A name that's hard(er) to pronounce?

We are going back and forth on girl name ideas... we originally wanted Sophia Cadence, but after seeing that it topped the #1 slot in the US this year, we've reluctantly decided against Sophia (UGH!)

Another name I love is the Gaelic name Aine (pronounced "on-yah") - I'm a little worried, though, that it will almost always be pronounced wrong on the first try. I don't want my girl to have to constantly correct people when they mispronounce her name... people will likely say "ane", "on-ay" or "ann". But with all the interesting names out there these days, is that really a bad thing?

Now, with boy's names... I am at a loss. I'll have to come back to that one!

I LOVE Aine but I will just give you my two cents on names that are tough to pronounce.

It's hard for some to believe, but my name Kristin used to be considered really odd and unusual when I was growing up - it got popular only after I was already in high school. When I was little, no one could spell or pronounce it and it kinda gave me a complex. I just dreaded telling people my name and the first day of school, camp, etc. was this big ordeal where I would have to spell my name for 10 different people (school secretary, teachers, lunch lady, etc) who all got it wrong and they made this big deal about it, like I was getting on their nerves deliberately for having such a weird name. Like, SIGH, roll eyes, cross out where they had written Christen, and even asking me point blank why my parents hadn't named me Kristi instead. And even after that, people still couldn't pronounce it and I was called Kristine or Kristian, sometimes for months at a time. I had some teachers who would insist on calling me KRIS which I hated. At doctors offices I'd never know if it was my turn to go in because they'd come out and be calling for Kristi. Kids would come up to me and say things like "I don't like your name" and it happened all the time. It seems like a small thing but it really bothered me a lot. I used to pray that I would wake up as Robin or Jill.

Granted, there are a lot more unusual names out there now than in those days, and we also moved a lot so it was more problematic for me than it would be for a kid who stayed at the same school every year, but it was still rough. Behind the scenes I still see people talk about so-and-so with their weird name so I know teachers/doctors/nurses still judge people on their names (maybe even more so).

I really like unusual names, but I ~personally~ would err on the side of a more easy-to-spell variant. Because even when you think you have a pretty common name that's easy to spell and pronounce, people get it wrong anyway. People freaked out when we named our DS 1 Wyatt 20 years ago. I thought it was a well known name and could only be spelled and pronounced just one way but there were tons of people who couldn't say/spell it and had never heard of it.

I like unique names so I would def go with Aine :agree:
I have a name that is difficult to pronounce, it's Russian and I was constantly called by more usual variant. Never bothered me tho.

Do you know the meaning of the name?

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Originally Posted by atomic sagebrush

I LOVE Aine but I will just give you my two cents on names that are tough to pronounce.

It's hard for some to believe, but my name Kristin used to be considered really odd and unusual when I was growing up - it got popular only after I was already in high school. When I was little, no one could spell or pronounce it and it kinda gave me a complex. I just dreaded telling people my name and the first day of school, camp, etc. was this big ordeal where I would have to spell my name for 10 different people (school secretary, teachers, lunch lady, etc) who all got it wrong and they made this big deal about it, like I was getting on their nerves deliberately for having such a weird name. Like, SIGH, roll eyes, cross out where they had written Christen, and even asking me point blank why my parents hadn't named me Kristi instead. And even after that, people still couldn't pronounce it and I was called Kristine or Kristian, sometimes for months at a time. I had some teachers who would insist on calling me KRIS which I hated. At doctors offices I'd never know if it was my turn to go in because they'd come out and be calling for Kristi. Kids would come up to me and say things like "I don't like your name" and it happened all the time. It seems like a small thing but it really bothered me a lot. I used to pray that I would wake up as Robin or Jill.

Granted, there are a lot more unusual names out there now than in those days, and we also moved a lot so it was more problematic for me than it would be for a kid who stayed at the same school every year, but it was still rough. Behind the scenes I still see people talk about so-and-so with their weird name so I know teachers/doctors/nurses still judge people on their names (maybe even more so).

I really like unusual names, but I ~personally~ would err on the side of a more easy-to-spell variant. Because even when you think you have a pretty common name that's easy to spell and pronounce, people get it wrong anyway. People freaked out when we named our DS 1 Wyatt 20 years ago. I thought it was a well known name and could only be spelled and pronounced just one way but there were tons of people who couldn't say/spell it and had never heard of it.

