Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Baby names

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

Original poster

How would you pronounce Esme?

165 replies

copynpaste · 28/01/2025 19:55

Would you pronounce it Ez-me

Or would you pronounce it Ez-may

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Set a reminder
Mountainfreshair · 28/01/2025 22:39

Es-May - I’ve never heard anyone say it the alternative way

GlasgowGal82 · 28/01/2025 22:35

Definitely Es-May. It’s a French name and that’s how they pronounce it.

bluebunnys · 28/01/2025 22:34

Actually no, in French Esmé is not pronounced Esmay, more Esmeh. There is no AY sound in French.

In English Esme should logically be pronounced Es-me

bellocchild · 28/01/2025 22:31

Esmé comes from French and the é sound is pronounced AY not EE. We've lost the é in English, so perhaps it doesn't matter.

LucyRidesAgain · 28/01/2025 22:27

Ez may

TheCrowPeople · 28/01/2025 22:19

Esme = Ez-mee

Esmé = Ez-may

Augustusjoop · 28/01/2025 22:18

I know two Esmes and they pronounce them differently. The Ez-me gets very upset that people call her Ez-may despite the spelling.

Rumpoleoftheballet · 28/01/2025 22:17

The first one, Ez-me.

Banyon · 28/01/2025 22:16

Ez-May
there should be and accent ‘ on the final e.

anon20 · 28/01/2025 22:12

Ezmay

kiana2015 · 28/01/2025 22:05

Ez-may

schnubbins · 28/01/2025 22:05

Ez may never heard it pronounced Ez mee

SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius · 28/01/2025 22:03

Ez-may. Unless the person told me they pronounce Ez-mee.

Whoarethoseguys · 28/01/2025 22:02

Ezmay,

Jollyjoy · 28/01/2025 22:01

Ezmay I mean!

Jollyjoy · 28/01/2025 22:01

Esmay. Never come across the idea it could be anything else until now!

EggandStress · 28/01/2025 21:59

Ez-May

Splat92 · 28/01/2025 21:52

I've only ever heard it pronounce EZ-may. I'm Australian and we had a character on a soap called this in the 80s/early 90s which most people of my age would have been very familiar with.

Babadookinthewardrobe · 28/01/2025 21:46

That’s a bit presumptuous @roibustea! I could
equally assume those pronouncing it Ez-May when there isn’t an accent don’t know how it is supposed to be pronounced.

It seems to be around 50-50 on this thread. Quite right too. Whatever the individual Ez-Me’s or E-May’s prefer must surely be the answer - agrEe with that bit!

TenerifeElevenerife · 28/01/2025 21:39

Esmé is traditionally pronounced Ezmay.
Esme without an acute accent is Esmee.
However no matter how you spell it or pronounce it, others will say it the way they prefer, I hadn’t realised how much it would bug me until I had one.

GhostInTheWashingMachine · 28/01/2025 21:37

EZ-me

roibustea · 28/01/2025 21:36

Ez-May

I'd assume anyone who pronounced it Es-Mee didn't know it was supposed to be pronounced Es-May. Like Ralph pronounced Ralf. But if I wouldn't be rude enough to tell them so and would pronounce it however they liked.

hamsandyams · 28/01/2025 21:27

Those pronouncing it EZ-mee is that the same as you would say Esmi/Esmy? Like with the same last syllable as Chloe? My northern accent struggles with making it sound like a name… and so I would say EZ-may

Rowgtfc72 · 28/01/2025 21:27

Ez-may

shieldmaiden7 · 28/01/2025 21:25

Ez-mee