Thank you firstly for all your help naming wise regarding my daughters name and I know I have asked a question INCREDIBLY similar but I’m feeling so overwhelmed and worried that I’ve massively messed up with my daughters name.
So as you all know her name is [name_f]Lilia[/name_f] and she has a hyphenated surname which I’ve shared previously the surname is Oryang-Ramage. Of course both surnames are kinda unusual Oryang is Ugandan and Ramage is Scottish/Irish with [name_f]Lilia[/name_f] being a Russian name honouring my mum & her Ashkenazi heritage. In theory her name is perfect yes it’s VERY long as she has two middle names [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] [name_f]Ella[/name_f] that honour a loved one from the Irish/Scottish side of my family and honouring a loved one from my daughter’s Ugandan family then of course [name_f]Lilia[/name_f] honouring my mum. It’s the ultimate honour name something I love but her name gets soooo badly butchered.
The other day [name_f]Lilia[/name_f] ended up at A&E she’s absolutely fine thank goodness and every professional butchered her name I ended up waiting over an hour extra because they kept calling [name_f]Aleah[/name_f] Raggae (missing out Oryang completely) and I didn’t realise they were calling for my [name_f]Lilia[/name_f] as that name sounds nothing like [name_f]Lilia[/name_f]. Then when we got moved to the children’s A&E department they kept calling her Laleeah rather than [name_f]Lily[/name_f] ah I’m now worried that her name is super weird. [name_u]Or[/name_u] is it just that her surname is unusual so people are over complicating [name_f]Lilia[/name_f]? I genuinely thought [name_f]Lilia[/name_f] was simple but I never did the Starbucks test to see how the general public perceived [name_f]Lilia[/name_f] apparently that’s the done thing doing the Starbucks test when naming a baby.
Anyways in a nutshell what I want to ask you guys is do you think [name_f]Lilia[/name_f] is weird if your not a name berry person? Is it her hyphenated surname making the name weirder? Am I just running into a series of people who are being a bit silly as my mum said I was yesterday. Should I add an ‘n’ onto [name_f]Lilia[/name_f] to have [name_f]Lilian[/name_f]? [name_f]Lilian[/name_f] wouldn’t honour my mum but could make her life easier.
I’m honestly so stuck as I love [name_f]Lilia[/name_f] but don’t want my daughter to be subjected to a life off constant mispronunciation and difficulty. Her dad loves her name and doesn’t want to change it he thinks like my mum people are being silly but I just don’t want my daughter to face challenges as a result of [name_f]Lilia[/name_f].
I was unsure as to whether to post again as I know I’ve asked before and you guys have been so helpful in the past but I’m just worried. What do you think I should do?
I’m genuinely shocked you’ve had so many people mispronounce her name! I first heard it way before I was on nameberry & it’s always seemed like a pretty straightforward name to me. I’m really not sure what’s complicating it for people!
I personally have a name that gets misheard, mispronounced, and misspelled by literally everyone, even though in reality it isn’t that difficult. People just aren’t used to seeing/hearing it, so it trips them up. I honestly think you should keep her name. [name_m]Even[/name_m] if she does have trouble with it throughout her life, she’ll likely get so used to it that she doesn’t think anything of it when it happens. And if it does bother her, she can always change it when she gets to an appropriate age to do so.
I think there is something about doctor’s offices where they glance at a chart quickly and don’t fully consider how a name is pronounced. This has happened several times with me (my daughter’s name is Beatrix). Doctors call her [name_f]Beatrice[/name_f] or sometimes something so unintelligible to me that I just sit there and wonder who they’re calling for lol. [name_u]Or[/name_u] my name is [name_f]Emily[/name_f] but people hear [name_f]Emma[/name_f] all the time.
Your daughter’s name is beautiful - hyphenated surname and all. It might be unknown enough though that strangers will have difficulty with it at first sight, but people who know her will get it. For me personally, the ‘ili’ part of the name is somewhat difficult to read if that makes sense? The letters blur together visually and you have to take a second look - maybe that’s what happened at the doc’s office.
@futuremama thank you for your response it’s really appreciated also thank you for the reassurance by sharing your own personal story it’s appreciated.
