We love the name [name_u]Jannik[/name_u] for our soon to be born baby boy. It’s a very popular name in Denmark and Germany; there it is pronounced YAHN-nik. We’re both born and raised in Europe, in our ears [name_u]Jannik[/name_u] sounds very appealing. We were wondering though what native English-speakers associate with this name? Any comments are welcome! 
I think it is fantastic! The only problem will be proun. issues. A lot of people will say [name_u]Jan[/name_u]-ick. Since you are European, I would definitely use it.
Yannik is very similar to the name of [name_m]French[/name_m] tennis player [name_m]Yannick[/name_m] [name_u]Noah[/name_u] so I didn’t have any problems with the pronunciation. Other people not familiar with him or Scandinavian pronunciations in general may mispronounce it like “[name_u]JAN[/name_u]” instead of “YAHN” but they would soon get the hang of it after being corrected.
Thank guys! Actually, I’m not so concerned about the pronunciation issue … [name_u]Jannik[/name_u] has no sound in it that would be particularly hard to say for English-speakers, so I guess once you tell someone the correct pronunciation it ought to be ok. I’m rather concerned about what folks associate with the name when they hear it. Is it a pleasant, upbeat name that most will like? Or does it make you furrow your eyebrows and think “Huh? Yahn-what?” Or does it somehow sound funky, odd, old-fashioned, whatever … ?
If you like to listen to the pronunciation, here’s the audio: http://www.pronouncenames.com/search?name=jannik
The audio pronunciation you provided does sound odd to me because the speaker emphasizes the syllables so much that the name sounds exaggerated and drawn out. Personally, I would say it more quickly like [name_m]Eric[/name_m]/[name_m]Erik[/name_m]. I think the name has a crisp and energetic sound.
No negative associations…I immediately corrected myself from pronouncing it w/the J to the Y sound. [name_u]Jan[/name_u] ([name_m]Yan[/name_m]) always makes me think of the word yawn, which sometimes leads to that reaction, but it’s not a major issue.
I think it is awesome. The perfect mix of all things desirable : ) It has a nice sound; it’s modern enough, but also retains some indefinable class; and it does not sound made-up despite the fact it is highly unusual. I think I have found my new favorite name for the day : )
My SO’s cousin named his daughter Jannika and they haven’t had to many issues with it.