How would you pronounce the name 'malia'

[ShazGranger]

Hi all!

We are wanting to call our baby girl 'malia' but am wondering how it's going to be pronounced? We want it pronounced like Obama s daughter. Will that work in the UK do you think?

Maaa-lee-ah

The mum of someone ds used to go to schol with is called Malia. It's pronounced mar lee uh

No idea how the Obama's pronounce it.

I suspect it's one of those, people will pronounce it wrong. You'll correct and the people who audibly learn her name will be fine.

I'd say mar-lea-a

Marley-ah

*mar-lee-a

Ma Lee uh

Reading in my head, it'll come out 'ma-lee-uh
But if I had to read it aloud, I would correct myself and say 'mar-lee-arr'

well I know several Talia/Thalia's, so I guess I would pronounce it to rhyme with those?
Mar - lee ah

Maaaa lee ah

At first I thought the same as 'Thalia' so Mar-lee-ahh but then I remembered the Greek party place and correctly myself to mal-ee-ah which I don't think is anywhere near as nice.

marleea

Depends where you live I'd have thought! I'd say MA-lee-ah not MAR-lee-ah but maybe that's my accent?

I would pronounce it Marley-uh

I think it's a pretty name, but I think it will be pronounced wrong by many. Sorry I don't know how the Obama's say it, I would say Mah Lee Ah.

MA-lee-ah would be how it is pronounced where I am but it obviously depends on where you live. I have no idea how the Obama's pronounce the name though.

I'd pronounce it May lee uh, which was how the "Mailie" in dd's class was said.

Unless told otherwise I’d probably think Mal-E-Ah like the rather downmarket resort in Greece to be honest. If you want it pronounced Mar-Lee-Ah or something else then just introduce her as such and everyone will follow suit.

Mal-ee-a
Like the party destination in Greece

I'd say Mah-lee-uh

I'd say it may-lee-ah but only because I have a friend with it as a surname and it's how she pronounces it. J would assume most people would go with mah-Lee-ah like the resort in crete?

Thanks for your comments all!

What if we spelt it Maleah ? Would it be pronounced muh-leah then do you think? That's how we'd want it pronounced..

I'd only think to pronounce it the way you would like if it was spelled like Aaliyah because I'd assumed it rhymed.

So that would be Maliyah I guess. But it doesn't really flow well somehow written down?

Weirdly if Malia was in the context of be place I would pronounce it to rhyme with "tally-a" but if I saw it as a name I'd assume it pronounced with "TAR-Leah" with emphasis on first syllable.

Is there any other way than Ma li a?

What about using Mellieha. It’s a place in Malta. I think that’s the pronunciation you’re after?

Meh-lee-uh