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Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

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Original poster

Can we get away with Dewi?

69 replies

JacobsPrincess · 07/06/2008 23:18

Really stuck on boys names for DS2. DH & I like Theo (or Teddy) and Evan but are not sure and we both keep coming back to Dewi, pronounced Dow-ee (Dow, rhyming with cow!). It's a Welsh name, nickname for David. We dislike David as a name BTW.
My DH is Welsh, and I'm English but have lived in Wales and studied the language. We live in Hastings and don't plan on returning to Wales anytime soon. Our reservation with Dewi is that he'll spend his life being called Dewey and correcting people!
And the name has to fit with DS1, Jacob.
What do you think?

OP posts:

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LuckySalem · 08/06/2008 10:48

Or spell it with a ey! What the hell? (I would say it was too early but.....) lol

Simply · 08/06/2008 11:09

I agree with cat64, mejon and MrsBadger.

It is a nice Welsh name, I agree.

Spidermama · 08/06/2008 11:19

I like Dewi. He may well have to correct people but there are worse things, like being saddled with a boring name. I mean, my name is so common and boring that every time I phone a friend and say 'Hi it's Spider hear', they say, ''m sorry, but which Spider. I know several'.
I think I'd rather have to correct people.

Anyway, usually you only need to correct friends and people who matter once. Then it's just the odd visit to the doctors surgery etc.

I've got a very unusual second name which I have to correct people on. It's fine. It becomes automatic. I have a script in my head and I know how to do it in a friendly way so as not to embarrass.

These days there are so many more people with unusual names, he won't be the odd one out.

It's a lovely name.

Mammina · 08/06/2008 11:27

Cat64 is right, it should (in welsh) be pronounced d eh wee. I am welsh and have given DD a welsh first name - people get it wrong all the time and it is really annoying, but it wouldn't stop me from giving her a welsh name. People always mispronounce my name too, but you just have to correct them. Most people get it in the end..

BibiThree · 08/06/2008 11:35

Agree with the "e" as in egg, d eh wi

LobstersLass · 08/06/2008 12:06

But JacobsPrincess, it's not pronounced Dow-ee. As cat64 says, it's pronounced Deh-wee.

The 'e' sound in Dewi is very difficult for non-Welsh speakers as it is not a sound that is used in the English language. I know a Dewi and people continue to call him Dowee even though he has corrected them, it's because it is not a natural sound to them. The difficulty stems from the fact that it is written as it is pronounced with the Welsh alphabet and not the English one.

Dafydd (also short for David) is equally problematic as people insist on pronouncing the f as a hard letter rather than the v sound it is in Welsh - Davith is how it would look in English.

It's so difficult isn't it. I'd would love to call a son Llywelyn, but my dh just laughs at me! I've trained him to make the Ll sound but it's a bugger for other people.

Mammina · 08/06/2008 12:17

LobstersLass it IS difficult, there were so many names I had vetoed because of pronounciation - basically anything with ll, rh, ch, and even anything with a 'u'. Had to go for an 'easy' name in the end but it's still proving difficult for a lot of people. Family (well, grandfather is still struggling after 16 months...) and friends get it right though and that's the most important thing

LobstersLass · 08/06/2008 12:22

migola, we're TTC at moment and we've already had the conversation you had about no ll,rh,ch,u etc...
I know it's the right thing to do because it would drive me crackers if people pronounced it incorrectly!

However, a chap I know called his daughter Gwenllian, and his extended family have been taught to pronounce it properly with the accent in the right place and everything.

You are correct, the important people make the effort.

WonderingWhy · 08/06/2008 12:26

It's lovely. Don't worry about the pronunciation. People will ask, he'll or you'll tell them, it's easy to say and spell.

I knew an indonesian girl with the name, pronounced deh-wi, but dowi sounds great and very masculine.

