We named our little girl [name]Genevieve[/name].
Now I am having serious name remorse.
A visitor just left and upon asking what her name was, asked “how are you pronouncing it?” (french vs english). We live in a bilingual city. Now I am worried I named my daughter a complicated, silly name that she will spend all her time defending the pronunciation of.
Help! 
[name]Do[/name] you love the name? If so, don’t overthink it.
I think [name]Genevieve[/name] is absolutely lovely & no different than other names that have a couple pronunciations. [name]Hope[/name] that helps!
[name]Genevieve[/name] is fabulous. The only name remorse I ever had was not using [name]Genevieve[/name]! I went with [name]Eva[/name], and now can’t use [name]Genevieve[/name] cuz it sounds to similiar. So no, don’t regret that one!
I also live in a bilingual city, and I grew up with several people who had similar situations (often on purpose within multi-lingual homes) For instance, I used to know a [name]Madelaine[/name] who was Mad-uh-len to English friends, and Mad-[name]Lane[/name] to Francophone friends. And she wasn’t poorly adjusted for it, I promise. Pronounce it how you like it best, and accept that all names change when languages do.
thank you for your responses. Naming somebody is such a huge responsibility and I do tend to overthink the ramifications of choosing one name over another. We live in an area notorious for in-fighting between French and English culture, and I am worried that the whole pronunciation thing will become a political thing. Argh.
Originally we had picked a name which was proving far, far too popular, so we switched that name ([name]Sophia[/name]) to her middle name. I don’t know – it’s just so difficult to name a baby.
I do appreciate your feedback, especially thankful to those living in a bilingual town who know children with names which can be pronounced a number of ways.
hope I’ve not done my gorgeous daughter a dis-service. She deserves a great name.
[name]Genevieve[/name] is gorgeous! No need to have name remorse for [name]Genevieve[/name]. You could call her a nn for now. [name]Vivi[/name] is cute. [name]Genevieve[/name] has a bunch of adorable nns such as [name]Evie[/name], [name]Eva[/name], [name]Neve[/name], and [name]Ginnie[/name]. Then little [name]Genevieve[/name] can decide how she wants her name pronounced when she gets older.
Thank you, [name]Susan[/name]! [name]Hope[/name] you are right!
My advice (similar to others) is to be flexible with her name and accept either pronunciation, as they are both valid. Personally I think it would be cool to have a name that does double duty.
[name]Don[/name]'t worry about it!!! My name is [name]Eliza[/name]… seems simple enough… LOL I once had someone argue with me about my name really being [name]Elizabeth[/name]. [name]Oy[/name]!! That’s not including all the other variations of mispronunciations. It’s life and happens to the simplest of names. As long as you love it, don’t have second thoughts. 
My name is [name]Jenevieve[/name]…have always gotten compliments on my name. Also sooo glad wasnt named [name]Jennifer[/name]…I wouldnt worry at all…
Oh [name]Genevieve[/name] is a beautiful name!!! [name]Don[/name]'t regret it! I think it’s great that it has two pronunciations, she has options.
I live in a bilingual city (Spanish/English) and most of my friends growing up had names that their families pronounced in Spanish and friends pronounced in English. Like
[name]Alberto[/name]/[name]Albert[/name]
[name]Raphael[/name]/[name]Ralph[/name]
[name]Joel[/name] (Hoyl/[name]Joe[/name]-l)
[name]Angela[/name] (Ahn-hel-uh/Ang-el-uh)
[name]Miguel[/name]/[name]Mike[/name]
[name]Antonio[/name]/[name]Anthony[/name]
[name]Alejandro[/name]/[name]Alex[/name]
[name]Carlos[/name]/[name]Charlie[/name]
[name]Ernesto[/name]/[name]Ernie[/name]
[name]Luis[/name] (Loo-ees/Loo-is)
[name]Raquel[/name]/[name]Rachel[/name]… etc. See what I mean?
Thank you, [name]Lyndsay[/name]. Feeling much better now!
[name]Genevieve[/name] is splendid! I agree with previous posters, I would just be willing to accept either pronunciation - it makes the name that much more amazing! Plus she can always correct people.
One more thought is that it is never guaranteed that a name will be pronounced “properly” - my name is [name]Maya[/name] and all my life people haven’t been sure whether to call me [name]May[/name]-uh or My-Uh (or even Mee-uh) . . . I’ve even gotten the occasional [name]Myrah[/name] and Meerah. It’s never been an issue for me, I just correct them if the situation warrants correction and it’s not a big deal.
