Page 8 | Everyone is getting my baby's name wrong

Laura3091 · 2025-07-08T10:19:14+00:00

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?

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Sidebeforeself · 08/07/2025 17:40

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

Emanwenym · 08/07/2025 17:39

@Panicpanicpanicpanik , it's not an ignorant comment.

PutThe · 08/07/2025 17:39

Panicpanicpanicpanik · 08/07/2025 17:32

What an ignorant comment.

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

Show quote history

Sure, but that isn't going to stop people who don't know her/know her only a little from getting it wrong on a regular basis. It's clear how this ones going to pan out.

Taytayslayslay · 08/07/2025 17:36

LBFseBrom · 08/07/2025 17:02

Laura3091 · Today 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
.........
Emelia is a splendid name. No doubt friends will call her 'Emmy', 'Em' or 'Melly' when she goes to school, no need to think about that now.

However you were not very nice to say 'Olivia' is boring. That too is a beautiful name and classic.

It's not Emelia, it's Emila😂

Panicpanicpanicpanik · 08/07/2025 17:32

Figgygal · 08/07/2025 11:45

Not sure what you were expecting op
Poor kid going to have a lifetime of it

What an ignorant comment.

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

Finteq · 08/07/2025 17:26

I would prob pronounce Mila as Myla

Zezet · 08/07/2025 17:21

girljulian · 08/07/2025 17:19

Yes, and that's what it looks like to me. Obviously I make an effort to say it the way they want it said, but both me and my mother have often automatically said (S)-ay-la and then corrected ourselves.

Show quote history

Thank you!

girljulian · 08/07/2025 17:19

Zezet · 08/07/2025 17:15

She wants it pronounced basically like island, did I understand correct?
What is the other way one might pronounce Ayla? Is it "say la" without the S?

Show quote history

Yes, and that's what it looks like to me. Obviously I make an effort to say it the way they want it said, but both me and my mother have often automatically said (S)-ay-la and then corrected ourselves.

HerNeighbourTotoro · 08/07/2025 17:16

Richiewoo · 08/07/2025 16:54

This is what happens when you make up names.

It's not a made up name though.

HerNeighbourTotoro · 08/07/2025 17:15

Overthebow · 08/07/2025 11:58

Emila looks like Emilia so can see why people are getting it wrong. Changing it is a good idea, but isn’t Mika pronounced like Myla rather than Mee-la so some people will still get this wrong? Maybe just go for a more common name that everyone knows how to pronounce.

I knew a few Milas and not a single one pronounced her name as Myla lol.

Zezet · 08/07/2025 17:15

girljulian · 08/07/2025 17:09

Same.

My cousin called her baby "Ayla" but wants it pronounced like "Isla". I know this, but every single time I have to think about it in my head because it looks like ayyyyyy - la.

Show quote history

She wants it pronounced basically like island, did I understand correct?
What is the other way one might pronounce Ayla? Is it "say la" without the S?

Bertielong3 · 08/07/2025 17:14

This reply has been withdrawn

This message has been withdrawn at the poster's request

Rhythmisadancer · 08/07/2025 17:12

I wouldn't be too scathing of lazy readers unless I was absolutely sure my typing was error free

GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER · 08/07/2025 17:12

This is what happens when your baby’s name is one that nobody’s ever heard of before.

If you changed it to Emilia the problem would go away.

girljulian · 08/07/2025 17:09

SalfordQuays · 08/07/2025 12:47

Well OP, whether it's a foreign name or a made up name, the fact is it's not a common name in the UK so it will be pronounced incorrectly much of the time. Did this possibility really not occur to you? You're very scathing of "boring" names like Olivia, but at least everyone knows how to pronounce them.

I'd pronounce Emila as Em-ill-a, like Emily but with an A instead of a Y at the end.

There's nothing you can do to prevent people pronouncing Emila incorrectly. Friends and family will learn, but new people will often get it wrong. That's the price you (and your daughter) pay for having an unusual name.

Edited

Same.

