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

Accent ruining all our name choices.

87 replies

mangoespadrille · 25/10/2014 12:05

DP and I, and both our extended families, are Manchester born and bred and speak accordingly (think The Royle Family, Gallagher brothers, Coronation Street etc.) DD1 is on the way in January and we're trying to think of a name. The problem is the huge number of names around at the moment ending in -ee -ia and -a sounds. We like a lot of them but, when said aloud in our accents, they sound terrible; for example, at the antenatal clinic yesterday there was a lady with girls called Lexi (Lex-eh) and Olivia (Olivi -uh).

We don't like the current trend for "old lady" names (I have one despite being born in the 80s and have never liked it). Any ideas? Do you think our accent matters or am I over thinking this?

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Set a reminder
Original poster
mangoespadrille · 28/10/2014 12:46

*please forgive terrible punctuation - brain on half term break

OP posts:
Original poster
mangoespadrille · 28/10/2014 12:43

Wowzer! Thanks for all the input - it's good to know I'm not completely crazy! We've been mulling it over and have come up with a short list of Grace, Iris, Jessica (DP's favourite, despite the 'a' - hmm, we'll see), Gabrielle and Rose. I love Kate but Ts tend to disappear in Manchester too.

Out of interest, I looked up the names of the Gallagher brothers' daughters: Anais and Molly. Molly's not too bad I suppose but can you imagine, "Our Anais's 'avin a chippy tea"? I guess little Anais doesn't spend too much time hanging around the Arndale though.

OP posts:
Brassrubbing · 28/10/2014 11:44

My ILs (with a strong regional working-class accent which pronounces 'Th' as 'T') can't pronounce our son's name properly. My own parents (same accent) initially had the same problem but have actually begun to manage it ok.

But we don't live in the same country, so it's a different issue to choosing a name you have good reason to believe will be mispronounced by everyone your child meets...

CrispyFern · 28/10/2014 11:02

I also like, for your purposes, Kate.
But then you would have to fight the Katie I guess.

LineRunner · 27/10/2014 16:29

It's a joke for 'Our ('R') Rosie/Fred/Bert' I think.

mathanxiety · 27/10/2014 16:22

I think the point about Rose was it would be turned into Rosie as a nn, and the ie ending would be 'eh'.

divingoffthebalcony · 27/10/2014 15:28

I don't think you're overthinking things OR being snobby. It's important to consider how names might sound in your local accent.

I'm from Essex and there's a little girl called Annabel I sometimes see at playgroup. Problem is, when her mum calls her name, all I hear is "AnnaBEWL! AnnaBEWL!"

looki · 27/10/2014 15:16

This thread has made me smile. I have relatives from Manchester who have a 'Daaaze eh'. Apart from thinking Daisy is a cow's name, it sounds terrible.

However, up until now I always thought that people didn't hear their own accents which is why people have 'phone voices' etc. Interesting to read otherwise.

EmilyGilmore · 27/10/2014 09:16

Oh I hear you OP! One of my children's names is completely butchered when I take them to my inlaws. It sounds horrible. Not saying where in the country.

You just have to practice saying it in the broadest variation of your local accent and see if you can live with it!

ExsqueezeMe · 25/10/2014 22:16

Rose wouldn't work in Manc accent because of the flat "o" sound. They pronounce it more like ROARS.

TinklyLittleLaugh · 25/10/2014 22:13

We live near Manchester and our daughters go by shortened versions of their names that have 'y' endings. We pronounce it properly, so do our daughters, but I have noticed lots of our friends use the 'eh' sound instead.

But really so what. You will never find a name that is totally accent proof. We could have named them something Manchester proof, and they could end up living in London, with a name that sounds daft there.

Pointlessfan · 25/10/2014 22:01

Our next-door neighbour has a grand daughter named Heather. Lovely name but unfortunately mangled by Brummie accent and pronounced as Heatha. It goes right through me every time and I consider myself a proud Brummie!

BauerTime · 25/10/2014 21:54

When I was at uni, one of my friends had a SA friend come to stay with them. He introduced himself as Ben. One of friends housemates thought his name was Bin, because of his accent. Poor lad never had the heart to correct him either and just let him call him Bin for an entire weekend.

I live in Essex and had to avoid all names with a 'th' in them as round 'ere they are all pronounced with an f instead so I feel your pain!

NK5BM3 · 25/10/2014 21:41

Oh you have my sympathies... In laws are from one of the areas mentioned already and apart from not understanding them (married 9 years and still don't get the mil) the way they pronounce names really get to me.

Never thought about it this way but we have named both our kids with names on the Manc-proof list!! Grin

We initially liked Victoria... And fil said 'oh yeah nice name... Vickeeeeeyyy'. I dropped that immediately.

surprise · 25/10/2014 21:26

Where I live (rural East Anglia) if you're called Molly it's Marley, Holly, Harley etc.

Mind you, I watched the entire series of Damages thinking that Patty Hughes was called Paddy, due to the Americans mispronouncing it like that.

Catsmamma · 25/10/2014 21:22

yes...the our/r thing

and then apparently I'd get irate as MY brother could not possibly be their Jim

:o

QueenOfThorns · 25/10/2014 19:38

Oops, didn't spot the second page Halloween Blush

QueenOfThorns · 25/10/2014 19:37

Grin saintsandpoets, I think she means the Manchester pronunciation of 'our'. As in R Kid Halloween Grin

Lunastarfish · 25/10/2014 19:31

My Yorkshire friends have a Lola, or should I say Lorrrr-Larrrr Wink

NuggetofPurestGreen · 25/10/2014 18:13

What maryw said. Also, the 'o' is pronounced unusually in Rose as well (this is just based on Coronation St I admit). Kind of like 'ROUWSE"

squoosh · 25/10/2014 15:28

Imogen
Megan
Caroline
Amber
Gabrielle
Claire
Carys
Eve
Alice
Juliet
Corrine
Tamsin
Scarlett

They avoid the vowel sound but don't sound too grannyish.

MrsDeVere · 25/10/2014 15:20

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

MaryWestmacott · 25/10/2014 15:13

Middleton - but pretty much every Rose gets Rosie at some point, unless you are very strict about it!

It's hard to avoid a vowel or y ending to a girls name and not go 'old lady name'!

squoosh · 25/10/2014 14:59

I've spent this entire thread saying all the names out loud in my best Gallagher-ese.

Avoid any names ending in a vowel sound and it will be fine.

MiddletonPink · 25/10/2014 14:49

Rose would not get Roseh.

It's Rose not Rosie.