I’m revisiting some names on our list and [name]Anders[/name] has always been towards the top. We love the long A, Scandinavian pronounciation “Ahn-ders.” If you saw this name, would you just assume it’s a short form of [name]Anderson[/name] and pronounce it with a short A?
I wouldn’t want to set my son up for a lifetime of name correction, which is why I’m hesitant on this one.
I know a kid named [name]Anders[/name]. It’s pronounced ON-ders. I prefer that over the [name]Anderson[/name] version. Honestly, the [name]Anders[/name] I know hasn’t ever had problems with people pronouncing his name.
Good to know, thank you! Yes, we much prefer the ON pronunciation too.
I pronounce it something like [name]Ah[/name]-nuh-s.
I think it would depend on the context in which I read the name. If it were an American family, I’d probably assume And-ders (like [name]Anderson[/name]). If I were reading it in a [name]German[/name]/Scandinavian/etc. context, I’d automatically pronounce it ON-ders.
If you’re using it in the States, I would not be surprised if you have to correct people often when they first read the name, but given that most of the time when we meet new people, we say our names verbally, rather than spelling them out on paper, I wouldn’t think it would be a frequent problem. Maybe at dr’s offices or first day of school, but I am sure people would catch on immediately once told how it’s pronounced.
I’m bad at explaining, haha! Sorry! I hope you understand what I what I meant.
Ashamed to say… I would have used a short a sound, like [name]Anderson[/name], sorry! I have said it aloud now a few times, the correct way - Ahn-ders, I love it. but it isn’t an instinctive pronunciation to me.
Have you heard of Workaholics? It’s a kind of stoner show on Comedy Central. [name]One[/name] of the main characters is [name]Anders[/name] “awn-ders”.
I’d say it the Scandinavian way. I’d never imagine that ‘an’ could sound even remotely like ‘on’. ON-ders makes no sense to me.
I would pronounces it Ahn-ders.
I agree. The [name]ANN[/name] sound is far more familiar in boys’ names than the AHN/OHN sounds, and so for anyone unfamiliar with the name, the logical process would be “[name]Anders[/name]? Looks like [name]Anderson[/name] less the -on, or [name]Andrew[/name] with a different ending, so I guess it would have the same And- start to it”.
I love it when people say Scandinavian, [name]Anders[/name] sounds completely different in Danish, Norwegian and Swedish.
Forvo links:
Danish (the top one)
Norwegian (the one that says [name]Anders[/name] Lindegaard or [name]Anders[/name] Bardal)
Swedish (top one)
Lol I never thought of that! Sorry! It must be as annoying as when someone says ‘British accent’ but really means RP English. 
I love that show! It is kind of a running joke on the show though that he has to correct people from prn. it AND-ers. The character is also endearingly known as Ders.
I would’ve said it like the beginning of [name]Anderson[/name].
I pronounce it with a short A sound.
LOL, no I had no idea! But good to know that’s how it’s pronounced!
Sorry, I should be more sensitive since I’m 1/2 Swedish I just wanted a term to differentiate the pronunciation from the [name]Anderson[/name] one.
Hey,
I’m from Germany and I pronounce it AHN-ders. I like the name but ‘anders’ is also a [name]German[/name] word and means ‘different’ so I wouldn’t use it myself.