[name]Genevieve[/name] [name]Sophia[/name] is gorgeous, and I’m sure she’ll love her name no matter how others pronounce it.
Oh, [name]Genevieve[/name] [name]Sophia[/name]! What a pretty, feminine, elegant name! Seriously, I adore it. You’ve chosen a beautiful name that will suit your daughter so very well, so don’t let a minor setback stand in your way of loving her name any less! She sounds like a beautiful girl, and you’ve certainly done her a ‘service’ - not a dis-service - by choosing such a perfect name for her!
But, now I’m curious! [name]How[/name] are you pronouncing Miss [name]Genevieve[/name]'s name? The American (English) jen-eh-veev or the French jahn-vee-ev?
[name]Lemon[/name]
First off I love her name. I guarantee she will thank you in 15 years for not naming [name]Sophia[/name] since she will have 5 [name]Sophia[/name]'s in her class. The pronunciation should only be a problem when people are reading her name like at the doctors office or at school. Normally people will ask her name then they will know how to say it.
[name]Lemon[/name], [name]Maj[/name] and Mery,
Thank you for your kind words. Got a little soppy reading your kind words, especially thanking you for letting me know that [name]Genevieve[/name] [name]Sophia[/name] is a beautiful name and that (hopefully) she will thank me in 15 years time!
[name]Ah[/name]. Big breath. I feel better now. It has been a very, very long road, through thousands of names. So difficult!
I want to thank you, [name]Lemon[/name] & [name]Maj[/name] for your advice along the way!
I have been pronouncing [name]Genevieve[/name] w/ the English pronunciation, but could easily swap to the Francophone pronunciation, which is also beautiful. Whichever is easiest for her.
I know little girl named [name]Genevieve[/name]. Her parents are French Canadian and had recently moved to the US. One parent speaks English to her and the other speaks French, and each use their own language-specific pronunciations! She responds to either and actually loved it! She gets to pick how she introduces herself to people, and switches between the two all the time. It is a great opportunity for her and her parents to explain their culture and bilingualism to people. She is a feisty little girl, full of charm, and loves having a special name and a special language!
[name]Lilibet[/name],
I forgot to mention that my daughter attends a french school in [name]California[/name]. One of her school mates is named [name]Genevieve[/name], her parents are american and use english pronunciation but at school they use the french pronunciation. Also this little girl had a nanny for a long time that used the spanish pronunciation Heno-vev[name]AH[/name]. Her parents told me they liked how many cultures could relate to this name.
xxx
[name]Meryl[/name]
[name]Genevieve[/name] is such a beautiful name- one of my very favourites! You really shouldn’t feel any remorse at all! I am absolutely sure that your daughter will love it as it is elegant and feminine but can also be adapted with plenty of nn options.
[name]Even[/name] seemingly straightforward names get mispronounced/ pn differently in different cultures. My older daughter is [name]Maia[/name] which frequently gets mis-pn as [name]Mia[/name] or [name]May[/name]-ah. My younger daughter is [name]Cecily[/name] and several people seem to think she is [name]Cecile[/name]. I don’t think it is a huge problem- I just gently correct them
I don’t think you should have remorse. If you speak English, I would probably pronounce it [name]Gen[/name]-a-veev, but if you are French, pronounce it Zhon-vee-ev (close enough, lol). Accept that people who speak the other of the two might say it “wrong.” People in the US who see my name call me [name]Karen[/name], just like it’s spelled Care-in, but people for whom English is not their first language pronounce it wrong. It is just about impossible to correct someone’s accent when they are just calling you your name, and it’s kind of rude. Interestingly enough, most people who say my name wrong all say it the same way even though they are from different countries and different continents and speak different languages than English. Kah-®enn, where the letter R usually has the tongue hitting the teeth making a slight trill or D sound. Kah mostly like saying “[name]Ah[/name]”, and -en less like in and more with the short E like in “get”. I don’t see the point in minding how people who speak another language say your name unless your name is [name]Karen[/name], for example, and they keep calling you [name]Terry[/name] or [name]Mary[/name], etc. I would correct people who called her [name]Jennifer[/name] or think [name]Genevieve[/name] is pronounced with a hard G, or [name]Jean[/name]-vive, or [name]Jeanie[/name]-Veevie, etc., but I would not sweat the bilingual differences in pronunciation where you live.
Did I forget to say how much I love the name? [name]Love[/name] it.