Page 3 | Are 5 syllable baby names pretentious?

hendaw · 2026-07-23T19:59:48+00:00

Ones that I am considering Cassiopeia Anastasia Alexandria Theodosia

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

AlbieJiggered · 24/07/2026 22:06

PancakeCloud · 24/07/2026 18:49

Have you heard the song Dear Theodosia? Thee-Oh-Doh-Ja is the only pronounciation I recognise or have ever heard.

I’ve head both pronunciations of Anastasia but Anna-Stay-Ja seems the most natural one to me.

Show quote history

Could you explain how you say those names in a way that shows which syllable you stress and how you say letters like j please?

I listened to audio versions and got
Theo DOS-y-s, Theo-DOE-sha, Theo-DOE-zha.
Anna-Stas-EE-a, Anna-STAS-ya, Anna-STAY-zha...

Iocanepowder · 24/07/2026 20:17

EstoyRobandoSuCasa · 24/07/2026 15:38

How do you know? The argument when I was at school was whether to pronounce it Ann-uh-STAY-see-uh or Ann-uh-STAH-see-uh. No one pronounced it with a “sha” at the end - I wonder if that’s an Americanism, like pronouncing Marcia as MAR-shuh.

Anyway, I think we need a Greek to settle this.

Show quote history

Well when I was at school, the film came out as a start…..

MostlyGhostly · 24/07/2026 19:09

I voted yes because I love Anastasia

PancakeCloud · 24/07/2026 18:49

hendaw · 23/07/2026 21:25

@PancakeCloud THE-OH-DOH-SEE-AH

ANN-AH-STAY-SEE-AH

Have you heard the song Dear Theodosia? Thee-Oh-Doh-Ja is the only pronounciation I recognise or have ever heard.

I’ve head both pronunciations of Anastasia but Anna-Stay-Ja seems the most natural one to me.

Threewordseightletters · 24/07/2026 18:46

I know no one who pronounces Olivia as three syllables with a ‘ya’ on the end. It sounds like a child’s pronunciation of her own name. I like lots of 4 syllable names: Ophelia, Antigone, Calliope, Persephone
but 5 syllables is pushing the boat out.

fromgothtoboss · 24/07/2026 18:37

I’ve known three Anastasia’s- one at school, two when working at a fast food place. All were Eastern European. I love the name as it’s one of my favourite films.

Goldrill · 24/07/2026 18:34

SweatySpider321 · 24/07/2026 08:33

Same. I tried to get my husband to call our eldest that but he didn’t like it!

Show quote history

Maybe it was just a bit of a shock...

Restcoz · 24/07/2026 18:33

I'd like to add that the only Anastasia that I know pronounces her name as ah-nah-stah-see-uh.

Restcoz · 24/07/2026 18:28

The only one that I like (from your list) is Alexandria. The rest seem a bit over the top. Anastasia, in particular, feels very pretentious. I would have a hard time remembering Cassiopeia and Theodosia.

Helenbelena · 24/07/2026 15:41

All Ananstasias I know (quite a few Ukrainian) pronounce it as Ah na stay see ah.

EstoyRobandoSuCasa · 24/07/2026 15:38

Iocanepowder · 24/07/2026 14:35

Yeah we know. But most people say don’t say Anastasia like that.

Show quote history

How do you know? The argument when I was at school was whether to pronounce it Ann-uh-STAY-see-uh or Ann-uh-STAH-see-uh. No one pronounced it with a “sha” at the end - I wonder if that’s an Americanism, like pronouncing Marcia as MAR-shuh.

Anyway, I think we need a Greek to settle this.

Helenbelena · 24/07/2026 15:37

AlbieJiggered · 24/07/2026 14:31

@Helenbelena , pretending to be something you are not.

And what is that ‘something’ that you’re supposedly pretending to be?

Can you not simply love long names?

Oftenaddled · 24/07/2026 15:15

I remember how my geography teacher used to make a 3-syllable name as we pronounced it into 5 syllables - Gee-Or-gee-ann-a.

She had an acute professional sensitivity around eliding gee-

AlbieJiggered · 24/07/2026 14:58

margegunderson · 24/07/2026 14:40

You wanted boys is what I’d assume from those names

Show quote history

Not at all, Leopoldina was named after a Nancy Mitford character and Maximiliana (via Maximilianus) was after a friend.

I wasn't bothered whether I had a boy or a girl, children are blessings.

margegunderson · 24/07/2026 14:40

AlbieJiggered · 23/07/2026 21:27

DD is Leopoldina and DD2 is Maximiliana. We wanted simple, easy-to-spell names that work internationally. They never have the name shortened.

You wanted boys is what I’d assume from those names

SevenYellowHammers · 24/07/2026 14:36

TeenToTwenties · 23/07/2026 21:03

Not do keen on Cassiopeia as I just think of the constellation, but the other 3 are fine.

Same! Sounds like a computer virus. Others ok but favourite is Anastasia

Iocanepowder · 24/07/2026 14:35

hendaw · 23/07/2026 21:25

@PancakeCloud THE-OH-DOH-SEE-AH

ANN-AH-STAY-SEE-AH

Yeah we know. But most people say don’t say Anastasia like that.

Rufusisturnedon · 24/07/2026 14:34

Why is a long name pretentious.

we have two of those names in my family. Niece goes by both short version and long. Her choice for school (long) and her parents shorten it sometimes.

adult uses short informally and long for work documents (I think )

not a big deal. Don’t see it as pretentious

not my choices but there are far worse names. Eg anything hyphenated or middle name Mae/Rae etc !

beeble347 · 24/07/2026 14:34

I did know an Alexandria and people did comment that her parents were pretentious.

I think it completely depends, for example if it's a name from a culture like my husband's where full names are at least four syllables then no, I don't think so at all. I absolutely love the names Aurelia, Octavia, Seraphina, Xiomara (okay last one not as a first name) so you can see I've got quite flowery taste anyway. But five syllables up they're inevitably going to be shortened, and if they're very much a name from ancient Greek mythology that's not really used as a given name at all these days, then I can see that reading as pretentious.

AlbieJiggered · 24/07/2026 14:31

@Helenbelena , pretending to be something you are not.

Helenbelena · 24/07/2026 14:28

What does pretentious mean?

Pretending to be what?

ContractorQuestion · 24/07/2026 14:20

I love a long name! I don’t think they are pretentious, I think they give something more meaningful than a short nickname-type name.

I know a Christiania who always uses her name in full.

I do like your choices. You may also like,
Emiliana
Evangelina
Mariangela

AlbieJiggered · 24/07/2026 14:10

TheBrunswick · 24/07/2026 14:05

How?

Show quote history

@TheBrunswick ,It depends on whether you say the -ia as -y-a or as ya.
Fot example, I say Olivia as Oh-LIV-ya not as Oh-LIV-y-a, so they're only3 syllables to me..

Oftenaddled · 24/07/2026 14:08

AlbieJiggered · 24/07/2026 14:06

We thought DD2 was going to be a boy and wanted Maximilianus.

Show quote history

All very Hapsburg.

AlbieJiggered · 24/07/2026 14:06

SnowFrogJelly · 24/07/2026 00:52

Wind up?

Show quote history

We thought DD2 was going to be a boy and wanted Maximilianus.