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Baby names

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Original poster

How would you pronounce the name... ?

39 replies

june2013 · 06/05/2013 14:01

...Salome? or Salomé as we're planning to spell it (we're both francophone).

We say Sa - low - may (with equal emphasis on syllables). I don't mind if people don't know how to pronounce it the first time, but would if they don't get it at all. I have an Irish name which can't be guessed from spelling, but is easy to pronounce once I've told people what it is. So second time around, most people know my name. I'd be ok with that for Salome.

People seem to say Sa - LOW - Mee. I really don't like that... But I wouldn't mind if future daughter just shortened it to Sal or Sally.

If you know history of the name - any issues?

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YoniMontana · 08/05/2013 09:38

Sa-LO-may

TheYamiOfYawn · 08/05/2013 09:32

Sa-loh-may, with roughly equal emphasis, but I could easily adapt to Sa-LOW-may an alternative pronunciation.

SamG76 · 08/05/2013 09:29

I agree with Sa-low-me. Nothing to do with Hebrew name, though, which is shlomtzion.

OneFingerSjupesUpTheYoni · 06/05/2013 20:30

I'd say it sa- lohme like sa-loan.. with the funny wee bitty above it i'd say sal -o- may

ExRatty · 06/05/2013 20:21

sa low me

RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie · 06/05/2013 20:10

I say Sa-low-me, which may or may not be right - but either way I think it is really not a nice name to give to a child. Sorry.
Do you like Naomi?

FlightyAphrodite · 06/05/2013 19:46

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

PiratePanda · 06/05/2013 19:02

Sa-lo-may, but that's because I think of it mostly in connection with Richard Strauss' opera. The traditional English pronunciation is Sa-LOW-mee. If you don't like that pronunciation, don't use the name.

mikkii · 06/05/2013 18:55

I spend my entire life correcting how people say my name, hence the hort form used. Do you really want to subject your daughter to this? However, since my DS is Valentino and DDs are Gabriela (Spanish spelling) and Luisa, mine will always have to spell theirs although people should be able to say them

ChocsAwayInMyGob · 06/05/2013 18:49

Do you know what? that was a crap post. I hope you understand what I was saying. I'm soooo tired. Sorry.

ChocsAwayInMyGob · 06/05/2013 18:48

You're setting her up for a lifetime of name of name confusion.

I always have to spell my surname twice on the name and that's enough of a pain in the arse. Having to have a conversation everytime you say your first name will also be a PITA.

wigglesrock · 06/05/2013 18:42

I'd pronounce it the same way you are, I quite like it.

thermalsinapril · 06/05/2013 18:22

Sa - LOW - Mee

DribbleWiper · 06/05/2013 17:31

I'd pronounce it the same way you do, OP.

Not sure I'd use it myself, but your call.

RealityQuake · 06/05/2013 17:29

It's Sah-loh-meh. It's rooted in Shalom, so pronounced similarly and in Hebrew e is pronounced as eh/ay sound. My DD1 has never had an issue in having it and the only person to bring up the Christian connection was my American Evangelical Christian mother (and the only person to bring up the meat was my hard of hearing pork loving stepFIL).

Also, pet peeve here, but Salome is nowhere is the Christian Bible or in other Christian texts (as not all made it to the Bible). It was a name given to an unnamed young woman (pushed into the activities by her mother) by an unreliable writer who was being paid by the Romans to write about Jewish people in a light more favourable to the Romans. It was likely chosen by them to discredit Queen Salome Alexandra, who was the ruler many in Judea still longed after (she brought great stability to the area during her reign which her stepson then lost and sold out to the Romans). Due to its meaning (peace) and royal connection, it has a long history of use.

ItsYonliMe · 06/05/2013 16:53

SA-LA-MI (yum)

KittenofDoom · 06/05/2013 15:40

I don't think there's a right way or a wrong way to say it, there's a slight difference between the English and French pronunciations, that's all (as with many names eg Catherine).

I think it's a beautiful name, I wouldn't be put off by the Biblical association at all. However I do dislike the name Sally, so I would worry that she might want to call herself that. That's just personal to me though! :)

Lastofthepodpeople · 06/05/2013 14:53

Sah-low-me

It also makes me think of John the Baptist so not a name I would choose myself for a DD although I believe it is becoming more popular so it may not be so unusual when your DD is older.

TaurielTest · 06/05/2013 14:49

suh-LOH-mi, with stress on the 2nd syllable, is a widely used English pronunciation of this name - you'll find this pronunciation cited in current pronouncing dictionaries - so it's not 'wrong' in general, although it could of course be wrong in terms of an individual's preference. Other pronunciations (suh-LOH-may, SAL-oh-may) are cited too, but if you don't like the "salami" version, I'd choose another name TBH, because you'll hear it a lot.

StrangeGlue · 06/05/2013 14:44

Ahhhhh! Misread the op and totally didn't see the 'may'

This makes so much more sense now! Sorry Smile

miffybun73 · 06/05/2013 14:44

Sa - low - may

JacqueslePeacock · 06/05/2013 14:42

X-posts, as usual!

TigOldBitties · 06/05/2013 14:42

Sa-LO-Mee, emphasis on the LO.

I worked with a women named this, she introduced herself as Mimi (mee-mee) which became Mims (to rhyme with hymns) because she hated her name. She was raised in London, but had a french mother and apparently spent her entire school days being called Salami.

I really wouldn't go with it.

JacqueslePeacock · 06/05/2013 14:41

Sa-low-may. Strangeglue, I didn't understand your post at all. The OP doesn't want to call her DD Sallow, she wants to call her Salome. Pronounced correctly.

seeker · 06/05/2013 14:41

Please just don't.