My name is [name]Chantal[/name] – No one can spell it or say it correctly, so I always said that I would never do that to my kids. Yet, here I am sifting through girls’ names (We’re trying to have a second child) and I’m realizing that between unique names that I love and spelling variations of common names (that I don’t love) my daughter would likely have to spell her name out no matter what!
So, how important to YOU is it that others can spell and pronounce your children’s names? Should we make such a big deal out of it or just pick a name that we love?
Of the names we’re considering right now, which ones do you think others would pronounce and/or spell incorrectly?
Here’s our current list:
[name]Ainsley[/name]
[name]Aria[/name]
[name]Avery[/name] (too common?)
[name]Caroline[/name] (said with the long “i” in line)
[name]Gia[/name]
[name]Hallie[/name]
[name]Harbor[/name]
[name]Harper[/name]
[name]Honor[/name]
[name]Isla[/name]
[name]Lorelei[/name]
[name]Monroe[/name]
[name]Peyton[/name]
[name]Sailor[/name]
[name]Sienna[/name]
[name]Talia[/name]
[name]Tatum[/name]
[name]Zanna[/name]
I prefer a name with a spelling that will not get chewed up so that pronounciation is easy, uless of course the name is foreign and its not easily recongnizable to some people.
I also trade the name pronounciation problems due to people not paying attention and not trying to get it right.
I pronounced your name [name]Chantal[/name] like the french says it, am I right?
I think most of these are pretty clear. The only ones you might have some issues with are
[name]Harbor[/name] (might be heard as [name]Harper[/name])
[name]Isla[/name] (but this name is gaining popularity, so within a few yrs most will be familiar with the spelling)
[name]Lorelei[/name] (but such a pretty name I would put up with possible misspelling!)
[name]Monroe[/name], [name]Peyton[/name], and [name]Talia[/name] will probably also be misspelled occasionally as there are other legitimate variants.
It’s pronounced shawn-[name]TAHL[/name] but I get everything from shawn-tel to chant-le with the hard ch sound.
I can see that the problems I’ve had with my name come from it being foreign… Maybe I’m otherthinking it too much. Would any of the names on my list fit into your qualifications of “a name with a spelling that will not get chewed up so that pronounciation is easy”? I specifically worry about [name]Aria[/name], [name]Gia[/name], [name]Isla[/name], and [name]Lorelei[/name] - which happen to be some of our top contenders (DH really loves [name]Gia[/name] and [name]Isla[/name]).
My name is [name]Leah[/name]. Simple. Common but not popular. The perfect name… until someone tries to say or spell it. I cannot tell you how many times I have had to spell my name for people or correct the pronunciation of it. People have tried to spell it [name]Lea[/name], [name]Lia[/name], [name]Leea[/name], Leha, Leigha, Leighah, [name]Leia[/name], Leyah, etc. While some of these are are alternative spellings of [name]Leah[/name], some of them certainly are not. I’ve also been refered to as [name]Lee[/name], [name]LeAnn[/name] (for some reason a ton of people think the last letter in my name is and “N” and not an “H”), [name]Laya[/name], [name]Leia[/name] (like the [name]Star[/name] Wars princess), Lieya, etc.
My point is, that even though you may spend hours trying to find the perfect name that will fit certain criteria you set for yourself, someone will mess it up. However, I think that the name is the first gift you give your child. Intentionally mis-spelling a name to make it unique or choosing a name that no one can spell or pronounce unless they have a doctorate in etymology is something that should be avoided or saved for the middle spot. (I don’t think any of the names on your list fit this warning, but I thought I would send it out there nontheless.)
Our daughter’s name is [name]Grace[/name] [name]Patricia[/name]. She’s only two and we have run into mis-spellings and mispronunciations already. (And [name]Grace[/name] is pretty common, [name]IMO[/name], so it’s a bit of a surprise when people get her name wrong). We’ve pretty much decided on [name]Evangeline[/name] [name]Elizabeth[/name] if we have another girl, which is a long, slightly uncommon name that we will surely have to spell out for people. But we love the name, And that is what matters.
I think you have some wonderful names picked out and any one of them would be lovely for your little girl. Good luck!
at least if she has to spell out [name]Gia[/name] or [name]Isla[/name] they are short - quick spells!
I would think [name]Avery[/name] would be one of the easiest you’ve got on your list. I think [name]Caroline[/name] is easy too but I guess ppl would need to clarify it was not [name]Carolyn[/name] etc.
My daughters name is [name]Kaia[/name] pn (k(eye)-a not kay-a) that gets mispn occasionally but people do only take one correction to get it right (she’s actually correcting people herself now which is fairly amusing). My name [name]Dahlia[/name] is a pronounciation nightmare: I say dahl-yah but I’ve heard all sorts of attempts! As to spelling [name]Kaia[/name] most people get it right from our pn but my advice would be that if spelling is in question then choose a short name so there are less letters to spell out!
