Active discussions

Help protect children from gaming harms.

Take our survey

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Baby names

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

Original poster

Gentian

36 replies

coffi123 · 18/07/2022 15:42

I think I can guess your replies for this one but… Gentian for a boy, the ‘G’ is pronounced as in ‘golf’. We like the name because it has significance in our family, it’s a foreign name that origins in the country my partner is from. I think it won’t work in an English speaking country because people don’t know how to pronounce it, and I’m worried that he’s be called/autocorrected ‘genital’.
Am I right? Or any chance this name would work in the UK?

(I swear this is a genuine question. Gentian is being used as a name in other countries. It’s an old Illyrian name).

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Set a reminder
New posts on this thread. Refresh page
Luredbyapomegranate · 18/07/2022 21:20

Genital was my first thought, so no.

BreadInCaptivity · 18/07/2022 21:10

I actually really like it...especially if it reflects your DP's heritage.

Original poster
coffi123 · 18/07/2022 21:00

Thanks for pointing me to this other thread @ParasiticMicrowasp, I haven’t seen it yet and that wasn’t me posting.
@ everyone thanks for your feedback. Indeed my partner is also Albanian and it’s not uncommon there.
glad to hear that not everyone immediately thinks ‘genital’ when reading the name, that was my biggest fear. But I see that pronunciation is an issue. Maybe using it as a middle name instead isn’t a bad idea

OP posts:
chiffchaffchiff · 18/07/2022 19:25

I had a boyfriend from Albania called Gentian. When we were at school he was nicknamed Genti (with a g like garden rather than the J sound of generation). Never occurred to me or anyone else to associate it with genitals 🤣 Also when he said how to pronounce his name once it was easy to say. I've struggled more with other names that felt more unnatural to pronounce correctly.

PeekAtYou · 18/07/2022 17:18

I would assume "gent" as in gentleman then guess "tee uhn"

BlackbirdsSinging · 18/07/2022 17:12

Definitely Gentian Violet. Like all the science lessons. Pronounced Jen-tee-un.

GCHeretic · 18/07/2022 17:12

RAL 5010 is Gentian Blue.

LightSpeeds · 18/07/2022 17:06

It's quite close in spelling to 'genital'

Jellybean23 · 18/07/2022 16:59

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gentiana

KirstenBlest · 18/07/2022 16:59

It's a boy's name pronounced Ghent-ee-ann, and not particularly unusual in countries like Albania
but it's also a blue flower pronounced Jenshun, so he will be assumed to be a girl and have to correct a lot of people on the pronunciation

ParasiticMicrowasp · 18/07/2022 16:58

Have you already posted this? There was a thread on this exact name back in March: https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/baby_names/4515514-unusual-name-pronunciation

Jellybean23 · 18/07/2022 16:54

It's the name of a flower, most boys/ men wouldn't want a flower as their name.

pinklavenders · 18/07/2022 16:52

I would say Gen-tee-an with a hard G

It's really not difficult for English speakers once explained to them

TuftyMarmoset · 18/07/2022 16:52

TuftyMarmoset · 18/07/2022 16:51

I wouldn’t. 100% of people are going to pronounce it wrong - I can’t think of any English word where a hard g comes before an e. I’d look for something else.

I posted this and then immediately remembered the word get 🤣 but I stand by the principle that it doesn’t fit general English pronunciation patterns and everyone will get it wrong

CelestialGalaxy · 18/07/2022 16:51

@SatinHeart well I didn't know that!

TuftyMarmoset · 18/07/2022 16:51

I wouldn’t. 100% of people are going to pronounce it wrong - I can’t think of any English word where a hard g comes before an e. I’d look for something else.

CelestialGalaxy · 18/07/2022 16:49

ApolloandDaphne · 18/07/2022 15:45

I think of it as in gentian violet but the g sound is more like in gen, so gen-shun. I wouldn't think of it as a boys name at all.

You do/did chemistry too then 😁

ldontWanna · 18/07/2022 16:45

By looking at it I'd pronounce it Jen-ts (like in pizza)ee- ahn .

AppleHa · 18/07/2022 16:41

Well every day is a school day - I have obviously only ever seen gentian violet written down, as I didn't know it was pronounced jen-shun and have always pronounced it jen -tee -an - in my head, I don't know as I have ever had cause to say it...

SpottyStripyDuvet · 18/07/2022 16:41

I work with a female Gentian (pronounced Jen-she-an)

Rodion · 18/07/2022 16:39

I've only known a female Gentian so it doesn't sound masculine at all to me. It's nice though.

bitelover · 18/07/2022 16:33

I think you could use it, but he'd probably have to correct the pronunciation a lot. But at the same time, I don't think it has significantly more problems than other non-English names, if you see my point? The spelling is fairly simple. He would just have to teach people how to pronounce it.

SatinHeart · 18/07/2022 16:04

Agree with pp that I think you'll be constantly having to correct people pronouncing it with a soft G in the UK. I would have pronounced it Jen-tee-an (because that's how I would pronounce Gentian violet)

The fact that Gentian violet is a treatment for thrush/ringworm/athlete's foot doesn't make me like it much as a name I'm afraid.

cushioncovers · 18/07/2022 15:59

I would have said Jen shun

CotswoldWoolly · 18/07/2022 15:51

It makes me think of one of the dormitories in the Chalet School books!