Aria (pronunciation)

[bluemoon2468]

Trying to get name suggestions or opinions from my husband is usually like pulling teeth, but out of the blue today he said that he likes the name Aria for a girl. He pronounced it a- (like in apple) ree-uh. I actually think it's really pretty, but I feel like most people would read it as ar-ee-uh or ar-ya and make a Game of Thrones link to Arya Stark. As much as I liked GoT I'm not keen on people thinking I named my child after one of the characters, or giving a child a name that they spend the rest of their lives correcting people on. My husband says that in a few years time everyone will have forgotten about GoT and so it won't be as relevant. Opinions please? How would you read this name? Would anyone read it as a-ree-uh at first glance?

Argh-re-ar
Nice name but reminds me of Pretty Little Liars?

Lovely name
More mainstream now so probably won’t have too many problems with pronounciation

Aria pronounced Are ree ya. Like in an opera. You could have Arriety like in The Borrowers.

Arr-ee-a is how I would pronounce it without being told otherwise.

Lovely name.

I'd initially pronounce it as Ah-ree-uh(a)

If told a different way I'd try my best to remember that way though.

Ah-ree-uh

It’s a word pronounced are-ree-ah.

I'd pronounce it like the opera. I think it could be pronounced several different ways so I would avoid it.

Are-ee-uh, even without GOT because of the operatic connections. It’s a very pretty name and quite popular now but no one will pronounce it the way your husband does.

I know an Aria and it's pronounced Ar-ree-ah Like in opera

When I looked, I said it like you describe your dh saying it.
With an 'a' for 'apple' sound.

I like it and it was on the shortlist for both dc (but both were boys).

It's a long A pronounced like a musical aria. Nobody would pronounce it Arry-ah with a short A

Ah-ree-uh

It's a word isn't it - the songs in an opera? So I think most people will default to pronouncing it that way.

Well, clearly they would, @CodenameVillanelle, or the OP wouldn't have started the thread - her dh being the first person

I live in a City with names from all sorts of cultures and countries and then also an awful lot of awful made up names. You can't 'assume' anything.

Ah-ree-uh

Ok, maybe a few would, but if the vast majority are going to pronounce a name one way, it's a little unfair to try to impose a different pronunciation.
Obviously that doesn't necessarily apply if you're naming from a non English speaking background but it's still kinder to pick a name that English natives will know how to pronounce if the child will be raised here.

I'd say it like the piece of music - that's the only connotation it has for me (never watched GoT) and as such I think it's a lovely name

Thanks so much for all of your replies. As I expected most people would pronounce it with a long a sound. As a follow up, can anyone happen to think of an alternative spelling which might indicate a short a pronunciation?

Another option would be to use the name Ariella (which I also think is beautiful) and perhaps use Aria as a nickname - the pronunciation would be a bit more obvious if it came from the name Ariella? And it would avoid making up a name, which I don't really like.

I say it as Ahr-ya

Maria is nice.

Arria would suggest a short A.

It is a real name - an ancient Roman one.

You'll probably still get some confusion with Aria, but Arria could potentially be nice, if rare.

Ariella is nice, though - I knew a lovely Ariella.

Ariana, Ariana, Ariadne all have the short A sound. I worry Arria will just look like a spelling mistake now Aria is getting popular.

Oops! Second name meant to say ‘Ariane’

Where I live, it is an acronym for the Australian Record Industry Awards. Still pronounced are -ee-uh though. An aria is a song in opera .