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Baby names

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

Original poster

Names you aren't sure how to pronounce

387 replies

whatausername · 10/04/2020 20:22

Since we're all inside for the foreseeable future...

What are some names you're not quite sure how to pronounce? We'll see if we can help each other. But do take answers with a pinch of salt given the wide variety of accents we all have!

For me: Hebe (hee-bee?) and João leave me feeling uncertain.

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sugarcherry · 15/04/2020 17:51

I know a Gildas
Never know how to pronounce his name

AngelaScandal · 15/04/2020 17:48

@Londubh beat me to it :)

AngelaScandal · 15/04/2020 17:47

Og - Oh-g (oh as in snow), Irish for 'Junior' so usually paired with Dad/Grandad's first name

Fionan - F-yun-aw-n

Caiohme Qweeva or Keeva depending on where you live and how your Irish is spoken

LadyEloise · 15/04/2020 17:46

HarrietM87
Ailbhe I would pronounce as Alva

KeyPerfect
I would pronounce Isolde ( beautiful name )
as Iz ol da

Iseult I would pronounce as Eesult

LizzieAnt · 15/04/2020 17:44

@HarrietM87
I've only heard it pronounced as Al-veh, so like your friend and not the book. It was originally a male name I think, but I've only ever heard it used for girls.

MikeUniformMike · 15/04/2020 17:41

It's a bit dated. It's from Ionawr, welsh for January.

Iola is similar and AFAIK is the female version of Iolo
Yoll-ah and Yollo' respectively , o' to suggest that it sounds like o in got, not. It's lot Yo-Low

Geepipe · 15/04/2020 17:40

Yeah legal name is on the birth cert and known as nane is whatever they want to be called day to day. Liz might be the legal name or could be short for elizabeth. I know an Abby whos legal name is Abby. Shes 'known by' her legal name whereas im known as my nickname rather than my full legal name.

fourpeasinapod · 15/04/2020 17:38

Can somebody tell me the difference between a legal name and a name somebody is known as in daily life.

So take somebody with the name Liz. Does this mean their name is recorded on their birth certificate as Liz or Elizabeth?

Geepipe · 15/04/2020 17:35

@londubh thank you for the explanation thats really helpful. Shamefully i know the people with these names but have only seen them written as we live so far away.

HarrietM87 · 15/04/2020 17:32

So I’m Irish and generally good on pronunciation of Irish names, but want to double check something.

I’m considering Ailbhe for my next baby (early days atm so have time!). I have a friend called this who pronounces it Alva. But I have an Irish name book which has it as “Alvy” or “Elvy” phonetically - that’s not right is it?!

Londubh · 15/04/2020 17:28

Sorry, you're quite right about Seoirse, @LizzieAnt.

LizzieAnt · 15/04/2020 17:28

*too

Londubh · 15/04/2020 17:25

@Geepipe, assuming you mean Óg (meaning young, usually added to someone's name to signify they're called after a parent or grandparent who is living) it rhymes with 'rogue'. So a boy named after his father Mícheál, might be called Mícheál Óg.

Fionnán is Fyunn-AWN. Caoimhe is either Keev-uh or Queev-uh depending on region, but there's a diphthong in the 'aoi' sound which makes is slightly more complicated than 'ee' but which I couldn't write!

LizzieAnt · 15/04/2020 17:24

@theschoolonthehill
I agree with @Londubh. The Sor-sha pronunciation is simply wrong in the Irish language, though a lot of people do use it. Seoirse (George) is Shore-sheh though. The first S is pronounced Sh.

Geepipe · 15/04/2020 17:19

Thanks Mike thats interesting i know 2 ionas online and im sure they are both january birthdays!

Londubh · 15/04/2020 17:16

The other says her name as Sor-Sha.

But it's wrong. The collection of letters 'Sorcha' do not make the sounds 'Sor-sha' in Irish. 'Ch' is always a sound like the 'ch' at the end of loch see also taoiseach, cailleach, dorcha etc. Unfortunately a minority of people even Irish people, who should know better -- seem to confuse Sorcha with Seoirse, which is the Irish version of George, and pronounced roughly as 'SORE-sha'.

MikeUniformMike · 15/04/2020 17:11

Iona - I own a

but, in Wales you get Iona pronounced Yonna. Usually indicates a January birthday

Geepipe · 15/04/2020 17:09

Iona

Geepipe · 15/04/2020 17:09

Og
Fionan
Caiohme

MikeUniformMike · 15/04/2020 17:08

Iago pron. Yaggo is welsh. The o is like the o in Not , got etc

The same goes for Guto. Gitto'

Pemba · 15/04/2020 17:06

Maya should be said 'my-a'. The other way is a mistake.

theschoolonthehill · 15/04/2020 17:06

I know two people Sorcha, they are both from and living in Dublin.

One says her name is Sor-Ka.
The other says her name as Sor-Sha.

Personally I prefer the second way as it is much softer.

MikeUniformMike · 15/04/2020 17:04

I would pronounce Maia and Mya ar My-a, and Maya as Maya.
Kaia and Kaiya are both the same.
Gaia - guy-ah

MikeUniformMike · 15/04/2020 16:58

Isolde - Izz-OL-duh
Iseult - IZult

Ceri and Kerry and Keri all sound exactly the same. All are unisex.

Jago is Jay-go, but Iago can be Yaggo or Ee-Ah-go

sageandroses · 15/04/2020 16:57

There was a Maya pronounced May-a on Emmerdale a while back... it sounded all wrong, IMO it should be 'My-a'

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