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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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Twizbe · 20/11/2022 08:38

My daughter is Cerys and we live in England.

I thought it was an obvious name, or at least heard of because of Cerys Matthews but no.

At the doctors it's always Seris or cerise

B1993 · 20/11/2022 08:27

I’m another that would pronounce Beatrix as ‘beer-trix’.

Lois would be an obvious one for me.

I have heard Isla been mispronounced before as is-la instead of eye-la.

My son had a nursery nurse called Niamh and, when looking at the name for the first time, double checked with my husband that it was in fact ‘n-eve’, but he had no idea! Of course it was but I can imagine that gets a lot of interesting mispronunciation.

I struggled with Sean as a young adult, too.

LineDryingBore · 20/11/2022 08:25

I have an Esme - we have a 50/50 split on people who say Ezmay, and people who say Ezmi. I think it was in the top 30 for popularity when she was born but we’ve only ever met one other Esme of a similar age to her in all her baby groups/nursery/and now school that she’s attended.

I don’t mind either pronunciation, neither does she

ConnieTucker · 20/11/2022 08:11

PrimarilyParented · 19/11/2022 23:47

@Dollydea i understand but I think the problem is that other people spell the name Mia and then expect the pronunciations you listed. I’m a teacher and currently have two students called Mia in the same class, one is my-a and the other is me-ah. It baffles me but it’s true.

Or those named Elle who think their names are Ellie.

or even worse all the various pronunciations of ciara.

PrimarilyParented · 19/11/2022 23:47

@Dollydea i understand but I think the problem is that other people spell the name Mia and then expect the pronunciations you listed. I’m a teacher and currently have two students called Mia in the same class, one is my-a and the other is me-ah. It baffles me but it’s true.

KirstenBlest · 19/11/2022 19:40

@DollyRose , about 15 years ago, I met the sweet young daughter of a colleague and I asked her name. I heard Dorothy, but she said 'no, Sophie'. As much as I love the name Sophie, I was slightly disappointed, it would have so suited her.

Spanielsarepainless · 19/11/2022 19:39

Never mind baby names, mine has an A in the middle, pronounced the short, northern way as in cat. Nearly everyone down here says it the longer southern way, as in cart. I've got used to it, but it's not my name!

SteveBuscemisRheumyEye · 19/11/2022 18:52

My Tabitha sometimes gets "Tabitah" or "Tabutha"

KirstenBlest · 19/11/2022 18:29

@UsingChangeofName , the german pronunciation is Izz-OL-duh

DollyRose · 19/11/2022 18:24

saysenato · 10/11/2022 06:36

I am a Sophie. I constantly get called Stacey over the phone. If I tell someone my name, Sophie, they repeat back 'Stacey'

I have no idea why it keeps happening but it's never stopped since I started making phone calls in my teens

I'm the exact same! I thought it was me not being clear in saying my own name 😂

mintich · 19/11/2022 18:23

So many people say Alexander instead of Alexandra. She's a 5 year old girl, amd very obviously a girl. I'll say it's Alexandra and they'll look at me blankly as they don't realise one is masculine and one is feminine. I find it so strange!

KirstenBlest · 19/11/2022 18:19

@CoalCraft , I imagine it depends on how old you are. It was pretty unusual when I was young, but it became a lot more popular in about the last thirty years. The Lois jeans brand is 'loyce'

UsingChangeofName · 19/11/2022 18:07

I’ve honestly never heard anyone pronounce the “a” in Beatrix apart from a an Italian friend. I thought the standard British pronunciation was 2 syllables (beer-trix / beet-rix).

But, to my ears, 'beer' is 2 syllables sort of half way between "bee-uh" and "bee-ah" which makes Beatrix 3 syllables.

I too would like to know how to pronounce Isolde Smile

gandalfspants · 19/11/2022 16:39

I'm an Andrea - 'Andreea'. I don't really mind 'Andreya'. Not keen on 'Awndreea' though. Never 'Andy' I had one colleague who tried it and I just said 'no' every time.

Used to get Anthea and Angela a lot but less so now.

DD is Astrid and one nurse did call out 'A-stride' once.

I've also been asked to spell it more times than I expected, and asked 'with a e?'.

I wanted something with only one spelling since our surname is bad enough and my family growing up were Carol (no e), Stewart (ew) and Stephen (ph).

Original poster
CoalCraft · 19/11/2022 15:51

I'm surprised at the number of people saying Lois is pronounced "loyce" in Wales - lived in Wales all my life and never heard it! I believe it, just surprised I haven't come across it!

OP posts:
ConnieTucker · 19/11/2022 13:27

stuntbubbles · 16/11/2022 10:47

I have an Enid who gets a lot of Edith, Edie, Eden. Even when she bellows it very clearly Grin Mostly I think the general public don’t pay much attention to anything that doesn’t directly concern them – the same way colleagues of mine who I’ve worked with for YEARS will reply to emails and call me “Juliette” or even “Juliett” when it’s “Juliet” and it’s RIGHT THERE in my email. (Not my real name but the equivalent spelling error.)

I am currently email someone re: work who keeps calling me John. He is going to get a shock when I walk in to our first meeting.

steelseries · 19/11/2022 13:20

My niece is called Elodie but constantly gets called "eee-loddy" Confused

Strokethefurrywall · 19/11/2022 13:15

I have a Sullivan. He's had Solomon on more than one occasion.

Dolares · 19/11/2022 13:09

I have a Nia. A few people (including a staff member at school) pronounce it as Nigh-a. And yet the same individual has no problem saying the name Mia. She hasn't twigged that they rhyme.

JohnnyMcGrathSaysFuckOff · 19/11/2022 13:09

Dorothea pronounced 'Theodora'

Felix pronounced 'Fell-icks' - I mean, I get 'Fay-licks' if you speak a European language, but 'Fell-icks'?

Harriet spelt 'Harriett' - okay, alternative spellings fine, but wouldn't you just go for the standard as default?

FirstFallopians · 19/11/2022 13:05

I have a Sadhbh, which I grant you is unfamiliar to most, but the amount of times it gets misheard as Scythe is bananas.

We’re in Ireland as well so it’s doubly 😑

ping78 · 19/11/2022 13:01

I met a Welsh "Loyce" recently, I grew up in Wales myself and never heard it pronounced like that, it's not a nice sound!

MassiveSalad22 · 19/11/2022 12:59

caroleanboneparte · 16/11/2022 10:42

I knew an Elle who insisted it was pronounced Ellie. Bizarre.

I also never know how someone wants Andrea pronounced.
There's the American AWN-dreya.
ANNE-dreea and ANNE-dreya.

ie ending names can also be a confusing mix of -ay and -ee

Don’t forget an-DREY-a! It’s like Helena, so many possibilities, none of them wrong.

Skiingwithgin · 19/11/2022 12:56

i have an Ottilie, she got:
Oh Tile
Oat tilly
Oht (as in hot) teal
oot illy

and we live in rural north Lancashire so generally speaking she get Ot lee

we expected the mispronouncing as it’s fairly unusual

KnickerlessParsons · 19/11/2022 12:43

I think Loyce is the way it's pronounced in Wales (I'm Welsh and that's how I say it anyway).

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