The name you choose for your baby is something that will stay with them for their entire life.
A lot of thought goes into selecting a baby name. It’s crucial to consider names you like and then carefully think about any potential problems those names might cause in terms of pronunciation, spelling, or even unfortunate nicknames. After all, unless they choose to change it, your child will bear this name for their whole life – so it needs to be appropriate for both their childhood and adulthood.
One mum has voiced her worry that her daughter will spend her life “justifying” her name to others, as she’s already having to do so on her behalf. The mother explained that while she loves her child’s name, no one she speaks to seems to understand it – and they consistently mispronounce it.
Mum Emma shared a video on TikTok where she said people don’t “understand” her 13-month-old daughter’s name, spelt Elae, and she must correct them when they try to pronounce it. She started by recounting an interaction she had with a staff member at Home Bargains who was visibly confused by the name.
She said: “The lady at the checkout was like ‘Oh she’s beautiful, what’s her name? ‘ So I tell her her name, and she’s like ‘Oh, Ellie? That’s beautiful’. I said it’s not Ellie, and I tell her her name again, and she’s like ‘Oh, cute’. But you can see it in her eyes. I can see her brain working, trying to figure out what the hell I’m on about.”
Emma also mentioned that earlier in the week, she had taken her daughter to see a doctor, and when her daughter’s name was called out, they pronounced it like “Eely” – which Emma insisted was not correct. The mum didn’t reveal the right pronunciation of her daughter’s name in her initial video, wanting viewers in the comments to guess; she only hinted that her daughter’s name was spelt “Elae”.
Emma believes the name “reads how it’s spelt”, and is perplexed why people struggle with the pronunciation. She added: “This poor girl, bless her, for the rest of her life, will have to justify her name to everybody. I know not everyone’s going to like it; it’s not going to be everyone’s cup of tea, but I like different names, I like unusual names, and I can guarantee there’s going to be no other girl in her school with this name.”
After receiving an array of responses, Emma posted a follow-up video explaining that she’s “not complaining” and she’s “not mad” about the mispronunciation – she simply thought it “read how it was said” and was surprised by people’s reactions. She then clarified that her daughter’s name should be pronounced “El-ay”, similar to the acronym for Los Angeles, LA.
On the second video, many viewers supported Emma, praising her choice of a distinctive name. Others shared their own experiences with uniquely named children whose names are often mispronounced.
One person said: “My daughter is called Capri and people say cap-ri and it drives me mad.” Another shared similar sentiments: “My son’s name isn’t even hard to read. It’s Hartley but they try to call him Harvey or Harley. Just say it how it’s spelt!”