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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

AIBU to feel annoyed that people constantly mispronounce my baby's name?

100 replies

Busybee1234 · 31/01/2017 22:06

She's called Beatrix. People constantly call her Beatrice. Even when I correct them the conversation ends with 'Bye Beatrice'. Why? They're two different names! Question 2: How to go about correcting people in a nice way so they remember? I try saying "Beatrix, like the author Beatrix Potter" or "Beatrix with an x". Help!

OP posts:
Rainydayspending · 31/01/2017 22:16

Sounds reasonable. Though, is it a regional thing? I'd probably be unreasonable to mention to the woman at playgroup that Sian is not said Cyan (as she does). Her daughter's name. Because that's the name she gave.
She'd come across as a lot more reasonable if she was matter of fact about it, i am sure you're matter of fact about it.

CeCeBloomer · 31/01/2017 22:18

I love Beatrix - that's what I would have called ds had he been a dd. call her trixie then no one will be confused Smile

enfru · 31/01/2017 22:19

It's annoying! I correct people all the time with my DDs name- Eloise.
We mainly get Ella-louise as the mispronunciation and people always misspell it as Elouise.
I would go with saying it's Beatrix as is Beatrix potter.

user1485706893 · 31/01/2017 22:19

I always said that as BeatriX, it's a different name to BeatriCE. Saying that my name is Cassidy and people have always struggled with that.

Niskayuna · 31/01/2017 22:21

If it's people you'll never see again, ignore.

If it's people you don't massively care about but might see again, like toddler group parents, just repeat "BeaTRIX" and they should figure it out. If he was Jason and they were calling him Jaden, or Mary and they were calling her Marie, I mean, it's just a simple correction, although you might need to be quite firm if they resist two or three times.

If it's family you can be a bit firmer still, as you've got to put up with them for longer.

My son bears the name of ancient philosophers, a small green chipmunk and famous presidents, but I've still had two or three people look at me blankly and say "Never heard of it. Where on earth did you get that from?"

booellesmum · 31/01/2017 22:22

Enfru - we still get Elouise from relatives after more than a decade!

MikeUniformMike · 31/01/2017 22:26

I know someone whose surname is Sian pronounced Cyan.

ollieplimsoles · 31/01/2017 22:26

Niskayuna Theodore! Love that name.

Op yanbu, if I saw it spelt Beatrix- I would not pronounce it with a 'tris' sound on the end, it should be 'trix'
Is she named after Beatrix Potter?

MortalEnemy · 31/01/2017 22:28

Sympathy - ILs apparently cannot pronounce 'th', and hence mangle my son's name, which starts with 'Th'. We were blue in the face from pointing it out when he was a newborn, but they can't seem to hear the difference between 't' and 'th'.

foxyloxy78 · 31/01/2017 22:29

People always doing that with my ds name. Lazy and stupid people Imo. Ignore them.

bummymummy77 · 31/01/2017 22:30

Nope. Ds has an extremely unusual Welsh name and even Welsh people say it wrong. In the States it's just horrific.

However, I knew it would be a mouthful so just have to suck it up. It's when someone's met him 10+ times and still do it I get annoyed.

MitzyLeFrouf · 31/01/2017 22:32

I wouldn't worry about it as long as the main people in her life know she's a Beatrix. Wait until your daughter is a bit older and she will indignantly correct people herself as only a 4 year old can!

reallyanotherone · 31/01/2017 22:32

Mortal- are they londoners? My friends honestly cannot hear the difference. F and th sound exactly the same to them. Three and free for example.

Rainydayspending · 31/01/2017 22:33

Not a surname. A first name. I have learned to call this person cyan and my two friends with a name spelt the same i call Sian.I can accept it at that point. I am struggling to not name drop though because her reaction to everyone who has used it is very fake and the same each time. I have a devilish streak.

Beeziekn33ze · 31/01/2017 22:34

You could try saying firmly 'Beatrix with an X' to emphasise the correct version.
Similar to 'Liza with a zee'!

Lovely name, anyway!

NewYearNewStinkyPants · 31/01/2017 22:35

My nan called me the wrong name the whole time I knew her, she could never get her head around it and added an extra vowel. It was actually quite funny but used to annoy my mum a lot

GladAllOver · 31/01/2017 22:39

Beatrix is a lovely name, she will grow up to be proud of it.

But surely, one of the considerations when choosing a name is how people are likely to pronounce it. If the name is slightly unusual, or just a bit different from a more common name, you must expect that a few people might get it wrong?

ExhaustedandScatterBrained · 31/01/2017 22:40

My son has a Welsh name and i knew it would get mispronounced and spelt incorrectly, but it happens far more than i anticipated especially as we live in Wales. I'd just correct them every time, they will eventually get it.

TarragonChicken · 31/01/2017 22:40

Niskayuna

Had to think that one through... 'Was Alvin a classical philosopher? Simon? Oh! Theodore!' Grin

Boulshired · 31/01/2017 22:47

I have real problems with jasmine and Yasmine to the point I avoid. I have known one friend 10 years always get it right when writing but my brain has flips when I need to speak it.

reuset · 31/01/2017 22:49

They're probably more familiar with Beatrice, it being top 100, and so not pronouncing the 'x'. Though Beatrix isn't exactly a rarity Hmm

Just correct them, or use Trixie as a nick name. Grin

FrancisCrawford · 31/01/2017 22:51

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

shinynewusername · 31/01/2017 22:54

Get used to it. I have a variant of a very common name (think Sara instead of Sarah). People I have known for 30 years still get it wrong, especially in writing. I have had to accept that people default to the version they know. There's just no point stressing about it.

shinynewusername · 31/01/2017 22:54

PS Love Beatrix btw Smile

Missdread · 31/01/2017 22:56

Oh what a beautiful beautiful name! I love Beatrix! I have an Amelie who, when she was born got Amelia, Emily and, my personal favourite, "Amy Leigh".......Just smile and nod OP, smile and nod!

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