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?

Maybe Emeuila!

I don't think you should have to change it at all. Why should you have to compromise for other people? She's your baby. Just have a conversation with people and her teachers once she's old enough. The more people that get used to it, the more people will get it right.

Instantly reminded me of the Fugees and I couldn't help but sing to the tune of Fu gee la la 😂 - em ee la la

Sorry OP not much help.

Maybe call her Emmy/Emmie, for short?

@Laura3091 Do we just shorten it to Mila? (Mee-La) to make it easier for everyone?

Definitely not. Keep repeating and correcting. People will get there in the end.
I know it's not popular on MN, but I'm a big fan of a bit of passive-agressive behaviour in these circumstances...

Friend (Susan) says "oh, she's gorgeous, and Emilia is such a pretty name"
You "Thanks Sarah"
Friend (looking confused) "Sarah? My name's not Sarah"
You (with a smile) "No, and her's isn't Emilia.

People remember that.
I couldn't care less if they thought I was being a dick. They'll remember and that's the important part.

@YourBrickTiger Exactly - and then as long as she never meets anyone else ever again, you'll never have to correct anyone. Sorted.

I would think it was Emilia. Looks misspelt. If you'd added the I you could have saved yourself and her a lifetime of correcting people.

@L0bstersLass Good idea - and after a while OP won't have to worry about friends mispronouncing her baby's name, because after a few passive-aggressive exchanges like that, her friends will keep their distance until she's got over herself !!

That would work, except the OP wants the world to pronounce Emila as Emeela.

Otherwise we are just being lazy.🙁

Isn't that an acronym for European Master in Landscape Architecture?! Interesting name choice. Although handy if she goes on to be an architect. And yes, I agree, she needs a nickname ideally as it will be a lifetime of (naturally) mistaking her for Emilia.

You’ve set her up to correct people across her lifetime. What a pain.

Nothing wrong with Olivia.

I think you could remove the word ”friend” after that. But like you say they’ll remember and that’s the important part.

My Amelie gets Amelia or Emily. It's just a name that sounds closer to the others.

If you gave her a name Emila, keep it that way. I would clearly tell people it’s Emila and correct if they say it wrongly. It’s a lovely name, I wouldn’t shorten it, it looses its beauty with all its short versions.

Emila is lovely. Just keep correcting those who get it wrong - it should only take one time. Most days she won’t be meeting people who don’t know her name already.
Do not change it because some people cannot read x

It's the price your daughter pays for you picking an unusual name.

my daughter is 30. We gave her a name that is very commonplace in DH's country of origin. It is spelt in a similar way to a UK name but pronounced very differently. If I could turn back time I absolutely would not have done it. She has had a lifetime of explaining and spelling and correcting.

She went to uni overseas where the name is known and recognised and had a few years respite but she is now back working in the UK.

I thought of it as em-ee-la
It's a pretty name, unusual but that's not bad in this case as it sounds and looks nice.
Just correct them when needed, plenty of names get spelt or pronounced wrong so she won't be the only one.
Our DS has a fairly common name and it still gets spelt wrong at times and has been misheard as a similar name a few times, it doesn't bother him.

I would glance at it and read Emilia too. I agree Mila would be clearer.

Yes I thought this too. She won’t be meeting new people every day and most people you meet in person you tend to tell them your name (rather than have them read it and get it wrong if you see what I mean). It’s mainly the one off meetings where they read out your name that is difficult (e.g. I always have issues at the doctor receptionist etc because they are reading out my name and also because there’s little point correcting these people as I won’t meet them again anyway).

I read it correctly. Really don’t even think it’s that unusual or difficult to read. Correct people. And yes Mila is a cute shortening if you want one but don’t feel like you have to use one.

I have an unusual name and I love it, despite having to constantly correct people (even though it’s not complicated to say) - I have to say this only happens in the UK. In other countries people hear it once/read it correctly.

Ignore the ‘poor kid’ brigade!

I’m still reading ‘Emila’’ as Amelia every single time despite you saying it’s not her name

Emila is cute but spell check automatically changes it and adds the “I” so that’s annoying for you.

Emila rhymes with Tequila is helpful to understand pronounciation.

if you’re going to be particular about spellings and pull people up about how her name is spelt it’s worth remember it’s your “baby’s name” and not your “babies name”.
If you keep getting that wrong people
wjll assume you’ve forgotten the “i”
in Emila.

It's going to be tricky as it's not a name most people in the UK have come across.

Maybe English isn’t your first language (since you wrote babies and not baby’s) and you should have more empathy towards people reading the name wrong instead of calling them lazy. In that case you are being lazy yourself OP. First stone and all that.

And no, English is not my first language either.

I also have a name that people add a random letter to, because it is an uncommon name, though not as uncommon as Emila.

It can be annoying but I just politely correct them. Many people can read, and get it right the first time or correct themselves on a double take.