Need an unbiased opinion on Rhian

[squeak2392]

I really like Rhiannon and Rhiannedd, but I've been ignoring Rhian because every one I've known has been a -insert foul word-

But thinking about it, it's kinda nice :/

Pn the simple English way since although I currently live in Wales, I am English and baby will probably grow up in England.

Rhian is lovely. In Ireland the boy's name Rian (translating to Ryan in English) means little king. Just wondering is it the same meaning for Rhian?

was on our list, but we had boys. i still like it. in england its sort of known, but not overly popular - which is one of the many things that appealed

I like it but am welsh and can't get my head round pronouncing it any way except the welsh way (Rhee-Anne) it might piss you off if you're in Wales and others pronounce the name in a way you don't like.
Rhiannon is also lovely. I also like Ffion, Branwen, Mari and Carys if that helps at all!

Vals

It means Great Godess/Queen, depending on where you look.

I must admit that being Welsh I am more inclined to say Rhee-an than I am Ree-un but my accent isn't very Welsh and I'm not sure whether the two sound very different aloud. Outside of South Wales Rhee-an and Ree-un would souls quite different though.

I am English. And love it. To my ears it is prettier than Rhiannon.

Everyone is going to pronounce it Ree-Ann though, because that's the way it IS pronounced. It may annoy your daughter when she grows up.

I don't like it if I'm honest. Rhiannon is nicer but I'm not a fan of that either.

My DSIS who moved to Wales when she was 6 weeks old, doesn't speak Welsh, but she could give it the full trolled Rh...

I moved when I was 2.5 and can't. I can't do LL properly either, much to my BFFs amusement (and she was English too), but she lived in Llan..., and liked to try to get me to say it, knowing I sodding well couldn't.

DDs know a Rhian (we are in England, but borders) and it doesn't cause a problem.

Ha ha I know 2 horrible rhians two-
One a school bully and the other a work based cow.
Lol didn't realise it was a theme!!

I know 2. One in 20s the other is 4.
No negative connotations and lovely name

Rhian is a lovely name. I can't believe that Baby Names is reduced to 'Tell me nasty people with this name'. Pathetic. And no, I don't have kids called Rhian.

I'm in england and only ever heard it as Rhi-Anne. Rhi-un sounds ugly to me.... Sorry.

Rhiannon is a lovely name. I also knew a Rhea once?

Lovely, but pronounce it properly! Ri-un is just ugly, rhi-ann lovely!

Yes Rhee-ann is correct but Ree-un to be expected in England as a best effort (better than Ryan!).

If inaccurate pronunciation is going to make you cringe then maybe it's better to go for Ffion, Anwen... as suggested by pp.

I really don't think the English will pronounce it Rhee-un I think we are pretty practiced at pronouncing an AN sound. My sister is Rhiannon and never gets Rhee-un-on!

I only know one, and she is really lovely.

My cousin is Rhian, in England. Everyone pronounces it Ree-un, including all our Welsh (south wales) family. All Rhians in school with me in South Wales pronounced it that way too - i've honestly never heard it with an 'an' ending, except in v welshy S4C programmes (from the north?).

I don't mind it. My aunt and uncle did get some 'congrats on your baby boy' cards from english people thinking it was a misspelling of Ryan though!

Rhiannon is different - the 'an' is always 'an' because that's the stressed syllable. But I think in Rhian, the stress is on the 'Ree', so us lazy south walians lazily turn the unstressed 'an' to a schwa of 'un'

It's pretty horrid with the 'un' sound at the end. That's not the way it should be pronounced - it loses all the loveliness it has. So if that's the plan, and you can't pronounce the 'Rh' either - then I really wouldn't.

As for the name itself, it's super 70s-80s. A bit like calling your DD Kelly. Or Lisa.

Nicer more classic options if you live in England:

Seren
Nia
Carys
Ffion

or go a bit more out there:

Medi
Lowri
Mali
Haf (Harv)

Think about phrasing- esp diue to singer rhianna it will get pronounced rhi-an a lot
I have a friend with an easy to say spell but welsh origin name and out of wales and boarders it's still always spelt or pronounced incorrectly
Nb in same way v commingle welsh names virtually unused elsewhere in country eg Rhys, Bethan, gethin, Gareth, anghared, Megan, etc

Rhian is the irish name for Ryan and is a boys name. You could try Reanne (like Leanne with an R)

My best friend is a Rhianne, nobody ever spells it right. Long running joke when he goes for Starbucks!

Thanks everyone, I think I'm okay with using the name now, if I chose to :)

RE the pn: I live in South Wales and went to school with a Rhian. Everyone pn it Ree-un except a native Welsh speaking teacher who basically just said it Ree-an as a joke. Maybe the way I spelt the sound is a bit deceiving - you would definitely write an 'a' if you heard it, but it's not a strong Anne sound.

I don't like the Ree-anne sound and I think it sounds AWFUL pn like Leanne, so it will definitely be the sound I'm used to and have grown up with :)

...Although thinking about it, can I get some opinions from any Leannes or Michelles about whether it annoys them when the stress is on the other syllable? I have a cousin Liane who pn it Lee-ANN, but I know she has friends/family who pn it LEE-ann and it doesn't seem to bother her. It would bother me as her mother though :P

Sweets

No, Rhian is a Welsh girls name.

Google it.

I like the name Rhian and know lots of them in their 30s and 40s, don't know any children called it though. A bit like calling a child Debbie.

I've never heard it pronounced any other way than Rhee-anne though.