My cousin called her baby "Ayla" but wants it pronounced like "Isla". I know this, but every single time I have to think about it in my head because it looks like ayyyyyy - la.

grlwhowrites · 08/07/2025 17:08

Ceramiq · 08/07/2025 17:04

Neither Emilah nor Emmila are real names though, unlike Emila which is a perfectly classic name.

Show quote history

Emilia and Amelia are perfectly classic names. Emila is a more unusual and significantly less common and accepted variation on those names, and it’s causing problems for OP and will likely cause annoyance for her child.

I’m not a fan of unnecessary “tragedeigh” spellings or adding unnecessary, extra letters to names but in this instance, I think it could help solve OP’s complaint. Just my opinion.

Ceramiq · 08/07/2025 17:04

grlwhowrites · 08/07/2025 17:02

I’d suggest changing the spelling. Emila looks like a mistake, and even though you typed out a pronunciation, I still stumble over it in my head as ‘Mila’ can be pronounced like “mee-lah” and “my-lah”.

Could you maybe spell it Emilah? The H at the end would at least stop people from making assumptions, and it looks like a deliberately different name rather than a misspelling. Or Emmila, if you’re after a harder “em” sound at the beginning.

She may end up with a totally different nickname when she’s older at school - there’s a lot of options with that kind of name. She could be Emmy, Mimi, Milah etc.

Neither Emilah nor Emmila are real names though, unlike Emila which is a perfectly classic name.

Wanttobefree2 · 08/07/2025 17:04

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

As someone who has an unusual surname you wouldn’t be changing her name for other people, you’d be doing it for her!

LBFseBrom · 08/07/2025 17:02

Laura3091 · Today 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
.........
Emelia is a splendid name. No doubt friends will call her 'Emmy', 'Em' or 'Melly' when she goes to school, no need to think about that now.

However you were not very nice to say 'Olivia' is boring. That too is a beautiful name and classic.

grlwhowrites · 08/07/2025 17:02

I’d suggest changing the spelling. Emila looks like a mistake, and even though you typed out a pronunciation, I still stumble over it in my head as ‘Mila’ can be pronounced like “mee-lah” and “my-lah”.

Could you maybe spell it Emilah? The H at the end would at least stop people from making assumptions, and it looks like a deliberately different name rather than a misspelling. Or Emmila, if you’re after a harder “em” sound at the beginning.

She may end up with a totally different nickname when she’s older at school - there’s a lot of options with that kind of name. She could be Emmy, Mimi, Milah etc.

Ceramiq · 08/07/2025 17:02

Emila is a perfectly nice name (the feminine form of Emil) but obviously in the UK it is very unusual and therefore likely to be confused with the much more common Emilia. Or Amelia. Not all names travel well, for all sorts of reasons.

BuildbyNumbere · 08/07/2025 17:01

Kinda obvious that was going to happen 🤷🏻‍♀️

Namechangerage · 08/07/2025 16:55

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

Ok but you have also made errors in your post, presumably in a hurry, so you can’t really blame “lazy readers”.

“babies name” > baby’s name
”shorting” > shortening

Your baby is of course the most important person in your life. However, to most people she will come across in life, she will not be their top priority and they will be rushing.

Emila is incredibly similar to Emilia, so much that even my phone autocorrected it. You can find plenty “non-boring” or rare names without completely making one up. So yes, I would shorten it to Mila. You and your daughter can also just spend the rest of your lives correcting people, up to you really.

Richiewoo · 08/07/2025 16:54

This is what happens when you make up names.

PutThe · 08/07/2025 16:40

TheWisePlumDuck · 08/07/2025 15:21

You named your child something that looks like a spelling mistake of a very common name?

It doesn't matter if it's super speshul because it's not a UK name. I'm not from the UK, and I still know that doing this is a silly idea and setting your child up for a lifetime of mild but irritating inconvenience.

Yep!

If it particularly bothers you though OP then yes, maybe shorten it to Mila for day to day. That'll probably get mispronounced too, but my guess is a bit less than Emila.