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Baby names

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Original poster

Unexpected ways your baby's names are mispronounced

202 replies

CoalCraft · 10/11/2022 01:06

I have two daughters, Beatrix and Lois. I thought these were two classic names with a single settled pronunciation each, with minimal room for misinterpretation, at least by native English speakers. Both was I wrong!

For the avoidance of doubt, we pronounce these names...

  • bee-uh-trix
  • lo-iss

And yet DD1 is often called "beet-rix" and DD2 is often called "Loyce", as in rhyming with voice.

i usually let the first go as I just think "close enough", but I can't resist correcting "loyce" 🤢

Beatrix is sometimes also called "Beatrice", which is an understandable mix up that we did expect but is annoying when even family do it, and Lois is often misheard as "Lewis" so that people assume she's a boy. Not bothered by either of these when the general public do it though.

So what unexpected mispronunciations or misinterpretations did you encounter after naming your baby?

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TheOriginalEmu · 04/02/2023 21:45

KirstenBlest · 26/11/2022 12:32

I know an Eoin, and when I had only seen the name on paper, I thought it looked like a Gaeilge form of John, so my inclination was that it might be pronounced Ee-in/Ian. Fortunately, I asked someone, and she said 'Owen'. When I hear the name Eoin Morgan, I think of a welsh man called Owen. Owen and Eoin don't have the same meaning.

They aren’t pronounced the same either really. People (even in Wales)will pronounce Owen as Ow-in, but in Welsh it’s O-Wen. With an eh sound not an ih or an uh.

LizzieAnt · 04/02/2023 21:15

LittlemissMama67 · 04/02/2023 09:08

I have a daughter named Orla but we like in the east of England. We pronounce it Or-luh

is that incorrect?

You can hear the name said in this link.

forvo.com/word/orla_fitzsimons/

Lolacat1234 · 04/02/2023 10:26

I have an Elodie - pronounced eh-lo-dee, it doesn't look hard to pronounce to me. But often people overthink it and say E (like capital E sound) and "low" so it sounds like eee-low-dee. It makes me laugh! I always correct. It meant once we were in A&E for an extra hour as I didn't hear the nurse call her name as she said it like that and it was soooo busy and loud.

KirstenBlest · 04/02/2023 10:09

@LittlemissMama67 , it tends to sound like Aw-luh in parts of the UK that don't have a rhotic accent. The irish pronunciation is mor like Orr-lah.

KirstenBlest · 04/02/2023 10:06

@ClannadSinger , but it is Will-yum.

ClannadSinger · 04/02/2023 09:14

William. Annoys the hell out of me when people say Will-yum !

Thankfully he's old enough now that most people call him Will.

LittlemissMama67 · 04/02/2023 09:09

Live*

LittlemissMama67 · 04/02/2023 09:08

I have a daughter named Orla but we like in the east of England. We pronounce it Or-luh

is that incorrect?

CoffeeChocolateWine · 03/02/2023 17:34

@LorenzoVonMatterhorn, yes sorry, not very good at explaining it! But I-riss I meant with a very short I sound like in phonics and the word 'in' or 'it', rather than my DD's pronunciation which is eye-riss.

Pjmasksonrepeat · 03/02/2023 17:27

In the family we have an Evelyn pronounced Eve Lyn bit people always pronounce it the more popular way of Ever lyn. Theres also a Bethany who gets stephanie or Becky when on calls.

mathanxiety · 03/02/2023 16:41

And 'ett' for 'ate' is an older pronunciation of the word. It's common in Ireland among older generations.

mathanxiety · 03/02/2023 16:39

@contrary13

Aoife is 'Eefeh'.
Eoin is 'Owin', sometimes rendered as Owen. There's very little difference.

Niamh is Nee-uv.

They're Irish names and follow Irish pronunciation rules.

mathanxiety · 03/02/2023 16:35

Interesting to see that the phrase 'butchering a name' apparently means 'not pronouncing it the English way'.

Smile
FayCarew · 03/02/2023 14:52

@LorenzoVonMatterhorn , I think she meant it gets said as Irriss not Eye-ris

dementedpixie · 03/02/2023 07:32

I-riss would be like the I in India or Igloo

LorenzoVonMatterhorn · 03/02/2023 06:33

CoffeeChocolateWine · 31/01/2023 09:31

My youngest DD is Iris. She occasionally gets called I-riss (I think it's a common European pronunciation) rather than Eye-riss, but mainly people get her name wrong and call her Ivy or Isla 😂

what to your ear is the difference between I-riss and eye-riss?

mathanxiety · 03/02/2023 03:27

@minmooch

Sadhbh is an Irish name.

It rhymes with five.

CoffeeChocolateWine · 31/01/2023 09:31

My youngest DD is Iris. She occasionally gets called I-riss (I think it's a common European pronunciation) rather than Eye-riss, but mainly people get her name wrong and call her Ivy or Isla 😂

TheOriginalEmu · 31/01/2023 04:01

inpixiehollow · 29/01/2023 02:27

My son is Asa, regularly get people saying 'ass-er' and also assuming he's female? The name is biblical and as old as time, so I genuinely didn't think it would baffle so many people.

I love the name Asa. ❤️

Owlyhedgehog · 30/01/2023 21:53

My DD is Delilah and mainly at the doctors surgery she is called Delia! Im always correcting them!

losingit31 · 30/01/2023 18:57

inpixiehollow · 29/01/2023 02:27

My son is Asa, regularly get people saying 'ass-er' and also assuming he's female? The name is biblical and as old as time, so I genuinely didn't think it would baffle so many people.

There is an Arab boy's name Aaser, pronounced ass-er - maybe some people have confused it with that.

inpixiehollow · 29/01/2023 02:27

My son is Asa, regularly get people saying 'ass-er' and also assuming he's female? The name is biblical and as old as time, so I genuinely didn't think it would baffle so many people.

Rahrahrahraah · 28/01/2023 22:54

Cora pronounced as Cara. I think it must be an accent thing (or maybe they are hedging their bets as there is a Cara in the class too 🤔).

BridieConvert · 28/01/2023 21:27

My daughter Raegan (Ray-gan) has been pronounced Ree-gan a few times. Annoying because I chose the spelling to try and make the pronunciation more obvious 😂

HopelesslyHopeful87 · 25/01/2023 10:00

I have a Millicent and she gets Melissa a lot. And over the phone people sometimes think her name is medicine!