Which boys names do you prefer?

[Babe3107]

Xavier Rafael or Rafael Xavier?
Pronounced 'Zay-vee-er'

So everyone who goes to St Francis Xavier College and St Francis Xavier Church has no idea how to say the name?
Xavier in the UK is pronounced Zay-vee-er.
I know the pronunciation and I speak several languages.

As I said, only by people who are linguistically challenged.

Typically the wrong pronunciation is adopted and then everyone follows as in the case of your school.

I have to say I’ve never met a British person in my life who pronounces it Zay vee er, only Americans.

Well I'm not British but live in the UK. I've heard the Zay-vee-er pronunciation by well educated and well travelled people, including myself. And the fact that you can pronounce it in multi-national ways is what gives it its uniqueness!

Oh and I speak 5 different languages fluently - so not linguistically challenged!

I've only heard it pronounced Gsa vee ay with the first syllable rhyming with have.

I'm not sure if I'd like a name that may get mispronounced a lot.

Rafael Xavier has a good ring to it. Congrats

@TatianaLarina 😴

It’s odd to adapt the mangled British pronunciation if you’re not actually British, but it’s your life.

It might sound a little bit like a foreigner thinking it sounds establishment when it just sounds gauche.

Tatiana, it is you who is saying we are mangling it, not us mangling it.
translate.google.co.uk/#en/fr/Xavier

I may not be British born but my first language is English! And not mangled!
Thank you for turning my simple question into something about you! (That's sarcasm! - just to be clear)

Heard google translate mangle Sigolène and Anaïs?

It mangles a lot of things, Tat, but not Xavier.

Nope, Xavier is among the many.

Bearing in mind that the given name Xavier only exists in honour of St Francis Xavier, I never understand why people always insist on the French pronunciation on here when if you’re being a purist it should be the Spanish. In English, he’s definitely St Francis ‘Zayvier’ and in reality I have never met an English speaking Xavier who doesn’t pronounce it that way.

In the UK, if you pronounced the name any way other than Zay-viyuh, you’d sound like an utter twat.

ok if the pronounciation is that difficult to agree on, don't use the name. It will be an absolute pain for your son (and you) to correct people all the time about how to pronounce his name. There will be a forever question about how to pronounce it, from childminder/nursery/school teachers/workmates. Use it as a middle name, but I wouldn't use it as a first name. Way too much trouble. Go with Rafael.

translate.google.co.uk/#fr/en/Sigol%C3%A8ne
translate.google.co.uk/#fr/en/Ana%C3%AFs
Those are mangled?
I'm listening to the French 'listen' for each.

You have to ask?

Re - St Francis - I gave both Spanish and French pronunciations of Xavier upthread. Same sound ‘A’ sound. Xavier is a very old established name in France as well as Spain.

Zayvier is provincial Middle England.

If that’s what you like, good luck.

(Sig o len and An eye ees)

That's what it said.

The English is coming up for me Sigoleener and Anay

If you're after how a word is said, listen to the language to which that word belongs, or you'll get strange results.

I thought your point was the English translation of Xavier?

The French version of Xavier you linked initially is correct - Za vee eh.

Now Tat, you know very well that it's Zay-vee-er to me and every other brit on this thread.

Wow some very pretentious posts on this thread!
I don't see what's wrong with the OP going for a more anglicised pronunciation?
Isabel is a Spanish name but we don't pronounce it 'eesa-bel' in the U.K. do we?
The majority of names are pronounced differently depending on the country so I don't know why one poster in particular is getting so frustrated that the OP suggested Xavier pronounced in a more English way.