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Original poster

I love a baby name but worried about mispronunciation

111 replies

MsSnow · 24/09/2022 08:43

I love the girls names Georgiana
pronounced George - ee - ar - nah
I know a lot of people say George - Jay - Nah due to the film with Keira Knightly. I know some people believe this the true pronunciation and others say it was an affection nickname used by very few and one being the Duchess.
I only like the first pronunciation (like in bbc pride & prejudice)
I know there is no other way I can spell it.
What do you think? Do you think it would get often mispronounced or not? Does it matter? Curious what thoughts are.
My other name i’m considering is Eliana.
thanks!

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Original poster
MsSnow · 24/09/2022 23:37

Puffalicious · 24/09/2022 21:29

I get it now. People are writing Ar when they would pronounce it Ah

Ar and are sound the same in my accent; awe sounds very different I agree with this. I thought OP was thinking George- ee- are- nah which is just plain weird.

It's like another thread where many English accents don't pronounce the R in Orla, saying Owla instead. Irish and Scots say Orla/ Oarla which is correct.

Similarly many folk say awe and oar the same way, whereas in my Scottish accent they are VERY different. Interesting.

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Ar, Ah & Aw sound very similar in my accent

OP posts:
Original poster
MsSnow · 24/09/2022 23:42

Poshjock · 24/09/2022 22:06

And all of a sudden we are having an discussion based on Rhoticity. I knew as soon as I read that stray R in the opening post that this is how it would end up.

I am Rhotic so ana & anna sound the same. Georgie-anna and Georgy-ah-na sound exactly the same when I say it.

We will never circle the square that is the difference in regional pronunciation in UK English. Unless the OP is moving to a different part of the UK she needn't worry about this particular pronunciation peculiar.ity

I honestly didn’t think about the accent side of things, which is my bad.
I was more looking to see if people would pronounce it George-jay-nah like the film the duchess. Georgiana & Georgianna sound very different in my accent, I also didn’t think about how people pronounce “ar” “ah” & “aw” differently. Lesson learnt 😂

OP posts:
Original poster
MsSnow · 24/09/2022 23:46

MothsAndWaspsAreUsefulPollinators · 24/09/2022 23:05

No idea what the name was in the film but your choice of name and spelling should never lead to it being pronounced "George - Ayna". (The name Georgina, without the additional A, is usually pronounced George - Eena and I have a relative with that name).

Yo/your child may get "Georgie - Anna" rather than "Georgie - Ahna" though, so if you are prepared to deal with that, then use it. Everyone seems to get their name shortened (or if short, lengthened, or just changed into a different nickname completely) during school but as an older child and adult, and in the family, be assured that many people can and do use their full name, even if it is 3+ syllables long.

It's a lovely name and also one that your child, themselves, can choose to shorten if they want to, and it has lots of nice shorter forms. Note as the parent, this may or may not be the short form that you choose for them when they are little (if you do). And that's okay.

Thanks! I think you’re right :)

OP posts:
FluffMagnet · 24/09/2022 23:52

Can thoroughly recommend as a name, has numerous nicknames and no-one has ever tried the Duchess of Devonshire pronunciation. Do get Georgina quite a bit by people not noticing the extra "a", but c'est la vie .

2ndTimeRound90 · 25/09/2022 00:28

BewareTheBeardedDragon · 24/09/2022 21:00

Also - for the naysayers. Lana is pronounced larna not lanna. It's like that. Fairly common in English pronunciation for a double n to be needed to turn a long vowel sound into a short vowel sound.

It would be pronounced Lanna in NI and I'd imagine in Scotland too. Most vowels are accent dependent!

Puffalicious · 25/09/2022 02:18

Ar, Ah & Aw sound very similar in my accent

They all sound completely and utterly different in mine! Vive la difference.

DramaAlpaca · 25/09/2022 02:59

OP, in the nicest possible way I reckon you're overthinking. She'll be however you want it pronounced as a baby, then able to tell people herself how it's pronounced as she gets older.

Georgiana is a terrific name. I'd pronounce it as you want it to be pronounced. Geor-jayna is an affectation, very of its time. I really like Gigi as a diminutive.

Actually, I think there's an argument for pronouncing it very similarly to Georgina, something like George-ee-uh-na, with all the syllables run together quickly. A bit like Catriona is pronounced in Ireland, where the 'o' is barely sounded. I think it's really lovely that way.

MissHavishamsMouldyOldCake · 25/09/2022 03:49

Also - for the naysayers. Lana is pronounced larna not lanna.

This seems a bit provincial to me. As though you're unaware of a rhotic world.

Lana Turner was very much 'lanna'.

redtshirt50 · 25/09/2022 03:56

not RTFF so this has probably been said

but I know a girl with that name and she is known as georgie / always introduces herself as georgie

ive never known anyone to call her by her full name, it’s just too long / lightly tongue tying

she says she wishes her mum just named her Georgina because whenever she does have to use it it always causes confusion

mathanxiety · 25/09/2022 04:38

Georgiana would surely be pronounced Geor-jah-na. That long EE gets submerged. So it's more of a three syllable name.

BewareTheBeardedDragon · 25/09/2022 18:56

MissHavishamsMouldyOldCake · 25/09/2022 03:49

Also - for the naysayers. Lana is pronounced larna not lanna.

This seems a bit provincial to me. As though you're unaware of a rhotic world.

Lana Turner was very much 'lanna'.

Fair enough, hadn't thought it through.

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