Accent ruining all our name choices.

MrsDeVere, I wonder if it was South African maybe?

I did but a few ending in 'ie/y' but I don't think the ie/y names are too bad but it does depend on which part of Manchester u live in.
I think in Emily the L makes you pronounce the Y nicely.
Where I live A's are pronounced really strongly but Y's not so much. I know a few Emily's and I always think it sounds nice but when I hear ''Sar-ahhh come eeeyaaa, I need yaaaaa'' arrghhh it goes right through me.

There are different accents within Manchester so it does depend on the exact area as to how bad a certain name sounds in that accent.

My daughters were born in Croydon and I didn't consider an Ivy type name (with the long I sound), although it would have been an interesting little time capsule experiment as at the beginning of their lives a lot of people would have been saying Oyvy, and as all the OI people grow old and died it would be replaced by the west indies influenced young people's I sound (london multicultural english).

wingcommandergallic

Ah yes, that I am familiar with! Dad's sister is Our Cath!

oh. I love accents, they fascinate me, but I can't get Wendy to Widdy in my head!

that Manc-proof list is flawed - Emily is on it, which is Emil-eh

OP, how fastidious are you about the Manc L sound? Or does that not matter? I think Emily is a perfect storm of Mancitude in fact.

"I'm Noel Gallagher. Emily."

Did you hear that? "Emilllllleh"

(I don't know how to write the Manc broad L, it is similar to one of the Russian ones - although the Russians also have a slender l)

Cloudy - I'm sat here remembering my (sadly no longer with us) granny, and how she'd say various names.

Mary is a fabulous one, as there was "Mareh from down street" who I used to hear about.

I'd rule out Judy too as it doesn't pass the granny test (Joo-deh).

Here's some suggestions of some pretty safe manc-proof names...

Girls...

Caitlyn
Autumn
Amy
Katie/Kate
Ivy
Eve
Isobelle
Grace
Darcy
Phoebe
Emily
Elise
Eloise
Scarlett
Charlotte
Alice
Erin
Jasmine
Evelyn
Annabelle
Niamh

Boys...

Jack
Thomas
Sam
Ben
Joseph
Josh
Dylan
Alfie
Luke
Lucas
Harry
Jacob
James
George
Max
Leo
Freddie
Theo
Adam
Lewis
Bobbie

^Catsmamma Forgive me, but I don't understand your post. You're not telling me that you have relatives that go by 'obert, 'achel, and 'osie - are you?

Can't think of a single Mancunian that drops Rs at the start of names. Could you be thinking of Hs?^

Saintsandpoets - think she means they're all referred to as " our Rachael", "our Tommy" etc, would sound like " R Tommy"

I really think you're overthinking this.

Although, my friend has a cat who I thought was called "Garden". Turns out he's actually "Gordon". I thought " garden" was a cute name too

What accent is that, Mrsdevere?

I was in a supermarket once wondering why a woman had given her son a name she couldn't pronounce (it was Christian but came out as Chrisssshhhhjun)

I have been thinking this through for you by saying names in my head in a Manc accent. The way I get into the accent is to say "I'm Noel Gallagher". So I have been sitting here, mentally saying, in my best Manc,

"I'm Noel Gallagher. Ellie."
"I'm Noel Gallagher. Louise."
"I'm Noel Gallagher. Harriet."
"I'm Noel Gallagher. Estelle."
"I'm Noel Gallagher. Margaret."

I wonder what this would look like on a brain-reading-machine thingy?

Anyway. If you hate the "Ell-eh" thing so much, it's pretty easy to avoid those sounds, but you would have to be careful to pick a very short name that won't automatically go to a "-eh" (ie) abbreviation once your child is out and about at school etc.

Do you have any foreign connections, on your side or DP's? That is one way to sidestep the whole class issue. Just say "it's his Spanish grandmother's name" or something.

I think there are class-neutral names but they aren't trendy (which tend towards either the Hermione or the Kaydelle). I am thinking of things like: Jane, Sarah, Mary, (Mar-eh?), Helen, Joanna, that sort of thing. Maybe someone will be along now to tell me that these actually are all a. posh; b; common; c. old-lady. Oh well

Catsmamma Forgive me, but I don't understand your post. You're not telling me that you have relatives that go by 'obert, 'achel, and 'osie - are you?

Can't think of a single Mancunian that drops Rs at the start of names. Could you be thinking of Hs?

oh I feel your pain, south manchester upbringing with some Liverpudlians in the family, giving a slight twist onthe accent that can lead to some 'a' ending names sounding like they are ended with an 'o'. (Emma would get "Em-moh") The 'a' sound becomes very harsh rather than soft in the rest of the country.

Ones that might sound nice that aren't too 'old lady':
Esther
Heather
Eloise
Harriet
Astrid
Grace
(although I love a good old lady name, and a super posh one if only DH would let me!)

Oh and I wouldn't worry too much about the Middle Class name issue - people in your family might roll eyes for a few minutes, but then that will just be your little girls name. Don't worry about betraying your roots, if you are both middle class professionals, then that's the culture this little girl will be raised in, albeit with WC extended family. Pick a name that will suit her the girl/woman she will be, not one that her great grandparents might have thought their great granddaughter would be. (hope that makes sense).

As someone who grew up in Manchester, I whole heartedly agree. I have lived all over the world, and now have a very neutral, soft accent with short vowel sounds. DH went to Harrow, and has the typical accent you would expect, so he has influenced me largely, as did the 7 years we lived in New York.

My own name ends in TY and -teh sound, or worse - dropping the T all together - was infuriating for me. TEE please!

Only solution is to move OP . No problems now I live in London.

I like the name Rose btw but can't help think of Row-seh Webster.

'Rose'? Have you never watched Coronation St??

It's not shame, just an acknowledgement that some sounds aren't as attractive in some accents.

Worst I ever heard was Maisie in a strong Wigan accent.
I live in Essex now and would avoid names with TH in them like the plague.

Why are we so ashamed of our regional accents?

Does it make us "common"?

Even the queen has an accent.

As someone who grew up in Brum with a brother named James I think yes accents do have an impact

don't think this affected my parents decision to move 300 miles north

I think girls names are more prey to connotations and there are less neutral ones than boys - so if you also don't want the ie or a ending it's a struggle.

But thinking about my kids school (v mixed, families from everywhere on the social spectrum), how about Anna, Rose, Alice, Katherine, Ruth, Elizabeth, Emily, Meg/ Megan?

It's not easy - agree with others there may be scope for a 70s throwback - Helen, Clare?

Yes Rose is perfect. Classless. Accent can't spoil it. Ageless.

Florence might get Florrie.

Elizabeth with Beth as a nickname. Names ending in bel rather than bella.
Eve
Rachel
Grace
Carys/Charis
Juliet
Charlotte

I used to wonder why my mancunian relatives all had R as a first initial, if no one was going to bother to use the actual name.

Captain Stinker - as a Manc I think I'm allowed to say this but Emma, Laura and Sarah are definite no nos as all end in 'a'.
Yes some Mancunians speak nicely but a lot will pronounce Emma as Emm-ahhh.

I love my kids names and they are totally Manc-proof but I'd like to stay anonymous