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Sigh... this is what I am afraid of. The problem is, I also don't want the problem of having a name so common that everyone else is named the same thing (I HATED my name growing up because there were three other girls in my class named Kelly). So, I either find a same that people know and can pronounce, but is too common, OR I have a name that no one knows and can't pronounce. Can't win!

I don't know how else you could spell Aine... it's not Ann or Annie or anything close to that, those names mean completely different things... hmm... decisions! :)

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Originally Posted by Zivic-Bubac

I like unique names so I would def go with Aine :agree:
I have a name that is difficult to pronounce, it's Russian and I was constantly called by more usual variant. Never bothered me tho.

Do you know the meaning of the name?

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Yep, I do know the meaning! That's why I love it so much :)

Aine - Ancient Irish name from the noun aine that means “splendor, radiance, brilliance.” Aine is connected with fruitfulness and prosperity. The queen of the Munster fairies was called Aine as was one of the wives of Fionn Mac Cool (read the legend). Aine appears in folktales as “the best-hearted woman who ever lived – lucky in love and in money.”

So she's lucky, gorgeous, kind, successful and well-off :) Can't go wrong with that!

GAH! And then there is this:

People With Easy-To-Pronounce Names More Likely To Succeed, Study Says - Careers Articles

This sucks, because I really love that name! poo.

Perhaps it will even out - my last name is certainly not hard to pronounce (it's a common color), so THAT's certainly not going to be an issue.

I do have one concern about Aine... pronounced on-yay. What if the boys say "I wanna be ON YA". Maybe you can change the spelling a little so it can't be used in anyway to make fun of her.

My name is Piper... in my life I have met 2 with the same name a 6yo (I was 20) in a ladies bathroom and a dog while on vacation. In elementary school I knew 5 Melissa's, 3 Nicole's, and 2-3 Jennifer's every grade. The names evened out in Jr and Sr High but it was still common to have atleast 2 -3 kids with the same names. I lived in Orange County and Moreno Valley areas most of my life.

I have had people misspell my name or call me something dfferent but 99% of the time I get compliments. I did hate it so much when the show Charmed came out and one of them had my name. In College tons of people had to ask if I was a Witch even with a Cross and Saint Medal around my neck in plain view.

Once while doing a job interview over the phone I was asked if I wanted to say my race/nationality. I said white and the lady said are you sure about because I wouldn't get the job if I lied. I asked her what she thought I was and she commented african american. She said it was because of my name. I had to point out that it was an Irish name. I turned down the job and reported the women.

I decided to do common names for my kids for many reasons. Ever since I was really young I loved the names Journey James and Parrish Max, never had a girls name picked. After becoming pregnant I was afraid of my kids names being seen and thought of as not being normal. I didn't want them to be singled out because they have an odd name. A white boy with an odd name may be a great target for being picked on in school.

She will have to tell everyone how to pronounce her name her entire life. 9/10 will not know that is how you say it and she will be called Aine like AIM with an 'N"- AIN- long A.

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Originally Posted by Ribbons

I don't know how else you could spell Aine... it's not Ann or Annie or anything close to that, those names mean completely different things... hmm... decisions! :)

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A thought, if you were to consider an alternate spelling ...

The character on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" had the name you're considering ... but it was spelled Anya. And since it was on a pretty popular show, it's not a completely underheard of name and is pretty much spelled like it's pronounced. (If you hadn't described it phonetically, I would have thought that "Aine" rhymes with "Blaine" ... which probably isn't what you want to hear!)

I looked over on last year's top 1000 baby names on the Social Security website. "Aine" is nowhere to be found, but "Anya" was the 432nd most popular name of the year. So she wouldn't be one of several Anyas in her class, but it's not a completely unknown name either. Heck, that ranking makes it twice as popular as the girl name we like (Ingrid), which ranks in the mid 850s!!

Oh, and per people teasing: I had a college roommate named Sonya and it DID rhyme with "on-ya" and people DID tease her with that ... but in a flirty way rather than a mean-spirited one.

Here's how I see it: If you end up having to pick a girl name, it's a great problem to have ... because it means you had a girl!!!

I know an Anja, and I think it is a beautiful name. Why not just use that spelling? It would be easier for people to pronounce. Or Anya?