I am in the UK and would say:
[name]Aria[/name] - [name]AH[/name]-ree-a (the first a being pronounced slightly longer than the last)
[name]Gia[/name]: [name]GEE[/name]-a (short a sound as [name]Hat[/name])
[name]Isla[/name]: EYE-la (la like lamp with out the mp)
[name]Lorelei[/name]: LOH-reh-lie (short oh sound as in the word hot, reh as in red without the d, lie as in “to lie down”)
They are all nice but I can’t see anyone getting [name]Aria[/name] wrong spelling or pronounciation
[name]Hope[/name] that helps, [name]Dahlia[/name] x
It’s pronounced shawn-[name]TAHL[/name] but I get everything from shawn-tel to chant-le with the hard ch sound.
I can see that the problems I’ve had with my name come from it being foreign… Maybe I’m otherthinking it too much. Would any of the names on my list fit into your qualifications of “a name with a spelling that will not get chewed up so that pronounciation is easy”? I specifically worry about [name]Aria[/name], [name]Gia[/name], [name]Isla[/name], and [name]Lorelei[/name] - which happen to be some of our top contenders (DH really loves [name]Gia[/name] and [name]Isla[/name]).[/quote]
Nope I can understand all name correctly. I love [name]Isla[/name] its such a pretty name with a lot of spelling variants like Aisla or [name]Ayla[/name]. [name]Aria[/name] I get fine, [name]Gia[/name] like [name]Mia[/name] and [name]Lorelei[/name] I get too, no problems with your list.
[name]Hi[/name] [name]Chantal[/name], you’ve got a nice list going!
[name]Ainsley[/name]-- cute! pron. seems clear to me; I can’t see it getting mistaken for another name, but some people may not be familiar with it
[name]Aria[/name]-- love this, elegant and pretty! I can’t imagine many issues with this, it’s so simple
[name]Avery[/name]-- rising in popularity. but very straightforward spelling and pron.
[name]Caroline[/name]-- this should be completely clear, but many people do say [name]Carolyn[/name] for some reason. not enough to be a big problem, though.
[name]Gia[/name]-- pretty, simple; may be unfamiliar to some, but it’s easy and quick enough to spell if needed!
[name]Hallie[/name]-- can’t foresee any problems here
[name]Harbor[/name]-- or here
[name]Harper[/name]-- or here
[name]Honor[/name]-- or here!
[name]Isla[/name]-- some people may get confused with this one, but it’s becoming more familiar
[name]Lorelei[/name]-- love! it would probably pose some spelling problems, but people are probably familiar enough with it to say it right.
[name]Monroe[/name]-- sounds quite masculine to me, but pron is clear. you’d probably have to spell it out sometimes though
[name]Peyton[/name]-- pron is clear; some potential for misspelling
[name]Sailor[/name]-- pron is clear, but people might try to spell it with a y or something :roll:
[name]Sienna[/name]-- clear
[name]Talia[/name]-- pretty, i like this! people may try to put a h in. do you say [name]TAH[/name]-li-a, or ta-LI-ah? I prefer the first.
[name]Tatum[/name]-- not my favorite, but simple enough
[name]Zanna[/name]-- pretty, and should be quite clear
So, I think most of these are pretty clear. VERY few names will be spelled and pronounced correctly 100% of the time. As long as pron is pretty intuitive from the spelling, I wouldn’t sacrifice a name I loved due to minor potential issues. I think you’d be safe with any of these, though I’d see [name]Lorelei[/name] causing the most problems (but it’s so pretty!) [name]Hope[/name] that helps a little
[name]Ainsley[/name] - I think most people would get this right
[name]Aria[/name] - maybe some pronunciation issues, but it doesn’t scream problematic to me. she might have to spell it for people a lot.
[name]Avery[/name] (too common?) – yes, too common. No problems with spelling/pronunciation, though.
[name]Caroline[/name] (said with the long “i” in line) --the different sounding endings might be an issue
[name]Gia[/name] – she might have to spell this for people
[name]Hallie[/name] – I have a friend named [name]Halle[/name] and she gets called [name]Hailey[/name] 90% of the time
[name]Harbor[/name] – seems good!
[name]Harper[/name] – seems good!
[name]Honor[/name] – no problems
[name]Isla[/name] – both spelling and pronunciation issues here
[name]Lorelei[/name] – spellng woud be an issue for some
[name]Monroe[/name] – spelling could be an issue
[name]Peyton[/name] – spelling might be an issue ([name]Payton[/name]/[name]Peyton[/name])
[name]Sailor[/name] – good!
