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Baby names

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

Original poster

Dahlia Blythe

37 replies

Talissa · 25/04/2021 19:07

  • What are your honest thoughts on this name?
  • What kind of girl do you picture?
  • Rate 0-10

Pronounced:

D - as in d̲am
A - as in ba̲t, ca̲n
L - as in l̲amp
y - as in y̲eti
ə - as in a̲bout

B - as in b̲ed
L - as in l̲amp
IE - as in bi̲te, ki̲nd
DH - as in t̲h̲en

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Edenember · 26/04/2021 09:08

The name isn’t to my taste but there’s nothing wrong with it, until the pronunciation became an issue. Nobody will naturally pronounce if the way you’ve instructed because it’s not one of the accepted pronunciations. It’s burdensome, imo, to set a child up for a lifetime of correcting people by giving them an established name with a non-standard pronunciation.

FizzyApricot · 26/04/2021 07:24

I don't like Blythe, unless it's a family name I wouldn't use it.

Any name where it needs a pronounciation guide and even then it's not clear is a no for me but that's just me.

Santatizer · 26/04/2021 07:08

Honest opinion - I really don't like it and it is just not pronounced like that. Day-lia or Dar-lia or spell it differently. Delia is a better choice. Blythe - don't like it all. It's a surname for me.

EmpressWitchDoesntBurn · 26/04/2021 06:41

Dahlia would make me think of Bertie Wooster’s Aunt Dahlia but you probably don’t need to worry overly much about that.

M0rT · 26/04/2021 06:28

The R pronunciation is because some English accents put "r"s after "a"s. So eg Joanna becomes Joannar.
It only matters if you live in a part of England with that accent.
I love Dahlia Blythe and would pronounce it Dah-li-a.

ILoveStickers · 26/04/2021 06:11

Yeah, the pronunciation guides in behindthename are sometimes very weird (which is odd because their other info is quite good).

I would also say it day-lee-a, but if you're in the USA it's probably dah-lee-a with the first vowel of "father".

Nice enough name, a bit vintagey for me personally.

JemimaJoy · 26/04/2021 00:23

(the pronunciation is because of the 'h'. If you want it with a short a sound then lose the 'h' maybe)

Ineedaneasteregg · 26/04/2021 00:22

I have to agree I know two ways to pronounce the name in the UK and neither of them are the way you are suggesting.

Provided you don't mind everyone mispronouncing it in your eyes at least the first time then it is a nice name.

JemimaJoy · 26/04/2021 00:15

I think youre saying Dahlia wrong (I know two - both said like dar(rhymes with car)-lia. Doesn't sound right with a short 'a' sound.

I like the name though.

IamnotwhouthinkIam · 25/04/2021 21:24

Dahlia Blythe is lovely imo - very elegant sounding. If you don't want the floral Day-lee-ah pronunciation (which you will get at least 50% of the time in the UK), I'd consider using the Hebrew Dalia spelling instead (which as far as I know is always pronounced Dah - lee -ah).

Having said that, pronunciation issues haven't affected the popularity of Top 100 Esme (Ez -may or Ez -mee), Maya (My -ah or May -ah) or Thea (Thee -ah or Tay -ah) etc - so maybe it doesn't matter.

8dpwoah · 25/04/2021 20:40

Fair enough, I take an amount of my patronising comment back. The long Dar-lee-ah pronunciation is I think from the h (as in "oh I see, ah") but isn't common here. Dahlias are popular flowers in the UK so that's why most of us are naturally pronouncing it that way and the short a Day-lee-ah is how you say the flower.

tsmainsqueeze · 25/04/2021 20:35

A character in an Agatha Christie.

PolarnOPirate · 25/04/2021 20:32

So no ‘a as in bat, cat’ then?

Original poster
Talissa · 25/04/2021 20:30

I only the copied the pronunciation from behindthename.

But yeah I pronounce the name like dah-lee-ah and not day-lee-ah (which I believe is the british pronunciation). dar-lee-ah... that I don't understand when the name doesn't even have an r in it.

OP posts:
YesPleaseMary · 25/04/2021 20:20

It’s all a bit Anne of Green Gables...

Tavannach · 25/04/2021 20:19

Blythe is lovely, Dahlia not so much. (Your pronunciation of it is the only one I’ve ever heard.)

minipie · 25/04/2021 20:17

So like Dally-er? To my mind that’s a mispronunciation and the correct pronunciation is Dar-lee-er or Day-lee-er.

Blythe I love.

ladygindiva · 25/04/2021 20:15

I like it, esp if pronounced Dale ee a. Its nice.

Borris · 25/04/2021 20:15

Sounds like dally-er.

Day-lia is nicer but I think there are prettier flower names out there. Don't like Blythe at all. Sorry

annaboo2 · 25/04/2021 20:14

Are you American? I’ve heard both pronunciations but the one you prefer is the more common pronunciation in the United States. I prefer that pronunciation but if you are in the UK you may want to spell it differently so there is no confusion. I think the combination of Dahlia and Blythe is lovely!

megletthesecond · 25/04/2021 20:06

They'll have a lifetime of people pronouncing it "wrong".
Big no.

DramaAlpaca · 25/04/2021 20:05

I know how both names are pronounced, thanks. Dahlia is not pronounced the convoluted way you are trying to suggest it is. To get your pronunciation I suggest you drop the 'h', or spell it with two 'l's.

I don't like Dahlia much as a name, and I strongly dislike Blythe.

UnprecedentedPoster · 25/04/2021 20:05

Dahlia pronounced your way would make me think procrastinating. Like "stop dallying about, you dilly dallyer". Or dallying in someone else's business.

Dahlia pronounced day-lee-uh, or dar-lee-uh is a lovely name though :) but you will find yourself always having to clarify which pronunciation.

I cannot even begin to imagine how else anyone might pronounce Blythe..! But it's also a good name. Different vibe to Dahlia, but not necessarily bad to mix it up :)

PolarnOPirate · 25/04/2021 20:01

Ps why is there an H in it if it’s pronounced Dalya?

TheWaif · 25/04/2021 20:01

I do kind of link it in my mind to the black dahlia murders though.

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