See the results of this poll: How would you pronounce the name Louisa?
Respondents: 45 (This poll is closed)
- Lou-EES-ah: 23 (51%)
- Lou-EEZ-ah: 22 (49%)
- Other: please specify: 0 (0%)
Where do you live? Most people I know in the United States would pronounce it with more of a “z” sound but they are both very similar anyway.
I’m from the northeastern U.S. btw. Forgot to say that before.
My middle name is [name]Louise[/name] pronounced la-WEEZ however I would pronounce [name]Louisa[/name] with a quick [name]ISA[/name] that borderlines the sound of a Z. sort of like the SA in SAW. I bet I am one of the ppl giving you problems!?
[name]Louisa[/name]'s gorgeous, one of my favorites! I pronounce it lou-EEZ-a, but I think it’s really only a matter of personal accent (like pen vs. pin, butter vs. ‘budder’, etc) than an actual pronunciation discrepancy, like he-[name]LAY[/name]-na and HEH-le-na. My name is [name]Rosa[/name], and people call me both ro-sa and ro-za (it’s ro-za). It’s such a tiny difference that it honestly doesn’t matter at all to me. I wouldn’t worry about it-- your daughter has a perfect name! 
I would say [name]Louisa[/name] like lou-EEZ-ah, and [name]Luisa[/name] like lou-EES-ah. I was actually surprised because this wasn’t the poll I was expecting to see. I’ve heard both the “EEZ” sound and lou-EYE-zah, which I think is kind of cool!
Hm. I think my best bet as to how I pronounce [name]Louisa[/name] is along the lines of [luh-WHEEZE-uh]. I don’t quite get the [name]Lou[/name] in there, even though I adore [name]Lou[/name], [name]Lulu[/name], and [name]Lula[/name] as [name]Louisa[/name] nicknames!
[name]Lemon[/name]
Thanks everyone for your responses!
I am from the [name]Philadelphia[/name] area originally (where my family lives), but now I live in Germany with my [name]German[/name] husband.
We wanted our daughter’s name to be pronounced with the Z sound instead of the S sound, but so far all the Americans are pronouncing it with an S!
irisrose: Thanks for your post. It could really be more of an accent issue rather than pronunciation. I guess it really isn’t a big deal! Now if someone started calling her [name]Lou[/name]-EYE-zah, then that might be an issue. That’s a pronunciation I’ve never heard!
Thanks again for all your help and the positive feedback regarding her name. We love it!
I adore the name [name]Louisa[/name]. It’s at the top of our list for a girl someday, but I, too, am concerned about pronunciation issues. I’ve always pronounced [name]Louisa[/name] with a Z sound and [name]Luisa[/name] with an S sound, but I’ve heard some people, including my own brother, pronounce [name]Louisa[/name] with an S.
[name]How[/name] much of a concern is this? Is it going to drive me crazy?