[name]Sienna[/name] – I have seen it spelled [name]Siena[/name] a lot
[name]Talia[/name] – love this, seems like a great choice
[name]Tatum[/name] --could be an issue, but I think it would be good
[name]Zanna[/name] – spelling issues, people might be thrown off and pronounce incorrectly, too
I went to school with a [name]Chantal[/name] – I always thought it was such a pretty name! For your daughter, definitely pick a name you love! People will get used to the spelling of your daughter’s name after a few tries.
The following names are the ones I think people might have a hard time spelling and/or pronouncing:
[name]Ainsley[/name]
[name]Hallie[/name]
[name]Honor[/name]
[name]Isla[/name]–this should not be too hard for people to remember, because of the actress [name]Isla[/name] [name]Fisher[/name].
[name]Lorelei[/name]
[name]Peyton[/name]
[name]Talia[/name]
[name]Zanna[/name]
(From your list, I love [name]Ainsley[/name], [name]Avery[/name] (not too common), [name]Isla[/name] and [name]Caroline[/name]!)
According to some websites, [name]Talia[/name] is pronounced [name]Tahl[/name]-ya, but I like the ee-ah ending much better!
I like the stress on the first syllable, but there’s two ways to say the first vowel and I like them both. [name]Tahl[/name]-ee-ah sounds very feminine and pretty, but I wonder how close it sounds to [name]Chantal[/name] (shawn-tahl named her daughter tahl-ee-ah? lol). I think [name]Tal[/name]-ee-ah (like a tally mark) sounds more spunky and fun which fits well with my son’s name - [name]Boston[/name]. I have a good feeling about the name [name]Talia[/name] though. I made a deal with my DH after he picked these names off my long list that I wouldn’t ask him about any more baby names until I’m pregnant, so I can’t be for sure yet.
The ones I could see being a problem are: [name]Isla[/name], [name]Lorelei[/name], [name]Peyton[/name], [name]Talia[/name] and [name]Zanna[/name]. Overall though I don’t think you should let it play to much into your choice. [name]Every[/name] one is going to have issues with spelling/pronunciation at some time. It really doesn’t matter how simple your name is.
Oh, the [name]Tally[/name]-ah pronunciation, (like tally mark, with stress on 1st syllable) is my favorite! It does sound more upbeat and spunky that way, and I like it with your son’s name!
Okay, so I have to say that it doesn’t matter what your name is, there is at least one person out there that can’t spell or pronounce it.
My full name is [name]Sarah[/name] (a pretty known name) and it has been spelled [name]Sahra[/name], [name]Sarha[/name], [name]Sarrah[/name] and even [name]Shara[/name]. It has been pronounced Sare-ah, Sahr-ah, Sahr-ay, Sare-ay.
We won’t even go into the difficulties of [name]Sadie[/name]! lol.
I say go for a name you love and as long as you don’t intentionally spell it incorrectly or give a name that is unpronouncable your daughter will be fine.
My [name]Avery[/name] has her name pronounced incorrectly all the time. People tend to say “Av-ry” (two syllables) instead of the correct three syllable A-ver-y. I still love the name though and I don’t think she notices or cares.
I have a name that’s easy to pronounce ([name]Kaitlin[/name]) but EVERYONE spells it wrong. I’ve had [name]Kaitlyn[/name], [name]Katelyn/name, [name]Katelin[/name], [name]Caitlin[/name], [name]Caitlyn/name, et c. The most common misspelling of my name is [name]Kaitlyn[/name], and people who’ve known me for YEARS will still spell my name wrong. When I was a kid, I never minded spelling my name out for people because I loved it. What’s funny is the other day my photographer who I’ve known for 5 years handed me a photo CD with “[name]Kaitlyn[/name]” written on it, then looked at some paperwork I had done and said “Wait, did I spell this wrong?” And I was like, yeah, but it’s fine. And he goes “I’ve been spelling it this way for 5 years, why didn’t you ever correct me!” I said because it doesn’t matter to me. It’s kind of funny to me actually. And I like being the only [name]Kaitlin[/name] in town – I’ve only ever met one other person with my name, and another online.
Sorry, that was a ramble. Anyway, I’m pretty sure that all of your names are pronunciation-issue free, the only one I can see a problem with might be [name]Zanna[/name] (you could get ZAY-nah instead of [name]ZAN[/name]-nah, or vice versa), but all you would have to say is “It’s like [name]Anna[/name] with a Z,” and I think you’d be fine. Spelling… [name]Caroline[/name] might get [name]Carolyn[/name] from time to time, but I think all the others are fine.
