Name pronounciation

[Smw96]

So,

I've named my DD Rovenna, and different people pronounce it differently.

How would you pronounce it? Will add the different pronunciations after a few comments, and also say how I pronounce it....

We've just named our DD something with two pronunciations. It's a well known name but our chosen pronunciation is the much less well known version. It's been a big surprise to me how little our chosen pronunciation is used and I have found it a bit stressful but I'm hoping people we know will just get used to it and use the 'correct' one. I'm also hoping DD isn't bothered by it when she's older... I do feel a bit of the shine has been taken off naming her as I completely had not expected it!

I would have gone with

roe - Venn - ah

But I can see that some people might read it as kind of similar to Rowena and use the 'ee' sound in it

Rowenna is a very common name so I’d assume it was pronounced the same but with a V. In fact I’d probably assume the V was a typo and just say Rowenna.

To be fair, a quick Google search does show the Italian place name. You have to search for ‘Rovenna name’ to get it to show and even then it seems to be mainly spelt Rovena which would give you the Ven as Venus pronunciation.

Wikipedia says that the place Rovenna is pronounced 'Ruena' in the local Italian dialect.
it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rovenna

This is an Italian man saying the name.
forvo.com/word/ruena/#frp

@Korbah

Rowenna is a very common name so I’d assume it was pronounced the same but with a V. In fact I’d probably assume the V was a typo and just say Rowenna.

I've never heard of it. I know of more than one Rowena (Row-ee-na) though

I should add that his pronunciation sounds similar to 'Row-enna'.

Row- vee-na

Like Rowena but with a V

My son is called Rowan and other Daughter Rhonwen (the welsh version of Rowena) so unfortunately it's been spoken for.

So you have three children who’s names can all be shortened to Row/Rho?

[quote scottishnames]Wikipedia says that the place Rovenna is pronounced 'Ruena' in the local Italian dialect.
it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rovenna

This is an Italian man saying the name.
forvo.com/word/ruena/#frp[/quote]
That sounds quite similar to Rhona

Rovenna looks like a very beautiful and interesting place:
www.comoanditslake.com/rovenna.htm

In the way he pronounces it, I mean

Row- ven - nah

I'd pronounce it like you. The double n makes it a clear 'en as in pen', so I've no idea why peope are reading it any differently.

You have three children, Rowan, Rhonwen, and Rovenna? It's certainly a theme!

Row-veen-a

Definitely a pattern with my children, all R's.

People have stuck to naming them..
'Row' as in boat.
'Ron'
'Ven'.
The abbreviations have kind of stuck, and the fact other people shorten it like that, makes it easier!

A few people have said Veeena now, and another has said it very differently than I've ever heard it.

I have found YouTube videos of locals saying the name, on the local radio station, I will post the link.
Looks is though it is definitely ven like pen, which to me I thought would have been more obvious that it seems.

0:09 seconds. 0:12 seconds

The town is pronounced with the "o" of "hot" + Venn+ a (the Italian "a" is like the "a" in "cat"

I'd also imagine people from Rovenna spend their while lives going "no, not Ravenna, Rovenna"

It's a nice enough word, it's just a bit odd to choose a (tiny) random place on a map. As pp says, it's like an Italian going "oooh. Basingstoke! I'll call him Basingstoke!"

Nothing intrinsically wrong. Just odd. Particularly as the other names are so similar in sound.

OP- a double consonant in Italian shortens the vowel sound before it.
"Ven" would be almost like "vain" (a more open "e" than the English "e" of "bed" but ever so slightly shorter than, say, "vane" while "Venn" is definitely "Venn"

I'm hoping to disagree with my initial pay, now. I think is end up with the first syllable being now like ruh than roe. So RuhVENNuh.

How anyone can see venn and read veen, I don't know. When has there ever been a weird with double n on it that had a long preceding vowel? It's henna, not heena. Jenna, not jeena. Banner, not bayner.

@SapereAude

I can definitely imagine the Ravenna, Rovenna thing. Probably more annoying than me having the pronounciation thing haha.

It is different, and a place name mainly, however a lot of names have derived from something/somewhere. Might not be everyone's taste, but I was stuck on names, and took a punt haha. Just hope she likes it.

@PoppityPop

Is it actually used as a girl’s name in Italy or is it the equivalent of calling an English child Tilbury?

I now need to name a cat Tilbury.

@saraclara

Ruh is probably about right in fairness, and people saying Ro or Ruh honestly wouldn't bother me.

I definitely agree with the veen part, I don't get how people come up with it either, but hey ho haha. You just pretty much described my argument lol.

I have no idea how I ended up with so many typos and autocorrects in my last post! Ironic considering I was being pedantic about reading/spelling!