Frances? Does it matter if we pronounce it differently?

[hopeful4us]

Currently expecting baby #2 and struggling to find a girls name we both agree on.

Frances is top of our list but my husband is northern and pronounces it clipped: 'Fran-sis'. I'm from the south and pronounce it 'Frarn-ses'. I'm happy to adjust my pronunciation but my family will also likely say it the southern way and my husband is concerned our baby will dislike it/get confused.

Anyone with a similar name/various regional pronunciations able to comment on whether they find it irritating?

Not a problem imo. My baby's name is pronounced differently in my native language vs husband's. She responds to both (and seems to understand pretty much everything in both languages).

Frances is one of those names that gets lots of love on Mumsnet, which seems to have a collective fondness for drab names (see also: Maude, Agnes). But it's a fairly awful name to saddle your child with. Francesca is much more elegant and feminine alternative.

How about Francesca? Think everyone pronounces it the same at the beginning?? (Prepared to be told they don't!)

@teaandtoastwithmarmite surely you knew that everyone would pronounce Sofia with a long O. It’s like Sophie, with an A on the end. I would automatically assume it was a long O as in loaf, rather than a short O as in coffee.

@BerryTwister @teaandtoastwithmarmite I know a Sofia who pronounces it So-fee-a and the same spelling but rhymes with higher. I also know one spelt Sophia who pronounces it to rhyme with higher. So 'everyone' certainly doesn't pronounce it the same way.

It's fine. And a lovely name.

I've heard Sofia pronounced "So-FEE-uh" and once, "So-FIRE-uh". But never "SO-fee-uh" or "SOFF-ee-uh". I mean, you can pronounce it how you want, but if you choose an unusual pronunciation, you can't expect anyone to get it right the first time and it might take some people several attempts to learn it.

I have an unusual name that reminds people of a more common name. Some people can learn my name almost instantly, but I'm afraid that it takes a minority as long as six months to get it right.

My mum and my
dad were from different countries and said my name very differently. It didn’t matter at all.

My view is the exact opposite. 😀 I love the name Frances but really dislike Francesca.

Same. I say it like you. From a family of Frances amd Franciss..
Now also Franc/ks, Frankies, Fran, Frannies and a new baby Franco!

It doesn’t matter. My Scottish friend Martha’s cockney mum pronounces her name ‘Mawfaaaaa’ but I don’t think she’s ever been confused about what her name is 🤣

There's nothing incorrect about a Northern accent.

My child has the same name. My husband and I both have accents in which the name is pronounced with the short A. We live in the south east of England, where everyone pronounces it using the long vowel.

No confusion. It’s not an issue.

It’s not even a northern versus southern thing. I’m from Devon and say it with the flat a, the same as your husband. People always forget the West Country! 😆

I get where you are coming from OP. Where I live the name Tara sounds like Terra and for ages I never knew people called “Terra” were actually Tara. When I found out I had no idea how to say their name (do I fake the accent? If I don’t will they think I got their name wrong?) and just felt awkward talking to them.

But with Francis it should be clear you are both saying the same name because it mirrors how you pronounce other words and your children will be used to filtering this. It’s a pretty name and I wouldn’t let this stop you using it. You could consider Francine I suppose if it bothers you.

Name changed as obviously potentially outing 🤣 I am a Frances. I love my name. I shorten it to fran but I like the full version. I have a northern dad and mum with another regional accent - was not a problem at all. Bit sad about all the Frances hate on here 🤣

My dd is Danielle. I pronounce it Dan yel. She calls herself Dan i elle. Now make that make sense.

It’s my name and I hate it. Go with Francesca if you must. I’m a southerner living in the north and my name just grates in a northern accent. There’s such beautiful names out there chose something different

I am northern and my ex is southern, and i’d have definitely steered away from a name that we would pronounce differently, and it would bug me people pronouncing it the southern way when I said it differently. So personally I’d find this annoying and would pick a name that you pronounce the same.

I don’t think it ever even occurred to me that Southerners would pronounce it Frarn-ces rather than Fran-ces 🤣 I’m sure it’ll be fine though, lots of names are pronounced differently in different accents and countries

I don't believe OP asked for views on her actual choice of name, just the pronunciation.

It's actually a lovely name.

It's completely different if one of you says bath and one barth but your child's name? Daft.

Did you actually write that?

I actually thought these were two different names?

Francis - Fran-sis - a man’s name
Frances - Fran-ses - a woman’s name

Im northern and would pronounce the feminine version like you.

Pink pony is correct one is the masculine the other the feminine