I've just clicked on a couple of random threads and...

[thereisalightanditnevergoesout]

they've mostly been discussing the name Romilly.

I have one and I know of about 8 others (directly, and through various acquaintances). Up until now, we've always received mixed reactions (people either like it, or pull a face).

Should I brace myself for loads more and break the news to my DD that she might, after all, be able to buy a pen with her name on in a gift shop one day soon ?

In our house it's Rom-illy.

Cheers. In that case it's the double L that probably misleads people.

Why would a double L mislead people? If people don't have a problem pronouncing Milly, I can't understand why they make such a meal of Romilly.

this was my girls name 4 years ago but we had a boy!
Seems more popular now? Not sure if will stick with it if new one is girl. ATM I like magdalena! (maggie/magda/Lena )

I love that - Magda is such a cute diminutive.

Why would a double L mislead people? If people don't have a problem pronouncing Milly, I can't understand why they make such a meal of Romilly

Because the double L suggests that the stress is on the 'milly' part, ie Ro-MILLY. For ROM-illy it would be clearer if it was spelled with one L, as in Emily. Romily.

I love Maggie but just can't get the Thatcher connotations out of my mind.

thereisalight I agree re: mispronunciation. If you can pronounce Milly then you can't struggle with Romilly.

I don't think the double L suggests stress on the 'milly' part at all.

Surely, according to English pronunciation rules - Emily shouldn't be pronounced like it is at all (a vowel sound followed by a single consonant makes the vowel sound long - in the absence of better examples I'm thinking scaly/scally, holy/holly etc.).

I guess we'll have to disagree on that one.

Please yourself - you are the one who is saying that people have a problem with the name. You said

"I can't fathom why people have such a hard time spelling it, either - I mean, it's spelled as it sounds."

I was merely offering a theory why these people clearly don't think "it's spelled as it sounds."

Thank you for your theory. I shall bear it in mind.