It’s rough to give anyone a name that needs the diaeresis to be pronounced correctly. 95% of the time it will be dropped (like even in the OP!).
The writer/director of Henry & June knew Anais and Henry personally, so if you want to know how she pronounced it, I’d say that was your best source for the sound. (Assuming, of course, you can’t find an interview with her on video someplace where she says her name.)
Once the name (or any other word) is Anglicised, there’s no ‘need’ for the diaeresis to aid correct pronunciation, or indeed for any other marks - we get along perfectly with “naive” and “cafe”, for instance.
I beg to differ. Just because there are idiots around we all have to dumb down for them? I think not. I don’t know what other names made the list, but personally I think this is a great choice.
I’ve travelled and lived all over this country and I know exactly one person that doesn’t speak in whatever dialect this is.
My sister-in-law writes with a pEHn, has tEHn fingers, and goes to the zoo to see the pEHguins. See also has a sister named WEHndy.
To everybody else, even within her family, you write with a pin, have tin fingers, visit the peengwins, and her sister is Windy.
Thanks for the replies.
I have thought about the nickname ‘Anus’ as a possible drawback but there is always something kids can do to make a name funny for teasing purposes … kids are really ingenious that way.
I, too, have a name most people can’t pronounce at first and it is very very uncommon, even in its country of origin. I really like my name and wouldn’t want anything more common. (I will admit that in grade school I wanted to be called Mary Jane since everyone else had normal names).
BTW … the other name choices I am looking at are:
(Anais)
Catriona (or possibly the Russian Katrina / Katja)
Ceilidh (Cayleigh/Cayley)
Danica
Maya
Siobhan
(For the most part we (my husband and I) are torn between Irish names and Slavic names. I’m finding it very difficult to choose a name - I’m hoping she comes out with a tag on that says ‘Hello, my name is …’. )
Those are all lovely, and congratulations on your impending new arrival, but can I just say, please please PLEASE don’t spell it Ceilidh. Please? That’s a dance, a kneesup, a hootenanny - there are better ways to spell it for use as a name.
I like Catriona, even though I was in my twenties before I saw it written down that way, and I didn’t know you don’t pronounce the ‘o’.
The first time I heard this beautiful name was from a Motion Picture.
The Movie, “FOOLS”
1968 or 69.
Starring Katherine Ross as Anais
and Jason Robards
The Soundtrack featured a minor hit by Kenny Rogers and The First Edition.
“Someone Who Cares” in which the lyrics mention Anais.
Funny, I had a crush on Miss Ross for several years because of this Movie…
A friend of mine is named Anais. She pronounces it Ah-Nah-Ees.
We never joked that it was anus, but people were known to call her “on her knees.”
[Waving hand] Ask me! Ask me! My grandfather had a sister Annais (with a double “n”).
And it is a pretty name, schoolyard teasing be damned.