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Baby names

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

Original poster

Emilia. Help.

83 replies

Tea1Sugar · 06/12/2014 07:04

This is my dd2's name. She's nearly 8 months. I adore the name; the sound, the spelling, the fact it's not too popular. But it bloody drives me nuts when people write down Amelia. I know it's only a subtle difference in sound but I'm always correcting people. She gets Emmy for short. Is she too going to have a lifetime of correcting people or be annoyed with us for choosing it? Wwyd, change it to Amelia before she turns 1 or leave it?

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myotherusernameisbetter · 06/12/2014 18:50

But even if people pronounce Emilia as ee-melia and Amelia as uh-melia the difference is pretty tiny

But why would you pronounce Amelia as Uh-melia? Confused

I'd pronounce Emilia with the emphasis on the E to sound like E as in Egg. and Amelia with the emphasis on the A as in Apple. Anything else just sounds lazy.

squoosh · 06/12/2014 18:49

If you heard Emilia/Amelia called out across a park I doubt anyone would be able to say with absolute certainty which name they'd heard.

Alisvolatpropiis · 06/12/2014 18:47

I've only heard Emilia pronounced Eh-mil-yah and Amelia Ah-me-lee-ah.

squoosh · 06/12/2014 18:44

Clearly hem and ham don't sound the same but the first syllable of Emilia/Amelia is often said very quickly with less emphasis than on the other three syllables hence why the two names sound practically identical.

HSMMaCM · 06/12/2014 18:38

The difference between em and am is the same as hem and ham and they don't sound the same! Emilia is lovely.

LadyintheRadiator · 06/12/2014 18:35

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Clueing4looks · 06/12/2014 18:27

I'd leave it. I have an 11 year old Amelia and we have had cards/invitations etc where it's been spelt with an 'E' so it works both ways!

squoosh · 06/12/2014 18:25

But even if people pronounce Emilia as ee-melia and Amelia as uh-melia the difference is pretty tiny and probably wouldn't even be noticeable to other people.

Seeing as Amelia is so very popular it's inevitable that 90% of people will assume she's an A rather than an E. I don't know how annoying she might find this in future.

Alisvolatpropiis · 06/12/2014 18:20

I suppose it might depend on accent as to whether the difference between the two of pronounced or not.

Hakluyt · 06/12/2014 18:17

How can Emelia be so much "prettier" than Amelia when the OP has stated that nobody appears to be able to tell the difference? And is that element of "prettiness" worth a lifetime of correcting people

BikeRunSki · 06/12/2014 18:13

Leave it. Call get Milly.

DramaAlpaca · 06/12/2014 18:10

Definitely leave it. Emilia is a much prettier name than Amelia, and they do sound subtly different to me.

ChickenMe · 06/12/2014 18:04

Leave it-I think it's nicer than Amelia anyway. I would pronounce the A version "uhmelia" and the E as its spelt. So I think you could emphasize the E and Em sound. It's very European and Emilia Fox is a decent namesake.

squoosh · 06/12/2014 14:23

I don't know how Emilia and Amelia can sound 'totally different' in any accent.

storytopper · 06/12/2014 13:11

I know an Emilia in her 40s (not British). Love the name - especially as it is a little bit unusual. She doesn't seem to have a problem with people getting it wrong but maybe that is because I know her through work and we were used to seeing it written down.

Mouthfulofquiz · 06/12/2014 13:09

I think it's a lovely name, and Emmy is a gorgeous nickname.
as someone who has a 'not popular but not weird sounding name' everyone gets used to it in the end!

myotherusernameisbetter · 06/12/2014 13:05

In my accent Emelia and Amelia sound totally different - maybe you just need to move? :o

Mitchy1nge · 06/12/2014 11:50

people get my last name wrong alllllllllllll the fucking time

and it is a really, legendarily, famous name which pretty much everyone has heard of

still don't want to change it

Hakluyt · 06/12/2014 11:46

Look.OP. This is going to happen a lot. Forever. The only way to stop it happening is to change her name.

Do you want it to stop happening? Do you want it not to happen to your dd for 80 years? Then change it.

Do you think you will get used to it? Do you think on balance your dd isn't going to mind? Then don't change it. It really is that simple.

PestoStormissimos · 06/12/2014 10:24

It's beautiful, please don't change it Xmas Smile

AdorableAbbie · 06/12/2014 10:12

Leave it, it's unique, I love the name Emilia.

Mitchy1nge · 06/12/2014 09:56

I wanted to call my daughter Emilia (conceived during a really shit performance of Othello and I couldn't face Desdemona or Bianca) but we already have a Milia in the family. I don't think you should change it.

burgatroyd · 06/12/2014 09:50

On a side note, if you did change you could consider Emiliana. Its distinct in its own right. Most people won't know how to spell it and there will be lots of assumptions but she won't be called another similar name.
www.behindthename.com/name/emiliana/comments

It will probably be too ornate for many mumsnetters but its worth considering!

Alisvolatpropiis · 06/12/2014 09:01

Emilia is much more lovely than Amelia, imo and I can hear quite a clear difference between the two.

The problem is how very popular Amelia has been.

I wouldn't change it, personally. Particulalrly not if you are calling her Emmy more often than not.

Bowlersarm · 06/12/2014 08:12

Leave it. It's a name in it's own right. She may have to correct people now and again but a lot of people have to do that with their names.