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Baby names

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

Original poster

Everyone is getting my baby's name wrong

433 replies

Laura3091 · 08/07/2025 11:19

So my baby girls name is Emila - It is pronounced as Em-ee-la.

Everyone keeps calling her Amelia and can’t get their head around Emila. Don’t think it’s that hard to grasp tbh but I know she is going to have trouble as she grows up with people mispronouncing her name.

Do we just shorten it to Mila? (Mee-La) to make it easier for everyone?

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BunnyLake · 08/07/2025 18:19

L0bstersLass · 08/07/2025 14:36

@Laura3091 Do we just shorten it to Mila? (Mee-La) to make it easier for everyone?

Definitely not. Keep repeating and correcting. People will get there in the end.
I know it's not popular on MN, but I'm a big fan of a bit of passive-agressive behaviour in these circumstances...

Friend (Susan) says "oh, she's gorgeous, and Emilia is such a pretty name"
You "Thanks Sarah"
Friend (looking confused) "Sarah? My name's not Sarah"
You (with a smile) "No, and her's isn't Emilia.

People remember that.
I couldn't care less if they thought I was being a dick. They'll remember and that's the important part.

Don’t be ridiculous. Firstly she will be meeting hundreds of different and new people throughout her life and that suggestion is a sure fire way for her to be friendless for most of it.

Blurrywateryeye · 08/07/2025 18:13

I think it’s your own fault due to spelling it like that. I think you’re getting super defensive. No need to start calling the name Olivia boring🤣

BunnyLake · 08/07/2025 18:13

ModerateOrGoodOccasionallyPoor · 08/07/2025 18:08

At least with Ameela it's pretty clear how it should be pronounced though. Double E is only ever pronounced one way in English.

I saw it as Em ih la, so even if I can read it’s not Emilia I’m still saying it wrong.

I honestly don’t think anyone can legitimately complain that people get a name wrong if it’s unknown in that country and there’s still various ways to interpret the correct spelling.

Ameela would make more sense if that is the correct pronunciation, no one can get that wrong.

ranthanbore · 08/07/2025 18:12

Gwenhwyfar · 08/07/2025 17:55

You don't have an uncommon name yourself, do you?

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Think it’s ‘boring’ Laura by the looks of it.

Zone2NorthLondon · 08/07/2025 18:09

You’ve purposefully chosen an unusual iteration of a common name. No wonder people aren’t getting it
You should have seen it coming

ModerateOrGoodOccasionallyPoor · 08/07/2025 18:08

At least with Ameela it's pretty clear how it should be pronounced though. Double E is only ever pronounced one way in English.

Caramelcap · 08/07/2025 18:07

I have a friend who called her daughter Ameela - same issue but once I was corrected once I never got it wrong again. Wasn’t a big issue.

I read the name correctly in your post btw.

BunnyLake · 08/07/2025 18:05

ModerateOrGoodOccasionallyPoor · 08/07/2025 18:03

From the internet: Olivia became the most popular girls' name for the seventh time in 2024 replacing Isla. Olivia has been in first or second place since 2016. Olivia first entered top 100 in the early 1990s and has been steadily gaining popularity every year until it entered top five in 2008.

And yet your DD has rarely met another one? Where has she been living, Beijing?

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I’ve never met an Olivia in real life.

Jamesblonde2 · 08/07/2025 18:05

Taytayslayslay · 08/07/2025 17:36

It's not Emelia, it's Emila😂

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🤣🤣🤣🤣

Emmz1510 · 08/07/2025 18:04

Kinda asking for trouble choosing a name you must have known people would mispronounce?………

BunnyLake · 08/07/2025 18:04

Anotherolivia · 08/07/2025 17:59

My Olivia (in her 20s) has rarely met another one, loves her name and never has to spell it out.

But you crack on OP!

I really like Olivia, there wasn’t any need to insult it.

Julimia · 08/07/2025 18:04

Lovely name stick with it just keep repeating it to people. Whetherto shorten it or not should be your daughters choice when she's old enough.

ModerateOrGoodOccasionallyPoor · 08/07/2025 18:03

Anotherolivia · 08/07/2025 17:59

My Olivia (in her 20s) has rarely met another one, loves her name and never has to spell it out.

But you crack on OP!

From the internet: Olivia became the most popular girls' name for the seventh time in 2024 replacing Isla. Olivia has been in first or second place since 2016. Olivia first entered top 100 in the early 1990s and has been steadily gaining popularity every year until it entered top five in 2008.

And yet your DD has rarely met another one? Where has she been living, Beijing?

BunnyLake · 08/07/2025 18:03

There’s a Norwegian singer who goes by Emila (though not her real name).

I think it’s an easy mistake to make as the name is pretty much unheard of in the uk and is so similar to Emilia. Even if people do read it right they are very likely to check and say “Is that Emila or Emilia?”, so either way she’s going to be having to correct people probably forever, as she’ll be constantly meeting new people.

I have an uncommon surname and I must have had to verbally spell it out a million times (or seems like it).

Anotherolivia · 08/07/2025 17:59

My Olivia (in her 20s) has rarely met another one, loves her name and never has to spell it out.

But you crack on OP!

uhta · 08/07/2025 17:59

To me it looks like it should be pronounced like Emily but with an “aaa” sound at the end. So emi-lah.

uhta · 08/07/2025 17:57

Panicpanicpanicpanik · 08/07/2025 17:32

What an ignorant comment.

if people can learn to say Tchaikovsky they can learn to say Emila correctly

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The people who learn Tchaikovsky are those that want to and devote massive amounts of time to it. Not randos who OP meets who hear the name once. The name is unfortunately very confusing. My adults kids have gone right through school and met thousands of kids. Never heard of Emila. It’s easily confused with Emilia or Amelia or Emily. And I’m sorry but I think you should change it. Otherwise she will have to correct people for her entire life.

mindyourhead78 · 08/07/2025 17:57

Looks like a typo

Sharkpenis · 08/07/2025 17:56

I read it as Em-eye-la

If you give your child an uncommon name then you pretty much signed yourself and her up for a life time of correcting people.

Gwenhwyfar · 08/07/2025 17:55

Laura3091 · 08/07/2025 12:05

I’m not changing her name fully for the purpose of lazy readers lol but thinking of how to shorting it for her to maybe go by it by her friends etc. it’s not a weird name, it’s just uncommon in the uk…and it’s not ‘poor baby’. It’s pretty and better than being a boring Olivia for example which has been done a million times over

You don't have an uncommon name yourself, do you?

housethatbuiltme · 08/07/2025 17:49

Emila does looks like a typo of Emilia which is probably why (not Amelia though).

Mila should be pretty straight forward for people to get.

PutThe · 08/07/2025 17:46

Sidebeforeself · 08/07/2025 17:40

There’s an idea OP - change it to Tchaikovsky!

Problem solved!

adviceneeded1990 · 08/07/2025 17:46

Forgottenmyphone · 08/07/2025 11:53

I first read it a Emilia. Then I thought you mistyped. Then I read your full post. It’s an easy mistake to make.

Same! I teach an Emelia too so that’s not helping! This poor girl will be explaining her name forever.

Mademetoxic · 08/07/2025 17:43

It's EM-IL-LA I would pronounce.

Mademetoxic · 08/07/2025 17:41

This is what happened when you name your child something different... Get used to it.