Issues with name pronunciation - what would you do?

[Lindsey123]

I like it, and read it correctly. People will get used to it and I will become second nature to say it correctly I have given my children relatively normal names but with odd spellings for some uniqueness. I named my daughter Melodie and my son will be named Jaxon. I used to get tired of spelling out her name all the time but it has just gotten to the point where I automatically spell it for ppl if they are writing it for something.

OOo, I love the name Jaxon! If I'd had a boy in there we'd talked about that - Jax is a cool nickname too

 

[Lindsey123]

Hi hun just listened to german pronunciation and how about you just change teh spelling to Katia When i saw it with your spelling i would have pronounced it "Kaja" my borad yorkshire accent would have missed out the the T changing the pronunciation if that makes sens lol
If you feel ok with a spelling change I think most people would pronounce it properly. My son has a Kurdish name we changed the spelling to make it easier for people who dont speak kurdish to pronounce it iykwim :-/

Yes - we're the same here, haha - I think that's where 'Catcher' came from, as people tried to pronounce letters they don't usually do. If we hadn't chosen Lucia as a middle name, Katia would have been an option, but a previous poster pointed out people may say it Kateeyah, like Maria - and it has to be two syllables so it doesn't sound daft with Lucia, which is three.

Maybe Katya would be easier though Lots to think about Thanks!

Are you Kurdish too or did you just like the unusual name? I was looking at Scandinavia, Germany and Russia for baby's name x

 

[Lindsey123]

I just correct them and they don't make that mistake again. Maybe because I say it in a tone of voice that states if they get it wrong again I'll hit them ever so slightly.

I like your style haha

 

[bjl1981]

I would pronounce it as Cat-ya. I have a Polish student at school with the same name and she chooses to go by Kate. I think its completely up to you what you call your daughter, but if you think it will irritate you (especially in the accent that people have near you) then that is quite a big factor too. Like someone else said Katya might be an alternative.

 

[leahsbabybump]

Hi hun just listened to german pronunciation and how about you just change teh spelling to Katia When i saw it with your spelling i would have pronounced it "Kaja" my borad yorkshire accent would have missed out the the T changing the pronunciation if that makes sens lol
If you feel ok with a spelling change I think most people would pronounce it properly. My son has a Kurdish name we changed the spelling to make it easier for people who dont speak kurdish to pronounce it iykwim :-/

Yes - we're the same here, haha - I think that's where 'Catcher' came from, as people tried to pronounce letters they don't usually do. If we hadn't chosen Lucia as a middle name, Katia would have been an option, but a previous poster pointed out people may say it Kateeyah, like Maria - and it has to be two syllables so it doesn't sound daft with Lucia, which is three.

Maybe Katya would be easier though Lots to think about Thanks!

Are you Kurdish too or did you just like the unusual name? I was looking at Scandinavia, Germany and Russia for baby's name x

My X FOB was kurdish

 

[Emerald87]

Maybe Katya would be easier though Lots to think about Thanks!

Honey - PLEASE don't change it; it's so beautiful - You spent ages picking it and loving it and I'm sure that's what you've been calling her in utero since you found out. Does it fit her now when you refer to her? Talk to her?

Like many have said, people will get use to saying it with practice and you are more than happy with nicknames. People mispronouce even the most simple of names ALL the time. My DH is "Colin" (simple enough) and no joke he's been called - Con, Corin and last night he got called "Colour" (WTF?!). Not to mention he ALWAYS has to specify "That's Colin with only 1 L".

You'll always get use to spelling. Both my maiden name and married name had alternate spellings and I ALWAYS have to spell them out - like "can I make a booking please? - that's Stewart spelt S-t-e-w-a-r-t... No, Not S-t-u, I said S-t-e-w"

Our daughter will also have to spell her name out to people. Ultimately it's what fits them, not what is convenient.

As Mummy and Daddy, you are the people that matter - if you can pronounce it and you love it, then that's what matters. If she goes through a "I hate my name" phase at 13 she can always seek alternatives then Until then people can call her Kat if they have trouble.

 

[SarahBear]

I guessed the pronunciation of that based on a kindergarten teacher I knew named Antje. Even the kindergarteners learned how to read and say her name without a problem. I think you should be fine with Katja as long as you're willing to explain to people how to say it.

 

[DragonTamer]

I know what its like to have a child with a name that people can't pronounce and its not like its hard either...my sons last name is Both...just the way its spelled but people have pronounced it Booth and Bath (how so you get that?) And other "creative" pronunciations...lol this is why when I divorced his father I took back my maiden name...lol My youngest daughters name is Rhiannon but her teachers at school constantly pronounced it Rhianna and Rhionnin and it drove me nuts! I kept my mouth shut but from now on at the beginning of the school year I ensure the teacher knows how to pronounce it before school starts. The Friday before school starts they have a meet your teacher day and I use this as an opportunity to clear the name pronunciation confusion...lol I hope people aren't such idiots that they can't pronounce Landon...lol

 

[arj]

So it's said like Kar-tee-ah?

