See the results of this poll: Please choose your favorite!
Respondents: 82 (This poll is closed)
- Kilian : 33 (40%)
- Lionel : 25 (30%)
- Yannick: 24 (29%)
If you live in the US, don’t pick a name that has a different pronunciation in English than the one you like. I actually think it would be better to pick a totally foreign name, because people will realize it is said differently. Like, I know that [name_m]Juan[/name_m] isn’t ‘Jew-anh’, but I would never think to say [name_m]Daniel[/name_m] the Spanish way even if the last name is [name_u]Garcia[/name_u] or something.
Also, I would still pronounce Kihlian as [name_m]Kilian[/name_m]. In American English phonetic writing, ‘ih’ is pronounced with the same vowel as in ‘kill’.
I like [name_m]Yannick[/name_m], and I voted for it, but I’m not sure how you would pronounce that either. I would say /jænɪk/, so with [name_m]Yan[/name_m] pronounced to rhyme with American English ‘can’.
I adore all 3 names. To me, they all have different vibes.
[name_m]Kilian[/name_m] sounds modern to me. I always picture this name on someone who would be both charming and a bit of a mischief-maker.
[name_u]Lionel[/name_u] is familiar/ vintage, and becoming more popular, imo. It ages really well, and gives me a happy/ playful vibe. I pronounce [name_u]Lionel[/name_u] as Lye-e-nel, and I’m sure you would have to correct a lot of people to pronounce it the way you intend.
[name_m]Yannick[/name_m] is a really cool name, I only associate this with a Canadian Actor. Here in [name_f]Canada[/name_f] it’s very rare, but I wouldn’t see there being an issue with spelling, etc.
I think it’s a great compromise with your in-laws, if they were hoping for a biblical name.
After reading through your pros and cons, I think it is safe to eliminate [name_u]Lionel[/name_u]. It was originally going to be my top choice, but after reading how you would like it pronounced, I changed my mind. I’m a teacher and I know that kids hate having to correct their names in front of the class. So, I voted with [name_m]Yannick[/name_m]. It seems like it pleases your whole family too!
[name_m]Yannick[/name_m] is the definite winner for me. It is uncommon where I live so I wasn’t familiar at all with it, but I met a boy where I worked and he wore it so well. I have loved it since. [name_m]Yannick[/name_m] has an International feel and that fits beautifully into your family, it is a name that many may not be familiar with but it is straightforward and will be easy for others to use.
I can understand the struggle. I come a Dutch speaking background, my husband is Colombian. It’s extremely difficult to find names we both like and work in Dutch, English and Spanish (especially since I much prefer Dutch/[name_m]German[/name_m] or even Scandinavian names). So with all that taken into consideration, I would also go for [name_m]Yannick[/name_m]. I would say Yahn-nick, but some English speakers might say yanne (rhyming with can). But it’s a much easier correction than [name_u]Lionel[/name_u] or kiligan.
I suspect that no matter what you are going to run into pronunciation issues with any of these names, as nice as they are. It is difficult to find a name you love in just one language, much less three!
Going through them…
[name_m]Kilian[/name_m] - I am sorry, but I would definitely say “kill-e-an”, which is why this name has never much appealed to me. If I were speaking Spanish I would switch the pronunciation, but I would never automatically do that in English. And I don’t know any [name_m]German[/name_m], so I am no help there. I think Kielian or Kihlian will still normally be pronounced “kill”. The only spelling I think would get you closer to your pronunciation is something more like Keelian.
[name_u]Lionel[/name_u] - again, a pronunciation issue in English. There is nothing wrong with choosing a name knowing you will have to correct pronunciation, but you have to be okay with that. Maybe you could spell it [name_m]Leonel[/name_m], though. English speakers pronounce [name_m]Leo[/name_m] lee-o instead of ley-oh like in Spanish, so maybe if they saw [name_m]Leonel[/name_m] instead of [name_u]Lionel[/name_u] they would say something more like what you want.
[name_m]Yannick[/name_m] - I think this one might actually be easiest in English, assuming my guess of how to say it is more or less correct (sort of like the words yawn-ick).
At the end of the day you may have to accept there will be some pronunciation issues with any name, be it among your families or among the general population. It comes down to personal preference - do you mind correcting people frequently, but having a name you love? Or would you prefer a name that the majority of people could say without hesitation, but which you like less? It also probably matters a lot where you live - in LA [name_u]Lionel[/name_u] may well be pronounced like in Spanish, but that may not be true in [name_m]Lincoln[/name_m] Nebraska.
I think that [name_m]Yannick[/name_m] is the best choice for you, followed by [name_u]Lionel[/name_u] spelled [name_m]Leonel[/name_m], and finally [name_m]Kilian[/name_m] spelled Keelian, assuming ease of pronunciation in English is more important to you than purest spellings.
After reading through your reasoning, my vote goes to [name_m]Yannick[/name_m], as it seems to be the name with the least cons next to it for you, is liked by most of your family, and would be pronounced correctly more so than your [name_m]Kilian[/name_m] or [name_u]Lionel[/name_u] (both pronunciations of which I prefer, but unfortunately would not be easily transitioned to for the average English speaker).
I agree with @sunniva
And [name_m]Yannick[/name_m] is a great name for a larger span of life than the others imo!
[name_m]Kilian[/name_m] is my favourite, followed by [name_u]Lionel[/name_u]. I don’t particularly care for [name_m]Yannick[/name_m] - it just doesn’t sound particularly pleasing to my (English speaking) ears.
