If I day Mariah...do you think Carey?

[GoingMadder]

It was my great grandmother's name (spelt Maria) but is it usable?

Yes, but It’s still a nice name and she’s not a bad association is she. You probably will get lots of people saying “Oh after Mariah Carey. All you then have to say is is “No after my Grandma. Its not like you’re asking If I say Myra do you automatically think Hindley.
Although if you want it pronounced Ma-Ry-Ah then don’t spell it Maria which will give the Ma-Ree-Ah pronunciation as that’ll cause more problems and annoyance than “Were you called after Mariah Carey.

Yes I do think Carey but, equally, if you want that pronunciation nowadays it will definitely make it easier to spell it with the h. Both Maria and Mariah are lovely names.

All I want for Christmas is you

Yes.

please do not spell it Maria but pronounce it Mariah. You are setting your child up for a lifetime of difficulty that would so easily be avoided.

Yes.
And Maria I'd always pronounce like the Blondie song.

If you're spelling it Maria, I'd assume Ma-Ree-A, like in The Sound Of Music.

If you want Mariah, then you'll need to spell it like that. I don't think anyone in this country would get Mariah from Maria the first time.

Black Maria. Maria was pronounced Mar-eye-ah in the olden days.

I think Mariah and Maria are two separate (though related) names. I grew up in the US and have known a few Mariahs (I think it's more common there) so I don't associate it with Mariah Carey specifically. I would spell it Mariah and pronounce it Mariah if that still feels TO YOU like it's honouring your great grandmother even with the changed spelling. I think it's a really personal decision if that feels right to you or not, but if it does I would go for it. I think it's a great name.

If it helps any, name spellings were more fluid historically - for example, I have a great grandmother who shows up in the records (Scotland and Ireland) as Marjorie, Margery, Marg., and even May. It makes sense in some cases to take the idea of name, or the way the name was used, and tweak it to work well now. As for what people outside of your family think - you can just say it's after your great grandma, or that it's a family name - no need to get into the specifics of the spelling.

Even Mariah isn't Mariah she was born Maria Carey afaik

My Great Grandmother spelt it Maria but I totally agree if I wanted it pronounced Ma-RYE-ah I would have to add the H.

Yes, I think of Carey
I'd also spell it Mariah.

I worked with a Marie. No, not the usual pronunciation of Ma-REE, but
MAAA-ree!

I had a DGM called Ma-RYE-ah, spelt Maria. However, if you want the same pronunciation as your GGM I think you'll have to go with the spelling Mariah. Lovely name, and not a bad connotation.
Go for it.

Yes, but it's a beautiful name. I feel the same about Celine. And would use both, regardless.

Moriah is also an option for that pronunciation.

I like it and I also love the other pronunciation (like the Blondie song)

I don't think Carey necessarily. I equally think of Moriah Elizabeth because I have a 9yo who is a bit obsessed with a youtuber of that name 😂

This is a common pronunciation in MIL's part of Scotland...all the Marie's she knows are MAH-ree or Marry. One of her GC is Marie (Mah-REE) after DIL's relative. She said "What a stupid name. No one will know how to say it!"

Her argument is..."You don't say Mah-REE Rose Sauce, do you?"

(She says Marry Rose).

I equally think of Moriah Elizabeth because I have a 9yo who is a bit obsessed with a youtuber of that name 😂

I think of Moriah Smallbone. Agree there are other connections.

No, I genuinely thought of Maria (but pronounced Mariah) in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. She’s very clever and funny.

I wouldn’t think Carey particularly. I met a Mariah in her early 30s last year - lovely name. I think historically Maria was pronounced Mar-eye-ah in the UK - certainly Maria in Pride and Prejudice (Charlotte Lucas’s little sister) was pronounced that way in the 1995 adaptation - and Mar-ee-ah would have been the more European pronunciation. But if you wanted people to pronounce it that way automatically these days you’d need the h on the end.

@PerkyMintDeer That is interesting about Marie being pronounced like that in parts of Scotland. I grew up abroad, and had never heard a Marie being pronounced Mah-ree before. Maybe her parents were Scotish?

I don't think that's true.

@GoingMadder I would think of Mariah Carey yes, but it's still a nice name.

Maria, I would pronounce like the Blondie song yes. Or the Julie Andrews character in The Sound Of Music. I think you need to spell it Mariah, if you want it pronouncing like Mariah Carey.

I know a couple of women with 25-28 y.o. Shania and Celine. (Sisters.) Clearly named after the singers, but still individual and unique young women.

Agreed about Mah-ree in Scotland. I know a few pronounced that way.

How about Mariana

I'd tend to think "black Mariah" tbh, rather than Carey.
Mariah and Maria are pronounced differently, so you won't really be naming your DD after a relative if you use a different spelling.

I think MAH- ree and Marry were actually the traditional British pronunciations and Ma-REE
was more popular on the continent but it changed mid 20th century.

The Old Time Music Hall star Marie Lloyd was always MAH-ree or Marry dependant on where in the country you were from.

That just makes me think 'trench!'

Why not Maria? As it was your great grandmother's name...