Ines post #2 - a concern

I just posted a thread about a middle name for [name]Ines[/name], which I’m pretty sure is the girl name we’ve decided on. I have just a tiny bit of concern, though, about how similar it is to “anus” and I didn’t want that to derail my other thread but I wanted to discuss it here. I know that every single name can be made fun of somehow, either because it sounds like something else, or connotation, or connection to something weird, etc. But the phonetic connection between [name]Ines[/name] and “anus” is pretty close and it’s the first thing my sister brought up when I mentioned the name to her.

I really want to use [name]Ines[/name] if this is a girl. I love it. I think it works well in the sibset and has spunk. Are the similarities to “anus” a dealbreaker? For what it’s worth, we live in Silicon [name]Valley[/name] which is a very, very diverse area. I’m sure that our kids’ peers in school will have all sorts of names, from various language backgrounds. When I’m at the playground, I’m often the only native English speaking mother there. [name]Ines[/name] would likely be far from the weirdest or most tease-worthy name in the class.

What do you think?

Are you pronouncing [name]Ines[/name] E-nez’? If so, I don’t think you need worry about anus.

It honestly didn’t even occur to me that [name]Inez[/name] sounded like anus. I am pronouncing it “Ee-nez”, I guess if you are pronouncing it “Eye-nez”, it sounds a little bit more like anus. I wouldn’t worry about it.

I would pronounce [name]Ines[/name] as ih-NEZ, which doesn’t seem close at all. I think it’s a lovely name. Go for it.

I did not make that connection.
I grew up in Silicon [name]Valley[/name]…and I agree with you in that there are so many unusual and/or ethnic names…and you don’t have anything to worry about.

We are pronouncing it the Spanish way: ee-nes with an accent on the “nes” part.

[name]Glad[/name] to see the feedback so far that it’s not something to be worried about. :slight_smile:

ee-NEZ or ee-NES doesn’t sound like “anus” to me at all.

Honestly, I did think of anus. My name is [name]Amy[/name] and a lot of my friends called me [name]Amos[/name] in middle school and high school, which of course led to some of the boys calling me “anus”. That was completely devastating to me at 12 and 13. For that reason, I personally would rule out [name]Ines[/name], especially pronounced ih-nes, even though I think it’s a pretty name.

Honestly, it does kind of sound like anus … Unless you pronounce it ee-NEz.

I think it comes down to pn. I’d pn it Ee-NEz and it doesn’t sound closely related to anus at all. But if you are worried and you really love the name why not use it as a mn instead? I know that means you have to look for the “new” perfect fn but at least you’d have a beautiful mn and you won’t be worried about distasteful nns.

We’d pronounce it the Spanish way (with “s” at the end instead of “z”) because our last name is Hispanic, we like the Spanish pronunciation better, and our other kids have names that are pronounced in Spanish too. ([name]Lucia[/name] always, and [name]Sebastian[/name] about half the time). It just doesn’t seem “right” to spell it [name]Inez[/name], or to spell it [name]Ines[/name] but pronounce it “[name]Inez[/name]”.

I suppose we could call her [name]Ines[/name] but she could be called “[name]Inez[/name]” at school if she wanted to. Or maybe by then we’ll live in a non-English speaking country so it won’t matter! Our goal is to eventually live abroad for a while at least, so I’m not sure how much to worry about this kind of thing.

I don’t see the immediate connection at all! And I’m pretty quick on those things.
I can see kindergartners making a connection though. [name]Ines[/name] to me is said “Eye-Nez” which is pretty different from “ay-nus”

But I’ve known of a five year old calling a [name]Phoenix[/name] “penis” on purpose to poke fun, so it is possible.

I went to school with a girl names [name]Inez[/name] and she was never called anus.

The connection between [name]Ines[/name] and anus never crossed my mind. I will admit though that my first thought upon reading the title of your post is that it would be about [name]Ines[/name] sounding like penis.

Any name can invite teasing on some level though , so if you love the name you shouldn’t let this deter you.

The connection never crossed my mind either; it was my sister who brought it up. And I never thought about the similarity with penis, either, until mentioned in this thread!

My husband thinks it’s a non-issue, so that’s good. I’m thinking we’ll still go with [name]Ines[/name] and hope that it won’t be a problem. It’s just too lovely of a name to pass up! I appreciate the feedback.

I think you’re worrying way too much, I grew up with an [name]Inez[/name] and she never had a problem with how it sounds.

I do hear it now, but it had never occurred to me before.

You’ve got nothing to worry about!
[name]Angus[/name] being called Anus, I get…but not [name]Ines[/name].

Best wishes!

Hmm what about [name]Inessa[/name] nn [name]Ines[/name]?