North/south divide - girls names pronounced dramatically differently?

[Stulbam]

Like Sandra, Alexandra - they'd be pronounced with a 'sand' sound up north, but a 'sarrnd' sound down south. Not just a subtle difference in emphasis - a black and white divide.

I've spent the last month straining my brain in disbelief that I can't think of a single other example for girls (I've come up with Grant/ 'Grarrnt' for boys). My husband claims there's no other examples (exarrmples!) - surely this can't be?!

Help me prove him wrong Mumsnet?!

Marrtthhew if you’re really posh😂

Francis/Frances (there you go, two examples in one).

Also Tanya

Charlotte. It’s regional but I know a lot of middle englanders who say ‘shar-LOT’ which makes it a rather ugly name with that much emphasis on the LOT.

And Clara, though I'm not sure that's such a clearcut north/south divide.

We actually ruled out two of these on the grounds that we'd be forever battling over how to pronounce them.

Alexander

Marie. Mar-rie down South, like marry up North

I've noticed that Michelle is often pronounced very differently in the north compared to the south. In the north the stress is on the second syllable 'shell', whereas in the south the first syllable is stressed (ME-shell).

I know an Elle whose very northern grandparents add a sort of "eh" noise at the end so it sounds like Ellie.

Cl-air and Cl-err
T-anya and T-arnya
Sh-eryl and Ch-eryl
And yyyy to Meeeee-shell

I did know someone who pronounce Yvonne as Why-vone, but I think he was just a bit odd!

Clare is Clurr up err!

Andrew - Our Andrew
Lucy - Our Lucy

Etc

Sophie and Sawfi
Rosie and Rawsi

Naomi: ny-omi up north, nay-omi down south.

Sarah/Suruh

I did a double take when I first heard 'Pearl' in a Scottish accent... Thought it was 'Peril'!!

It's not dramatically different versions of the same name, though. It's just the like any other word being pronounced differently in different regional accents.

Like Claire being pronounced cleh in places with non rhotic accents. It's no different to dancer/dahnsa/dansa etc. Names aren't magically exempt from accents.

Hannah, Helen, etc, - often lose the H and become Anna, Ellen, etc up North.

The u sound in names like Lucy often more resembles an "oo" in Yorkshire - so instead of Lucy (with slightly pursed lips on the "u" sound), it sounds more like "loo-sey". Bit difficult to explain in writing but trust me!

(Disclaimer: I'm from Yorkshire)

The nosey project - it is shar-lit in Scotland

Thanks ladies, especially Lancelottie - you are amazing at this woman! Weeks I've been trying!

So a common theme seems to be the 'an' sound in the middle of a name that makes it the black and white divide of short vs. long 'a'?

Alexandra
Sandra
Francis
Tanya

Any more examples anyone can think of very much appreciated!

Yvonne with stress on either the first or the second syllable:
Y-vonne (similar to the word ‘even’) or Y-vonne

The ‘a’ in some names is pronounced quite differently between the north and south- in thinking of the ‘a’ in the middle of Sebastian and in Hannah for example.

This is the reason no DD of mine ever ended up being Alexandra.

In 90% of Australia, it's Alex-ANN-dra, but my mother, a Kiwi, says Alex-AHN-dra and it drives me mad. Couldn't live with it.

EE-von and EE-laine or El Laine
Claw Air or Klo-ee

When I was a kid I knew a Naomi, her parents were very well to do and said it was not pronounced “Nay-o-mi” or “Ny-o-mi” but more like “Nairmi”, with less emphasis on the “O” sound. To be more posh

@superbeagle I grew up in Australia and only ever heard alex-ahn-dra