Fraser Alastair

[daisy5]

Hello all

Just wanted to run this past all the name experts and hear your thoughts.

This is the name we have pretty much decided on for our wee boy. The first name is definite. The second name is a family name.

My only concern is this. Alastair should be pronounced Al-as-tear, but so many people pronounce it Al-as-ter. Which means it has the same ending as Fra-ser. I am just not certain that it rolls off the tongue so well. Fra-ser Al-as-ter. Our surname is two syllables, starting with a B and thankfully doesn't end with an -er sound.

All opinions welcome.....(maybe I am overthinking this a little).

As long as your surname starts with a B and not a G you'll be fine. The names are lovely.

Or actually it's more like Frais-er Al-list-er

I read it as Fraser Al-as-tear and thought how lovely!

I like both the names but my initial feeling on reading the thread title was that they were similar sounding/didn't flow. I think you need to keep repeating them to yourselves as a full name to see how it goes.

Are you Scottish? (I am) I have never ever met an Alastair pronounced "Alas-tear" only "Alastar"...

Lovely name though, was earmarked for my DD if she had been a boy..was the name of my best friend who died aged 29 (he pronounced it "Ala-star"

I am a kiwi with both English and Scottish heritage. Might this be the English pronunciation. My grandmother was very particular how she pronounced things and she always said it's 'Al-las-tear'.

Yes - great initials - FAB

I think it flows nicely.
Do you mean Al-as-tear to rhyme with bear or to rhyme with beer?
If the first then people will say it the way you tell them it should be said - and it flows fine like that or pronounced -ter.
I've never heard it the second way, just wondered.

Congratulations BTW

I'm not sure re the pronunciation. I do think people will pronounce it differently though, so I would avoid it if that will bother you!!

It wouldn't bother me - but it's good to know in advance how some people might pronounce it.

Being a kiwi, we have a tendency to pronounce beer and bear exactly the same way

It was pronounced Al-lass-tear to rhyme with stair as in stairs in the house.

both are lovely names - but i agree there's a lack of flow (however you pronouce it) and, imo, it comes from having a name that ends (phonetically) in a vowel followed by one that starts with one. you're left wondering whether to say
"Fray-zer-Ral-is-ter/tear" or Fray-zer-[something odd with your breath a bit like a glottal stop]-Alistair

Alistair Fraser doesn;t have the same problem.

Yes, I think you've hit the nail on the head. That is why you have to pause between the names, isn't it.

It's such a shame. I'll have to weigh up whether to go with a name that doesn't flow so well, or to change it.

Thanks hatwoman

will you use the middle name a lot?

i woudl say it to rhyme with her or hair, never tear. its BILs name.we are scottish and love in scotland

i dont think that fraser alistair works particularly well TBH, although both lovely names. dont you have another family name to go with fraser?

My fathers name and he hasn't been so well lately - but then I'm not sure he would expect us to, I just thought it would be a lovely thing to do for his first and quite possibly only grandson.

We use both of dd's a lot because it is a real sing song flow to it, and we both really like her middle name. Not so sure that we would do the same with a boy Fanjo. Have to think that one through a bit.

I really like book names but I don't think that they flow together, both because of the ending of Fraser with a phonetic "a" and something else about the names together.

I think that Fraser Alexander works a bit better but you still have the same issue around the ending of Fraser/start of Alexander.

Having said all that it really depends upon how much you value the flow of the names said together over how much you like and wan to use the names. For me the flow of the names is pretty important but I know that a lot of other people would disagree.

both

Having a Fraser myself, people always seem to put the emphasis on the 'er', and I fear it maybe the same with Alistair, but if you are not ging to use both as a double barrelled name I think its a lovely name. We have Fraser Peter and had the same problem.

There is something a little clumsy about the two "er" sounds. But most of the time people only use two names. So I guess it won't be a problem.