Maitreyi or Maitri?

[avocadostoasttea]

opnions on these Indian names for a girl? which spelling is best? Does it come across as a pretty & feminine name? Thanks!

maitri = my-tree pronunciation

maitreyi = my-tray-ee

I like Maitri (though autocorrect is determined to make it matrix)

Not keen on Maitreyi

I heard Maitreya once which I like most.

Otherwise I'd use Maitreyi with Maitri as a diminutive.

Maitreyi is the better name, but it'll be hard for Brits to pronounce

@BlueberryJammy Hard for Brits to pronounce? not once they've heard it a few times, surely? This is the country that tries to deceive the world with Cholmondeley, Featherstonhaugh, Leominster etc - and happily absorbs Gaelic and other spellings like Ruairidh, Sean, Niamh.

PS both names are pretty.

You'd think so. But if I had a penny for every time I heard a butchered version of my name after the 4th attempt, I would be a millionaire. And I have a very common,very easy name.
Try getting a few random friends and colleagues to pronounce any name you pick.

They mean slightly different things in Bengali - right? :) Maitreyi would be much more common in Bangla - but if you aren't worried about that - Maitri is easier to grasp for the Western tongue I think!

Also I wouldn't say "Mai" is pronounced as "my" in these names.... It's "may-ee" said quickly if you see what I meant. "May ee Tray ee" said very quickly with a soft "t" would be "Maitrayee"...

@crosstalk , they don't though. Ruairidh will get Ruari, Ruaridh, Rory, Rauiridh etc. Sean has the fada omitted and Niamh has become Neeve

I work with a Maitrai, who pronounces it the same as your Maitri. I really like it. There are no issues at work - we asked how to pronounce her name, she said, we all moved on. It's easy to pronounce once you know.

I’m still deciding the spelling, slightly prefer Maitri. I feel like the extra sound in Maitreyi makes it sound a bit clunky?

but then Maitri looks like a more masculine spelling… so confused!

Maitri is easier for pronunciation

It does not look masculine. it’s always a girls’ name isn’t it?

@Luredbyapomegranate It is, the Maitreyi spelling looks prettier to me but then I like the pronunciation of Maitri

I prefer Maitri. It’s easier to read and pronounce and I like the sound better. I think the pronunciation is pretty obvious from the spelling. I work with a Maitri and can’t remember anyone ever messing up her name on a video call.

@Krakinou Thanks, that’s helpful to know!