Ok so Iâve loved Oleander for a long time and when I first learned of it, I thought it was pronounced begining like Oliver. And my partner and I really loved it and have had it at the top of our list for years now. But eventually I learned itâs actually pronounced O-leander more like Owen or Open.
The problem is I only really like Oleander if itâs pronounced more like Oliver and I still really like it. Is Oleander useable if itâs being pronounced incorrectly according to how the name of the plan is supposed ot be pronounced?
He would be your son, so theoretically you could do it however you wanted. But[name_f][/name_f] personally I think it would be a constant uphill battle with correcting peoples pronunciation.
Oh wow, I always assumed it was like Ollie-ander! I wonder if I assumed that because of Olivander from Harry Potter, because thatâs basically how Iâve been pronouncing it my head, just with a -ee- instead of a -iv-.
I think whether it matters might depend on where you live. Oleander is pretty much unheard of where I live in the US, and I donât think anyone I know would even be familiar with the original pronunciation, so they wouldnât know anything different if they heard the ollie- pronunciation.
Out of people you know, are any of them familiar with Oleander? It could be helpful (and fun) to run a little test with people you know to see how they pronounce it! I would show it to them written down, then ask them to say the name. My friend was a linguistics major and did tests like that on me for her homework assignments haha. Sheâd write down different words (real or fake) and have me read them to determine which pronunciation I use, like apricot or pecan or whatever. Sometimes it was in a sentence.
Iâve always said it like ollie-ander (like Oliver) and thatâs the only way Iâve heard it said in relation to the plant tooâŚbut thatâs not to say everyone in my life isnât also pronouncing it wrong because that has happened
I guess it might be worth asking people where you are - maybe subtly, in relation to the plant if you donât want to discuss baby names - to get a better sense of how it would actually be said day-to-day
Iâve done a google, and while O-leander does seem to be the go-to, possibly more âcorrectâ option, Ol-eander has been listed as a pronunciation in the UK
not to be difficult⌠I voted for like o-wen, but I say it more like ole-leander (first syllable rhyming with âbowlâ or âgoalâ). so not like either option but probably more similar to [name_m]Owen[/name_m]
I have always assumed itâs Ollie-ander too. I wonder if you wrote it down and asked family/friends to read it, whether that would give you some clarity on how those close to you would pronounce it.
[name_f][/name_f]
I had a similar realisation with [name_f]Apricity[/name_f] so I sent it to a friend to read and then my mum read it out from a book too. I realised I was the one mispronouncing it
Because Oleander is a fairly known plant species, I think the mispronunciation may be too obvious and something you and your child will struggle with their whole lives. I believe it is âOh-Lee-An-Der.â Not the best analogy, but it would be like naming them âSunflowerâ and corrrecting everyone that their name is âSoon-flower.â However, that being said, I do like the name Oleander as it is and wonder if the correct pronunciation will grow on you. If you really donât like it though, perhaps knowing while Oleander is a pretty flowering plant, it is very toxic when ingested, might make it easier for you to pursue other options. Not that youâd have to, but if it helps minimize any disappointment, itâs something to know. Was this name for a boy or girl? Perhaps, Berries could help you come up with additional flora/fauna type names with a similar vibe and originality. Congrats on your baby!
I think you will constantly be correcting everyone and it will be a huge pain. What about [name_m]Leander[/name_m], or perhaps [name_m]Lysander[/name_m] which is Shakespearean and also just the coolest?
because that has happened 
