Help protect children from gaming harms.

Take our survey

Please or to access all these features

Baby names

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

Thalia

36 replies

Ruththetooth · 23/01/2013 08:00

Apologies if you've just read my similarly titled thread (Talya, Talia, Tahlia). Just wanted to know what people think of Thalia. DH and I came across it last night and we both think it's nice but not sure if it would be perceived as a bit try-hard or 'chavvy'. Honest opinions please.

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
New posts on this thread. Refresh page
funchum8am · 24/01/2013 17:43

Love the name by the way!

funchum8am · 24/01/2013 17:42

viviennemary it is classical, not classic. As in Greek or Roman, rather than traditional.

Peevish · 24/01/2013 17:40

I like it, by the way. Though from other responses on this thread, it sounds as if you might risk having to explain your particular pronunciation all the time...

alexpolismum · 24/01/2013 17:40

[waves at PollyLogos!]

Peevish · 24/01/2013 17:35

I've never heard it pronounced as anything other than THAY-lia. The most famous fictional Thalia I know of - in Antonia Forest's Kingscote books - also pronounces her name this way, hence it being misheard as 'Failure' by Lawrie Marlow.

PollyLogos · 24/01/2013 15:57

My friend here in Greece pronounces it Tha-lia with the stress on the Tha bit! ( hi Alexpolimum! )

alexpolismum · 24/01/2013 15:32

I know a Thalia who pronounces it Th-al-ya (th as in "think"). So exactly as it looks.

Viviennemary · 23/01/2013 18:54

Don't like it at all I'm afraid. It's one of these fashionable type names. I wouldn't call it a classic name in this country.

GrimmaTheNome · 23/01/2013 18:53

Well, this is my 'learn something new every day' - having only ever seen Thalia on bulb packets, I had no idea it was pronounced Talia. Thanks

AuntieStella · 23/01/2013 18:47

I have never, ever heard the written th pronounced as "th" in Thalia (ditto Thomas or Thierry).

I think it's a lovely, classical name (and pronounce it Tar-lee-ah).

onthemetro · 23/01/2013 18:45

I love it Smile And gives the option of Lia as a nn, which is just lovely too!

FellatioNels0n · 23/01/2013 18:44

Faylia innit.

FellatioNels0n · 23/01/2013 18:43

It's a beautiful classic name (from Greek I think) so hardly 'chavvy'. Hmm

But PLEASE make sure you spell it right and pronounce it right. Tar -lee-ah, emphasis on first syllable.

I knew someone who called their daughter Thalia (spelt the traditional way) but pronounced it Te- Lee -ah, with the emphasis on the Lee, which irritated me enormously. Grin

lilachair · 23/01/2013 18:35

I have a 8yo Talia Smile and she is lovely. She does get compliments on her pretty name.

Pronounced Tal-ee-ah by normal people, but TAR-le-ARR by my family >stabby emoticon

CheeseStrawWars · 23/01/2013 18:26

If people in London can cope with the Thames, they can probably cope with Thalia...

Phineyj · 23/01/2013 18:16

Because TH in English sounds like F in many words (particularly in a
London accent). But it seems people spell the name without the h anyway. I only mentioned it because there is a character with that name in an Antonia Forrest book who calls herself Tim because she is fed up of people mishearing it as failure. I think classical names are pretty, personally.

sooperdooper · 23/01/2013 16:23

I don't really understand how anyone would misprononce it as 'failure'?

I've always heard it pronounced as Tal - eee - a

beadycake · 23/01/2013 11:34

Mine is pronounced Talyah (but read it in your mind with a slight Italian flavour - not cockney Wink )

GrimmaTheNome · 23/01/2013 10:33

My favourite <a class="break-all" href="http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?q=thalia+narcissus&hl=en&lr=&sa=X&tbo=d&as_qdr=all&biw=1253&bih=727&tbm=isch&tbnid=3lHGaaoOvocNsM:&imgrefurl=beautifulgardens.shootgardening.co.uk/sitePlant.php%3Fplantid%3D4347%26name%3Dnarcissus-thalia&docid=pNuhWAH_krqXxM&imgurl=beautifulgardens.shootgardening.co.uk/uploaded/images/plants/plant_4347/plant_narcissus___thalia___1_23.jpg&w=180&h=180&ei=X7z_UMyCHMnligKaroCwBg&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=982&vpy=153&dur=2276&hovh=144&hovw=144&tx=156&ty=108&sig=101384522069111236803&page=1&tbnh=144&tbnw=143&start=0&ndsp=27&ved=1t:429,r:6,s:0,i:100" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">white narcissus is called Thalia so I like it Smile

Ruththetooth · 23/01/2013 10:30

steppemum, how does your niece pronounce it?

OP posts:
steppemum · 23/01/2013 10:26

my neice is a Talia, never had anyone mispronounce it I odn't think (failure - really??)

Pretty name, don't think it is try hard. I hadn't heard of another one when neice was born, but I know of quite a few now

Cakethrow · 23/01/2013 10:21

I love it.
Was on my list if DC3 was a girl. He wasn't!

Cheesestraw is right about pronunciation - I would say 'Tar lee ah' but up here one of DD's nursery teachers was called 'Tal ee ah' with the nn 'tally'.

I like both pronunciations though so wouldn't have bothered me.

roseinwinter · 23/01/2013 10:03

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

CheeseStrawWars · 23/01/2013 10:01

I like it, but bear in mind accents will affect how it's pronounced, e.g. (generalising wildly) southern english is likely to be more "Tarrr-le-arrrr", northern could be more like "Tal-ya".

GaryBuseysTeeth · 23/01/2013 09:58

I love it (family name!), but wouldn't use it as loads of people do mispronounce it Failure (we were considering using it).