Living abroad -names that are pronounced differently in the two languages

[Littleloaf]

We have a list of potential names we both like, but a lot of them are pronounced quite differently in English (me) and French (DH). For example:

Charles (pn Sharl in French)
Arthur (pn Art-yur)
Iris (pn Eeris)

I don't think it's a problem but DH thinks it'll confuse the baby! Does anyone have any experience of this please?

We are trying to name an Anglo-Italian child and have run into the same problem.

Personally, we want to avoid names with a different pronunciation in each language. I have a half-French half-English nephew whose name is pronunced slightly differently (the vowel sound, so less different than your choices) in each language. Now he's at school he has started refusing to answer to/correcting one pronunciation, saying it's not his name.

However, he's still young and might grow out of it. On my thread a couple of posters mentioned their kids weren't bothered by the two families saying their names differently.

We are also a French-British couple living in France (DH is French).

Both our boys have names that are spelt the same in both languages but pronounced differently. It has not been a problem at all. DC pronounce their own names differently depending on the language they are using.

The sweetest was when little DS2 started talking. He'd talk to his big brother in both languages, being careful to pronounce his name differently!

I think this is much easier for girls’ names as there are lots which are spelt and pronounced the same in both languages. Boys’ names are much harder. Following with interest!

I'd try to use a name that is the same or quite similar in both languages.

LeeMillar - boy or girl?
My Aglo-Italian boys list was-
Alexander (Ale' or Alex)
Nicholas (Nico)
Sebastian
Leo (which I then discounted as the 2 pronounciations would be so different!)
Theodore (also discounted due to the th sound)

Other 'work anywhere in Europe' ideas-
Luca
Louis
Frederick
Thomas

My brother was known by an English name in England & a Greek name in Greece- he was just told it was the translation!! He had no problems & knew who was getting hollered at whichever name was called

My name is pronounced differently in other languages. It's a good solid British (Hebrew) name, so also common in France, Italy and other places.
When I introduce myself in those countries I adapt the pronunciation accordingly ((frequent traveller).

A lot of families pronounce children's names differently according to which language is being spoken at the time. Will you be speaking exclusively English and your DH exclusively French to the baby? If so, I think it would be normal for you to use two different pronunciations in the two different languages. On the occasions when you yourself are speaking French then you can refer to your DS by the French pronunciation and your DH can similarly use the English pronunciation when speaking English. That's what works for our family anyhow.

Would you and your partner pronounce the name differently, or would you switch according to which language you're speaking? I think for a child, hearing the name said differently at home might be more confusing than just extended family/occasional visits.

The particular names you mention are pretty different in each language - how about something more similar sounding? There are loads and loads of girls' names which essentially sound the same in French and English. Boys' names are harder, but Louis, Sebastian, Samuel, Luc/Luke, Daniel etc sound much more similar than Arthur.

Camomila, thanks for the suggestions, it's a boy and we're finding boys' names much harder. If Luca and Alexander weren't already in use by family they'd be top of our list! Nico is cute. Right now we're thinking of going 'full Italian' (since we live in Italy), but something phonetic and easy to pronounce in English (so that unfortunately rules out Cesare, my favourite Italian boy's name!).

My boys don't find it confusing to be called one thing by papa and another thing by mummy. They just accept we speak different languages and are both fully bilingual.

Thanks so much for everyone's thoughts. There are some names that we like that are pronounced very similarly in both languages, but we really like Charles Arthur (or vice versa if DH gets his way!) and it's just an unfortunate coincidence that they are pronounced so differently! Happy to hear that a lot of people haven't had a problem with it

I can tell you for a fact that bilingual names do not confuse bilingual children. If they hear two different versions of their names from day 1 they accept this as completely normal.

We chose names that we would both pronounce the same but you certainly don't have to.