Everyone is getting my baby's name wrong

[Laura3091]

So my baby girls name is Emila - It is pronounced as Em-ee-la.

Everyone keeps calling her Amelia and can’t get their head around Emila. Don’t think it’s that hard to grasp tbh but I know she is going to have trouble as she grows up with people mispronouncing her name.

Do we just shorten it to Mila? (Mee-La) to make it easier for everyone?

That is certainly how it looks, or people will mishear OP and think she's said Amelia/Emilia.

I'm not sure why you're so rude about Olivia OP when you've chosen a name in the same family as the perennial Emily/Amelia/Emmie/Ellas.

I have a name that people have struggled pronouncing or spelling for my whole life and it's a pain in the arse. She'll have a better chance with Mila but will still get variations of Meel-a, Mye-la or Mill-a. But it doesn't look like a typo.

Oof I was ready to be sympathetic until you were rather unpleasant about the name Olivia, OP. It’s not mine or DD’s name, so it’s nothing personal, but you don’t come across super well.

I’ve never heard of Emila before, but just correct people. I have an incredibly unusual name and that’s what I do.

ETA: I agree with a PP who pointed out you’ve chosen a name which looks and sounds mighty similar to several highly popular names, but without the advantage of being easy for people to recognise and say… while also looking down on “boring Olivia”. Hmm.

I would call her Mila (mee-la). I think it’s such a beautiful name 💗

If I saw Emila written down my eyes would see Emilia as I’ve never seen or heard Emila before.

Mila would be Meela to me (Mila Kunis).

Realistically, people are going to get her name wrong - at least at first meeting - for most of her life. It's an unusual name in the UK, but very similar to two existing names (Emilia and Amelia), so people are going to mishear it and / or assume it's one of the latter two.

However - I wouldn't overthink it. She'll have to get used to correcting people, but future teachers / classmates / employers etc will learn it and it won't be an ongoing issue with the people she regularly interacts with. I don't think shortening it will help much. You'll all just have to get into the habit of correcting people who get it wrong.

It's a nice name!

Emily with an A on end is an easy way to explain if that’s how you say it.
She can easily go by Em or Emy or Mila (Meela) as she prefers when she’s older.

Mila is very cool 😎

I have a child with a name that is often pronounced wrong. I eventually gave up trying to correct people as child prefers going by a nickname anyway.

I wouldn’t worry too much.
i certainly wouldn’t change her name.

my daughters name is Isabel. And for a solid 6 months she was known as Isabella to close family 🙄

until one day I just snapped and said “ we don’t have a child called Isabella. Her names Isabel “ after 6 months of gently correcting them.

• edited because I spelt my own child’s name wrong.

People call my son Jacob and his name is Joseph. People will always get names wrong

If you choose a name no-one has ever heard of before, what do you expect? The poor girl will have trouble, and need to spell out her name, all her life.

Haven't read the replies so sorry if I'm repeating what others have said, but I suspect that many people who read Emila, will think it might be a typo or their brain is so used to seeing Emilia, they read and say that. I wouldn't change it - it's important your child has the name you always intended for her - yes, she will probably have to make it clear each time she meets someone for the first time, but once they know her they won't get it wrong again.

What everyone else says: it's not "lazy" for people to read normally, which is to skim and make inferences. That's how everyone reads. Saying that bothers you is like complaining water is wet.

If you like the name, keep it and spend a lifetime explaining. My child has a name from her father's culture and lives in my country, NO-ONE knows how to pronounce it and no-one can remember the spelling. (Note: we didn't make it up. It's extremely common in his culture and there's only one way to spell it.) She and I spend our lives explaining her name. We don't mind, she loves her name and so do I.

If you can't live with the fact that Emila will lead to a lifetime of mispronunciation and autocorrect, then change it.

But don't be indignant water is wet, and maybe don't scoff at other people's names choices #Olivia either?

OP, it's not "lazy readers", it's that you chose a name that looks like a typo! It's just how it is.

It’s pretty and better than being a boring Olivia for example which has been done a million times over.

You sound nice.

The name is fine, people will adjust. I have an uncommon name and just correct people and move on.

You don't need to be insulting about other people's names though.

@Cakeandusername OP wants to pronounce it Em-ee-la, so unfortunately saying "it's like Emily with and A" won't work.

OP maybe you should tell everyone it rhymes with Tequila 😂

What a beautiful name, OP. Just beautiful.

Mila is a good shortened version.

Me too. I think there are two issues. The first is it is so close to Emilia and the second that even if I picture it and see the letters I still wouldn't pronounce it how you intended it.

Olivia hasn’t been used a million times in the last 30 years

Ah and struggling with strange letter combos isn’t being lazy

But imagine if a child was called Oliva pronounced Oll-eeva instead of boring old Olivia. She’d be called Olivia constantly. Didn’t you anticipate this?

I read it correctly but I’d pronounce it Em-ill-a, not Em-ee-la. I knew an Emala (pronounced Emma-luh) but everyone called her Ee-mar-luh which drove her mad. Unless it’s a common name like Amelia or Emily, it could go either way and your choice of pronunciation is a matter of preference so you can’t really get upset if people get it wrong.

It is very unfortunate, but OMG you are so right. Once I read "Emila, like Tequila", it finally clicked for me.

Probably not the solution OP is hoping for, but definitely one that will work in Emila's teenage years.

I think the problem is not so much “it’s uncommon” but that it’s uncommon AND very similar to at least two better known names in this country.

Your DD is going to spend her life correcting it, I’m afraid. I have a common middle name spelt in a less common way and I have had a lifetime of returning official documents that have to wrong.

So I agree you would be better going with Mila. She’ll still spend her time correcting her formal name but at least on a day-to-day basis it’s less troublesome.