Lovely.

cyteen · 08/06/2008 12:27

Everything that Spidermama said. I don't think other people's difficulties with pronounciation and/or spelling should really be so much of a consideration for those looking to name their baby. My name is quite 'normal' and yet I spend half my life spelling it out to people, who more often than not continue to spell it wrong anyway

I think Dewi pr. dehwi is rather nice

MsDemeanor · 08/06/2008 12:30

The first thing that came to mind was those Disney ducks, definitely. And yes, he will spend his entire life telling people he's not called dewy, as in young or damp.
As you are not in Wales, I would think better to choose a name that people can at least guess at how to pronounce, or is common enough for at least some people to have an idea. That's doubly important if you are going to get irritated if people mispronounce it, which they will - constantly! And that means you will be irritated most of the time

Mammina · 08/06/2008 12:36

I think it just depends how wound up it will get you if/when people mispronounce! I know an Elliw who gave in and started introducing herself as Eli

keevamum · 08/06/2008 19:42

A lovely name and as you are welsh you can get away with it definitely. We toyed with the name before dc2 became a girl but as we have no welsh connection really felt we couldn't use it. You can and you should it's lovely.

seeker · 08/06/2008 19:51

I do think it's such a bad idea to give a child a name that he really will have to tell people how to say every single time for the rest of his life. Honestly, just imagine what that would would be like? People won't remember either, so it will mean reminding them four or five times...Imagine the dentis's waiting room, supply teachers........ just boring and not worth it.

Olihan · 08/06/2008 20:08

The 'english' pronounciation is defintely DOWee, to rhyme with cow. I know it's wrong to welsh speakers but that's how it would be said, especially as the OP lives in England. (Dewi Morris played rugby for England back in the 90's and all the english commentators called him 'Dow-ee'). It sounds lovelier said the proper way though.

I'd be interested to know if all the people who say it would be a pain having to correct people all the time actually have a name that they do have to do that. Only Spidermama has said she has to correct people and she doesn't mind. It seems to be one of those things that you imagine would be a problem but actually isn't, iyswim?

cyteen · 08/06/2008 20:13

But seeker, surely loads of Welsh people living in England go through the same experience every day? I'm sure it's worth it to at least some of them.

Mammina · 08/06/2008 20:23

Cyteen I am Welsh and live in London and go through the experience every day, and for my sins I am going to make my daughter go through the same thing too.. It's annoying but you kind of get used to it as I think someone else said on this thread, you say your name and automatically spell it afterwards. I grew up in Wales though so didn't have to experience teachers etc getting it wrong - you've made me worry now that my DD will get picked on because of it! However we live in a multicultural society and I think people are used to 'unusual' names.
I used to hate my name growing up, but now that I live in England I quite like it as people always comment on it being a nice name.

seeker · 08/06/2008 20:24

Absolutely - I'm sure they do. But if you can easily avoid this, then I think you should. Being given a Welsh name if you live in Wales then moving to England is different from giving a Welsh name when you live in England and haev no intention of living in Wales. Why do something that will make life difficult for your child - however slightly?

sparklysparkles · 08/06/2008 20:40

Hmm. The only person I know called Dewi is a Dutch woman. It's pronounced Davey

Hulababy · 08/06/2008 20:43

Not keen sorry. TBH I would read the name, as a non-Welsh speaker, as Dewey, and would think of Huey and Lewey.

LobstersLass · 08/06/2008 21:00

Cyteen, I'm Welsh and I work in England. I have an unusual Welsh name but it is easy to pronounce. I have to spell it out every time I meet anyone new. It does get rather dull.

I wouldn't change it for the world though.

Takver · 08/06/2008 21:29

I don't know about first names, but I have an Irish surname which no-one can spell (or pronounce if they see it written) and I've never found it a problem.
There are lots of lovely Welsh boys names, aren't there. I know a Iori (short for Iorwedd, not sure exactly on the spelling) which I think is a fantastic name.

LuckySalem · 08/06/2008 21:30

I haven't got a name I have to correct but we've given DD one. And as she's not old enough yet it's me correcting it. It's not too bad until people like the HV who you see every other week KEEPS getting it wrong

DaDaDa · 08/06/2008 21:32

Fine since your DH is Welsh. Nice name too.

Chequers · 08/06/2008 21:33

Message withdrawn

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