So, we’re due in 4 weeks and still no name. My husband suggested [name]Dahlia[/name] last night – he likes that it’s a flower and it’s Swedish (he’s Swedish). We both think it has a lovely sound to it as well. [name]One[/name] of my requirements is a phonetic name. I am sure most people will pronounce it [name]DOLL[/name]-yah, but a few will mispronounce day-lee-ya. That aside, what are your thoughts on this name? I feel it has a bad namesake because of the [name]Black[/name] [name]Dahlia[/name]…?? [name]Do[/name] you think?
i dont htink of black dahlia at all. i am not sure how i feel about the name otherwise. i do think that the pronunciation may be a slihgt problem adn it is not so easy to clarify a “yah” vs “lee-ya” pronunciation - it seems liek the type of sound someone does or doesnt hear. sorry not much help…
I’d never heard of [name]Black[/name] [name]Dahlia[/name] until now. You’ll deffinitely have pronunciation issues though. I pronounce it Dah-Li-Yah.
What about [name]Anniki[/name] or [name]Annika[/name]? I really like that Swedish name.
i would pronounce it Dah-lee-a like as if it ended in [name]Leah[/name] only because i watched a television show where that was how it was pronounced (i’ve never met a real life [name]Dahlia[/name]!) tbh i prefer it ended in the [name]Leah[/name] way!
You might run into some pronuonciation trouble i guess but sinec its quite uncommon if your little [name]Dahlia[/name] is people’s first coming across of the name they’ll remember it the way you pronounce it i guess?
other than that i think it is a really pretty name and unique too. Its not old sounding or to kiddy sounding, i do think that you will find a name that feels right sooner or later. for me it wasnt an instant its THAT name! it’s the name [name]Maria[/name] that just grew and grew on me and now it just feels like the ‘right’ name. I’m not due till [name]March[/name] though
Well. I was thinking “Dah-[name]Lee[/name]-A” until you made the “most people will pronounce it [name]Doll[/name]-yah” comment. I know I’m not most people, but I do think more than a few will pronounce it as I did (or other three syllable pronounciations).
I would pronounce the name “Dah-lee-a,” and I like the name. It’s quite pretty. I can’t imagine too many people pronouncing the first syllable as “[name]Day[/name],” but you might want to poll people to find out.
I always pronounced it Dah-lee-ah as well. I never cared for the [name]Doll[/name]-yah pronunciation. I do love the name though. It is pretty and uncommon. I wouldn’t worry about the [name]Black[/name] [name]Dahlia[/name] association, most people don’t really put much thought into it or would even think of it.
There was a discussion about the pronunciation of Dahlia quite recently. I’ll see if I can find it for you. I never even knew it could be pronounced Day-lee-a. I think if you are in the States, the problem will be so slight that you will hardly notice it.
edit: Here is the link to the conversation: here
I know someone else who is using this name. Its GORGEOUS. It’s current - vintage-feel and a flower name - but not the typical [name]Rose[/name] or [name]Lily[/name]. Great choice.
As for pronunciation, I would say Dah-lee-a.
And congrats!
A dahlia is a flower, which per the dictionary is pronounced dal-yuh – it’s also our preferred pronunciation. It just kind of rolls of the tongue. It really is growing on me, but we do have a last name that is constantly mispronounced, so having a phonetic name was very important to me.
Perhaps changing the spelling to [name]Dahlya[/name] will help with pronunciation? But then everyone will spell her name wrong all the time because it’s not consistent with the dictionary spelling. Oh, the decisions!
Please don’t change the spelling. [name]Dahlia[/name] is so pretty the way it is. I pronounce it Dah-lee-yah but when i say it quickly I sometimes smoosh it so it sounds more like dal-yah. I don’t think it will be that big of a problem. People always pronounce my name wrong and it doesn’t bother me. You can just correct them if its way off.
I think [name]Dahlia[/name] is an absolutely beautiful name. It’s on my long list.
I went to elementary school with a [name]Dahlia[/name], so from the time I was seven years old I’ve known and loved the name. She was a really bright and fun girl. I couldn’t think of a bad thing to say about her if I tried. So even though I’ve read The [name]Black[/name] [name]Dahlia[/name] and seen the movie my associations with the name are purely positive. I also couldn’t imagine pronouncing it any way other than Dahl-yah.
I think it’s gorgeous and you should definitely keep it on your list.
I’ve only ever pronounced it as Dah-lee-uh, and that’s how I think most people would pronounce it.
I wouldn’t change the spelling. Your just switching one problem (mispronunciation) for another (misspelling and weird questions about the uneek/cre8tive spelling), especially since it is a word name!
I have never heard this name pronounced any other way than [name]Dal[/name]-yuh or [name]Dal[/name]-yah. I live in the US ([name]New[/name] [name]England[/name] area) so I don’t know if that matters. Different areas will have a different pronunciation that is just how it goes.
I would not change the spelling. When I see a standard name that has a creative spelling I tend to think the parent was trying too hard to be different(wanting to be trendy) or that they are uneducated. It’s like a elementary school student writing this paragraph and instead of writing “I would not change” they write “I wood not change”.
I wouldn’t change the spelling either. I don’t think anyone will pronounce it [name]Day[/name]-lia. And I think the distinction between dal-ya and dah-lee-a really is very subtle. Once you are speaking at a conversational speed I think dah-lee-a ends up being pronounced like dal-ya anyway.
You all are so helpful; thank you very much! I do agree about the spelling – I hate odd spellings of names, and now see that this would only be adding to the problem. It’s definitely staying on my short list 
Swedish or not; “[name]Black[/name] [name]Dahlia[/name]” or not; [name]Dahlia[/name] to me is a Southern name. The only time I’ve heard it in real life was in the south and I find it charming and lovely. You may have to correct people on the pronunciation, but I’ve had to on my daughter [name]Cordelia[/name]'s name, and that seems pretty straightforward. I think you run that risk anytime you don’t use an extremely common name.
I didn’t know what [name]Black[/name] [name]Dahlia[/name] was until you mentioned it ! I pronounce [name]Dahlia[/name], Da-lee-a.
I would pronounce it doll-ya, like the movie. But I doubt most people associate it with the movie, or the murder in LA. Maybe people in a certain age group will, but everyone has their own associations, no avoiding it