Hello, we are expecting a baby girl. I have always loved the name [name]Louisa[/name], it was my great-great grandmother’s name. I have always thought it to be pronounced “Loo-EES-ah” with a soft S. Only now that I am researching the name have I discovered that the common pronunciation is “Loo-EEZ-ah”, of which I am not nearly as fond.
So my husband and I have been considering [name]Luisa[/name] instead, because I have read it is more commonly pronounced the first way. However, I have also read that they both can be pronounced with the S or Z sound. So I am totally stumped. I would like to use the family name [name]Louisa[/name], but I don’t want our baby girl going through life correcting people every day, explaining that the Z sound is not the way she pronounces her name.
[name]Do[/name] you think if we used [name]Luisa[/name] we would have to correct people less that her name is “Loo-EES-A”? Thanks for any input!
First of all, I [name]LOVE[/name] the name [name]Louisa[/name]. Great choice! I’ve always pronounced it ‘lou-EEZ-a’, but they’re very similar to me, and more of a matter of a person’s individual accent than different ways of pronouncing the name. [name]Luisa[/name] is definitely pronounced ‘lu-EES-a’, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that’s how people are going to pronounce it. I can see [name]Luisa[/name] being equally pronounced with a Z or an S. My name is [name]Rosa[/name], and some people don’t know whether to pronounce it with an S or a Z (it’s a Z) but they’re pretty much interchangeable to me. It’s really not a huge deal.
I personally much prefer the spelling [name]Louisa[/name], since it looks more classic and familiar. I might expect a [name]Luisa[/name] to be Hispanic or maybe Italian, too, but that could be just me. Either way, it’s a great name.
I love love adore [name]Louisa[/name]! I kind of pronounce it [name]Lou[/name]-wee-za. I think it is my accent because other people around me pronounce it [name]Lou[/name]-ee-sa.
I wouldn’t let pronunciation problems keep you from using a name you love. All names are pronounced differently in different parts of the world. My name is [name]Sarah[/name] and it is pronounced differently as well.
Thank for your responses! We are most likely going with [name]Clara[/name] for a middle name and for this reason I also thought the more traditional spelling would be best… [name]Louisa[/name] [name]Clara[/name].
One reason I really like [name]Louisa[/name] is because of the possible nicknames of [name]Lulu[/name], or [name]LiLou[/name] ("[name]Little[/name] [name]Louisa[/name]"), or due to her Initials, maybe even [name]Elsie[/name] (“L.C.”). I like the idea of letting a nickname come naturally after we meet her.
You all have made me feel more at ease about not worrying so much about how it’s pronounced. Thank you!
I [name]LOVE[/name] [name]Louisa[/name] - it’s gorgeous! I pronounce it the way you do…[name]LU[/name]-EE-SA, no Z sound. I never thought of the pronunciation as being questionable. I agree with a pp who said that the issue of Z or S is probably a personal pronunciation variation. I’d go with the spelling [name]Louisa[/name].
I don’t know it is my southern drawl…but I can’t hear a difference no matter how hard I try. I thought [name]Lou[/name]-EEZ-ah was the way they said it in the Sound of [name]Music[/name]…I really can’t hear a difference. So unless I’m missing something completely, I think the slight tonal change isn’t that big of a deal.
I love [name]Louisa[/name] too, and pronounce it lou-EES-a. I have “[name]Louise[/name]” as a family name, and my mom and grandma both hated it! I thought [name]Louisa[/name] would be a much prettier way to go. I think you should spell it [name]Louisa[/name], also. And I was also going to suggest [name]Claire[/name] or [name]Clare[/name] as a middle name instead to avoid the repeated “a” sound at the end. Great name, though, and I love [name]Lulu[/name], [name]Lilou[/name], and [name]Elsie[/name] as well!
