I love a baby name but worried about mispronunciation

Don't worry about it. I have a name that (allegedly 😉) can be pronounced in 2 ways. I don't correct people unless they ask which version I'd prefer. I do tell people the correct way when we first met (obviously).

I have never understood why people shorten someone's name 'automatically'. I think it's really rude. Thank goodness my name doesn't have an obvious nickname. Although, I do remember a teacher trying to shorten my name (why?!) she asked if it was ok to call me her (horrific) shortened version of my name. I politely said no.

OP The name you have chosen is beautiful. Call your baby Georgiana and pronounce it how you prefer and correct people on her behalf (until she can do it herself) if they say it any other way.

When she gets older it will be up to her if she wants to shorten her name or not. But don't let people shorten her name now.

It will be constantly misspelt and mispronounce as Georgina. You have to accept that and decide on that basis.

@MyneighbourisTotoro Georgina and Georgiana are two different names

I have never heard that name being pronounced with a jay, it’s always been George-ee-na

What about Gianna, Gigi for nn

My experience of having a name like this would put me off giving it to a child personally, but again a lot depends on the person for how much it bothers them.

@eleanorsmellstrop Of course it works both ways- that's why
I said I can appreciate that it wouldn't be an issue for some people and that everyone is different. Of course you can express your opinion and I am also entitled to give mine.

My RL name (one ‘proper’ pronunciation, two established spellings) is pronounced a myriad different ways by different people. I can count six in use at work! I always need to spell it out too.

It really isn’t the big deal people make out on these threads, and based on my own experience of having a name like this it wouldn’t put me off giving one to a child. Friends, family and the vast majority of colleagues and acquaintances will get it right, and I really couldn’t care less if someone I’ve only just met pronounces my name wrongly. Among my circle of friends about half have names that people pronounce differently in practice, either because they are names that don’t have a long history in the UK and people aren’t familiar with them, they have more than one possible correct pronunciation or both (I know two men called Raj, but they don’t say it the same).

And just because it's an issue for you doesn't mean it will be for other people?

Works both ways.

Difference being that I always see people claiming it's some kind of massive struggle to say 'Actually it's George-ee-ar-nah', whereas I very rarely see people saying it's not really that hard.

OP asked for opinions and I gave mine, is that okay with you or shall I PM you for permission first next time? 😂

@eleanorsmellstrop People make out it's SO HARD to have a name with different pronunciations because everyone is different and for some people it is I have one of these names and I hate it- I find it incredibly awkward to correct people a lot of the time and really wish I had a name that everyone could say with no issues. However, I can appreciate that people are different and for some, it wouldn't bother them in the slightest. Just because it's not an issue for you doesn't mean it wouldn't be for other people.

Same

I know a little Georgiana and everyone pronounced it as you do, OP. Her nn is Gigi.

My dd is Georgiana and is 2 years old. Her name is constantly mispronounced! We just use Georgie most of the time but then people just assume her name is Georgia

I like Georgiana, and it was on my list if we had had a girl, but we had two boys 😊, who both have long names. Both use their full names as that's what I used from babies. Once they're old enough they can shorten, but then it's up to them. People will ask if they can shorten, you just say no. Also have a niece with a long name which isn't shortened. Go with what you like, you'll be saying it often enough! 😁

I would pronounce the same as you op - but I imagine the most common mistake will be people glancing at her name and calling her Georgina.

Georgina is a lovely name and less clunky imo, I'd go with that. Either way, she'll end up as George or Georgie!

My cousin is George-ee-arn-ah which is fine for family once familiar, but strangers often struggle e.g. at her baptism they kept saying Georgina.

I also think it's a tinsy pit pretentious but that's just taste preference.

I would pronounce it as you do.

Georgina I would pronounce George -ee-na

Can’t think why Georgiana would have a jay sound in it.

Georgie is a great shortening anyway.

I don't think the pronunciation is confusing. It's spelled pretty phonetically.

It is silly, because it makes no sense.

You just need to look at the spelling of Georgiana to know that the second syllable CAN'T be pronounced 'jay'. If there was even a chance for it to be correctly pronounced 'jay', the whole name would need to be spelled differently.

The 'gia' spelling can't possibly be correctly pronounced as 'jay'. Unless maybe if it was spelled 'Georgaina'.

Georgiana is pronounced 'George-ee-ar-nah' or at worst 'George-ee-anna'. But it's really not a problem to use a name with two pronounciations. You just simply introduce your child/they introduce themselves and ... done. People know how to say it.

If anyone ever does mispronounce it, a simple 'Sorry, it's _' will suffice.

I will never understand why MN tries to make out like it's SO HARD to have a name with a couple of different pronunciations.

I much prefer Georgiana to Eliana, the latter of which just seems dull as it fits in too well with all the El- names as well as the frilly vowel names.

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Georgiana, I'd pronounce it Georgee-anna, not georgee-onna
Elianna is almost a nice name but a bit indecisive or something.
Ellie+Anna. I like these two names but splicing them together doesn't work that well. Just to my ear. What about Melanie? Melania?

I would pronounce it like you. I have never heard anyone in real life say Geor-JAY-na. Given the spelling it makes no sense to me. I like it much more than Eliana.

I like it. And as for shortening, people only do if its an option. My name is long and can be easily shortened, it's also unusual. My mum never let anyone shorten and it never has been. People still ask but I say I don't shorten, it xxx