Ralph pronounce Rafe

[toastonbean]

Is it just too 'think I'm upper class'??

I love it.

Everyone will call him Ralph (pronounces Ralf) though won't they?!

I'm going to call my child Bob (pronounced Charlie)

Yes everyone will call him Ralph and laugh at him like they laughed at Hyacinth Bucket. If you want to call him Rafe then spell it Rafe.

They are different names. Call him the name you want him to be called.

Ah I always assumed Ralph Fiennes was spelling and pronouncing his the Olde English "proper" way and Ralph pronounce Ralf was more of an Americanism. Bah.

Okay, so maybe Rafe is the better option?

They will pronounce it Ralph and think you/ he are a dick if you try to correct them. I suspect you know this

I just watched an episode of Eggheads with a Ralph pronounced Rafe on there and it got me thinking again

He did seem rather posh well educated.

Ralph is such an ugly looking name however you pronounce it.

Rafe is marginally better.

Like the Seinfeld episode?

I do pronounce Ralph ‘rafe’ But only because I knew one and Vaughan-Williams. Everyone (I suspect) will sound the ‘l’. I’ve never seen ‘rafe’ spelling and I would assume the namer didn’t know how to spell it or was trying to be youooooneek.
I agree it’s a great name when pronounced without the l.

I can't even work out how you say Rafe, is it the same a safe, but with a R?

If you are trying to get that out of Ralph people will give you some odd looks.

If you don't like the spelling Rafe, how about Raith?

Ralph has an a sound like Apple
R/Safe has an an A sound like Aeroplane

God you lot are sooooo common!

The only one I've met went to public school. I'd guess that if that isn't where he'll be going, it'll be pronounced with the L.

You could try Raife?

You'll sentence him to a lifetime of saying "Ralph pronounced Rafe".

What about Raphael, and have Rafe as a nn? I think Rafi would also be cute as a nn.

if you want rafe call the child rafe, it's a proper name.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rafe_(name)

budget thank you ! I don’t think I ever knew rafe could be spelled ‘rafe’ !

Local fellow (now deceased) but well known in western Canada.
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rafe_Mair

budget interesting - middle name and used it - interesting man ! Just did great wiki dive there.

Your pronunciation wouldn't surprise me, because RVW etc, but if is a very posh name! Not impossible to carry off though and perhaps you'd be keeping that (definitely much nicer) pronunciation alive?!

My first assumption would be "Ralf" but when you corrected me I'd go "oh, like Vaughan Williams!" and not " different name" or " Hyacinth Bucket".

So pleased to wake up to messages from people who have also heard the Ralph-pronounced-Rafe version and it wasn't me just mishearing/being completely crazy.

I do love the sound of it.

And the actor Rafe Spall.

I prefer the Rafe spelling.

Ralph = rafe, end of
Beauchamp place, knightsbridge = Beecham
Featherstonehaugh = Fanshaw

Loads of other examples. Funny Englush ways.

Rafe is just wrong. It's Ralph, pronounced Rafe.

I know a Ralph I did however check if it was pronounced Rafe.

It’s not at all all an unusual pronunciation of it - I’ve heard both, though I don’t think it is a very popular baby name atm.If I saw Rafe written, I would assume it was possibly from another culture and maybe pronouncec something more like Rafee .

My neighbour’s son (late twenties) is Ralph, pronounced Rafe - he was at the same primary school as my DD and people used to say it in both ways. His father was very musical and I would not be surprised if he named him in homage to Ralph Vaughn- Williams.