Is this name NI pronunciation proof?

[rosesandveg]

Working on names for no.2 due later this year. I'm English, but live in Northern Ireland with Northern Irish DH and DD. DD is called Meredith but we call her Merry. Unfortunately here most people hear it as Mary, and I'm sure she will find it annoying everybody mishearing her name when she is older, particularly as she may struggle to differentiate between the two names herself (DH does)! We don't know the sex yet but love Seren if this is a girl. Asking on here as don't want to tell all my friends the name - would this work/not work in an NI accent?

I think it would be fine.

You could ask your husband.

Unfortunately if I ask him to think about it he overthinks it and can't work it out!

How would you like it pronounced? SERR-en? Or Ser-REN

I think it will sound like Ser-REYNN here (Whereas it’s Ser-REN in my ROI accent)

I think it would be pronounced Serrin, certainly in Belfast.

My sister has an English DH living here, and he was similarly tearing his hair out with how pronunciation would differ with names- like how we say Peter like Peeder and Howard like Har-d

I (with an Eastern United States accent) don't hear any difference between Merry and Mary. Would Seren be Sair-in or Ser-Ren?

If it's SERRen it may come out as Sern.

Had a Seren in my daughter's class was pronounced Ser-in by most of the kids (N I)

Yes, the se is a pretty consistent sound everywhere.

Marie/Mary/Merry is a bit of an anomaly, though I'd avoid Tamara I suppose

I'm live in Belfast and I would pronounce it sirrin

I not I'm

It might be ‘sern’ when we can’t be bothered to fully say the two syllables/say it quickly

I'm in N Ireland and I think it would probably be pronounced Ser-in by most people. Or, as PP said, Sern.

I'm in Belfast and know a couple of Serens... I've always heard the name pronounced as Ser-in. I love it btw and if I'd had another dd it would've been on my list