@autumnleaf02 honestly I thought it was easy to pronounce as well like @futuremama said so I’m confused where people get other names from like [name_f]Aleah[/name_f] as my daughters name looks nothing like [name_f]Aleah[/name_f]. So I appreciate it’s not just me feeling confused by people’s confusion.
@cactusgram thank you for your positivity concerning my daughters name and I want to say I think [name_f]Beatrix[/name_f] is also beautiful along with being easy to pronounce. Maybe it is something about the doctors/hospitals not really considering the pronunciation of her name. Thank you
Like other pps mentioned, it’s not a common name, but it seems easy to pronounce, and I wouldn’t have thought it would’ve been confused with [name_f]Aleah[/name_f], [name_f]Lily[/name_f] I can kind of get. To me, it’s a beautiful name, but probably to nonberries they think it’s weird, due to not being name enthusiastic like us. But that doesn’t mean you should change it, just be aware if you hear [name_f]Aleah[/name_f] or [name_f]Lily[/name_f], to just kindly correct them. And plus, if your daughter dislikes her name for being mispronounced, she can always go by one of her mns at school or work, or maybe even go by [name_f]Lily[/name_f] as an option.
@Strawberry.Bunny thank you for responding and it’s true she can change her name or go by a nickname I think becoming a mum is a lot so I’m just over analysing stuff I want her to feel comfortable with her name and it’s a bit challenging that I’m constantly having too correct her pronunciation I think because I’m anxious person it just worries me that if she’s anxious person she will struggle with her name. I’m probably just overthinking though
@Bellarinareader16 thank you! Honestly I thought her name was relatively classic so I’m glad you think people struggling to grasp [name_f]Lilia[/name_f] is a bit odd it makes me feel happier!
I am just echoing everything @futuremama said because I 100% agree! It is surprising to me, too, that people can’t seem to pronounce Lilia… It seems so simple, honestly! But it could be the surname that is tripping people up. It’s still surprising if that is the reason, though.
But I definitely do think you should stick with it. It’s such a gorgeous name and so meaningful. Besides, I think when corrected once or twice people will get the hang of it. I, too, have dealt with mispellings and mispronunciations of my name my entire life, and I am just used to it at this point. The Starbucks test is pointless – literally every barista spells my name differently. But it just makes me smile, honestly. And when people mispronounce it, I just smile and say, “Actually, it’s ______.” And people are always apologetic and work to get it right the next time.
I don’t know if any of that is helpful, but I hope it is to some small degree!
I’m suprised it’s causing so much trouble. [name_f]Lilia[/name_f] seems so straight forward to me, especially with the popularity of [name_f]Lillian[/name_f] and [name_f]Lily[/name_f]. It doesn’t strike me as odd
I’m a very conservative namer (not sure if that’s a good way of putting it) and I don’t think Lilia is weird at all! I’m surprised that people have had a hard time with it, but I would think that it’s an easy correction to make. I’m sure people will adapt and get more used to it!
Chiming to say I am also flabbergasted that people are having that much trouble with [name_f]Lilia[/name_f]. It’s definitely NOT a “weird” name, and I knew a [name_f]Lilia[/name_f] (and knew how to pronounce her name on the first try) way before I joined NB. Your daughter’s name is beautiful and meaningful, and I just wanted to encourage you not to let other people get you down about it.
Agreeing with others. If people can’t (or won’t) say her name correctly, then that’s their problem, not yours. I know with the doctor situation, it’s likely they just quickly glanced at the name or someone wrote it down wrong or messily (that’s the only way I could imagine someone getting [name_f]Aleah[/name_f] from Lilia). I’ve known a few people with hyphenated surnames and it’s becoming more common. [name_f]My[/name_f] cousins have a hyphenated surname and I plan to hyphenate my future children’s surname. I think it was just a rough day for these people.
FWIW, my youngest sister is [name_f]Eliana[/name_f] and constantly gets [name_f]Elaina[/name_f] at doctors offices. It’s to the point where she and my mom are genuinely shocked if they hear [name_f]Eliana[/name_f] called instead of [name_f]Elaina[/name_f]. So I think doctors are just particularly rushed with names.
