Fleur or Fflur?

I don't like the name Fflur but it is a genuine Welsh name and I am shocked at how disrespectful some posters have been about it. It is very hard to pronounce for even a good Welsh learner. The u sound doesn't have an exact English equivalent. Much trickier than Ll and Ch. It isn't pronounced like Fleur. I would avoid it if you are not Welsh speaking. There are Welsh names that are much easier for English people to say and are prettier.

What if she goes up to the north of England? People will call her 'fluuuuuuu' sounds like a cat with a hair ball caught in its throat.

I think I'd sound like a Scouser trying to say Fleur if I tried to pronounce Fflur correctly.

As she gets older people will call her flower or even worse flour

Daffydd is not a name - it's not less common - it's wrong! The name is Dafydd, commonly mispronounced as Daffyd.

OP, Fflur is a lovely name. We live very close to Ystrad Fflur (Strata Florida) and considered it for DD2's middle name but went with another local connection - Elan in the end! Some of the responses here are but sadly I'm not surprised.

Daffydd is also a name, albeit less common.

I have a name which I think is only used in the English language and is uncommon. Nobody can spell it and many people can't pronounce it where I live now. I get called totally different names and always have to be open minded when looking for my name on a list, and get certificates with only 20% of the letters correct. Luckily I don't like my name and am not attached to it, I have to get certificates redone which is a pain but I answer to all sorts of names.

It's like having a bit of gravel in your shoe, having a name nobody in the country you live in can spell or pronounce and I certainly avoided inflicting that on my children.

a lot of people have contact with a Daffydd

Dafydd only has one F. It’s a V sound.

The problem with Fflur isn’t the Ff - it’s reasonably intuitive to most Europeans that Ff = f and a lot of people have contact with a Daffydd or a Ffion.

But the u = EE (ish) is not a pronunciation that any anglophone would naturally guess - either sound to spelling or spelling to sound. And I can’t think of any well known name or word that would be a good example of how it works except Cymru am byth .

It’s not just a “how are you spelling that? OK, got it.” It’s a “How are you spelling that? Um, sorry? Can you repeat that?” Which is not the end of the world for a name you really love but it’s a pain.

As mentioned by PPs Irish names don't get this reaction.

They certainly use to. I knew a Sinéad and a Saoirse in my 20s and their names were butchered. The only reason anyone learned them was famous people. O'Connor and Ronan for example.

I don't like either BTW, mainly because people who aren't French or Welsh will mispronounce them all the time. I lived in mainland Europe for years and have an English name no one there can pronounce and it is wearing. I had to change it to a local version for most people and I felt a bit sad about it. I make an effort to always pronounce people's names properly but I get the piss taken for doing it.

Dreichuplands people consider pronunciation of English and international names if they live in a country with a different language. As this is an English language forum those threads are less frequent, but there are threads discussing how names will go down in Spainish speaking countries etc etc.

True. I'm dutch and if one of my friends would tell me they were thinking of naming their son Cock I would advise against it because of its rude meaning in English. No joke, It's a real name, I've met a few (middle aged and older) men called Cock.

*should say fluff and fur!

Fflur is too close to both fluff and fleur for my tastes but I like Fleur.

I don't like Fleur or Fflur they just don't sound pleasant to my ear and I know several furry (ffurry!) Fflurs which always puts me off.

FFlur looks to me like you wanted to swear but then changed your mind can't help but read it as F-fleur , sorry.

Not a massive fan of Fleur, sounds French to me.

I certainly don't hate Welsh names, but Fflur really isn't doing it for me.

If people didn't care they wouldn't ask. If the only acceptable response is "lovely" (as it is face to face) there is no point at all in this board existing and no way of finding out what anyone really thinks.

frenchonion if all you post about your children's names is "you lot would lose your shit" with a laughing emoji then it sounds as though you are delighted to believe that your choices are "out there". You didn't mention them being Welsh.

People living in another language always consider the reception their names will get and choose with that in mind. Lots of us bring our children up abroad and think carefully about how names will fare in our adopted languages, and how they'll label our children, and whether they'll help or hinder them.

I'm sorry if you didn't pick up on the implication, but yes they have Welsh names. And no, I haven't named them to be inflammatory ffs. Laughing face was because if monoglot english speakers are struggling with accepting that fflur is a nice normal welsh name and really isn't difficult to pronounce then theyd be losing their minds over very cymraeg names. Yes I am losing my shit! Put yourself in the shoes of someone who is having their culture and language insulted in a major way. And on top of that the suggestion that their DC are saddled with their names. Welsh seem to be fair game for some reason.

I'm actually aghast at this thread. Replace the Welsh name with an Asian name for example and think of how you'd have responded. Welsh is a beautiful language.

frenchonion who's losing their shit now You didn't say your DC had Welsh names, you said their names would make people "lose their shit" with a laughing face. That suggested that you deliberately gave them names chosen hoping to provoke a reaction. Which is bloody cruel and very much saddling them with names which you knew from the outset would make their lives harder.

Anotheranotherone how rude. My DC are not 'saddled' with their Welsh names any more than any other person with a non English name. Get to fuck.

Irish names don't get this reaction

Oh man, they totally do.

I absolutely LOVE Fleur, I think it's so beautiful

I cannot believe how extremely rude and offensive some people on this thread are! My name actually is Fflur, and is common amongst first language Welsh speakers, especially as a middle name. The only people who struggle with it are the English surprisingly enough , otherwise I only receive compliments about how pretty it is. Some non Welsh speakers mispronounce it as "Fleur", but most make an effort to pronounce properly after being corrected. As a West Walian, my pronunciation is more like "Fleer".
To the people who said is looks like a "typo" or "sounds like a lurgy" or "not a real name" - think about how you would feel seeing a thread of people bashing your (normal and common) Welsh name!