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Horatia or Harriet?

96 replies

RishiRich · 22/05/2022 20:37

I think Horatia is dashing, Harriet is pretty. I prefer Horatia but it's a bit of a brave choice.

OP posts:
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WobbleTime · 23/05/2022 23:22

I like Horatia. Prefer it to Harriet.

peaceinourtime · 24/05/2022 00:09

Horatia is terrible, use Harriet for sure.

Anystarinthesky · 24/05/2022 01:00

I prefer Harriet.

AuntTwacky · 24/05/2022 01:20

Horatia is awful!

unlimiteddilutingjuice · 24/05/2022 06:20

Bertie gets accidentally engaged to Honoria. Which is a great name could work as a middle ground op?

Oh yeah, thats right. Honoria Glossop.

JenniferBarkley · 24/05/2022 06:40

Yes absolutely to Horatia sounding like a miss trunchbull type.

Harriet is lovely, although I know a few little ones so I think it must be quite popular if that puts you off.

CharlesIsQueensHorcrux · 24/05/2022 09:24

Also Team Harriet - Horatia is a brave choice as you say, but it’s not you who will need to be brave - I wouldn’t personally

WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll · 24/05/2022 09:41

High 5 to the fellow likers of Horatia! It definitely doesn't start with 'whore'. It's HO-ray-SHE-ah.

But an awful lot of people she meets in her life will not know that. It will become irritating enough when people who don't know take the trouble to ask how to pronounce it (maybe on a daily basis) but many people would just have a wild guess and think "ah, that'll do; whatever" - and end up with something like 'whore-ATTI-ya' or, even worse, 'whore-attire' which literally sounds like 'prostitute clothing' (whatever that might be).

Before Harry Potter, what percentage of people who saw the name Hermione in print knew the correct pronunciation, as opposed to those who just assumed it was pronounced it as 'HERMY-own'? And that, at least, doesn't sound like something unfortunate - just random syllables.

Same with Honoria - will people pronounce it as 'onna-rear' ('on her ear/rear?') or to rhyme with gonnorhea? Neither of those are particularly reminiscent of pleasant things.

ILoveYoga · 24/05/2022 09:44

Not really fond of either name but certainly opposed to horatia particularly as I could see children making up horrid as a nick name for your daughter. Why do that intentionally to your child?

dizzydizzydizzy · 24/05/2022 09:47

Harriet. Never heard of Horatia and I think it will be confused with Horatio. Remember OP, most people are not open minded. It will make life easier for your DD if you give her a name that most people know.

hattie43 · 24/05/2022 09:48

Horatia is horrid Harriet marginally better .

babyjellyfish · 24/05/2022 09:53

AllPlayedOut · 22/05/2022 20:41

Harriet is beautiful. Horatia is hideous.

This.

Please do not lumber your daughter with Horatia.

WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll · 24/05/2022 10:07

Just to add, although it's outrageously unfair, a lot of people (at least subconsciously) will put the 'blame' on the person with the unusual name for having it pronounced wrongly and think "Well, you shouldn't have such a 'silly'/'difficult' name if you don't want people to get it wrong". Plenty would even think that with foreign names as well.

I know it's not the same thing (and Horatia isn't being misspelled at all, nor ridiculous), but do you remember when the defence company unveiled their new name of 'Qinetiq' 20-odd years ago? People who heard it fell into one of three groups - two vast majority ones, where they either didn't have a clue how to pronounce it and just stumbled badly or refused to even try (they might not even have heard the actual word 'kinetic') or where they deliberately pronounced it wrongly (as 'queenie-tick-wee' or whatever) to show their scorn for what they saw as a ridiculous name; and a small minority who wanted to be respectful and thought "Ah, right, so it's an alternative spelling of Kinetic - I'll have to try to remember that, but still can't guarantee I'll get it right if I ever have to write it down".

I'm not suggesting that Horatia is anywhere near as difficult as 'Qinetiq', or attention-seeking in the same way, but your name is a practical way of identifying/communicating with you and any name that might potentially cause widespread confusion or seem a bit too long (imho, I think four syllables is too long) will be naturally adapted or shortened into a de facto alternative name, so your chosen name will effectively not really be what they are known as everyday anyway. Many Brits would have to stop and think for a moment if you asked them to put something in the refrigerator, for similar reasons; some would not even know what you meant at all.

Mysisterlivesinbicester · 24/05/2022 10:19

babyjellyfish · 24/05/2022 09:53

This.

Please do not lumber your daughter with Horatia.

Oi! That's my daughter's name you're slagging off. I think you're all just jealous for not having thought of it.

@WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll , it has three syllables - Ho-ray-sha.

WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll · 24/05/2022 11:07

it has three syllables - Ho-ray-sha.

I think that depends on your accent, though - some may say 'sha' but others would say 'shee-uh'.

As the feminine equivalent of Horatio, I would certainly expect to hear the boy's name said with four syllables - same as the word 'ratio', so my personal inclination would be to pronounce both names in the same way, except for the differing vowel-sound at the end.

WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll · 24/05/2022 11:10

By the way, fwiw, I don't dislike the name at all - I think it's a strong and pleasant-sounding name. I just think there are considerations as to how others will use/recognise/understand your name when talking or referring to you.

drumandthebass · 24/05/2022 12:06

I dislike both names, but, Horatia, is just awful. People will constantly mispronounce or call her Horatio

Irishfarmer · 24/05/2022 12:10

I think I must be pronouncing Horatia incorrectly in my head. Or does it really should like whore-rat-ia? Harriet is lovely

SirenSays · 24/05/2022 12:13

I think the amount of people here who think it starts with Whore would put me off. I have a name I don't like, that no one can pronounce and it drives me mad.

Irishfarmer · 24/05/2022 12:14

Ok sorry read the thread, I see you did say how to pronounce it. It is nice when you pronounce it your way but a lot of ppl won't. I normally say that doesn't matter because ppl will learn. A lot of ppl say my name incorrectly, but it never comes close to being pronounced as anything similar to whore.

user375242 · 24/05/2022 12:14

I don't like it. I've always loved Harriet, but it is very popular where I live. What about Hestia?

bigbootyjulie · 24/05/2022 12:58

Harriet is nice. Horatia has way too much teasing potential - ho, whore. I wouldn't want to be a teenage girl named Horatia.

WaltzingWaters · 24/05/2022 13:10

sorry but I think horatia is absolutely awful.

sqirrelfriends · 24/05/2022 13:11

Horatia in my head sounds like Whore-atia

Mysisterlivesinbicester · 24/05/2022 13:23

@WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll I see - makes sense! My DD is mostly Horrie, though I dare say that will not be well received on MN either Grin

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