Is it ridiculous to spell Louis, Louie?

[HabboHabbo]

Everyone I've told the name over text has remarked "Like Louie, or Lewis?" DH had a childhood best friend called Louis, pronounce Lewis so he doesn't like it spelt that way. It's the only name we agree on but we just can't agree on how to spell it. We both want to avoid pronunciation issues.

Louie is fine!

But if you want to pronounce your child’s name as Lewis why not just spell it as Lewis?

If you have family who speak German or some other languages, as I said up thread, Lewis becomes something completely different, whereas Louis is Lewis. Obviously, they could spell it the English way, but maybe they don't want to.

Ds is Louis. Originally it was Louie on his birth certificate because I worried about people pronouncing Louis as Lewis but by 6 months I hated it being spelt like that and thought it looked babyish and unfinished.

When we went to change the spelling at the register office the register actually said “so your changing it from Louie to Lewis?” and he often got called Lewis until people heard his name out loud.

However ds is 10 now and it’s never bothered him correcting people and I’ve noticed since Prince Louis was born no one has got his name wrong once thankfully.

You can put Louis on the birth certificate and then always write it Louie, like people might put James on a birth certificate but call a child Jamie.

The Battle of Louisburg is pronounced Lewisburg in the USA.

As is St Louis in Missouri! St Lou-is.

Just to add there are 6 others Louie/Louis’s in my sons school, 4 are Louie and 2 Louis. I honestly think it doesn’t matter and just comes down to personal preference.

You have to be pretty thick to call your baby Lewis and spell with Louis!

Lou-is can only be spelled Louis in many languages. In German Lewis would be pronounced Leh-viss

I was talking for people in the UK in general though not people of German descent. I have only met Louis’s who are pronounced Lewis who don’t appear to have German descent judging by surnames, maiden names, accents, grandparents etc. Also have French relations & the one who is called Louis tends to get called Lewis by receptionists at the doctors, hospital etc. I don’t think people of Germans descent are over represented in reception roles but I may be wrong. I do know of some Luis’s who are of Spanish descent b

In Spanish it's Luis pronounced Lou is.
In German it's Louis pronounced Lou is.

I have a Louis (pron Lou-ee) though occasionally strangers like doctors etc will call him "Lewis", he quickly puts them right. It is the most traditional and obvious spelling to me.

I have a very easy three letter traditional name and am constantly being asked to spell it- i think there are so many variations these days you can really choose what you like.

Because Nancy, there are different possible pronunciations. The French one, the 'french' one (the one that English speakers use, which is not quite the same as the actual french pronunciation - Louie) and the German one (Lewis). If you want the correct pronunciation, true to the original French, it would not actually be Louie. It's a different pronunciation. There are many different pronunciations, one of which is Lewis. People coming on here, calling people "thick" for not pronouncing it "properly" are incorrect imo.

Btw, I don't have a Louis of any flavour, as the name isn't to my taste. This argument just is a bit annoying, especially when people are accusing people of ignorance while actually being a little ignorant themselves.

Off topic but @OhTheRoses what does this mean? Perhaps you should reconsider the name. Have a chat about it over tea and cake if there aren't funds for bread.

Oh dear! Louis XVI was married to Marie Antoinette, who when there was a famine and before she lost her head declared "Let them eat cake"!

People coming on here, calling people "thick" for not pronouncing it "properly" are incorrect imo.

This

I've now said it in my head approx. 300 times reading this thread and now they all sound silly!
Louis is Loo-ee
Lewis Loo-iss
Luis is Loo-ess

Louie - fine. Looks mis spelt to me but none of my business.

Luis is Loo-ees

Fucking auto cirrect

I don't know anybody who would mispronounce Louis. It is a French name and most people have studied the French revolution and know about Louis xvi at the very least.

I'm guessing that you don't have recent experience of the History curriculum in England and Wales. The French Revolution is covered on most history A Level specifications but only a tiny minority study history post-16. I suspect that most people are vaguely aware of Bastille Day and a few other key facts but won't have studied the revolution in any detail.

I teach secondary and can think of at least five students who are named Louis, pronounced Lewis. They are all fifteen plus, however, and although it might take a few years to take effect I imagine that there will be a Prince Louis effect which would directly benefit OP's DS.

So, mixed opinions! I do prefer Louis spelt as such, but I just feel I will tire of correcting people. Also don't really like the name Lewis, and don't that more distant family/friends that perhaps only keep in touch online might assume that's his name, even though that's a silly thing to consider it does bother me slightly. Not sure if it's a welsh thing, but most people I've asked how they'd pronounce it here have all said Lewis. It's got to the point we're not using this name despite loving it purely because of all this!!

I don't know anybody who would mispronounce Louis.

That's all very well, but OP and her friends clearly do as they have taken the (considerate) step of checking the preferred pronunciation. I speak decent French but I double-check when I meet a Louis as I've met several who pronounce it Lewis (although I agree that this may wane in the coming years as the Prince Louis effect filters through).

I love the name Louis, until I see it spelt Louie.

Who are these parents getting ‘terribly offended’ by someone mispronouncing their child’s name??

DS1’s name (not Louis!) has two possible pronunciations. When people use the ‘wrong’ one, if it is appropriate I smile and say ‘we pronounce it xxxx’. If it’s not appropriate eg a passing comment from someone I’m never going to see again I let it go. DS sometimes corrects people himself now he is older (7).

Would people interpret that as me being ‘offended’ over their mispronunciation, or are other parents reacting in a more than extreme manner? Whilst it is a little annoying when it happens all the time, it seems an odd thing to be offended over.

Why are we assuming that people won't pronounce Prince Louis as Lou-is?

My friend has a Lewie. I don't blame her for wanting to make the pronunciation clear by spelling it this way.

In 2016 Louie was given 1,380 times!