Esme or Esmé spelling?

[Namingtrends]

Hi dear MN,

I think we are set on the name of our DD due in a month. It’s been a favourite of mine forever because of Salinger.

I know there is some pronunciation debate, and as a French national living in the UK, I would pronounce it Es-may (more meh even) and would prefer to spell it Esmé.

Does the spelling Esmé work well in the UK? I don’t want to set her up for a lifetime of administrative struggle because of the accent, but maybe I’m overthinking it and it’s completely fine?

Very keen to hear from you all :) I think you would know better than I do on the question. Thanks!

Yes the French spelling would work fine imo. I love the name btw.

Thanks @Ninkanink :)

I think you are going to get it pronounced Es-mee a lot, because that seems to be more common here, so yeah the accent might help, and she can always drop it later if she wants.

@partyatthepalace thanks for your answer! I don’t mind too much if it gets pronounced es-mee, both are nice but wondered about the feasibility of the accent on a name in the Uk.
Thanks for

I would pronounce both Es-may.

You can use it, but it will mostly be left off on documents/records etc etc. And using it is not going to make any difference to the way your average Brit pronounces it.

You can have an accent on the birth certificate but not on a British passport, assume it is the same for Driving licenses etc.

Ah ok @Tibtab and @HelloDulling that’s good to know, maybe better spelt Esme then if it’s not on passport and other official documentation. Thanks!

I think it’s fine to include the accent, as long as you’re prepared that it will be frequently missed off.

It will either be missed off by accident, or because electronic forms, email addresses etc might not have the option to include it.

I might be in the minority, but I think most English people wouldn’t see the accent as a different spelling, it’s just like an optional extra.

For example, I know cafe should have an accent, but I would never spell it with an accent, because to me it’s the same word either way... I don’t know if that helps answer your question.

I'd probably ditch the accent. It's not needed for the name here and as you say will save potential confusion/document issues

My daughter has a French middle name with an accent, it’s on the birth certificate but I know it will be missed off everything else 😂

I would pronounce it Es-may whether it had an accent or not.

My dd has a name that in french has an accent. We never used the accent and it's still pronounced correctly. I just thought it would be a hassle .

Who on Earth pronounces Esme as esmee? Whattt

@rainbowdaz apparently lots of people do! I would always pronounce it Esmay and DH too but it seems to be quite the debate in the UK!

I would use the accent.

@JemimaTiggywinkle it helps thanks!
By the way Jemima was on our shortlist as well :)

We pronounce my DD as Es - me - I just prefer how it sounds 🤷‍♀️ both are pretty though and I’m never fussed if people pronounce it differently that don’t know her. When DD was old enough she corrected it herself if she was bothered.
I wouldn’t use the accent only because it would bother me that documents didn’t match

@musicinspring1 I agree, both sound nice! Not bothered about either pronunciation. Does your DD like her name/did you have positive reactions to it and do you find it popular (as in several in her classroom?) sorry so many questions :D

Ez-mi is the English pronunciation, Ez-may the French. I'd only say the latter with the accent. I have a child with a French middle name, and yes, the accent is almost universally left off in the UK.

I've always pronounced it Es-may, and haven't come across es-mi.

Esme without the accent is Ez-mee
Esmé is pronounced Ez-may

I’ve never met another Esme in real life yet. Some people thought I’d named her after Esme in Twilight but although I was aware of Twilght that wasn’t a conscious decision! I don’t think the films are as popular now so I’d doubt you would get that connection!

Oh and it always gets a positive reaction

My other DD has a French name that was very unusual when we named her but has since exploded in popularity and they are everywhere now

I would pronounce the name Es-may whether there was an accent or not. I don’t think I’ve ever heard the Es-mee pronunciation 🤷🏻‍♀️.