a few name websites and they all echo the same few facts:

Origin: Latin
Meaning: Of the Sabine tribe
Pronunciation: (sah BEEN)

Variant form of: Sabina

I must say Sabina is pretty but Sabine pronounced as above without the 'a' sounds very chic, I love it.

GwendolineMaryLacey · 20/01/2011 18:22

I'd say Sabeen unless I knew there was a German influence, in which case I'd know to pronounce the 'e'. However, if you're living in the UK the vast majority of people are going to say Sabeen so I'd go with Sabina. Looks nicer anyway :)

nancythenaughtyfairy · 20/01/2011 18:18

for use in UK I would definitely stick the a on the end, otherwise she'll be for ever correcting people. A pretty name.

Swipe left for the next trending thread