I honestly think it may be the surnames that are confusing people but they will learn. I think in a hospital, though names are important, of course, there are so many people and things are often quite hectic, maybe they didn’t or couldn’t read the papers properly.
I do think she might have to correct a few people in her lifetime (I can understand why people might think “lee-lee-uh” with a more uncommon surname) but most people that will be in her life are going to be constants and once they know the correct pronunciation, they’ll know and use it.
I think Lilia is an unusual name. I probably first read it in one of your posts. However, I wouldn’t call it a weird name, as it seems fairly intuitive: Lilia = Lily + a.
Her hypened surname is quite hard to pronounce, spell and remember the first time, but people will just have to deal with that and try their best, and that will ask some patience and understanding from you and Lilia.
Honestly, her name probably will cause some more little problems in the future, mainly because of her surnames, partly because some people don’t pay attention, partly because some people are dyslectic and those people might struggle with reading Lilia if that’s a name that’s new to them.
However, I don’t think you should change your daughter’s name. She has a wonderful name with a meaningful family connection! Overall, I think her name will bring her more joy than inconveniences.
I think in their mind it went like this: “It was similar to a common feminine name, something starting with an L. Lily, Leah? But with an extra A somewhere. I think it should be Aleah then.”
I often can barely recognize my own (not complicated at all) name when it gets shouted out at doctors offices etc. So I wouldn’t worry to much. It may be the case that her last name is making them mispronounce her relatively simple first name. The print out they have is probably Lastname, First and possibly their system doesn’t handle hyphenated names well so it got cut off. Anyway there are a lot of silly reasons why you may have had the experience that you did but the vast majority of her life wont be like that! Try not to worry.
I work in a hospital and this is exactly what I thought. I’ve butchered names that I KNOW how to pronounce. One time I remember pronouncing Stephen like Stefan, I have no idea why I would do that except being overworked and overtired.
I believe that even the simplest names can be mispronounced occasionally. I honestly think you just had bad luck with experiencing it twice in one night.
I’m glad little Lilia is ok and I’m sorry you experienced all of this
@elanorelle thank you responding I know that we both have a shared love for [name_f]Lilia[/name_f] and I think like you the surname could be tripping them up as it’s two uncommon surnames together from very different origins. Also thank you for your reassurance about not doing the Starbucks test as I felt silly for not thinking about doing it before naming her. Anyways thank you and it was really helpful!
@Greyblue thank you for your feedback honestly [name_f]Lily[/name_f] is super popular in the U.K. but [name_f]Lilian[/name_f] isn’t common at all it’s not yet been revived from the ‘old lady’ status still I didn’t think it was challenging either because it’s literally a very popular name with an a on the end I’m glad you don’t think it’s odd.
@may.rose thank you it’s nice to hear that a conservative namer doesn’t find [name_f]Lilia[/name_f] odd. I genuinely thought [name_f]Lilia[/name_f] was a relatively conservative choice but I think maybe that’s because of my Ashkenazi heritage and hearing the name a lot
@lisshie thank you I’m going to try moving forward to not let others get me down about it especially with the reassurance that it’s relatively simple to say which I thought it was so thank you
@SparkleNinja18 thank you so much for your reassurance especially concerning hyphenated surnames becoming more popular as that was another concern as I know Oryang-Ramage is a long complicated one but I didn’t want to loose either name really also thank you for sharing about [name_f]Eliana[/name_f] she has a gorgeous name.
@OpheliaFlora thank you I agree that the surname maybe be throwing people off or causing people to over complicate [name_f]Lilia[/name_f] and it’s true the constant people in her life will/do just get her name.
@Johannaa thank you it’s nice to know that even though your unfamiliar with [name_f]Lilia[/name_f] you don’t think her name is weird as there is a massive difference in my eyes. Thank you for the overall positivity regarding her name providing more [name_f]Joy[/name_f] then inconvenience to her life.
@hellobanjo honestly so true doctors can butcher the simplistic names maybe it comes with being a doctor thank you for your reassurance
@Elle1 thank you for responding it’s nice to hear from a professional in a hospital makes me feel like maybe it’s the overall environment rather than her actual name especially with your [name_m]Stephen[/name_m] story! Thank you & I’m relieved that [name_f]Lilia[/name_f] is all five as well babies can be such pickles
