For years, never having heard it pronounced, I thought [name_m]Giles[/name_m] sounded like the second syllable in “beguiles.” More recently I corrected my pronunciation to “[name_m]Jiles[/name_m].” Very recently I heard an acquaintance talking about one of his special-needs students, a little boy named [name_m]Giles[/name_m], and he was pronouncing it the first way.
Am I wrong? Are little [name_m]Giles[/name_m]’ parents wrong? Or are there two acceptable pronunciations?
It’s pronounced ‘jiles’.
Like [name_m]Miles[/name_m] but with a J
I’ve only ever heard it like “[name_m]Jiles[/name_m].”
I’ve always heard it like jiles, although in [name_m]French[/name_m], I believe it’s ZHEEL. Like that soft “J” sound that’s a mix between “J” and “SH” and “Z”. 
BTN says the proper pronunciation is [name_m]JYLES[/name_m] (like [name_u]Jay[/name_u] mooshed with [name_m]Miles[/name_m]), or JYE-uhls. So I’m going to go with that.
The correct pronunciation is Jeels, but this is [name_u]America[/name_u]…follow what the parents say.
Thanks! Of course I wouldn’t correct the parents, it being a bit late for that, but it had me scratching my head. I suppose it is remotely possible that he isn’t named [name_m]Giles[/name_m] at all, but a similar soundalike–a surname or place name or some such thing–since I didn’t see it spelled but only heard it spoken. That’s not my first guess, though, and I’m certain of his pronunciation because he said the name distinctly several times while telling the story.
Zheel is pretty cool, too…
I grew up watching [name_f]Buffy[/name_f] the Vampire Slayer and the character [name_m]Giles[/name_m] pronounced it ‘[name_m]Jiles[/name_m]’ ([name_m]Miles[/name_m] with a J) so that’s the way that I’ve always pronounced it