Esme - spelling and pronunciation

[BatKat]

How would say pronounce Esme? Es-mee, Es-may or something else?

We are considering the name for our next baby but want to make sure we have the best spelling for how we would say it.

Thanks 😊

OP please forgive me if you know all this already, but:

Esme is a past participle/also used as an adjective in French.

It means 'esteemed'. In the past, it has been used as a synonym for Amy (= beloved).

In French, it would be pronouced Es-meh. As a previous poster has said, the sound is rather softer than the English 'may'.

It was originally a male name. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esm%C3%A9_Stewart,_1st_Duke_of_Lennox Technically, in French, the spelling Esme (with an acute acent on the final e) is male.

In French, for a girl, to be accurate, there would be another e added at the end. Pronunciation still Es-meh.

My granddaughter's name is spelt Esmée

I know an Esme, pronounced Esmee.

I would pronounce it as Es-mee, but quite soft ‘ee’ sound at the end. So not as hard as Es-MEEEE! I have heard the Es-May pronunciation, too. Whichever you choose people will used and get used to. It’s a lovely name whichever way you pronounce it.

Ez-may

@AliciaMayEmory - yes my Esme is more of a quick mi sound than a big hard meeeeee.

Yes, I would put the emphasis on the Ez rather than the me.

So it's EZ-mee. I know two, who are both EZ-mee. One is in her late seventies and the other is 6. I also once met an Esmae-Rose, pronounced Ez-may Rose.

Ez-me (and I don’t like ez-may so this is why it went off my list)

I'd pronounce it EZ-mee unless told otherwise.

I much prefer it to EZ-may.

All the ones I know are EZ-mee

Another vote for Ezmay

Ezmay or Esmee.

I would pronounce it Ezmee if spelt without the accent, Ezmay if with it... unless the person in question, or her parents, said they wanted it another way.

I have an Esme - pronounced Esmay. I believe the Scottish pronunciation is
Es-mee.

It’s usually pronounced Ez-me in the uk, which is a shame as Ez-may is much nicer IMO.