Thank you so much for all your thoughtful comments! We have not made the final decision yet, but I think after taking all the comments into consideration, we do gravitate more and more towards [name_m]Yannick[/name_m]. By the way, the “[name_m]Yann[/name_m]” part is pronounced in a way that rhymes with “fun”, rather than “can”.
I very much like the suggestion of “[name_m]Leonel[/name_m]”, which would match our preferred pronunciation in English. In [name_m]German[/name_m] and Spanish the “e” is pronounce like in “[name_m]Ben[/name_m]”, which would also work for [name_m]Leonel[/name_m].
For me [name_m]Yannick[/name_m] and [name_m]Leonel[/name_m] are the two favorite options. My wife seems to like [name_m]Yannick[/name_m] better out of those two options. I will post an update, once we have made our final decision!
My instinct would definitely be to pronounce [name_u]Lionel[/name_u] as lye-oh-nel and [name_m]Yannick[/name_m] as yahn-nick. If you’re receptive to [name_m]Leonel[/name_m] instead of [name_u]Lionel[/name_u], I think that may be your winner (I’m voting for it with the spelling change in mind)
Good luck, can’t wait to see what you two decide!
Thanks a lot for all of your thoughtful comments! We are moving closer with baby steps. We are now deciding between [name_m]Yannick[/name_m] and [name_m]Leonel[/name_m] (instead of [name_u]Lionel[/name_u]). My wife is in favor of [name_m]Yannick[/name_m], and I prefer [name_m]Leonel[/name_m]. We are currently playing around with different options for a middle name. Perhaps this approach will help us reach a breakthrough. I am still very much interested in comments about [name_m]Leonel[/name_m] and [name_m]Yannick[/name_m]! Thank you!
I voted [name_u]Lionel[/name_u] though I now see in your comments that option has been changed to [name_m]Leonel[/name_m] which I was going to suggest. I think [name_m]Leonel[/name_m] is very soft, handsome and sophisticated. [name_m]Yannick[/name_m] I’d a name I’ve never encountered in real life. The ick ending is icky to me for lack of a better explanation. But at the same time … I think I could very easily warm up to this name. I could see myself loving it as once I got used to it… And I don’t think you need to shy away from a name just because it might not be favored by locals as a first impression. Names are working diverse these days, many of your son’s peers will have names that make people say “I’m sorry, that was that name?”
Half of my family speaks Spanish the other half speaks only English. I know 2 killians one is Irish middle age no one calls him kill. The second killians in a 10 year old American boy he does not get made fun of. I also know an 11 eat ols [name_m]Yannick[/name_m] whose father is American mother is Argentinian. No American can say his name, when he has a substitute teacher she just stares at his name on the paper. I agree u should change the spelling of [name_u]Lionel[/name_u] to [name_m]Leonel[/name_m]. I think [name_m]Leonel[/name_m] is the best option as it’s easy for Americans to say and sounds great in Spanish.
These are also my two favourites and I voted for [name_m]Yannick[/name_m]. I wouldn’t be overly concerned about pronunciation issues as people want to pronounce a name as wished and only need to be introduced to that pronunciation, and done! I live in [name_f]Canada[/name_f] and met my first [name_m]Yannick[/name_m] not that long ago and as soon as I was introduced then I knew how to address him. I really think you should just choose the one you love the most and the rest will be fine.
I love [name_m]Yannick[/name_m]! Sounds very handsome to me! I also like [name_m]Kilian[/name_m] but spelled Kylian like Mbappe.
[name_m]Yannick[/name_m] 100%. It is the only of the 3 names with no pronunciation issues. The “kill” association in [name_m]Kilian[/name_m] is too much for me.
I also voted for [name_m]Yannick[/name_m]. Though it is more uncommon than your other name choices, I think you will have less pronunciation issues because the other two both have more common pronunciations in the US. I have a friend who is originally from Germany who has a son named [name_m]Yannick[/name_m] and I have always liked the name. Though it is somewhat unusual, it fits in with their family well and there are no preconceived notions with how to pronounce it.
My first thoughts:
[name_m]Kilian[/name_m] - what’s an Irish name’s got to do with the [name_m]German[/name_m] and Spanish?
[name_u]Lionel[/name_u] - not a fan
[name_m]Yannick[/name_m] - from cute! to will the Americans butcher it?
More in depth:
[name_m]Kilian[/name_m] - Irish aside, it is a good option. The “kill” argument always shows up, but in practice I haven’t heard it happen, but then again, I don’t personally know any [name_m]Kilian[/name_m]'s, only know of - but they do wear it well! (…in the UK)
I think it sounds just fine in English. It’s just a tough one.
[name_u]Lionel[/name_u] - I… am just not a fan of the look or sound of it, Spanish or English. He will definitely be called lye-o-nel every time, though, so that might be a headache. While I do know of a little [name_m]David[/name_m] “daveed” who wears the Spanish pronunciation bravely through the constant mispronunciation, you have to decide if you -really are ready for it and want this name that bad.
[name_m]Yannick[/name_m] - I love it! I’ve met a little [name_m]German[/name_m] boy named [name_m]Yannick[/name_m] (this spelling!) and he was too cute. I don’t think it’s too much for English speakers at all. Aside from yah-neek being yan-nick, the pronunciation and spelling are straight to the point, and [name_u]Nick[/name_u] is a popular nickname to fall back on. This is my winner.