Oh wise Mumsnetter's please help settle this argument- Beau.

[PirateJelly]

A friend has recently name her gorgeous newborn DD Ava-Beau, all as one name like Ellie-May. Now she is adamant it is pronounced Ava 'Bew' like the start of ' beautiful'

Now I am sure Beau is pronounced bow

For the sake of my sanity please tell me who is correct?
It wouldn't be so bad if it was just her (and I would never get into an argument with her about it, as I know how sensitive she will be right now) but a mutual friend of mine text me the name when she was born and then when I saw her I said "oh so she's called her Ava Bow?" And was told don't be daft that's a stupid name, it's definitely Ava Bow and to stop taking the piss out of our friends DD's name . I was going to argue that that is how most people will read it but wanted to be sure first incase I'm wrong.

Thanks

I would've said Bow/Bo

You're right. And I thought for girls it was Bo. Beau is a boys name.

Bow

It rhymes with know, and it's a boy's name. It's the male equivalent of Belle I suppose.

Yes I would have thought 'bo' and also think that sounds better than 'bew' (is she meaning to pronounce it 'bew' or 'boo')?

you are right, it's pronounced bo

and it's a boys name isn't it?

You are correct in your pronunciation, OP.

I agree with PP's that's a boys name.

Beau as in French so "Bo". Only heard as a boys name - Beauregard (US) or Beau Brummell?

I would pronounce it bow too and the only Beau I know is pronounced bow. I also think it's a boy's name though (unhelpful).

Yes, surely il est beau, elle est belle? So it's masculine, as well as mispronounced.

Bew, rhyming with view, sounds like ewww and seems a very odd name to choose. I can't easily think of anything like it that would be a girl's name.

dated a Beau in high school (guy), and it was pronounced "Bow"

Yup Beau (bo) is the masculine version of Belle.

Thanks for the quick replies. She has posted it on facebook and I've just noticed a couple of replies have said " do you mean Boo or Bow? And isn't that a boys name?" To which my friend and a few other have angrily replied it's pronounced "It's Beau like Beautiful you idiots!" Oh dear.

Hopefully she'll just drop the Beau part for every day and call her Ava

I would like to add that this is the same friend who insisted on calling my DS Lewis for the best part of a year and still slips up occasionally it's Louis not Lewis. I think she should have steered clear of French names altogether tbh!

Maybe it is meant to be a pronunciation so posh that only certain in the know pronounce it correctly like Beaulieu (bewly?)

Oh dear. Ava-Belle would sound ok.

I thought it was Bo, and male.

I was going to suggest the Beaulieu (bewley) pronounciation.

Bow, definitely. And Beau is masculine!

Although I'd say Bow myself, not being from posh stock and all that.

Agree with everyone else - it's said "bow" and it's masculine. 'Belle' is the french feminine for beautiful

hollandpark and Isla without sounding a cow- trust me she is not posh. I'm not sure where this new name has come from and I never heard her mention it pre birth when we were discussing names she liked but tbh she kept her last dc's name a secret too so that no one would steal it

I keep saying it over and over and it just doesn't seem to go at all but within our friendship group it would appear I am in the minority and everyone else appears to love it. Glad I'm not the only one who thinks it doesn't exactly roll off tongue.

Aye well, there you have it Pirate, your friends 'appear to love it' trust me, behind closed doors they are having the same conversation as you are having here. :o