Enfys as a middle name

[Shinnyyyyyyy]

Recently discovered we are having another girl.

My last pregnancy ended in miscarriage and so I wanted to incorporate a name with a rainbow meaning for the baby I’m carrying.

We’re still not sure on the first name but I really want Enfys as a middle name but DH says no... I was hoping for other opinions though to see whether I’m being daft or not.

Does your DH dislike it because he doesn’t like the name, or because he doesn’t want his daughter to carry a name which has been given specifically because of a miscarriage?

I’d understand if it were the latter, and agree that your dd should have her own identity that isn’t associated with your sad loss.

I'm sorry for loss OP, but I personally think a child should be named on their own merits, rather than having a name that will always remind you of a loss.

Have you discussed with your DH why he objects to Enfys?

I think that the reference to a rainbow implies that the baby would not have been conceived if the miscarriage hadn't happened.

I know a couple who were only going to have one child, and were perfectly happy with DC1. An unplanned pregnancy resulted in a miscarriage, and the loss meant a planned and much wanted DC2, so it isn't always the case.

@TotallyWipedout I’m not looking to be offended, and I’m not offended in the slightest, I’m simply pointing out that there are plenty of people who have non-English names in the world (not just welsh, but Irish or polish or Russian or Fijian or whatever) and they cope just fine. It not being common to Monoglot English speakers is not a reason to not pick a name someone likes.

Btw Enfys doesn’t sound like emphysema.
EN-viss
em-fuh-SEE-muh

Literally the only similarity is they begin with an E sound. So by that logic Emily, Erica, Emma, Ella, Esther all ‘sound like emphysema’.

Owl, I think you'd be surprised how mangled names get. I can remember a Siobhan at school (in Wales) who would get Sigh-o-ban, Seeob-an, Shob-han, or Shivonne if she was lucky. Poor thing.

Enfys will get Emphis, which does sound like Emphysema.

Welsh names tend to not travel well.

I have 4 kids with welsh names with an English father, and Irish stepmother and a Danish stepfather, I know that names get mangled! That said I don’t think other people’s mispronunciation should put you off if you love a name. There is nothing inherently hard about the pronunciation of Enfys, and in my experience most cope fine once you Say it once. I’ve never in 16 years had anyone say Emphis?! Why would they?

I just get annoyed that people talk like welsh names are unpronounceable, when, with the exception of Ll there are no sounds that English doesn’t have so all it requires is a little bit of listening.

Owl, there are lots of welsh sounds that have no English equivalents.
Rh, Ngh, Ch and Ll certainly, but vowels and vowel combinations too.

Eu, ei, uw, ew, ae, ir, ar, u, y are just some.

Why would people say Emphis for Enfys - because some people use the same sound for n and m in some words, and because F doesn't immediately look like a V sound.
I've heard Bronwen being pronounced as Bromwin in England.

Some names are easy or won't get mangled too badly (e.g. Bryn, Gareth, Delyth, Carys). I've even seen arguments on here about how to say Eleri and Teleri. Both should be easy as they are phonetic. El-ERRY and Tel-ERRY, and both rhyme with Ceri (Kerry).

You can tell people how to say a name but not everyone will get it, and when you are explaining to people how to say your name every time you meet someone new, it is a PITA. Getting your name misspelt regularly is a PITA, especially if the other person tells you that you are wrong and they are right.

In the recent run-up to the election, the BBC kept referring to Nigh-a Griffith. How difficult can it be to get a name like Nia right?

IIRC, you have a daughter called Celyn - does she ever get Kellun, Sellun, See-lyn, Celine? I know it's pronounced KELLin, but I wouldn't say it was obvious should you not speak welsh.

Are you Welsh/live in Wales? If so, then yes. If not, then not many people will be able to pronounce it properly, which would be a shame.

My ds has a VERY tricky Welsh name which sounds totally different to how it's spelt. We live in the States. People mispronounce it and we correct them then they say it properly. It's really no biggy.

I love the name btw.

goatbame - welsh names are spelt phonetically.
You explain how to say a name to every new person. How many people will see meet for the first time in a lifetime?

I know people whose long term partners don't get their name right.

I have to explain to everyone how to spell my name correctly. And now ds's and DH's. It's really not ruined my life.

TBH it's a middle name- it's really not the end of the world if its difficult for some people to pronounce. How often will strangers need to say it anyway?

It's perfectly fine to use it as a middle name, but not if your DH doesn't want to. Could you suggest having two middle names?