Opinions on Ivan (pronounced Ee-vahn)

[ttcAlex]

The title says it really. What do you think of the boy's name Ivan (pronounced Ee-van)? Be honest pls.

@Spidey66

I think if you want people to pronounce it E-van, you're going to have to spell it Evan. Because spelt Ivan, people will pronounce it I-van.

Evan is its own name - EH-van.

Ivan can be pronounced EE-van (Eastern European) or EYE-van (UK)

Both perfectly valid but if you live in one place and what to use the ‘foreign’ version then you’ll be forever explaining yourself. Some people don’t mind, some really do.

Crossed with your post, in that case fine, it’s culturally correct for you. It will probably still Ve pronounced the English way a lot though so I’d prepare yourself for that

Once you had been told the correct Russian pronunciation, would you persist with the anglicised version, though?

As you can see OP, many people are unaware of anything other than the anglicised version, so it probably will lead to a lifetime off explanations.

You had to spell it out to us on how to pronounce it. Your son will do that for most of his life to people who don’t know.
Really like the name though 🤗

I would pronounce it I - van until told otherwise, at which point I would assume you are Russian.

Depending on your son's attitude to it he may end up with just his family using that

Op - is it pronounced as in the title or as in the post?
You've written it two different ways, as I said upthread.

..pronunciation.
Would that bother you?
Like parents wanting to ensure a certain nickname isn't used, once they are in school who knows what they'll end up being called by their friends!

I know a girl called Ava. It's pronounced Aar-va rather than the more 'usual' Aye-va. Her mum very firmly corrected people the first couple of times it was said, and now everyone just calls her how she wants it to be pronounced. So go for it, you'll be fine. My child has a non English name and people get used to it v quickly.

By the way, some people on here and the 'why would you change how it's pronounced' attitude, as if the way they're used to something is the ONLY way

It’s fine. Can’t believe how many people are telling you that you have the pronunciation wrong. It’s also pronounced that way in Spanish speaking countries. No one will think twice once you’ve told them how you pronounce it. My 4 year old just started in a reception class in London and I could probably only guess how to say 1/4 names correctly, but you only have to hear it and you know!

By the way, some people on here and the 'why would you change how it's pronounced' attitude, as if the way they're used to something is the ONLY way

Appologies for my ignorance I've actually taught plenty of children with this name from middle eastern families and all have used the eye-van pronunciation so it's not from lack of experience on my part.

Their parents probably did so because they worried about the possibility of misprounciation and I do still feel it's a valid concern. If this child lives in the UK for example then his name will be pronounced Eye-van frequently. It's certainly worth considering how this may impact his life as it can be infuriating explaining it to everyone he meets.

I really think that any name that needs constant explanation is unfair on the child.

To pp - i didn't even realise I've put two different pronunciations in the title and the opening post. We would pronounce it "ee-VAN", with an "i" as in big and stress on Van.

Like Ivan Lendl? People may have to be corrected the first time they but it’s not a difficult pronunciation once you know it.

I realised the other day that only about 3 people pronounce my name correctly.

You can police this as a child but as an adult, forget it.

I think if you want people to pronounce it E-van, you're going to have to spell it Evan. Because spelt Ivan, people will pronounce it I-van

Even Evan has been ruined. Where I live most people would say 'Eaven (Heaven with a dropped H)!

I think it’s a great name, but perhaps consider spelling it Yvan rather than Ivan, which makes it slightly easier for folks to pronounce correctly!

The Ukranian Ivan I knew went by Vanya in day to day life (think that's the diminutive). Got round the incorrect pronunciation issue

There's a difference between Ivan /I:van/ which is used arguably in far more places than /aiven/ (add Italy and most Med countries to the list)= two perfectly correct pronunciations..and the Ava example which is just a parent inventing a unique one!

That said, the ones I've known were always given the "Ivan the Terrible" nickname in school so that might put me off.

Oooh Vanya is lovely @murmurgam .

People who assume that the only right way is their way are just absurd.
As you'll have an Eastern European surname with it, I can't see the problem and people will learn. eeVAN (Ivan) is much nicer than Eyevan in my view and due to being a very popular name in Russia and Eastern Europe, more common too.

A nice name! Like others, as a Scot I would naturally assume Ivan was "eye-van" and Evan was "Ee-van" or "Eh-van" but I'd remember once corrected

@ttcAlex

To pp - i didn't even realise I've put two different pronunciations in the title and the opening post. We would pronounce it "ee-VAN", with an "i" as in big and stress on Van.

Thank you, that's much more clear! Ivan pronounced like that is fine, it's lovely, go for it

People will pronounce it eye van no matter what you say. It's ok, but just ok. Why not Evan? Much softer

I think Ivan pronounced either way is lovely, and particularly the way you intend, OP (which, as established is a perfectly valid pronunciation is many parts of the world and not "incorrect" at all! )

This is interesting to me because it brings up the question of how much of a "name" is in the pronunciation (vs the spelling). I'm Canadian, DH is English - many of the names on our list we pronounce slightly differently (heck, he pronounces my own name differently than I do!). When you factor in his Welsh dad and Scottish grandmother, it's likely that any name we choose will have at least two pronunciations just within our family.

Which is all to say, how much would it bother you if others didn't get on board with your pronunciation? Say, when he's a teenager, if your DS got sick of correcting people and was happy to be "Eye-van" to his mates at school and "Ee-van" to his family, would that be terrible? It's all in knowing how much variation/bother of correcting people you can personally take.

That said, I agree with PP that once told, most people should be able to get on board with your intended pronunciation - it's not that difficult!

Evan is nice but is an entirely different name in my view, with a different meaning and origin to Ivan. And it's not his grandfather's name, who we would love to honour. Not at every cost though, certainly not at the child's cost, hence I'm trying to figure out and predict how he would cope with this name and pronunciation in the Uk.