How to pronounce 'Mair'

Great. To me, it's a bit like people who call their daughters Noah. I would think they didn't know Noah was a man in the Bible, but maybe you'd think they were being ironic.

I'd pronounce it mare but it is a lovely looking name

Yeah, i guess it is just a different way of looking at it. My daughter was almost Medi but i decided against it BECAUSE her birthday was in September and I felt it would be a bit...twee maybe? to have her name and birthday month be the same.

" but i don't really see why it matters?? Is every June or May in the world born in those months??"

Matter of opinion I suppose, but I think a parent who gives a name that doesn't seem to make sense might be judged as stupid by other people. If I met someone called Medi not born in September I would think the parents hadn't bothered to find out what Medi meant.

You pronounce it My-rr

Agreed Ceri.

To the person upthread who said there were easier Welsh names to pronounce and used Ceri as an example, you'd be surprised! When I lived in then South of England I got Cherry, Serry, Cherie!

That doesn't mean you shouldn't use Welsh names though, just because not everyone knows how to pronounce them. It's actually pretty offensive to suggest that for a name to be 'proper' or 'acceptable' it has to be easily pronounceable to an English person!

Mai is May and Medi is September so these only really make sense if the baby is born in those months

I know what they mean, but i don't really see why it matters?? Is every June or May in the world born in those months??

There's a Scottish surname spelled Mair, pronounced to rhyme with "fair" The radio broadcaster Eddie Mair is an example. So anyone familiar with the surname would probably pronounce it that way.

I don't think that's a problem, because people would pick it up as soon as they were told how to say it.

I knew a Scots/English girl called Mair who pronounced it Maa-ry, with the aa like a long ah, like grass in RP.

My sister was Mair on her birth certificate but my mum ended up changing the spelling to Maia because she was fed up of having to explain how to pronounce it.
I'm Megan - definitely Meg-Anne not May-Gan.

Nah, I'm called January and was born in June. Never been a problem for me...

"Mai are good suggestions. Medi is also one we considered."

Mai is May and Medi is September so these only really make sense if the baby is born in those months.

"I'm a bit perplexed though that the dad doesn't know how to pronounce it when he's Welsh."

I think he's not a Welsh speaker Louise.
Unfortunately, many Welsh people don't even know enough about Welsh pronunciation to be able to say the name of the place where they live correctly.

"even with the descriptions above I still can't work out what it should sound like."

I've given you the phonetics plus a link to what sound the phonetic symbols correspond to.

My (first, changed a few times) Guide leader was Mair. I remember when she introduced herself to a group of us newbies she pronounced it "My-Air". Don't think she was Welsh.

my niece is called Megan, which in our accent does kind of rhyme with Pagan as in the first vowel is flat. though the second is -an rather than -un. so Ma-gan. (its really hard to describe that flat welsh vowel sound in writing.
My children have welsh names and an English father, so i do understand it can be difficult to find names that work!
Mari or Mai are good suggestions. Medi is also one we considered.

Nancy, maybe they like the way it looks when written down? I'm a bit perplexed though that the dad doesn't know how to pronounce it when he's Welsh.

Mair is lovely and frankly many English people can't pronounce any Welsh names properly except Megan and Sian (although I once heard someone say See-ann) so they'd be bound to mispronounce any native name you give her.

And since you live in Wales, it doesn't matter anyway.

I'm not meaning to be rude but how can you like a name when you don't know how to say it? If you as her parents can't say it what hope has anyone else got?
To my English eyes I would have guessed Mare and even with the descriptions above I still can't work out what it should sound like.

"Anyway I said it 'Mare'"

Are you actually proud of mangling someone's name???

Said the Welsh way it sounds lovely, but I doubt it will be said that way if you're not in Wales.

What about Mai? You still would have to say it's pronounced My not May, but it doesn't have the tricky R sound.

I really like Eleri and Gwynedd too.

How can you like it if you don't know how to pronounce it? Anyway I said it 'Mare'

My nan is called Mair, and most people pronounce is 'Mya' but with her Welsh accent the r is much stronger.

Younger family members have used the Mya spelling. I like it.