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Baby names

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

Original poster

Spelling of name

58 replies

essexmuma · 09/10/2021 09:01

We've decided to call our daughter, due soon, Esmèe. We're decided on the name & love it so please no hate, but we can't seem to decide / agree on the spelling. We want it to be pronounced Ez-may not Ez-mee hence the accent use. Whilst I agree Esmè looks a bit neater, I can't shift the thought that I know Esmèe is the correct feminine spelling of the name and Esmè is masculine ( I speak French although am not French ) & thought if we're going to use it we should it properly but now I feel unsure. Thoughts?

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InkKeepsRunning · 11/10/2021 09:57

@Blubells

Also the use of the accent, is very very unlikely to make British people pronounce it any more correctly.

Really? I would think that most people have learned In French lessons how to pronounce é?

Esme without the accent reads as Es-me.

The most common spelling of the name in English is Esme - and is most commonly pronounced Es-May. English isn’t a language which is always pronounced phonically and so doesn’t need an accent to do that.

We could take a straw poll, but given the number of kids taking GCSE french has HALVED in the last 15 yrs, I think the likelihood of people when she is a grown up thinking “oh yes - I know, that must is a top right / bottom left accent - so I must pronounce it ay” is very very small and apparently getting significantly smaller.

I’m pretty sure if you’re not well informed enough to know how Esme is pronounced, you’re unlikely to be be well enough informed to know what to do with an accent (which doesn’t exist in the English language).

As I said above - even the mother thinking of using the name didn’t know which way the accent went. That’s not a criticism of her (I didn’t know either) but just the reality of the use of the accent.

Blubells · 10/10/2021 10:03

Also the use of the accent, is very very unlikely to make British people pronounce it any more correctly.

Really? I would think that most people have learned In French lessons how to pronounce é?

Esme without the accent reads as Es-me.

InkKeepsRunning · 10/10/2021 08:35

I’m not a stupid person, quite computer literate, and not bad a languages.

However, I wouldn’t be sure of how to type the correct accent if I was inputting it into a form. With the accent, I think you’re setting her up for a world of pain with official forms / email addresses / banks / bills etc when she grows up.

Clearly it wouldn’t be impossible, but it would be more difficult.

Also the use of the accent, is very very unlikely to make British people pronounce it any more correctly. They say it in all of the possible ways - whether you write with an accent or not.

If you love the accent, go for it, but the fact that even you as a person who wants to call their child that name got it wrong, speaks volumes about what will happen as she tries to use it in her life.

daisypond · 10/10/2021 08:29

I would assume Esmee is Ez-may because of the French spelling, even if it does not have the accent. Esme would be Ez-mee because that’s the British spelling.

PurBal · 10/10/2021 08:26

@HettieHelvetica

Appologies, I really should learn to proof read. One E would equal Ez-MAY, two would equal Ez-MEE.
This
Original poster
essexmuma · 10/10/2021 08:25

@Ikeatears

Dh is useless at languages. He reads things as he sees them. I asked him: Esmé - he said EzMay Esmeé - he said Esmee
Haha love this, the best way to tell! Thank you Smile
OP posts:
Original poster
essexmuma · 10/10/2021 08:22

@LorenzoVonMatterhorn

Esmé is the traditional male spelling, Esmée the feminine spelling. However, in English speaking countries Esmé is definitely more used for feminine.

Theres no y sound at the end. It is more like ez-mae.

I know a few now and nobody has any issue with knowing it is pronounced Ez-mae. It has increased so much in popularity in the past 15 years I would no longer class it as a name people couldn't cope with pronouncing. People cope perfectly well with Tresemmé and café.

Great examples thank you
OP posts:
daisypond · 09/10/2021 21:27

If it helps OP in my head when I read these I read "Esmee" as Es-me and "Esme" as Es-may. If UK systems are likely to lose the accents you might be more likely to get the pronunciation you want with Esme.

I would pronounce those the opposite way.

Amdone123 · 09/10/2021 19:32

We have an Esme. We pronounce it Es - may, and have never encountered anything different.

neededafart · 09/10/2021 19:31

I looked and the spelling and immediately thought 'Ez-may'

I don't think you'll have a problem.

