Pronunciation of Esme?

[dietcoketime69]

Would you say Es - mee or Es - may?

Anyone with an Esme? Do you have to constantly correct people?

I would pronounce it ez-may. I think the may/mee pronunciations are both legitimate.

I had a pal at school who was Esmé pronounced Ez-mee. Lovely name!
Not sure if it's the accent that instructed the pronunciation?

If the accent is used then the name should only be pronounced ez-may.

The only Esme I knew was Ez-mee (South London)

I also say Ez-may.

I have an Esme (we pronounce it Ez-Mee)

Lots of people comment on what a beautiful name it is but I am finding that people tend to pronounce it Ez-May, unless corrected.

Ez-may

Es-May. Well more Ez-may.

I did look slightly askance at the first person I heard say Ez-mee but as it was their daughter I thought it best to nod and smile.

I've since discovered it is actually a variant pronunciation but much like Clara pronounced Claire-a not Klara, I find it much less attractive.

Ez may

Es-mee - definitely

Ez-mee.

Ez-may was the original pronounciation, with an accent on the final e.
It's from an old French version of the verb 'esmer' (ez-may) = 'to esteem'.
And it was originally male.
First used in British Isles for one of Scottish King James VI's favourites, politician Esme Stewart (sorry, can't do accents on this machine).

Now in UK top 100 for girls and rising quite fast, from 202 in 2002 to 65 in 2012.

I've known four Esmes. All female, two my parents' generation and two my dcs' generation. Two, one older and one younger, pronounced it Ezmay; two, also one older and one younger, pronounced it Ezmee.

Curiously, the only Esmes I've come across in literature have all been male.

I would say Esmee and prefer that pronunciation. Maybe put the accent in if you definitely want Esmay.

If I didn't have the chance to ask I would default to Ez-may.

I would always pronounce it ez may. Didn't even know you could pronounce it ez mee.

I know two. One is Ez-May, the other is Ez-me.

Actually, thinking about it, if I wan't sure I'd probably mumble the last syllable until I heard other people who know the person better say it.

I know one , she's Ez-mee. I actually didn't know that it could be ez-may

I'd never even heard of the Es-mee pronunciation until Mumsnet. I suspect that it's only in the UK where people would pronounce it this way.

I can't imagine Renee ever being pronounced Ren-ee.

The Es-mee thing is for anglophones. The name is Es-may, with an accent. DD is one, and we don't fuss about either pronunciation, but as we do use the accent it is obviously Es-may.

Ez-may. The other way just doesn't roll off the tongue.

I teach a child called Esmai- no room for doubt then