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Baby names

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

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Original poster

Names on here that you say 'wrong'

127 replies

00100001 · 16/06/2015 16:43

So, it turns out that Calliope is pronounced kah-ly-ah-pee - I just assumed is was "cally-ope" and was thinking, what an odd name to give someone

Any others?

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SantasLittleMonkeyButler · 18/06/2015 14:35

lostlala that reminds me of a colleague of mine who had read the name Persephone, having never heard or seen it before. She said, in all seriousness, "Purse-phone, why the hell would you call your child that?" "What's her sister called? Keys-fags? Is it to remind her mum what not to forget when leaving the house?"

TorrAlexandra · 18/06/2015 14:27

Saoirse can also be pronounced Sor-sha. (I'm from an Irish family full of crazy Gaelic names!). I also first read Hermione as her-me-own. Calliope and Persephone I've always got right.

Naomi - nay-oh-mee. Personally can't stand it when people say ny-oh-mee.

I once lived with a Keira who pronounced her name ky-ra.

Other (also Gaelic) names in my family which have often stumped people are Máire (which we pronounce more-a), Mhairi - Var-ee, Caiomhe - Kee-va.

These days if I'm stumped by a name it's usually because the parents, wanting to be trendy, have taken a fairly ordinary name and given it some ridiculous spelling!

Sophronia · 18/06/2015 13:56

In Germany Margot is pronounced Mar-gott. I definitely think Mar-go is nicer!

Thurlow · 18/06/2015 12:41

I know a Zayra which is pronounced Zai-ee-ra, which I just can't make click in my head.

Ditto Aoife - it's a lovely name, but when I see it I want to say "Effie" even though I know perfectly well that's now the name.

Legionofboom · 18/06/2015 12:26

Is there actually a 'correct' way to pronouce Naomi or are both equally valid?

Original poster

00100001 · 18/06/2015 12:22

for ages I though Aisling was pronounced "Eye-ling" instead of "ash-ling"

OP posts:

Ausflug · 18/06/2015 12:21

Well you learn something new every day. I would have assumed Cally-OH-pay

There was a thread on here about the name Anastasia recently. I would pronounce it Anna-STAH-zee-uh, but it seems I am alone . Lucky we didn't use it for DD - it was on our short list. She'd have had a lifetime of correcting everyone she met!

CoffeeChocolateWine · 18/06/2015 12:07

Ha ha, I was not even close! Thank you!

anonymice · 18/06/2015 12:06

CoffeeChocolateWine it's see-er shuh.

FernGullysWoollyPully · 18/06/2015 12:05

Saoirse = seer sha

ShadowFire · 18/06/2015 12:05

I only realised about a year ago the the "T" in Margot is a silent T. I thought it was pronounced Mar-gott.

CoffeeChocolateWine · 18/06/2015 12:03

I have no idea how to pronounce the name Saoirse. Can anyone tell me roughly, because my closest guess is a bit like Kwazii from the Octonauts but with an 'S'. But I'm pretty sure that's not right!

Original poster

00100001 · 18/06/2015 11:58

rhyming with snottily

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Original poster

00100001 · 18/06/2015 11:58

I know an Ottilie and hers is OTT-ill-ee

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Tanaqui · 17/06/2015 19:46

Per- seff- oh- nee

lostlalaloopsy · 17/06/2015 19:42

What about Persephone? To me it looks like Per-sa-phone, but that surely can't be right!

Sophronia · 17/06/2015 19:38

The Aaliyah I know pronounces it AL-ee-uh, with the emphasis on the first syllable.

I also don't know how to correctly pronounce Ottilie.

Original poster

00100001 · 17/06/2015 14:59

belle

Is the Leah as in "Lee-uh" or "Lay-uh"

;)

OP posts:

Bellemere · 17/06/2015 14:49

Aaliyah is "a Leah"

SilverShadows · 17/06/2015 14:46

Any King Arthur/Merlin program has always pronounced Genevieve as Jen-ee-veeve so I'd think you'd be ok Ashes

GlitzAndGigglesx · 16/06/2015 17:53

That Otillie name if that's even how it's spelt

ashesandfire · 16/06/2015 17:45

I didn't know that about Calliope! I always thought of it as call-ee-OH-pee!

I thought Genevieve was Jen-eh-veev and then saw on a board that the French pronunciation is zhon-vee-ev or something similar. I felt very ignorant and it put me right off ever using it as I think the pronunciations are so different.

Original poster

00100001 · 16/06/2015 16:56

or AR-lee-er

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Gileswithachainsaw · 16/06/2015 16:54

I'm never sure how to pronounce half the names on MN.

I know calliope thanks to greys anatomy.

things like aaliyah is it A -lee--ya or A - lie -ya?

SaulGood · 16/06/2015 16:50

Caitlin's a toughie too. The Caitlins I know are 'cautch leen' (with a v v soft ch, hard to write phonetically) but I see it described as cait-lin on here all the time. I guess that's just because it's been anglicised though.

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