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Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

Original poster

Dalia for a girl

33 replies

SharkSave · 22/05/2018 21:23

I'm really liking the name Dalia for a girl but I want it pronounced dar-lia rather than like the flower day-lia (spelt dahlia). Would you pronounce the above spelling dar-lia or am I missing a more obvious spelling?
General thoughts on the name welcome too!

OP posts:
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buttercup54321 · 22/05/2018 21:30

I think you woujd need to spell it as you want it to sound. Darlia. The spelling Dalia sounds like the flower.
Darlene
Dalenie
Celia
Celine
Ciena
Darcey

Thistles24 · 22/05/2018 21:32

I know of one and she was introduced by her mother as Dah-lia, so no issues with it being pronounced Day-lia. It must be regional, as I would never have thought to pronounce it Dar-lia. It's a nice name,as long as the fact there are 3 different ways of pronouncing and the fact you may have to be correcting people doesn't bother you.

Joinourclub · 22/05/2018 21:34

I would read it as Dar-lia

Original poster
SharkSave · 22/05/2018 21:36

Ha! @Thistles24 that has crossed my mind! It's only a maybe at the minute partly for that reason.
It's just stupid the bloody flower got in first with it's dahlia spelling but daylia pronunciation!Grin

OP posts:
Wolfiefan · 22/05/2018 21:37

Darla?
You are basically inventing a name and will be causing your child years of explaining the spelling/punctuation if you make up a spelling.

xLeanne128 · 22/05/2018 21:40

I love it!

Ethelswith · 22/05/2018 21:40

Dalia isn't a made up name, it's Arabic and a DC is at school with one. Pronounced Dar-lia

I like it.

Lilyargin · 22/05/2018 21:43

If I saw this on a register I would pronounce it Daylia and think it was a misspelling of dahlia (as I did when I saw your post)
The kid would get this every year with every new teacher several times a day at the start of term. And everywhere else. Too annoying!

Frauline · 22/05/2018 21:45

I know a Dalia and it is pronounced with no problems. It's therefore not a made up name. I think it's nice.

Don't listen to people on Mumsnet who can't cope with anything a bit "forrin" sounding !! How dull.

Your child will be fine spelling Dalia it's hardly complicated.

daisypond · 22/05/2018 22:03

I know a Dalia. I think it's nice name. I thought it was quite a well-known name in some parts of the world.
Dahlia the flower is pronounced Dahl-ia in some places, as it's named after someone called Dahl, even in Britain as well. So you could go with that spelling.
Or you could have Delia.

Sophronia · 22/05/2018 22:33

I would pronounce Dalia dar-lia.

RedDwarves · 22/05/2018 22:41

I like it, but prefer the spelling Dahlia.

I insist on pronouncing Dahlia dah-lee-ah, despite a lot of people here (Australia) pronouncing it day-lee-ah. There is no logic to their pronunciation, so I persist with mine and no one has tried to correct me.

YoucancallmeVal · 22/05/2018 22:44

Guessing it's becoming popular at the moment as it is coming up on these boards quite a lot at the mo. Id pronounce it dar lia if i read it.

Sametimetomorrow · 22/05/2018 22:44

I know a Dalia. It’s a lovely name.

buckleten · 22/05/2018 22:54

I have a cousin with a Kahlia (Kar-lee-a), I think it is very pretty.

Original poster
SharkSave · 22/05/2018 23:09

It's definitely not made up @wolfiefan it's a Hebrew name like Sarah for instance.
It's a mixed bag then. The pronunciation is a factor in making it a 'maybe.'
I couldn't go for the Dahlia spelling and just tell people it's dar-lia, too many keen gardeners in the immediate family would would do this Hmm

OP posts:
PetulantPolecat · 22/05/2018 23:14

It’s pronounced Daaa-lia in all languages Confused. No R at all. In Arabic, there’s more accent on the Da and the lia is almost swallowed. Google videos

HeyDolly · 23/05/2018 05:28

I like Dalia but there is no r in it so I really can’t see how it’s pronounced Dar-lia. I would pronounce it Da-lia.

Darla as a PP suggested is nice and has a definite ‘r’ sound

Original poster
SharkSave · 23/05/2018 06:07

@petulantpolecat daaaa-lia and dar-lia sound the same to my ears. I did look up prounounciations but could only find American ones.
@heydolly do you mean it sounds more like dal-lia?

OP posts:
Ethelswith · 23/05/2018 06:40

Dahlia is pronounced Day-Lia in UK as well, because that's the way the flower with that spelling is said. It's not logic, it's tradition.

(Also, when I wrote Dar-Lia above, it was to show a long rounded 'a', not an actual 'r' sound (not least because they do not interpolate like that in my accent))

Sametimetomorrow · 23/05/2018 06:42

The Dalia I know is Dal-lia.

mehhh · 23/05/2018 08:53

I love it

catalinablue · 23/05/2018 09:35

I like it. I would pronounce it as Daa-lia / Dar-lia. Though, I pronounce the flower that way too. It makes sense that it would be the correct pronunciation considering they were named after Andreas Dahl!

I'd say go for it OP - Dalia is a lovely name.

JammyLittleDodger · 23/05/2018 09:36

@Wolfiefan Dahlia isn't a made up name? It's beautiful though and this is how I know it spelt.

starkid · 23/05/2018 11:57

If you tell people how it's pronounced I don't think you'll have a problem with Dalia as much as if you did spell it as Dahlia, due to the different pronunciations of the flower.
I personally love the pronunciation Day-lia. For those that like it said that way, there's also the name Adalia :)