Jakub or Kacper? Maybe Olaf?

[Josie1988]

I know a few Olafs (in Poland) and it's my favourite, but it won't work in the UK, will it? Frozen...

If not, it's between Jakub and Kacper.

Which do you like more? Thanks.

Gosh, I'm really shocked by this thread, it's really showing up some PP 'S prejudices. Josie all three of your name choices are lovely, and once your child gets to know his teachers/class mates there won't be any difficulty.

I can't believe anyone would find it off for a child of Polish heritage to have a Polish name why should his parents give him the English spelling to pander to Little Britons?!

My DS1 had a lad in his class called Wojciech, and there were no issues with pronunciation at all after a week or so. Children are much more adaptable than adults anyway!

I like Jakub the best of your selection, but Kacper is also good.

Nothing wrong with Olaf, but it definitely would remind me of the snowman from Frozen. However, by the time he's older Disney might have found another cash cow, so it might never come up!

It would be katsper

And Jacub is Yakoob

Jakub ffs

I think they are all nice, but like Olaf best.

My son's friend is called Jakub...we all call him Kuba.

I like Jakub and know a few grown ups with this name. My grandfather was Polish and called Eugiene. I'm quite surprised by the reactions of some posters on here. I'm sure his teachers will cope just fine whatever you choose.

Josie I've just come back to this thread and I'm quite appalled by some of the comments.

I have lived in an area with a large Polish population and no one ever had any problems with learning how to pronounce Polish names. (Or any other kind of name)

Of course you want to use a Polish spelling, it's quite natural that you would.

The kids who know him have no issue with pronunciation. Neither do the adults

The OP is in London for God's sake, not Little Biggly under Lyme. I'm sure her child will do just fine with a Polish name. And even if they were living in Little Biggly under Lyme it would still be fine.

I'm quite appalled by some of the comments
Amelia
This is an anonymous internet chat forum. If OP didn't want the truth, she shouldn't have posted on mumsnet.

Josie
Go for your favourite.

You don't need to feel sorry for the teacher OP, you need to feel sorry for the child explaining x1000. The teacher won't mind a bit - every teacher will have asked loads of kids how to say their names. In my example it was the child who was unhappy.
If you want a Polish name, why don't you choose one that won't be easily confused with a common British name?

I personally like Jakub nn Kuba. Is the J pronounced as a J or a Y. I only ask because I have a friend Jan, and it is pronounced Yan (Polish for John I think). Either with a J or a Y sound it's nice.

I really think you should go for what you like best, and as for people over here pronouncing it, well there are so many different names and spellings/pronunciations of names, that it's not like it'll stand out as different.

Kacper in DS's class has no problems. Lovely name. Also like Jakub very much.

Not so keen on Olaf personally, as it makes me picture a huge grey-bearded Viking. Or that snowman, but Frozen was 2013. Your DS won't start school for another 4 years at least. All the hype will have died down by then.

Hopefully kids are nicer/more open-minded now....?

Hahaha, you're kidding right?

There's a Kacper in my dc's class (he and his family are from Poland) and all his classmates and teachers pronounce it as Kasper. So be aware, that even with the Polish spelling, your child may still end up with the English pronunciation.

Would look rather silly in the UK.

Looks like Jack-Ub and Kack-per

Would you shorten Jakub to Kuba. The only Jakub's I know and I know 3 all call themselves Kuba instead?

I am in London. I would use Olaf. My primary age children have never seen frozen so would have no idea who Olaf the snowman is and neither did I until I looked it up

The names will be pronounced different even if you say it the polish way for the others. Ie my sons friend it French and called Theodore. His parents pronounce it teo-dor, but every teacher and says Theodore

Would look rather silly in the UK.

They really wouldn't. Your attitude however, now that is rather silly.

Ignore those telling you to spell it the British way, you have every right to spell it the Polish way and its an important part of your son's heritage.

Personally Jakub is my favourite although saying Kacper a few times has it growing on me.

I like Kacper.
Only a total idiot would need it explained to them more than once.

We have a Polish Kacper at our school. It is pronounced Casper.
Not sure if that is their choice, or if it just happened that no-one could say it properly.

Is Jakub going to be pronounced Yakub, with a short a like in Yak?
You may find it morphs over time into Jacob.
I wanted to call our daughter JoHanna, which is Dutch and pronounced YoHanna, but I was pretty certain she would end up as Joanna, whcih I dislike.

By the way, no-one blinks as eye at Kacper spelt the Polish way, and I am sure if mum said by the way you should be pronouncing it Katsper, then the teachers woudl endeavor to do so.

It is nonsense to suggest that people can't cope with an alternative spelling, think of all the hundreds of kids who have Kayleigh Mae type names which have 20 different possible spellings.

Olaf does make me think more of Vikings than Poland. I am very surprised someone up thread said their Primary aged children hadn't seen Frozen, dd2 is 9 and every child in the school knows Frozen and Olaf, and the shops were still full of Frozen products this Christmas. I would let that put me off though, as it will pass, and the character is cute anyway.

Jakub or Olaf - both lovely names whether pronounced the Polish or the UK way

Kacper not so much - I do think it will mean a lifetime of correcting the pronunciation, which is a PITA (I have a surname like that) and whilst people will get used to it etc etc we don't all spend our lives in a narrow bubble with people who know us.