Unexpected ways your baby's names are mispronounced

[CoalCraft]

I have two daughters, Beatrix and Lois. I thought these were two classic names with a single settled pronunciation each, with minimal room for misinterpretation, at least by native English speakers. Both was I wrong!

For the avoidance of doubt, we pronounce these names...

• bee-uh-trix
• lo-iss

And yet DD1 is often called "beet-rix" and DD2 is often called "Loyce", as in rhyming with voice.

i usually let the first go as I just think "close enough", but I can't resist correcting "loyce" 🤢

Beatrix is sometimes also called "Beatrice", which is an understandable mix up that we did expect but is annoying when even family do it, and Lois is often misheard as "Lewis" so that people assume she's a boy. Not bothered by either of these when the general public do it though.

So what unexpected mispronunciations or misinterpretations did you encounter after naming your baby?

My Tabitha (Tab-ith-a) is called Tab-ee-tha, Tab-i-ta, Tab-eye-tha, Ta-BYE-tha, all sorts.

I have an Enid too - she's just a toddler but tends to get Ines if heard wrong. Can't wait until she can do the correcting herself!

I think Loyce is the way it's pronounced in Wales (I'm Welsh and that's how I say it anyway).

i have an Ottilie, she got:
Oh Tile
Oat tilly
Oht (as in hot) teal
oot illy

and we live in rural north Lancashire so generally speaking she get Ot lee

we expected the mispronouncing as it’s fairly unusual

Don’t forget an-DREY-a! It’s like Helena, so many possibilities, none of them wrong.

I met a Welsh "Loyce" recently, I grew up in Wales myself and never heard it pronounced like that, it's not a nice sound!

I have a Sadhbh, which I grant you is unfamiliar to most, but the amount of times it gets misheard as Scythe is bananas.

We’re in Ireland as well so it’s doubly 😑

Dorothea pronounced 'Theodora'

Felix pronounced 'Fell-icks' - I mean, I get 'Fay-licks' if you speak a European language, but 'Fell-icks'?

Harriet spelt 'Harriett' - okay, alternative spellings fine, but wouldn't you just go for the standard as default?

I have a Nia. A few people (including a staff member at school) pronounce it as Nigh-a. And yet the same individual has no problem saying the name Mia. She hasn't twigged that they rhyme.

I have a Sullivan. He's had Solomon on more than one occasion.

My niece is called Elodie but constantly gets called "eee-loddy"

I am currently email someone re: work who keeps calling me John. He is going to get a shock when I walk in to our first meeting.

I'm surprised at the number of people saying Lois is pronounced "loyce" in Wales - lived in Wales all my life and never heard it! I believe it, just surprised I haven't come across it!

I'm an Andrea - 'Andreea'. I don't really mind 'Andreya'. Not keen on 'Awndreea' though. Never 'Andy' I had one colleague who tried it and I just said 'no' every time.

Used to get Anthea and Angela a lot but less so now.

DD is Astrid and one nurse did call out 'A-stride' once.

I've also been asked to spell it more times than I expected, and asked 'with a e?'.

I wanted something with only one spelling since our surname is bad enough and my family growing up were Carol (no e), Stewart (ew) and Stephen (ph).

I’ve honestly never heard anyone pronounce the “a” in Beatrix apart from a an Italian friend. I thought the standard British pronunciation was 2 syllables (beer-trix / beet-rix).

But, to my ears, 'beer' is 2 syllables sort of half way between "bee-uh" and "bee-ah" which makes Beatrix 3 syllables.

I too would like to know how to pronounce Isolde

@CoalCraft , I imagine it depends on how old you are. It was pretty unusual when I was young, but it became a lot more popular in about the last thirty years. The Lois jeans brand is 'loyce'

So many people say Alexander instead of Alexandra. She's a 5 year old girl, amd very obviously a girl. I'll say it's Alexandra and they'll look at me blankly as they don't realise one is masculine and one is feminine. I find it so strange!

I'm the exact same! I thought it was me not being clear in saying my own name 😂

@UsingChangeofName , the german pronunciation is Izz-OL-duh

My Tabitha sometimes gets "Tabitah" or "Tabutha"

Never mind baby names, mine has an A in the middle, pronounced the short, northern way as in cat. Nearly everyone down here says it the longer southern way, as in cart. I've got used to it, but it's not my name!

@DollyRose , about 15 years ago, I met the sweet young daughter of a colleague and I asked her name. I heard Dorothy, but she said 'no, Sophie'. As much as I love the name Sophie, I was slightly disappointed, it would have so suited her.

@Dollydea i understand but I think the problem is that other people spell the name Mia and then expect the pronunciations you listed. I’m a teacher and currently have two students called Mia in the same class, one is my-a and the other is me-ah. It baffles me but it’s true.

Or those named Elle who think their names are Ellie.

or even worse all the various pronunciations of ciara.

I have an Esme - we have a 50/50 split on people who say Ezmay, and people who say Ezmi. I think it was in the top 30 for popularity when she was born but we’ve only ever met one other Esme of a similar age to her in all her baby groups/nursery/and now school that she’s attended.

I don’t mind either pronunciation, neither does she