Name regret, WDYT of this name?

[Finnemoo]

Hi everyone,

We chose an unusual name for our daughter mostly because I've always loved it (and still do). My husband really liked it too but was wary about pronunciation in the UK. It's a French name, and we do have a French connection.

He was right

She's 8 months old now and she does suit the name, but no one here says it right and I'm finding that more grating than I thought I would.

Her name is Anouk. Pronounced "ah-NOOK", nook rhymes with Luke.

Be honest: is she going to hate us for it? What do you think of the name and how would you say it?

I don't know why I'm posting this because it's too late to change it anyway, but maybe someone will have something nice to say to cheer me up. I do still really love the name in theory but I'm just worried that the pronunciation thing will be a pain for her forever. I didn't really think it would prove to be so problematic.

Thanks and I hope you're all doing well.

I think Anouk is lovely (unusual enough, without being outrageous or causing people to raise an eyebrow). Also, like other posters have said, she also has a number of nice nickname options if she prefers.

I know a pair of sisters, Anouk & Anais, they are lovely names.
I have an unusual name, honestly kids don't tend to get teased because their name is different as most kids don't understand the concept of what's rare. One of my dc has a really normal well known name that people somehow mispronounce! Where do you live as most UK cities are multicultural & have diverse names.

Lovely name.

I would pronounce it the way you like it.

Gorgeous name op! She won't hate u for it, at all. It's unusual enough to be special, but not unheard of. I love it.

I think it's beautiful!

It's nice & I would know how to pronounce it.

And this is why we choose a name that translated into different languages and everyone can spell.

I’m not that keen sorry OP. I also would’ve said it like ‘book’ rather than ‘Luke’.

If you’re trying to find a name that everyone will like and that everyone will be able to pronounce, you’ll never find that ‘perfect’ name because it doesn’t exist.

Happy
Do share! Good international names are hard to find.

i know an Anouk and no one has a problem pronouncing it. it's a lovely name.

My dd has a sort of unusual name that is pronounced as it is spelled and yet people get it wrong all the time or they pause before saying it as if to have a little think before they say it, it does make me wonder should I have gone with something more well known. But i know that i would regret changing it more than I would regret keeping it. Anouk is a lovely name OP.

I have an unusual name that could have 2 way of pronouncing it from its written form (oo or u) I think about 30% of people call me one and 70% the other. I never notice and it never bothers me.

I think it's a beautiful name. Unusual but not way out. I also remember it from the book/film Chocolat. If people don't pronounce it properly just correct them.

How are others pronouncing it? I'm Scottish and pronounced it in my head the same as you have so unsure what the alternative would sound like?

I like the name. My parents gave me a name (uncommon in English speaking countries) which no one ever pronounces correctly...I'm so used to correcting people it's not really a problem for me

I like it and, I think, pronounce it like you do.

I think a lot of what will affect how others pronounce it is their own accent/regional pronunciation.

I pronounce book or cook to rhyme with Luke and also Anouk. I think of Anoushka and the oo sound in that. To me it’s quite clear, but I could be wrong!

I love it, but would have pronounced it to rhyme with hook, not Luke.

If that's really going to irk you, then I'd change it while she's still little.

I would have said it how it sounds in that link.

But given the many ways people say book/look/Luke in the U.K.I would. NOT have expected it to be pronounced the way I wanted terribly frequently!

However that goes for MANY names! One of my nieces is Brooke. - you can imagine the varieties of that! 🙄🤣

Just wanted to agree that this is a lovely name

It’s a lovely name. I am surprised no one can say it. Where on earth do you live?!!

It's a beautiful name whichever way it's pronounced!

I don’t think I’d heard of the name before I read Chocolat, but I soon decided it was a great name. I confess that I may have pronounced it incorrectly until I saw the film.

That said, I have an unusual first name myself. It’s frequently misspelt and mispronounced and I get tired of spelling it out every time. But I like having an unusual name and wouldn’t swap it. Most people grasp the spelling and pronunciation quickly. A few struggle for months or even years, but they’re just showing themselves up as being a bit slow. It can be a useful filter for post, email and marketing calls - I can normally tell immediately who knows me and who is a stranger.

I think it's lovely, and I would pronounce it the 'Luke' way.
Names are tricky things. People often misread mine and call me by a boys' name instead. Like a really really emphatically 'boy' name like say Nigel or Clive. It's not even an unusual name just people reading it too quickly!
My son is called Silas. I would never have anticipated how many people pronounce it 'See-lass'. Genuinely didn't think it was that unknown (although I accept its pretty unusual if we're going by the ONS list for his birth year!) I thought people would plump for shortening it to Si, as often happens with Simon (which I wasn't keen on happening) but this has never occurred!
As she gets older and the circle of people who know her and hear you pronouncing it correctly increases it will become less of an issue. And it's bloody lovely, so much so that I'm adding it to my list of fantasy girl names for the girl that I'll definitely have despite being chronically single and no chance of even a date during these covid ridden times 😉
Enjoy your baby and her gorgeous name, I think it was an excellent choice!

Also...just read one of your posts properly. My name is one of the ones that was your second choice. I'll leave you to work out what I get called as a male alternative! So every 'safe' name has a way of being buggered up somehow!

Ahh thank you so much!