Names you love that don’t work in English

[MangosteenSoda]

A name on another thread made me think about this...

I love Manon in a French speaking environment and I like Belen in Spain, but think neither work well in an English speaking environment.

Are there any names you feel like this about? I’d occasionally come across a name in my expat (and childbearing) days and think YES, then, oh no.

I was thinking of Rimsky-Korsakov, tum ti tummmmm

Ragnar (Scandinavian) for a boy.

Balonz 😁

Etienne
Faustine

Darya shortened to Dasha
Anastasia shortened to Nastya

They both work better in Russian

@steppemum - Marjoleine - usually doesn’t have an e on the end. It’s usually Marjolein, and pronounced “Mar” (with the “r” pronounced like an American would” “Mar-yo-line”. If the e is on the end, it would be pronounced as almost a schwa sound “liner”

To add to the Saskia debate. We have a Saskia and are of Dutch origin and we pronounce it more like ‘Suskia’ with a soft a. The English pronunciation is more like Sass-Kia.

Inès

I adore this name but it really needs the accent o otherwise in English it would just be Eye-ns.

@Wolfkind

To add to the Saskia debate. We have a Saskia and are of Dutch origin and we pronounce it more like ‘Suskia’ with a soft a. The English pronunciation is more like Sass-Kia.

Sass-kia is also the Dutch and Flemish pronunciation. Why won't you believe native speakers here 😂

Because I am a native speaker!

@Lockdownbear

I'm trying to think what word has a soft g? Trying to figure how Agnes sounds different.

In French it's pronounced as 'Ann-yes', but with a French 'a', not the english 'a'

@Wolfkind

Because I am a native speaker!

From which region? Then there might be the difference. I'm a native Flemish speaker too, live in Belgium, and around here we def. say 'Sass-kia' 😊

@TheAuthorityofJackieWeaver - or Avishag. DD1 has a friend called Avishag. It doesn’t work at all in English! We considered Abigail for DD2, but in Hebrew it is pronounced something like “Avigoyl” which a) sounds hideous and b) conjures up the picture of an old woman with a bad wig.

My Flemish friend’s daughter Saskia was pronounced with a slightly longer “a” sound than you would say in English, but not really noticeable.

I agree that Irina is infinitely nicer than Irene or (worse) Ireneee.

Going back to Dutch names, Femke sounds like sanpro.

[quote Justilou1]@steppemum - Marjoleine - usually doesn’t have an e on the end. It’s usually Marjolein, and pronounced “Mar” (with the “r” pronounced like an American would” “Mar-yo-line”. If the e is on the end, it would be pronounced as almost a schwa sound “liner”[/quote]
I know.

I had a Dutch friend called Marjoleine.
Which is why I love it, but it would never work outside of Holland.
I know it is more common without the end e, but I thought the extra syllable was lovely.

dh who says Saskia same as English, but with a slightly different a sound, is from near Rotterdam.

But all of those variations (Susskia, Saaskia etc) are pretty much as you would expect, similar to English but with a slightly different first vowel, depending I think on accent etc.

What I was laughing at was the poster who said it was
Su sua

No, that really isn't a Dutch /Flemish variation!

yes someone's accent might make Saskia very, very slightly more of a "sus" or "sos" at the beginning but not much - it would be more a heavier region accent.

Bit like saying someone in English pronounces "Michelle" as "Meeeeshel". Same name but regional English accent, rather than "English" accent and so Saskia can be slightly different. (obvs. F origin name).

There might be someone on a forum in France saying English people pronounce the name "Martin" the same way as the Catherine Tate character - "Geordie Georgie" does...

Ex is Finnish and we live in the UK. Going through the Finnish name day calendar I ruled out:
Soili
Oili
Arsi
Tea

Great set of quadruplets though.

@RosamundGarth

Ex is Finnish and we live in the UK. Going through the Finnish name day calendar I ruled out: Soili Oili Arsi Tea

Great set of quadruplets though.

that sounds like one of those old counting rhymes

Soili, Oili, Arsi, Tea!

love it

Ok so my little boy is called “Teifion”
Its welsh and pronounced Tie-Fee-On

No it isn't.
It's pronounced Teyv-yon. Not sure where the T got added but Eifion is a fairly popular Welsh name, although you probably won't find one younger than 50.

If it was pronounced Tie-Fee-On it would be written Taiffïon.

Some Hungarian names that don't work in English:

Ge'za
Ferenc, which many use un shorter versions : Feri or Feco

Hungarian language supplies a good amount of funny word in English anyway.

[quote Marmaladeagain]yes someone's accent might make Saskia very, very slightly more of a "sus" or "sos" at the beginning but not much - it would be more a heavier region accent.

Bit like saying someone in English pronounces "Michelle" as "Meeeeshel". Same name but regional English accent, rather than "English" accent and so Saskia can be slightly different. (obvs. F origin name).

There might be someone on a forum in France saying English people pronounce the name "Martin" the same way as the Catherine Tate character - "Geordie Georgie" does...

[/quote] I agree with this — ask somebody from the home counties, Liverpool and Manchester how you pronounce "Bertie" and you'll get three quite different answers.

Or "Bill" sounds quite different in Essex than it does in Cheshire.

@DacwMamYnDwad

No it isn't. It's pronounced Teyv-yon. Not sure where the T got added but Eifion is a fairly popular Welsh name, although you probably won't find one younger than 50.

If it was pronounced Tie-Fee-On it would be written Taiffïon.

I had spelt it an easy way for people who wouldn’t know how to say it by just looking at it as thats happened a few times when we named him. I knew there would be a few people with there own opinions however thats what we chose and its not a well known or common name in our opinion, but thanks for your response

@Beentee, you can say it however you like, but you are saying i is Welsh and pronounced in a way that doesn't conform with Welsh pronunciation.

It's the equivalent of me saying "I have a DD called Michelle, it's French and pronounced Mitch-ellie' or 'I have a DS called Eoin, it's Irish and pronounced Ee-o-in'

I have never seen Astrid spelled Astride in over 20 years in France.