Lucia

I suppose I'm just talking as someone with personal experience of a name mispronounced by people who read or remember it incorrectly. It happens almost every time someone reads out my name and people who know me and have known me for a long time often get it wrong.

Good grief. On this board it is regularly said that "Fleur" sounds like "Bleurgh" and whatever other soundalikes, but Loo-sha sounding like looser is somehow debatable?

They are one 'h' apart.

Exactly and that h makes a big difference

Apart from anything else the LOO-SHA prononciation sounds like "looser".

How does Loosha sound like looser?!

How does it not? They are one 'h' apart.

I also know a Lucian who pronounces his name Loo-shan. He's English.

But I know that in Italian it would be Loo-chian.

Apart from anything else the LOO-SHA prononciation sounds like "looser".

How does Loosha sound like looser?!

Basically every child I teach (at an international school) has to correct the pronunciation of their name when they meet new people, because guess what? Not everyone lives in Little England, not everyone is British, and some British people move to other countries. Outside the bubble it’s quite normal for people to have names that need some initial explanation, and it’s not a big deal.

I know of one, she's 10 and her mother says loosha

(so I always think loo-chee-a)

Reminds me of Mapp and Lucia and their fierce provincial rivalry. Nice enough name though.

If people read it, even when they know how you want it pronounced, they will often automatically read it out as they see it. For the rest of her life, your DD will be communicating with people who haven't met her previously, some of whom she won't meet face to face ever. They will see her name written and she will always be correcting them. That's all we're saying.

I would pronounce Lucia as St Lucia, so Loo-sha.

Maria, Anna etc. have been around in the UK since medieval times.

Again. Îm not disputing they've been USED in the U.K. for centuries, but Ann is the original English spelling, Anne was French and Anna was the Italian variant. Now they've all become standard here.

That's strange I know two other Eastern European Zofias who both pronounce it the same as Sofia but with a z sound at the beginning. Maybe a regional thing?
The family I'm talking about are English.
And Foggyday my comment was neither so get back in your box dear.

ZOFia is right, with the emphasis on the first syllable. It's a common name in Eastern Europe. I'd always pronounce Lucia the Italian way first, and then the Spanish way second.

@troppibambini the name Zofia is of Eastern European origin. It's my aunt's name, and also my sister's, and they both emphasise the first syllable as you describe. In fact my aunt is mostly known as Zof (I suppose this is an anglicised nickname for it, rather than the traditional Zosia, pronounced ZOSHa). Yes, it's a version of Sophia/Sophie, but the stress pattern is different. Your comment was intolerant and ignorant.

Lucia pronounced Lu-see-uh? I like it.

I loved it and was going to use it for my dd who is now 8. In the end I called her Lucy.

There are multiple children in her school with names that are pronounced wrong so I'm glad I did and she's only one of two in the whole school with her name.

Sorry but you are wrong.

Maria, Anna etc. have been around in the UK since medieval times.

Hence the island name. In the same way we had Mary and Maria, Clare and Clara, Ann(e) and Anna.

Those are perfect examples of British v Continental name pairs.

Of course people use international names but anglicising the pron. IS cultural imperialism, and always has been.

Cole no I don't think it's anything to do with British cultural imperialism, changing words of foreign origin etc. That's a different thing altogether.

Lucia, like Lucy, derives from Latin, and has been around as an alternative to Lucy for centuries in the UK, just a lot less popular than Lucy. It was pronounced 'loo-sha'. Hence the island name. In the same way we had Mary and Maria, Clare and Clara, Ann(e) and Anna.

At the same time, in Italy and Spain and other countries they also had the name 'Lucia' with a Latin origin, pronounced variously 'loo-chee-a', 'loo-see-a' 'loo-thee-a' etc. Lucia was a lot more popular in these countries, and of course they didn't use Lucy. In France they used Lucie (or Luce I believe).

Now Lucia is becoming popular over here, often with the Italian or Spanish pronunciation, but it is certainly not just an Italian or Spanish name.

Lucia the place is pronounced Loosh-iah but I think most people would know the name is pronounced Luce-eah.

I think it looks Italian though, odd looking in comparison to alternatives like Lucy but okay.