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Baby names

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Original poster

Name horrible in my accent

63 replies

Gemmahearts94 · 23/05/2024 16:09

Have you ever loved a name but couldn't use it because it's awful in your accent? Even if you said it properly you know everyone else you know wouldn't 😂

for me I live in a part of the country where T's are pronounced weirdly. E.g

water is (war-uh)
hunter is (hunt-uh)
bath path laugh (baff, paff, laff)

I know it's awful, but everyone I know speaks like this, I was actually talking to my friend about it earlier, she moved here when she was 8 from London and she now speaks this way too

When I was pregnant with my first daughter I loved the name Hattie, but when I said it to my partner he said it's a cute name but did you hear what you actually just said?

Hattie (Ha-ee)

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Needmorelego · 28/05/2024 19:42

@RaraRachael many years ago a friend was a volunteer for an elderly lady called Helen.
Well - as far as she knew she was Helen. She'd been that her whole life. It was the name her mother chose.
Until she died and it was discovered on her birth certificate it said Ellen.
The official filling out the certificate probably misheard and her parents were of the era where they probably were illiterate so would have never noticed the spelling mistake 🙁

YesItsMeYesItsMe · 28/05/2024 19:38

Imagine being a Hattie living in an area with that accent… 🙋🏻‍♀️🤣

mumtoadhdadult · 28/05/2024 19:36

MrsMoastyToasty · 23/05/2024 17:15

In my local accent, Bristolian, any name ending with an "a" or an "er" tends to sound like "ur" eg Lorna sounds like Lornur. Also names with an "th" in them is pronounced as an "f"

And if you're called Ida or Eva you're screwed with the Bristol 'l' 😂

harrietm87 · 28/05/2024 19:35

Newsenmum · 28/05/2024 19:33

How else do you pronounce orla?

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In an Irish accent you hear the “R” - Orla.

Not sure how to describe it - the “r” at the beginning of eg Richard is also heard in the middle of the word. Maybe look up an Irish person saying it on YouTube or something!

Newsenmum · 28/05/2024 19:33

harrietm87 · 28/05/2024 18:40

I couldn’t use my top boy name because it sounds horrendous in a non-rhotic accent and we live in England - Iarla should be pronounced ear-la (with a definite “r”), but most English people say it eahla which is just terrible.

I feel the same about Orla - all those awlas everywhere make me cringe.

How else do you pronounce orla?

Newsenmum · 28/05/2024 19:32

Sharontheodopolodous · 24/05/2024 07:47

Because of my accent,I don't pronounce them

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Im just curious, do you mean you physically can’t or find it difficult to?

RaraRachael · 28/05/2024 19:31

Claire is a weird one in my accent - it would be Clay-err. Mind you I lived in the south of England and it was Clah

OSU · 28/05/2024 19:26

More general but I love the French. Pronunciation of Vincent (van son) but it would be a bit pretentious to expect people to use the French pronunciation 😂

RaraRachael · 28/05/2024 19:25

My neighbours were from Yorkshire and their daughter was called Helen but they pronounced it 'elen. Made me wonder how they differentiate between Helen and Ellen.

Crocodene · 28/05/2024 18:52

I vetoed anything with an a sound in, Charlie, Grace, Kate etc as it gets butchered by the local accent, also anything with an H they tend to get dropped.

harrietm87 · 28/05/2024 18:40

I couldn’t use my top boy name because it sounds horrendous in a non-rhotic accent and we live in England - Iarla should be pronounced ear-la (with a definite “r”), but most English people say it eahla which is just terrible.

I feel the same about Orla - all those awlas everywhere make me cringe.

SkattieCat · 25/05/2024 20:04

BettyUnderswoob · 24/05/2024 10:41

I didn’t consider this name, but we Scots find Charles a bit awkward : “Charruls” !

We’re also notorious for our glottal stops, so e.g. Peter sounds awful: “Pe-urr”

I was visiting friends who live in Scotland and they hosted a whole class birthday party for their dd. I was quite taken about when one of the girls attending was seemingly called "Peril" by all her friends! It wasn't until my friend (who comes from England) thanked her for coming and wished her goodbye that I realised that her name was actually Pearl! 🤦‍♀️

shoopshoopdedoo · 25/05/2024 19:54

Totally with you OP! I moved a long way from my T-mispronouncing home town two decades ago, but I still have to try really hard to say T’s correctly.

I strongly dislike the name Albert, even though it’s really popular, and I swear my accent is the reason. Sounds like Al-buh, unless I put a lot of effort in!

Original poster
Gemmahearts94 · 24/05/2024 12:37

this one is not one my region can't say, just this one particular man 😂

a few weeks ago I was walking through town and a man was calling his daughter over like

A-MAN-EE

i assumed her name was manny or something, anyway the mum comes over and she's like "AR-MAR-NEE" listen to daddy 😅

surely you'd veto a name if your partner butchered it like that 😂😂

her name was Armani or however you spell it

OP posts:
BettyUnderswoob · 24/05/2024 10:41

I didn’t consider this name, but we Scots find Charles a bit awkward : “Charruls” !

We’re also notorious for our glottal stops, so e.g. Peter sounds awful: “Pe-urr”

Lengokengo · 24/05/2024 07:52

A bit off topic, but since my husband is from overseas, i can’t pronounce my own surname properly!

Lilacbluebells · 24/05/2024 07:50

Hermione7 · 23/05/2024 22:59

Why?

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She answered - the H problem is one where I grew up too as my maiden name starts with a H.

Enry sounds ‘orrible!

Sharontheodopolodous · 24/05/2024 07:47

Hermione7 · 23/05/2024 22:59

Why?

Show quote history

Because of my accent,I don't pronounce them

Hermione7 · 23/05/2024 22:59

Sharontheodopolodous · 23/05/2024 20:43

I don't pronounce 'h's

I had to veto,Henry (enry) harry(arry) Harriet (arriet) and 'hester' (ester)

All my (now adult) children have no 'h' names

Shame as there is a lot of gorgeous h names out there but I couldn't use them

Why?

Gingerlygreen · 23/05/2024 22:50

I really love the name Rosie but my dh is from the West Midlands and his o's are pronounced ow as in ouch so it was R-ow-sie not R-oh-sie

TruthorDie · 23/05/2024 20:53

It’s definitely a consideration. In-laws suggested Theo and we rejected it. People round our way struggle with Th and F instead. So poor little Theo would end being Feo. Im not even from here so find it doubly annoying

mactire · 23/05/2024 20:51

My sister and her (English) husband had huge trouble over this. So many lovely Irish names ruled out because he couldnt say them properly - and if he could, his family definitely would get them wrong😁

mogtheexcellent · 23/05/2024 20:48

Im north (pr. norf) London. Cant pronounce th-s and ph-s. My favourite name is Sophie. I hate my first name and desperately wanted to change it but I couldnt pronouce it properly and couldnt think of another name I liked.

I named my daughter something else.

I also pronounce my best friend Heather's name as Hevver.

Sharontheodopolodous · 23/05/2024 20:43

I don't pronounce 'h's

I had to veto,Henry (enry) harry(arry) Harriet (arriet) and 'hester' (ester)

All my (now adult) children have no 'h' names

Shame as there is a lot of gorgeous h names out there but I couldn't use them

Needmorelego · 23/05/2024 18:02

@Gemmahearts94 ha ha.
(I could only understand about 30% of what my late father in law said in his ridiculously strong scots accent)