Even if people pronounce it wrong, just correct them.

Beautiful name btw.

SquigglePigs · 09/10/2021 19:25

@Nap1983

My name is spelt with an accent….. I have never used it ever in the history of writing my name. Waste of time! Esmee or Esme are both lovely
If it helps OP in my head when I read these I read "Esmee" as Es-me and "Esme" as Es-may. If UK systems are likely to lose the accents you might be more likely to get the pronunciation you want with Esme.
Original poster
essexmuma · 09/10/2021 19:23

@EdgeOfACoin

In my experience, the vast majority of English people have just enough exposure to French at school to know how to pronounce é.

Most people will know how to pronounce Esmé. And if one or two need correcting - so what? It won't take long.

Totally true! Thank you
OP posts:
KirstenBlest · 09/10/2021 19:21

How does he cope with names of greek origin. Thomas for example?

Ikeatears · 09/10/2021 19:01

Dh is useless at languages. He reads things as he sees them. I asked him:
Esmé - he said EzMay
Esmeé - he said Esmee

ShuddaBeenMe · 09/10/2021 18:59

I would say Ez mee too unless written as Esmae which isn't as pretty

TertiusLydgate · 09/10/2021 18:52

If I saw your added ‘e’, I’d assume it was because your wanted to pronounce it Ezmee.

Esme is fine, with or without the acute accent.

Clara91 · 09/10/2021 18:49

I think people will just see the the two ees and say Ez-mee so I'd stick to the traditional spelling.

MrsFin · 09/10/2021 18:46

It's Esmée. Or Esmé.

Using a grave accent changes the pronunciation, and is wrong anyway.

scottishnames · 09/10/2021 18:34

It's nothing whatsoever to do with Esmeralda, which means Emerald. www.behindthename.com/name/esmeralda

Esme is a French-language past participle used as an adjective and means 'esteemed' or - at a stretch - 'loved'.
In French, it has an acute accent on the first or only e. If masculine, there's just one e. If feminine, two x e with an acute accent on the first.

It was introduced to the UK by a male favourite of bisexual king James VI.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esm%C3%A9_Stewart,_1st_Duke_of_Lennox

It's pronounced es-meh or (less accurately) es-may.

TatianaBis · 09/10/2021 18:27

Knowing the British the Esmée spelling will lead to Esmee pronunciation.

So I’d stick to the Esmé spelling.

RuthW · 09/10/2021 17:47

I would still pronounce it Ez- me. I would only say it the 'new' way if it was Esmae.

EdgeOfACoin · 09/10/2021 17:43

In my experience, the vast majority of English people have just enough exposure to French at school to know how to pronounce é.

Most people will know how to pronounce Esmé. And if one or two need correcting - so what? It won't take long.

Blubells · 09/10/2021 16:31

Even if some English speakers don't know what an é is, the op should spell the name correctly imo. Because many do know. And hopefully the op's dd will too.

Alfxn · 09/10/2021 16:15

If you prefer the correct spelling OP, then definitely use it.
I am Irish and if I lived in the UK I would still spell and pronounce my children's Irish names the original/correct way. I certainly wouldn't change them to an incorrect spelling to please hypothetical strangers! People who matter to you will learn your child's name.

(However, I wouldn't be fussy/pedantic about using an accent/fada etc on computer records - I think it's ok to accept some limitations with computer based text )

LorenzoVonMatterhorn · 09/10/2021 15:59

@CloseYourEyesAndSee

The fact that a few self selecting people on a mumsnet thread know the difference between an acute and a grave accent does not mean most English speakers will do. I mean, fine, spell it how you want, but don't kid yourself that the accent will mean people know how you want it pronounced.
But it is how the name is pronounced AND how the name is spelt, not how op wants it pronounced Hmm

And when you introduce the baby to people you say it. Most people wont even need to know theres an accent. As you will say the name to them.

I cannot imagine op ever having a conversation on the street with someone going something like…
Op: her name is esme with an acute accent
Randomer: oh an accent?! I cant work that pronunciation out! Ez-meee?