KSAWERY or SEWERYN or NIKODEM?

[Leatherr]

For baby boy soon due thanks for comments any

[NameChange30]

It just depends whether you want a name that most people know how to pronounce/spell straight away without having to ask or check.

There is nothing wrong with choosing a "difficult" name but the person with the name might find it a bit annoying having to correct people and spell it out all the time, if that bothers you then it's worth choosing an "easier" name, but if if doesn't bother you then fine.

I stand by my original comment which is that I think Nikodem would work best in the UK. I wouldn't be rude about the other names if the OP picked them. But I'm not "racist" just because I personally prefer Nikodem.

[RitchyBestingFace]

The English need to wake up and accept the fact it ain't all about them. The world does not exist to make words easy for English people to say with little brain effort involved.

Please can we pin this to the top of the Baby Names board? PLEASE.

It's not "exceptionally stupid" not to know how to pronounce a name from a language you don't know that you have never seen or heard before.

No, but it is exceptionally stupid to not ask or not try or continue mispronouncing. It doesn't take that long to ask or google.

My son has a grzergorz in his class, it is difficult to say and difficult to spell

I know a Grzergorz. It's easy to pronouce and as difficult to spell as any non-phonetic English word like 'cough' or 'what'. It takes a tiny amount of effort. It's a lot easier than remembering whether your acquaintance is Claire or Claire / Steven or Stephen.

We are English and DC1 is called a name that is not very common but shared with quite a few famous people - it's also a common noun and four letters long. Still people mispronounce it or misspell it occasionally. It takes one second to correct them and then they've got it.

Agree with the PP - we live in a time where famous people are called Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Lupita Nyong'o and Khloe Khardashian - I think people can cope with a non-Anglo Saxon name.

[BendydickCuminsnatch]

I like Seweryn if it's pronounced Severin? The 'sewer' spelling puts me off but I know that's v ignorant of me and would never comment on it IRL. Others might though.

Nikodem sounds pretty awesome too.

[heateallthebuns]

Maybe people are stupid not to be able to pronounce names. Whether they are or not isn't the point. It's annoying having a name people can't pronounce.

[itssquidstella]

I like Seweryn best but Nikodem is nice too (I like the nickname Niko).

[Helmetbymidnight]

The premier league is full of unEnglish names that fans manage to learn and shout every week.

I like niko. I also like Konrad! Or Jo.

[NameChange30]

Francis


It's not "exceptionally stupid" not to know how to pronounce a name from a language you don't know that you have never seen or heard before.

I studied languages at Cambridge and I wouldn't know how to pronounce Ksawery without Googling it or asking someone.

[heateallthebuns]

But what about ds? It's not great being lumbered with a name that people can't pronounce or spell. It's annoying.

Niko is lovely sounds sophisticated and yet easy to spell and pronounce.

Not sure about the sewery one. And the other is too constonanty for me.

[yeOldeTrout]

My tongue trips over names, I find Amelia a huge headache, actually.
This is why my kids have boring names like "Mark" and "Ann".

[MrsGsnow18]

Ksawery is my favourite from your list.

Agree that Nikodem would be easiest to pronounce when seen on paper in the UK.
But don't think it's a big deal, once people have been told how to pronounce etc they will know for next time!

[JenLindleyShitMom]

Nobody will learn how to say these names if people stop using them because no-one knows how to say them. Use them, get them into common usage, then people will know how to say them

[JenLindleyShitMom]

People just need to get smarter and less lazy and they'll cope with "forrin" names. What a dull world if we were all Kevins. Variety is the spice of life. More Kwames, Seweryns and Cliodhnas please. Flood the English speaking world with them. They need the practise in spelling and pronunciation.

[TikTakTok]

My son has a grzergorz in his class, it is difficult to say and difficult to spell

....but it's easy for his family to say and spell.

My DH has non English speaking relatives who call my DCs their languages closest version of their names. It causes no confusion at all.

[yeOldeTrout]

Lots of nice Polish names here that don't sound like something rude or disgusting in English.

[FRETGNIKCUF]

It's not about xenophobia it's about a lifetime of explaining how to say a name constantly mispronounced.

My son has a grzergorz in his class, it is difficult to say and difficult to spell.

[badtime]

I think the main reason people are suggesting Anglicising 'Seweryn' is specifically because of the 'sewer' part of the spelling, and that that might lead to teasing etc. A previous poster used the example of 'Dikshit' as a perfectly normal name from her own culture that she would avoid in the UK, and I think that is a legitimate consideration. I don't think this is quite the same as going (for example) 'Oh, Pawel is too difficult, call him Paul instead.'

[JasperDamerel]

I think it does matter, to a certain extent. I grew up in a bilingual household, and my parents were careful to find a name that worked in both languages. If your child is going to be spending a significant amount of time with people who speak a particular language, it makes sense to choose a name which can be pronounced reasonably well in both languages, and doesn't sound like a rude or embarrassing word in either language. My aunts and uncles can't pronounce my son's name easily, and that's something I regret not having considered when I named him.

[JenLindleyShitMom]

I really don't think it matters if it works in English

Fucking this a million times.

The English need to wake up and accept the fact it ain't all about them. The world does not exist to make words easy for English people to say with little brain effort involved.

OP regardless of where you live or intend to live then you name your child the name you love the most. You will say it a hundred times a day and it will be on your child that you love. Give them a name you love. Out of your list I like Ksawery best.

[WindPowerRanger]

Nikodem is very nice, but I really like Seweryn. Would yuo consider an Anglicised spelling, like Severyn?