To pronounce this name differently

[babynameconfusion]

DH and I like the name Felicia. But we would pronounce it 'Fuh-liss-ee-a'
rather than like Feleesha. What would you think if you saw a baby with this name? Would people always pronounce it wrong?

MKe sure you always mix with posh people and your dad spends her life with posh people. That'll say it properly.

Felissia

The name is terrible however you pronounce it. Choose another name.

It is It's Feli-ci-a or Fel- ic -ia if you are in the UK. They would be pronounce date same I think.

Fell eee sha sounds like a form of cat repellant.

Call your kid whatever you want. Half of this board seem to be very ignorant when it comes to saying names correctly so I wouldn't even listen to those rattling on.

They'd have everyone's kids called Sarah or bloody Lucy just for an easy life.

This. Except even Sarah isn't safe - people will still spell it Sara or pronounce it Sah-ra. I bet Lucys still get Lucey and Lucky. The fact is that people seem to have some sort of irresistible compulsion to misspell or mispronounce names, so you may as well accept that and go for the name you want.

Felicia has a 'sh' sound in it for most people's knowledge/use of the name.

Obviously "most people" don't know or use the name with a sh sound, looking at the responses on this thread.

It's Fel-ee-sha in my head. And also....

It's not in the least a terrible name. It derives from Felix, i.e. the Latin for happy. I think that pronounced Felissia it's a very pretty name, but Felisha is a bit crappy.

Don't give your child a name you are going to deliberately mispronounce.

This.

OP - it is too close to Fellatio. Children are cruel. If she does any sports, her 'hilarious' nickname will end up being BJ

Oh my god, seriously? That's ridiculous. It's not like the OP is calling her child Vagina or something. Felicia sounds nothing like fellatio (which is hardly a word that teenagers frequently use anyway). Would you say the same for the very popular name Felicity? It's a lovely name- pronounced either way.

Bye felicia.

Oh and both pronunciations are commonly used by the way, OP. You wouldn't even be pronouncing it wrong.

It's like Ah-liss-ee-ah and Ah-leesh-ah (Alicia)

I know children with both forms.

Choose which one you like. Just be prepared to have to put people right, it's no big deal. Just don't be offended by people who get it "wrong".

It reminds me of the name Delysia from Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day - which I think is so pretty. I would pronounce Felicia the same as you op.

It's pronounced both ways in the US, too. Where there are lots of Spanish speakers, as in my state, you will have people with the OP's preferred pronunciation.

I would say if you like Felicity...

Which is surely as close to fellatio as Felicia. I.e. Not at all.

It comes from the same root as 'felicitations', which is not pronounced 'fe-leesh-itations'. It is a pretty name when pronounced correctly, as you are choosing to pronounce it. I think the other way sounds American/chavy.

If I was meeting someone for the first time, who on paper I knew was called Felicia, I'd just politely ask if it was pronounced Feleesha or Fuh-li-cia, no problem surely? (I would, however, be thinking Felicia Jollygoodfellow, but only in my head, cos I'm vair, vair polite)

I've heard Fell-is-ia and Fell-ees-sha, just like I've heard A-liss-ia and A-lee-sha. It would just be one of those names I'd double check the pronunciation of.

I've always thought that, In English, "cia" at the end of a word is usually pronounced "shah". So, my instinct would be to pronounce Felicia as "Feleesha", in the same way as St Lucia is "St Loosha", Fascia is "Faysha" and alopecia is "al-o-pee-sha".

However, the alternative form of pronunciation, where all syllables are pronounced, as in "Fe-liss-i-ah", is also acceptable (to me, at least). It sounds French and is quite pretty.

The UK pronunciation is Fel-icia, not Feleesha at all (American perhaps?)

Don't worry about people not being able to spell the name OP, as you can see from my NN, my name is Mary - one of the simplest, plainest names ever - and I constantly have to spell it for dummies people.

I think you are being very naive if you think kids won't tease about fellatio, I'd say it's a dead certainty.

I would pronounce it like you do, to rhyme with Alicia (not Aleesha)

Thank you for your opinions everyone :)

Fell I chi a
Is how I'd pronounce it

I had no idea that the 'proper' pronunciation would be Fel-eesha. I don't know anyone of that name but nearly everyone I know who is called Alicia pronounces it 'Alice-ee-ah'. I only know one little girl whose parents call her Aleesha (spelled Alicia) and I know that other people were a bit sneery about it being pronounced incorrectly.

It's always a learning curve here.