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

Pronouncing baby's name wrong

234 replies

MrsLeighHalfpenny · 15/10/2017 07:58

Friend has had a baby girl - Anaïs.

Lovely name, but they pronounce it Annay, and not An-eye-ees.

I saw it written down before I heard them say it, and said “I love the name Anaïs” to the grandmother (also my friend). She told me that that’s not how it should be pronounced.

Should I explain what a diaeresis is for?

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Set a reminder
limecordial · 16/10/2017 22:30

My daughter was at school with a girl called Chryseis pronounced Sherice

I read it as crisis Grin

HoratioNightboy · 16/10/2017 22:24

What always puzzles me when this name comes up in these boards, is when people saying they pronounce it "Annay" because of the perfume.

I'm old enough to recall when it first came out in the late 70s and it was always pronounced Anna-eess Anna-eess in the ads as well as in the shops. I got my friend somefor her 18th because she fell in love with the name.

So I'm trying to work out when the company changed their marketing to Annay Annay, and when they changed it back again. All the ads I can find on YouTube have the pronunciation Anna-eess Anna-eess, so does anyone have a link to this being marketed with the Annay pronunciation? I'm genuinely curious.

OP, I'd struggle to resist asking why they decided to pronounce it that way. Not pointing out that it's wrong, just asking what their thinking was. But I've got in a bit of an argument like that before, so as the GM is your friend, it might be best to bite your tongue if you can.

Protectingmydaughterfromfilth · 16/10/2017 22:13

OP PLEASE tell them! So they can change it before the child turns one! After then, they’ll have to use Deed Poll and have two separate birth certificates

PyongyangKipperbang · 16/10/2017 22:10

Google!

PyongyangKipperbang · 16/10/2017 22:09

Starzig

Goodle Alt Codes :)

Neverknowing · 16/10/2017 22:04

My DD's middle name is Anaïs and this is exactly why it's not her first name 😂
Even her father pronounces it 'Annay' and tbh I let people. Anaïs is harder to say in an English accent I guess! It's not a massive deal.

starzig · 16/10/2017 22:01

How do you get the diaeresis when you type? Do you need to change keyboard language?

Uglymug76 · 16/10/2017 21:52

This thread brings this funny to mind...

PyongyangKipperbang · 16/10/2017 21:50

I know someone who gave her child an Irish name, while having no Irish roots. Not having Irish roots isnt a problem of course, but if she had she might have known how to pronounce it! She clearly saw it written down and says it phonetically, along the lines of pronouncing Siobhan Si-oh-ban insead of Sha-vawn.

She insists that everyone else, including Irish people, are wrong and I feel embarrassed for her.

RosieBucket · 16/10/2017 21:27

I think first of Anaïs Nin too

Yup. Me as well.

RosieBucket · 16/10/2017 21:26

I'd call her Annie.

OhWhatFuckeryIsThisNow · 16/10/2017 21:26

Many years ago I worked at local council, interviewing young mum, filling in forms with family names, making small talk. "Oh is this Nike then?" Referring to small child, pronounced nikey. She looked at me gone out and said "Are you thick? It's pronounced Nike" magic e and all. I apologised and inwardly eye rolled.

BuzzKillington · 16/10/2017 21:24

An-ace!?!

Even more gobsmacked than by Annay!

Some people should know their baby-naming limits...

Notso · 16/10/2017 21:19

Same here Rayneigh before then I'd only heard Annay or An-ace.

Rayneigh · 16/10/2017 21:13

I have never heard it pronounced Aneyeess until I watched the amazing world of gumball with my kids!

TatianaLarina · 16/10/2017 21:04

Facepalm @ Cee-O-Barn and Sighan.

Mcakes · 16/10/2017 21:00

Crossed with you Carouselfish
I think first of Anaïs Nin too

KatharinaRosalie · 16/10/2017 20:59

Surely it's up to her parents how her name is pronounced?

Totally - my DD is Stephanie, pronounced Sally. I don't get why people seem to have an issue with it..

If they want to call their child Anay, why not call her Anay, instead of Anay but we decided to spell it Anais instead.

Carouselfish · 16/10/2017 20:59

I know someone called Sian who pronounces it Sigh an. This isn't right, is it?

Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g · 16/10/2017 20:58

Both my Nannas are called Jean, pronounced Jeen. Gene is a masculine name isn't it?

Yes, usually (short for Eugene) although there was a female US film star in the 40s who was called Gene (Tierney). A great beauty, says Wikipedia, and they're not wrong.

Pronouncing baby's name wrong
Mcakes · 16/10/2017 20:56

I always thought it was Ann-ay-is. That's what it sounds like to me on the ad linked above too.

1stWorldProblems · 16/10/2017 20:56

Keep quiet for now, if you value their friendship. She'll learn quickly enough & decide on which pronunciation to use. A friend taught a Siobhan in Year 3 but her parents pronounced it Cee-O-Barn. She would answer to both & remind teachers of her parents "choice" before they had meetings with them.

Carouselfish · 16/10/2017 20:51

I think of it as in Nin and I pronounce it An NAY ees. So...

I used to love this nam until someone looked at it and thought the i was an l. Ruined forever. ffs. (Sorry).

NeurodiverseNancy · 16/10/2017 20:49

Both my Nannas are called Jean, pronounced Jeen. Gene is a masculine name isn't it?

I'll be honest, I too thought Anais was pronounced Annay but I blame the perfume.

I much prefer Elodie said a bit more like "Elluh-dee" than "E-LO-dee", which means I would never use the name because obviously that's not the right pronunciation. Was gutted when I found out as I thought it was such a pretty name.

I suppose the upside of my parents calling me something really unusual is that nobody has any idea of the pronunciation before I tell them. Not saying having an unusual name isn't a pain though.

TatianaLarina · 16/10/2017 20:48

Nor is it DEE. In French you put stress on each syllable equally.

So TrafAALgar in English is Tra fal gah

Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.

Join Mumsnet Log In

This thread is closed and is no longer accepting replies. Click here to start a new thread.