I wouldnt change it, people will learn how to say it!

My SIL called her DD Aja, pronounced Asia, but people were calling her Age-ah for a while.

 

[Crumbs]

I love the name, I was able to read it right away, but that's probably because DH is Swedish and "j" is now automatically a "y" for me. But it's not an unusual name at all ... wasn't it a name of an Olympic figure skater?

I would still use the name. People will figure it out and if they can't right away, make them say Kat. I think the spelling is what throws them off, but the name itself is easy to say, IMO.

 

[Lindsey123]

I love the name, I was able to read it right away, but that's probably because DH is Swedish and "j" is now automatically a "y" for me. But it's not an unusual name at all ... wasn't it a name of an Olympic figure skater?

I would still use the name. People will figure it out and if they can't right away, make them say Kat. I think the spelling is what throws them off, but the name itself is easy to say, IMO.

You're right - it's not 'unusual' at all, to me, anyway - but in nearly a decade as a teacher in the UK, and 32 years, I've not met anyone in the UK called Katja. I know it's probably one of THE most common Eastern European names, haha - I just wanted something without teacher associations, if that makes sense And yes - my ex OH was Norwegian and I did German at uni, so the J seems obviously a Y to me .

Kat is cool anyway so after all the reassurance from you lovely ladies, I think whichever

 

[Lindsey123]

Maybe Katya would be easier though Lots to think about Thanks!

Honey - PLEASE don't change it; it's so beautiful - You spent ages picking it and loving it and I'm sure that's what you've been calling her in utero since you found out. Does it fit her now when you refer to her? Talk to her?

Like many have said, people will get use to saying it with practice and you are more than happy with nicknames. People mispronouce even the most simple of names ALL the time. My DH is "Colin" (simple enough) and no joke he's been called - Con, Corin and last night he got called "Colour" (WTF?!). Not to mention he ALWAYS has to specify "That's Colin with only 1 L".

You'll always get use to spelling. Both my maiden name and married name had alternate spellings and I ALWAYS have to spell them out - like "can I make a booking please? - that's Stewart spelt S-t-e-w-a-r-t... No, Not S-t-u, I said S-t-e-w"

Our daughter will also have to spell her name out to people. Ultimately it's what fits them, not what is convenient.

As Mummy and Daddy, you are the people that matter - if you can pronounce it and you love it, then that's what matters. If she goes through a "I hate my name" phase at 13 she can always seek alternatives then Until then people can call her Kat if they have trouble.

This has really boosted my confidence with our choice - thank you

But HOW can people mispronounce 'Colin'?? haha - seems nothing is as easy as we'd think haha xxx

 

[Lindsey123]

So it's said like Kar-tee-ah?

I wouldnt change it, people will learn how to say it!

My SIL called her DD Aja, pronounced Asia, but people were calling her Age-ah for a while.

That's the Finnish version, according to the link. We like the German version, like 'Kat - yah' - short vowels and two syllables.

I like Aja too

 

[EmzLouise]

Maybe Katya would be easier though Lots to think about Thanks!

Honey - PLEASE don't change it; it's so beautiful - You spent ages picking it and loving it and I'm sure that's what you've been calling her in utero since you found out. Does it fit her now when you refer to her? Talk to her?

Like many have said, people will get use to saying it with practice and you are more than happy with nicknames. People mispronouce even the most simple of names ALL the time. My DH is "Colin" (simple enough) and no joke he's been called - Con, Corin and last night he got called "Colour" (WTF?!). Not to mention he ALWAYS has to specify "That's Colin with only 1 L".

You'll always get use to spelling. Both my maiden name and married name had alternate spellings and I ALWAYS have to spell them out - like "can I make a booking please? - that's Stewart spelt S-t-e-w-a-r-t... No, Not S-t-u, I said S-t-e-w"

Our daughter will also have to spell her name out to people. Ultimately it's what fits them, not what is convenient.

As Mummy and Daddy, you are the people that matter - if you can pronounce it and you love it, then that's what matters. If she goes through a "I hate my name" phase at 13 she can always seek alternatives then Until then people can call her Kat if they have trouble.

This has really boosted my confidence with our choice - thank you

But HOW can people mispronounce 'Colin'?? haha - seems nothing is as easy as we'd think haha xxx

Throughout his whole university experience, no one ever got OH name right. His name is Gerald, quite simple I believe. They called him Gerry. Or Gerrard. I was scared that on his cert it'd read Gerry!

 

[hopeandpray]

Gosh I don't think it's a difficult name to pronounce at all! Maybe that's because I speak some German As long as you are comfortable knowing that she might always be known as a nickname then go for it