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Baby names

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Original poster

Do I tell her?

162 replies

03cg73 · 20/01/2026 17:53

i have a slight situation with a friend of mine and the name she has chosen for her little girl

my friend is French, living in London where this child will grow up. She’s 39 and this is a very much longer for baby

shes been saying since the start that she wanted a Latin name. Her partner is Spanish and they thought the Latin influence would connect them. All lovely. Very excited for them. Until this afternoon when she sent me a picture of a baby blanket she’s had personalised to reveal the name to me and the name they have chosen is Saline.

I’ve checked and it genuinely is a Latin girls name. I asked the pronunciation thinking it could be said like Celine or something. But no. Pronunciation is Saline. Like the wound wash

normally I’d just keep my mouth shut but years ago a friend of SIL (again, English was not this persons first language) named her baby Chanel, thought it looked better spelled with 2 N’s and ended up naming her poor kid Channel. No one said anything, and when it came out months later she was annoyed that no native English speakers had pointed this out at the time and has since removed the extra N

so do I tell my friend she is naming her daughter after a surgical wash? Or keep my mouth shut and hope the the kid doesn’t grow up getting the piss ripped out of her? friend absolutely loves the name and has been gushing about how perfect it is 😬

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IridiumSky · 22/01/2026 02:41

ChocHotolate · 20/01/2026 19:28

The blanket could be easily adapted to Satine maybe?

Naa. Just change it to Satan and be done with it.

Still a better name than saline.

MeTooOverHere · 22/01/2026 02:30

Saline is salty water. Or any salty fluid solution for various uses.
She needs to know, now before she has committed to it.

Hedgehogbrown · 22/01/2026 02:27

LancashireButterPie · 22/01/2026 00:50

Eh??
I'm northern, older, spent a lifetime in the NHS and I've never heard saline pronounced "SayLeen" in my life.
Don't be blaming us northerners for this 😁

Show quote history

I say sayleen. I'm northern.

Hedgehogbrown · 22/01/2026 02:25

Wouldn't the French say it differently? With a shorter 'a' sound? Also she lives in London so the kid wouldn't have the piss ripped out of her, because it is very multicultural and being bullied for an unusual name seems very provincial and old fashioned to me. I wouldn't tell her, you would come across as a white English prude with no world experience, which is what the parents of these bullies would be who make fun of someone for their name.

SingedSoul · 22/01/2026 02:07

That's a shame, because actually it is quite lovely. As long as her middle name isn't going to be anusol, then I think it's ok, but yes mention it.

LancashireButterPie · 22/01/2026 00:50

TorroFerney · 21/01/2026 18:39

I think when I have heard saline pronounced by probably Northern older people I know it's say-leen which i would have said as a child but would now pronounce it as say line (as in a line of soldiers) as I think that's correct. Bit like you learn that Moet has a hard t and is not pronounced mo-ay.

Eh??
I'm northern, older, spent a lifetime in the NHS and I've never heard saline pronounced "SayLeen" in my life.
Don't be blaming us northerners for this 😁

ellyeth · 21/01/2026 23:00

I would definitely say something. Explain that the way the word is pronounced here is the same way as a medical product. Suggest Celine or Selina. If she actually wants the pronunciation "Saylyne" she may not be so keen when she knows how the word is commonly used in this country. Hopefully she will thank you for it.

babyproblems · 21/01/2026 22:21

Say something. She can still choose to use it even if she knows what the word means in English! And maybe she can adjust the spelling for example.

Jaichangecentfoisdenom · 21/01/2026 21:50

SuzieYellow · 21/01/2026 21:07

I couldn’t think of a good way to bring it up, but giving her a comparison from her own language is a fantastic idea

Show quote history

I’d ask her if she’d happily name her daughter “Salines” or “Salins” (salt water).

Daygloboo · 21/01/2026 21:50

03cg73 · 20/01/2026 17:53

i have a slight situation with a friend of mine and the name she has chosen for her little girl

my friend is French, living in London where this child will grow up. She’s 39 and this is a very much longer for baby

shes been saying since the start that she wanted a Latin name. Her partner is Spanish and they thought the Latin influence would connect them. All lovely. Very excited for them. Until this afternoon when she sent me a picture of a baby blanket she’s had personalised to reveal the name to me and the name they have chosen is Saline.

