To think that if you have to ask how to pronounce a name, you should not use it for your baby?

[FlyMaybe]

Just that really.

Nobody could pronounce my maiden name. I have an unusual forename too which, although the pronunciation seems obvious, people mistake it for a different but similar name.

As an introverted child, I used to cringe when my name was incorrectly called out by teachers, doctors etc.

Why would you knowingly inflict that upon your child?

According to behind the name, Eleanor is pronounced El-a-nawr (www.behindthename.com/name/eleanor). Surely it's an accent think though and different accents will pronounce it in different ways?

For people having to ask how to pronounce names they want to call their children, do you think they like the story or history of the name but have never heard it IRL? Thinking the likes of Alcyone, Persephone etc. Maybe they just like the way it looks.

I have a very common name for my age range & I used to wish I'd an unusual name. Save me from all the variations on trying to be set apart from the others with the same name.

Saw a new spelling of the much corruptible Leanne - Leigharn (I suppose it has a southern pronunciation)

YANBU. The sad thing is parents think they look individual, whereas everyone silently eyemeets and pities the child. I know several children under 10 who've had to beg to change their names.

Fave was the girls whose parents bigged up their fantasy ethnic heritage (one GP was born abroad) and picked African names, only to realise when DDs 4 and 6 that they'd picked popular boys' names.

I think it's fine to check a pronunciation - ie how other people who encounter the name are likely to pronounce it. Regional variations and accents can make perfectly lovely names into awful ones (and vice versa)

Oh that's good to know happy I don't think I can convince DH on it which is a shame. I'm planning on having all Irish names for our DC, but getting the balance right of having a beautiful Irish name that won't result in teasing will probably be hard. We are Irish but live in England and have a very English surname, and both DH and I happen to have very common English names. We're basically Jane and John Smith (not our real names) and it's just soooo bland.

Saw a new spelling of the much corruptible Leanne - Leigharn (I suppose it has a southern pronunciation)

I'm from the south and wouldn't pronounce Leanne like that! .

So it's literally pronounced Lee-aarrne? How odd!

I am older now than most of you. My mum called me after a French novelist. WTF was she thinking back in the day! She taught me to love reading too.

But I love my name. It is old fashioned but nice. To me anyway, and easy to pronounce and spell. Genius mum.

Why would Helena be Helayna?

Some names have a number of different pronounciations, especially ones used by different countries. I agree that parents should not pick a name and then guess at how to pronounce it (especially when it is very easy to find out now).

I have a very unusual name. People always ask how to say and/or spell it and where it comes from. This doesn't bother me at all because I really like it. I'm happy to tell people how I pronounce my name and I always reassure them that however they say it is generally fine with me. Except for the people who try and shorten it into other names or use something vaguely similar, as that's irritating.

Why would Helena be Helayna?

I know two Helaynas but no Helen-ers! I know it exists as a name though!

Ah, you mean if other people have to ask. I suppose you should take it into consideration. Some of the more unusual names have trickier pronunciations e.g. Eurydice

Worse still is when somebody on the baby name section says "I'm thinking of using 'x' name for my baby, but I'm not sure of the correct pronunciation." Why!

I’m from Salford. Eleanor and Helena would be pronounced the same :D

I've heard Helena pronounced as Helayna or Hel-en-a in about equal measures I think (I am quite old though - two Helayna's in my school year)

True enough Jengnr!

I have a pretty dreadful name - it's a weird half-anglicisation of a Welsh name. I go by a shortened version but still people can neither spell nor pronounce it. Tbh it had stopped bothering me until I started needing quite a lot of medical appointments recently - my full name is on my records, so I have to go through people doing exaggerated 'how the hell do I say this?' faces every time. I am more determined than ever that if I ever have children they will be called names that absolutely everyone can pronounce and say!

I don't know, but my parents did it to me, and I hate my name!

My first spiel as a supply teacher to a new class is to apologize in advance for getting their names wrong (about 75% of them this morning!) and ask them not to laugh, but just to politely correct me. I was amused at the child with a very common and easy to pronounce English name who wanted to get in on the act and give me a slightly different pronunciation of his name.

And He-lee-na

In my student days I had a housemate called Alana who pronounced it like Eleanor. Quite confusing

I wish people would just say what their name is instead of "I have a weird version of blah blah blah"

Tell us your name or it's not interesting!!

My first spiel as a supply teacher to a new class is to apologize in advance for getting their names wrong (about 75% of them this morning!) and ask them not to laugh, but just to politely correct me

Ah, now here is one advantage that my awkward name does have - I teach adults so they call me by my first name, so I always do a 'this is how you say my name, it's absolutely fine if you get it wrong but I will politely correct you - please do the same if I mess up saying your name', which does seem to make them more forgiving when I inevitably make a hash of some of their names

I wish people would just say what their name is instead of "I have a weird version of blah blah blah"

But when you have a really weird name it's outing! I once put my name into a 'how many people with your name were born in your birth year' thing and it said it couldn't give me an exact figure because it was fewer than five - I actually suspect I may be the only one born that year. So given I've told people my age elsewhere on here, you can understand why I won't give my name!

I have an adult eleanor, always pronounced El a nor here.

My name is French, albeit a fairly uncommon one for my age in France. Surprisingly, it briefly became fairly common in the USA, obviously they absolutely butchered the pronunciation and unfortunately the English don't do much better with it. (Think Amélie).

My children have very easy to pronounce names, but have horrifically horrifically complicated surnames. DC have double barrelled names that are both really difficult to spell and pronounce. Hadn't really got a choice about it though.

My parents gave both my sister and I reverse names.

We have always gone by our middle names as opposed to our first names.

It has been a pain our entire lives.

I asked my Mum and she doesn't have any reason for it.

It was unnecessary hassle and as an incredibly socially anxious child it was a burden to say the least.

I have a well known Irish name very easy to pronounce but even my Mam pronounced it wrong! Ok so it's Aisling, ASH LING.. She called me Aisleen.. My neighbour calls me Aislynn and my American cousins call me Ashaleen.
I just laugh it off now, it's not like they are calling me Barbara

What does annoy me though is if I send a txt say to one of children's friends parents signing off with Thanks, Aisling. They text me back No problem Ashling/Aishling!