are "foreign" names ok in the UK playground?

[svalbardy]

I'm having a girl, I like Solveig as a name, but I am wondering if it's wise, after a lifetime of schoolyard torture over having a french name in Australia (and my sister and her daughter are currently dealing with the total mangling of Genéviève by idiot posh mothers who "know it's pronounced Jenvevv, I assume you didn't learn french at school").
Do kids with foreign names get utterly ponced on by know-it-all stupid mothers, and utterly dumped on by kids who tease them about their name, in this country? Ideally one would ignore silly people, but 32 years of dealing with stupid comments about my name is enough to feel like calling my daughter whatever the latest fashion is, so she blends in with all the other Zoës or Rachels or Skyes or whoever.

Liffey - whatever about the other meanings that Claddagh thing has put me right off hahaha
from not too far from the Claddagh myself actually Are you from Dublin?

MmmeTussauds - Connor is a lovely name, sorry for not mentioning that earlier!

moonincancer - not surprised at the IKEA connection as Solveig is a Scandinavian name, but beautiful nonetheless

loobylu3 - totally agree on needing the connection, my DH is Swedish so that is why I'm considering it (for my yet to be conceived daughter!)

thanks for all the ideas, much appreciated. NB I have no probs at all with people who genuinely can't pronounce my name, my niece's name etc - it's the ones who (wrongly) tell me how our names should be pronounced and that we're wrong, that drive me bats....

Solveig is lovely.

I guess it does depend how multi-cultural your area is. No one would turn a hair round here.

Your MN name is reminding me of the 4 months I spent in Svalbard 15 years ago.... cold but nice.

I have an Italian name, DD has a Spanish name, DH has a Hebrew name. We are an English family but both sides of the family have lived abroad a lot. No probs so far (ok - I get a lot of blank stares from little old ladies in supermarkets when I tell them DD's name but it doesn't bother me).

I think it would sound wierd if we called our next child a very traditionally English name.

Svalbardy, I guess it will depend where in the UK you are. I grew up in Aus like you and there were 2 Genevieve's in my year at school! (in Sydney) and a high percentage of my year had non-anglo names. You would find the same would be true of most London schools, but maybe not so much in rural areas.
So how are you really meant to pronounce Genevieve? I don't remember it ever being an issue, at school, but then very few Australians speak French!
How do you pronounce Solveig? It looks pretty, but if I was reading it on a class roll, I would be concerned that I would get it wrong.

Bubbaluv - sounds like you grew up in the same demographic as I did in Sydney! Genevieve in Aus is usually pronounced to rhyme with sleeve. In french it's john-eh-viev (to rhyme with Kiev). In silly la la land where my niece goes to school it is apparently Jenvevv according to all the mothers who know what they're talking about cos they did french at school.

Solveig - sort of like seul-vague, but scandinavian vowels are much more precise than in English, so the "eu" is shorter than french "eu" or scandinavian "ø", and the "vague" bit clearly has an i in it if you know what to listen for!

Bensonbluebird: Svalbard is gorgeous, isn't it! Rather different now from 15 years ago though. I worked there all this summer and am completely besotted.

Forin' names seem to be ok for all the forin' kids at ds's school.

Galway girl, yes I'm from Dublin, and Clodagh made me think of ladies who play bridge and wear cashmere and pearls and speak beautifully and live in Rathgar or Ballsbridge. So to float the name in London and hear my friends say "nah, reminds me of Claddagh rings!" was a shock! But I'm really glad I ran it past them!

Sorry to offend your heritage by dissing the claddagh ring. I think it was a nice idea once upon a time but it became too commercial and became a victim of its own success. But doesn't, or shouldn't take away from its heritage.... despite the fact that it reminds me of knackers.

Sorry. What a rude horrible comment I just made.

I think Sophia or Sofia is lovely and totally non poncey!!

I have called my daughter Mafalda which is a family name and I am Italian. She will almost certainly be the only girl at school with that name. I also have a foreign name and hated it as school until about 11 until I realised how wonderful it was to be unique and not be one of 6 Catherines in the class!

My first name is a very common name. Ther were always two or three of around at school. I hated it for that reason. And went I left the state for Uni I changed my name to nickname of my middle name. I was 20 and everyone said I could do it. ANd I said "watch me". And I did. So, you see, it doesn't matter what you want your child to be called all her life, she may have other ideas.

I was 20 and everyone said I couldn't do it.

Svalbardy - Oh wow! lucky you. Were you in Longyearbyen? I'd love to go back, Svalbard has a huge place in my soul. I think it is partly because I was there at an impressionable stage (my year off). What's new there?