We have a baby girl due in about six weeks and I’m wondering about your thoughts on the name “[name_f]Aili[/name_f]”. It’s a Finnish name, pronounced “eye-lee”. Her older brother’s name is [name_m]Jasper[/name_m].
My father’s ancestry is Finnish and part of baby’s hyphenated last name will be Finnish. The original [name_f]Aili[/name_f] was a close family friend of my grandmother’s and I’ve always loved the name.
[name_f]Do[/name_f] you think it could be troublesome in terms of spelling or pronunciation? Does it sound too trendy? (Similar to [name_f]Isla[/name_f]?)
I think it’s a very pretty name and I would pronounce it automatically the way you stated. Was actually considering this for my daughter but from a chinese background (in chinese it means Beautiful [name_u]Love[/name_u])
I really like [name_f]Aili[/name_f], and I think [name_f]Aili[/name_f] and [name_m]Jasper[/name_m] is a very cool set of names for siblings. I think the fact that it honors your ancestry and your grandmother’s friend makes it perfect.
I would know how to pronounce it by looking at it. I think whenever you use a name that’s unfamiliar some people are going to struggle with it, even if the spelling and pronunciation are perfectly intuitive. From my experience, some people get really confounded whenever they encounter a new name for the first time, even if the name isn’t difficult. I don’t think you should have too much trouble with [name_f]Aili[/name_f]. I would expect that some people would see it written down and “correct” it to [name_u]Ali[/name_u] or [name_u]Allie[/name_u] when pronouncing it, but I don’t think that should keep you from using it.
I adore that name, but I only like the spelling Isley. Really when I see it all I say and I think more would pronounce it Ail (as in an ailment) Ail ie. Ailee might even work better?
I know a family who has an Iley. I didn’t know it was a Finnish name. I think you’ll definitely have pronunciation issues, though. But, [name_f]Aili[/name_f] looks like a more legitimate spelling than Iley.
Thanks for your feedback. I know what you guys mean about spelling, but [name_f]Aili[/name_f] is the actual Finnish spelling and my husband wants to stick with it. I suggested Eily, Ailie, etc. but he’s not into it. I can see the value in the actual Finnish spelling. It’s also a Scottish name, apparently, spelled Ailie. And yeah there’s the possibility that ppl will say “[name_u]Allie[/name_u]” or “ail - ee”
It’s always possible to have pronunciation issues with foreign names, but this one doesn’t seem terribly complicated. I actually like the spelling [name_f]Aili[/name_f] best rather than any of the alternatives. It sounds great with [name_m]Jasper[/name_m], too.
I like [name_f]Aili[/name_f], and though I would pronounce it EYE-lee if I thought about it, I cannot help but think AY-lee when glancing it in a list or without thinking on it. That would change pretty quickly though once I got familiar with it. [name_f]Aili[/name_f] is sweet and works well with [name_m]Jasper[/name_m].
I know an [name_f]Aili[/name_f] very well. She is thirteen years old, and she adores her name. She pronounces it “eye-lee”, and says that people have never pronounced it right when they’ve only seen it written or spelt it right when they’ve only heard it, but she loves this fact because it just makes her feel unique. It’s a special name - and I don’t think it’s popular at all; the [name_f]Aili[/name_f] I’m speaking of is the only one I or she has ever met.
It’s a beautiful name. I would suggest you go for it!
I would have thought it was pronounced “ay-lee” but I do like your pronunciation better. And I love the tie to your Finnish ancestry too. [name_m]Even[/name_m] though I think there will be some pronunciation and spelling issues, I think most people will catch on right away and not cause too many problems. I say go for it!
I instinctively pronounced it EYE-lee. I feel like the pronunciation would be a bit of an issue after seeing other’s posts but it’s not going to be butchered. It’s a sweet name that looks on trend to me. My only “issue” is at first glance I thought it was a misspelling of aioli, a garlic sauce.
I am from Finland and grew up with a lot of [name_f]Aili[/name_f]'s as its quite a common finnish name, so for me its a little common and boring BUT when you pronounce it in english Eye-lee then it suddenly becomes COOL! In Finland we say Ay-le (short E in the end, not long) and its a short name which is always a good thing, you will need no nicknames using this name and you wont get another [name_f]Aili[/name_f] next door I am sure. I like unusual names and in the states I bet this name will be very unusual. In Finland not so much but that probably makes zero difference for you since you will probably never live there?!
I recognize it from a book i read, Our Only [name_f]May[/name_f] [name_f]Amelia[/name_f] by [name_f]Jennifer[/name_f] Holm (the main characters are all Finnish), and I assumed the right pronunciation. I think you’d end up having to correct people fairly often but they’d get it quickly because it’s still phonetic, and it wouldn’t be everyone. Isley is no more obvious, and possibly more misleading in terms of pronunciation!
[name_f]Aili[/name_f] is beautiful on paper and to the ear, it goes nicely with [name_m]Jasper[/name_m], and it honors family/heritage. You’ve pretty much hit the jackpot.
I had no clue how to say it, honestly, but once you pointed it out it made sense. I think it’s really pretty! I tend to like Finnish names for their simplicity and understated style, and this one is no exception. I wouldn’t let pronunciation errors bug you, once you say it once to someone they’ll get it. I don’t think it’s too trendy sounding at all! I really like it.
Thank you everyone for your feedback! I just realised there were a couple more pages of comments now. Our baby girl [name_f]Aili[/name_f] is now almost 5 months old and rockin’ her name :). We definitely have some issues with prn and sp, but since I expected that, it’s not that bothersome. We get Ay-lee and [name_f]Ally[/name_f] mostly and of course ppl don’t know how to spell it, why would they? (One thing that bothers me a bit is that ppl associate it with “[name_f]Isla[/name_f],” which is becoming more and more popular, but is a totally diff name. I need to get over that one! ) Some ppl think the name [name_f]Aili[/name_f] is beautiful & unique and say so, and others have a hard time wrapping their heads around it and think it’s odd. Guess that’s normal when you don’t choose a mainstream name. The name suits her well and I’m glad we went with it.
I love [name_f]Aili[/name_f]! Goes perfectly with [name_m]Jasper[/name_m].
There will always be some people who can’t pronounce names but I’ve heard people mispronounce heaps of super simple ones. You could name her [name_f]Jane[/name_f] but I promise at least once someone will call her [name_u]June[/name_u].
In Finland we say Ay-le (short E in the end, not long) and its a short name which is always a good thing, you will need no nicknames using this name and you wont get another [name_f]Aili[/name_f] next door I am sure. I like unusual names and in the states I bet this name will be very unusual. In Finland not so much but that probably makes zero difference for you since you will probably never live there?! 
) Some ppl think the name [name_f]Aili[/name_f] is beautiful & unique and say so, and others have a hard time wrapping their heads around it and think it’s odd. Guess that’s normal when you don’t choose a mainstream name. The name suits her well and I’m glad we went with it.