Also, as for the [name]Chantal[/name]/[name]Talia[/name] issue… my mother’s name is [name]Lynn[/name] and she named me [name]Kaitlin[/name]. And I go by [name]Kate[/name]. Together we are [name]Kate[/name] and [name]Lynn[/name]… [name]Kaitlin[/name]! I actually use that as a way to get my boyfriends to remember my mom’s first name. And I used to know a woman whose name was [name]Shawn[/name], and she named her son NeShawn (NAY-shawn), which is supposedly biblical? Anyway, I really don’t think [name]Chantal[/name]/[name]Talia[/name] is an issue at all. Most likely no one would ever make the connection.
My best friend is named [name]Chloe[/name]…which USED to be a very uncommon name in the 80’s/early 90’s! Lol =)
I remember when we were first meeting at the age of 7, I had NEVER heard this name before ever and I was just struggling trying to say it back after she told me her name was [name]Chloe[/name]! My first thought was [name]Cloudy[/name]…which I thought was an odd name. Then I remembered a friend [name]Claudia[/name] nn [name]Claudie[/name] and thought OH she must have meant [name]Claudie[/name]! I think I went through 3 more attempts before I finally said it correctly. The funniest was during Valentines [name]Day[/name] at school as we all passed out Valentines Cards… everyone just butchering the spelling of her name and even one kid addressed it to her last name [name]Jones[/name] instead of [name]Chloe[/name]… still cracks me up to this day. Poor [name]Chloe[/name].
ANYWAY, I would certainly lean towards names that have no more than 2 commonly accepted spellings with little room for error. I struggle myself trying to decide if it would be a good idea to name a daughter [name]Siobhan[/name] or [name]Niamh[/name] in the U.S. Sure you will have to spell it out but some people are just stupid and will misspell/mispronounce your name no matter WHAT! With all the new “creative and unique” names out there, pretty much ANY name needs to be spelled out these days just to be on the safe side.
The only names from your list that I would second-guess my spelling of are:
[name]Hallie[/name] (because of [name]Halle[/name] [name]Berry[/name])
[name]Monroe[/name] (could also be Monrow…)
[name]Peyton[/name] ([name]Payton[/name])
[name]Sailor[/name] ([name]Saylor[/name])
[name]Talia[/name] ([name]Tahlia[/name])
[name]Zanna[/name] (I have never heard this name before so I might be unsure of the spelling at first but [name]Zanna[/name] would be my first assumption.)
Honestly, I think they all could have pronunciation or spelling issues, or both. As a teacher, I run across alot of names that seem obvious to pronounce, but then you get the parent who decided to be clever and it’s not pronounced the way it’s spelled. Looking at these names, I can see [name]Aria[/name], [name]Caroline[/name], [name]Hallie[/name], [name]Isla[/name], [name]Lorelei[/name], [name]Talia[/name], [name]Tatum[/name] and [name]Zanna[/name] being mispronounced. If someone told me one of these outloud and wanted me to spell it, I might have problems with [name]Ainsley[/name], [name]Hallie[/name], [name]Isla[/name], [name]Lorelei[/name], [name]Monroe[/name], [name]Peyton[/name], [name]Sailor[/name], [name]Sienna[/name], [name]Talia[/name], [name]Tatum[/name] and [name]Zanna[/name]. If it’s that big of a deal to you, start a new list with slightly more common names.
I’ve had to correct spelling and pronunciation on my name my whole life. It’s never annoyed me - I’m completely used to it, and anticipate different issues that arise (my coffee being called with something that only vaguely resembles my name, people hearing my name and saying “spelled with a __ or a __?” - and even if we clarify the first letter, they often choose the wrong ending). So when I order coffee, I know to tell them whichever spelling they guess is correct, and I know to answer to about 10 different butchered pronunciations of my name because they’re probably talking about me.
Honestly, it only adds to my feeling of uniqueness. If my name is unusual enough that a large portion of people can’t pronounce or spell it correctly, well it must be pretty rare. I’ve always loved that feeling - I always cringed at all the [name]Emily[/name] __.s and [name]Katie[/name] __.s all through school… I must know at least fifty Katies my age, and there were always at LEAST two in every class or club I was in.
All that has made spelling/pronunciation issues totally MOOT to me, and giving my child an unusual or even rare name that much more important.
But really, whatever situations your kid’s name causes, they’ll get used to it. I certainly did, and I’ve never seen my name as any sort of burden or roadblock. That’s not to say I’m 100% in love with my name, just its rarity level has never been anything but a point of pride for me. On the flip side, I’ve asked some of those Katies whether they minded having such a common name, and for most of them, it never occurred to them to ‘mind’ - that’s just their name, and it doesn’t matter that they’ve met a million others in their life.
Pick the name you love. They’ll learn to correct spelling and pronunciation and for most well-adjusted folks, it’s just not a big deal to have to do so.
