Izak?? Or something else?

[mileender]

Baby boy imminently arriving and Izak is our current top choice. I had a quick search on here though and general opinion seems to be it's "chavvy" which has put me off a bit! Am I making a big mistake?? Any other suggestions of similar names very welcome (other names we liked are Luka, Niko, Emil and Rafael).

Izaak (with two as) is a classic spelling of the name Isaac. I love it. Great name. And Zaccy/Zakky is a very cute nickname.

The name isn't chavvy but spelling it like that is definitely chavvy. Not sure why not just spell it Isaac?

Isak is pronounced 'ee-sak' in most places where that spelling is the norm. If you don't like that pronunciation I think you have to go for 'Isaac'.

Just read the posts properly now and use izak based on your family situation. It's chavvy if you're pure British with no international connections and you're just trying to be unique but that's not the case here.

I’m dead against chavvy yoonique spellings but Izak is not one. It’s simply E.European. Totally appropriate to honour your husband’s culture.

Itzhak Perlmann is a famous virtuoso violinist, whose parents where Polish-Jewish.

Also love Rafael.

were ^

Hmm, the pronunciation thing has really got me thinking now. I'd assumed that everyone in the UK would just pronounce it "Isaac" - am I wrong? How would you say it?

I would say it Itzak as that's how I've heard it said with that spelling before.

Issac is a lovely name but spelling it Izak makes it look chavvy

Isaac- lovely. Izak- chavvy.

Get some bloody culture, it’s not chavvy if it’s from another country!

It's not chavvy you racist fools

Have to say I'm slightly regretting searching for the name on MN now! Genuinely hadn't occurred to me that people would think a name is "chavvy" just because it isn't British...

So much ignorance - the English spelling of a name is not the only variant in most cases!

You should use Izak OP, I'm using the Eastern European spelling of a popular name for my son, for the same reason as you!

Genuinely hadn't occurred to me that people would think a name is "chavvy" just because it isn't British

Does it matter what such people think? They haven't the wit to know what they are talking about so who cares what they say?

I would say Eezaak based on others I’ve known with the name.

Wouldn’t say Eyez uck in the trad English way of Isaac.

Lovely name OP, as a similar variant that we are looking at what about Ezra?

It’s just ignorance OP.

Chavvy mis-spelling and yoonique spellings are rife. Lazy people here are making assumptions without twigging it’s a valid name from another culture.

Fuck's sake, nothing like the baby names threads for demonstrating the xenophobic ignorance of so many mumsnetters.

Izak is lovely, op. My sons also have Polish names (one of the Great Mumsnet Sins, because apparently their lives will be blighted, blighted, by the use of a ks rather than an x or an f rather than a ph...) and the only people to look negatively on that are people I'd rather not have anything to do with anyway.

I like Izak! I think with your DP being Eastern European, no one will bat an eyelid. I think of you were both British it would seem like you were just trying to be different but as it has links I think it works just fine

Have to say I'm slightly regretting searching for the name on MN now! Genuinely hadn't occurred to me that people would think a name is "chavvy" just because it isn't British...

People are just ignorant. I asked about Maks on here once, for exactly the same reasons as you - easier pronunciation in DH’s home country, where half of his family live, where we spend lots of time and where our children may one day choose to live and work. I got similar replies to the ones you’re getting.

I like it OP. As a PP said it has a beautiful meaning, laughter.

Oh and I would pronounce it as Issac

The other thing is that apart from general cultural ignorance, people on here are very, very conseravtive.

New babies are generally Lily, Rose, May, Evie, Ella, Olly, Harry, Jack, Charlie, Oscar, Freddie

I would pronounce it Izak.
Sounds awful but it would only seem a chavvy spelling if you were a chavvy person.
As it has some link to his heritage, I say go for it

I always wonder if people realise how provincial and vaguely racist they sound when they say this kind of thing about perfectly normal names from other countries/cultures?

This exactly. "Bleurgh! Yuk! That looks foreign and WEIRD! Just spell it the NORMAL way!"

Izak is an awesome name and it'll always be pronounced correctly when you're in the UK.