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Baby names

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

Original poster

Straw Poll - How would you pronounce the name Esme?

107 replies

SweetEm · 11/01/2009 20:32

My dd is called Esme (we don't bother with the acute accent). I pronounce it "Ez-me" but she is always getting "Ez-may". I know both ways are valid pronunciations. Just wondered whether I was in the minority/majority.

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sleepycat · 11/01/2009 22:48

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Diva0507 · 11/01/2009 22:47

izmi

Tortington · 11/01/2009 22:47

with the right accent

tis

Ez-mi

Rindercella · 11/01/2009 22:46

Ez-may

duchesse · 11/01/2009 22:26

I know a 5 yr old Esme pronounced Essmay.

puppydetox · 11/01/2009 22:19

ezmee

Lotster · 11/01/2009 22:17

My goddaughter is called Esmee with an acute on the first 'e'. My fiend added the second E to be sure it was pronounced es-mee. "Esme" is traditionally pronounced Ezmay.

It's one of those names that people will always say the way they want, as we have learnt!

RachieB · 11/01/2009 22:00

Ez - may for me too
never ever heard is pronounced Ez - meee !

whingeomatic · 11/01/2009 21:53

dd2 ia es-mee, but she often gets called es-may...

ScottishMummy · 11/01/2009 21:42

that sounds too close to lezzie

changer22 · 11/01/2009 21:40

Ez-may for the one I know. Her parents call her Ezzie as a NN.

Califrau · 11/01/2009 21:38

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RiaParkinson · 11/01/2009 21:33

ez may

MrsDoylesMole · 11/01/2009 21:32

Ez-may

troutpout · 11/01/2009 21:32

Ez-may

LiffeyMermaid · 11/01/2009 21:29

No offence to your baby book, but I bet it just lazily re-hashed a commonly held misconception!

My great aunt Esme was born 1908. She was named after her Scottish Mother .

My Dad's sister is xxxxx Esme and my cousin's dd's mn is Esme. So I@m fully esmed up to the eyeballs! A friend has one too. She calls her Ezmay though, which is a kind of torture for me

I once read the informtation about it being Scottish etc in an old hardback dusty name book, which predates the resurgence of Esme by at least 40 yrs!

princessmel · 11/01/2009 21:28

Ez - mee

TheFallenMadonna · 11/01/2009 21:25
Grin
LackaDAISYcal · 11/01/2009 21:23

ess may in scotland

Original poster
SweetEm · 11/01/2009 21:23

Actually, I was aware it could be used as a boys name. But like evelyn and hillary I bet you don't get many of those these days...

OP posts:
TheFallenMadonna · 11/01/2009 21:21

Ahem

Boy's name - with an accent!

TheFallenMadonna · 11/01/2009 21:20

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esm%C3%A9_Stewart,_1st_Duke_of_Lennox Boy's name] - with an accent!

Original poster
SweetEm · 11/01/2009 21:19

Pretty evenly split then!
We are up north, btw, and both pronunciations are in use around here.

LiffeyMermaid - I did not know that about the origin of the name. We picked the it from a baby name book (which I'm sure said it was french in origin but will bow to your superior knowledge ).

OP posts:
naswm · 11/01/2009 21:15

Ez may

PottyCock · 11/01/2009 21:15

Ezmee