I’ve checked and it genuinely is a Latin girls name. I asked the pronunciation thinking it could be said like Celine or something. But no. Pronunciation is Saline. Like the wound wash

normally I’d just keep my mouth shut but years ago a friend of SIL (again, English was not this persons first language) named her baby Chanel, thought it looked better spelled with 2 N’s and ended up naming her poor kid Channel. No one said anything, and when it came out months later she was annoyed that no native English speakers had pointed this out at the time and has since removed the extra N

so do I tell my friend she is naming her daughter after a surgical wash? Or keep my mouth shut and hope the the kid doesn’t grow up getting the piss ripped out of her? friend absolutely loves the name and has been gushing about how perfect it is 😬

Tell her, although she might pronounce it as Saleeeen. Even so, it's spelt saline so the child will get the piss taken out of her.

SuzieYellow · 21/01/2026 21:07

Kittylala · 20/01/2026 18:14

Ask her 'do you mean Celiine? because Saline is a medical product. It would be like calling a child 'Doliprane'

Doliprane is basically calpol in france.

I couldn’t think of a good way to bring it up, but giving her a comparison from her own language is a fantastic idea

GirlWithTheRedScarf · 21/01/2026 21:03

If you are prepared to lose your friend, tell her. Otherwise, be happy that she’s happy and don’t rain on her parade. She will not forgive you.

Bec1968 · 21/01/2026 20:18

Say - leen isnt the same as saline tho, especially if it is a two word name, like Emma-Jayne, Annie-May etc, instead of Emma or Annie
Say-Leen
If its spelt like saline then yea, u wud need to say ..

Bowies · 21/01/2026 19:49

I would ask if she knows saline is salt water solution commonly used especially in hospital situations.

Ask if the pronunciation would bother her.

Seline might work well?

BertieWoostersChaps · 21/01/2026 19:06

Waiting for the OP's update 😬

Mullaghanish · 21/01/2026 18:59

Sorry op but the kid could play with an unfortunate child called Malaena…problematic name too in medical terms 😊

TwinklySquid · 21/01/2026 18:58

I heard the name “Rhubella “ years ago and thought it sounded nice, but familiar. Looked it up. German measles . Not so nice.

I would just ask her if she’s aware what saline is in English. Tell her. Then You could suggest “celine “ as a similar name. After that, leave it

TorroFerney · 21/01/2026 18:39

I think when I have heard saline pronounced by probably Northern older people I know it's say-leen which i would have said as a child but would now pronounce it as say line (as in a line of soldiers) as I think that's correct. Bit like you learn that Moet has a hard t and is not pronounced mo-ay.

Happyjoe · 21/01/2026 18:36

Yes, please say something. That poor kid is going to be called 'Drip' all the way through school.

Glasskey · 21/01/2026 18:10

GKG1 · 20/01/2026 17:58

Tricky! I was ready to give the standard ‘none of your business’ baby name reply, but I do wonder if there could be a case in this instance, given she may not know the English meaning. That said, you can imagine it as quite an elegant sounding name. Maybe worth putting it like that but that you wonder if she knows she might be buying saline to spray up Saline’s nose in a few months when she gets her first cold!!

Find a photo of a product named this and send it with an explanation then its up to her.....

Noononoo · 21/01/2026 17:57

yrs I immediately think of saline drip...so it could easily become a disaster for the child. So I think you shoukd say...before its too late.

StrippeyFrog · 21/01/2026 15:46

03cg73 · 20/01/2026 19:54

Thanks everyone. Have spoken to another friend who also received the photo and was feeling the same as me. we’ve agreed that we need to mention it.

when I asked her about pronunciation it was over WhatsApp. I asked if it was pronounced like Celine and she replied saying no, it was pronounced say-leen. Which is exactly how people round here (I’m not from London) pronounce the medical wash

I have mainly heard it pronounced Say - Line in the UK. The Say - Leen pronunciation is more common in USA. So the pronunciation might not be an issue but the spelling might.

Intheorrifice · 21/01/2026 10:56

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FraterculaArctica · 20/01/2026 22:37

Ah, hadn't realised you were pronouncing saline with an "ee" sound. However as this thread shows, probably a majority of native British English speakers will pronounce the second syllable as in 'Caroline'. The a in the first syllable still makes no sense, English is AFAIK the only European language where "a" is ever pronounced as "ay".

Selina would give much closer to the pronunciation she wants if she doesn't like the actual French Céline?

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