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HelpMaria
I'm currently reading Play It As It Lays right now and I'm really loving how the main character pronounces her name. Her name is Maria but it's pronounced like Mariah. I know it might not seem like a big deal but I just think it sounds stylish and cute.
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I used to find Maria bland since I've known many and there are many Maria's in the Mexican side of my family. But as I've gotten older I've come to like the name Maria partially because it is a family name. Plus it has a beautiful sound.
I've never cared for the name Mariah partially because I don't care for the singer and truthfully I just don't like the sound of it. But if you like the sound of it then it will be much better to just spell it Mariah.
Almost every teacher your child has will mispronounce it if you spell Mariah as Maria and every person she introduces herself to will assume that it is spelled Mariah. It doesn't matter that Maria used to be pronounced the same way as Mariah in England a long time ago, basically every American will mess up your child's name.
Maybe your kid will be fine with that but most people I know with easily confused names either get occasionally annoyed having to explain their name or they just always have down right hated having to explain their name. You might think oh it won't happen often but my name is Marisa and no matter how clearly I pronounce it half the time people mishear me thinking I said Melissa or something else and when they see my name they fairly often mispronounce it the Spanish way. I've even had a teacher who often confused my name with Maria. I've had a couple of people who thought my name was spelled Merissa and some people who have thought that my name was Amarisa because I said uh before I told them my name. Personally I only occasionally get annoyed because most people figure it out after explaining once or twice but on the rare occasion after the third or fourth time the person still thinks that my name is Melissa that is when I get frustrated. With how similar Mariah and Maria is if you do what you want and spell Mariah as Maria I feel fairly certain that your child will have to explain their name even more than I have.
I've never cared for the name Mariah partially because I don't care for the singer and truthfully I just don't like the sound of it. But if you like the sound of it then it will be much better to just spell it Mariah.
Almost every teacher your child has will mispronounce it if you spell Mariah as Maria and every person she introduces herself to will assume that it is spelled Mariah. It doesn't matter that Maria used to be pronounced the same way as Mariah in England a long time ago, basically every American will mess up your child's name.
Maybe your kid will be fine with that but most people I know with easily confused names either get occasionally annoyed having to explain their name or they just always have down right hated having to explain their name. You might think oh it won't happen often but my name is Marisa and no matter how clearly I pronounce it half the time people mishear me thinking I said Melissa or something else and when they see my name they fairly often mispronounce it the Spanish way. I've even had a teacher who often confused my name with Maria. I've had a couple of people who thought my name was spelled Merissa and some people who have thought that my name was Amarisa because I said uh before I told them my name. Personally I only occasionally get annoyed because most people figure it out after explaining once or twice but on the rare occasion after the third or fourth time the person still thinks that my name is Melissa that is when I get frustrated. With how similar Mariah and Maria is if you do what you want and spell Mariah as Maria I feel fairly certain that your child will have to explain their name even more than I have.
This message was edited 10/24/2017, 1:56 AM
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I love Maria, though I don't care for that older English pronunciation.
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Maria
I hate Maria, when pronounced ma-REE-ah. It seems so plain, too foreign, and makes me think of the word "diarrhea." Along with Isabella, it makes me think of a dark, middle-aged, heavyset woman.
I know that in some places and some times, Maria was pronounced ma-RYE-ah. But I can't think of it being pronounced that way. I can think of Mariah being pronounced that way, which makes me like Mariah infinitely more.
I hate Maria, when pronounced ma-REE-ah. It seems so plain, too foreign, and makes me think of the word "diarrhea." Along with Isabella, it makes me think of a dark, middle-aged, heavyset woman.
I know that in some places and some times, Maria was pronounced ma-RYE-ah. But I can't think of it being pronounced that way. I can think of Mariah being pronounced that way, which makes me like Mariah infinitely more.
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I love love love Maria, and I like Mariah a lot.
But Maria should not be pronounced like Mariah; if you want the Mariah pronunciation, spell it Mariah; there's enough confusion in the world.
But Maria should not be pronounced like Mariah; if you want the Mariah pronunciation, spell it Mariah; there's enough confusion in the world.
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Well it's basically it's the same name anyway, so there's really no difference. If people get confused, that's their issue
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Basically, yes. Mariah is a variation of Maria, and I'm certain that I've read that in eighteenth century and early nineteenth century Great Britain, Maria was usually pronounced the way we pronounce Mariah today.
I think you can pronounce either whichever of the two ways you want, but people do tend to think of Maria being ma-REE-ah and Mariah being ma-RYE-a, so probably best to avoid that headache. Mariah looks better IMO.
I think you can pronounce either whichever of the two ways you want, but people do tend to think of Maria being ma-REE-ah and Mariah being ma-RYE-a, so probably best to avoid that headache. Mariah looks better IMO.
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Yep
My great-great-grandmother was Maria Eleanor, pronounced ma-RYE-a, and she was born and raised in Cornwell. She apparently had a lot of problems when she immigrated to Ireland with her Irish husband. People would adjust and get used to calling her Mariah but it was definitely annoying for her! I remember when I was doing genealogy and I said to my Papa, "And your maternal grandmother, Maria, (asked a question)?" And he made this face and goes, "You NEVER called her ma-REE-ah! She was ma-RYE-a...nothing drove as crazy!"
So even in the late 1800s/early 1900s in Ireland, the ma-RYE-a prn of Maria was causing bearers some problems!
My great-great-grandmother was Maria Eleanor, pronounced ma-RYE-a, and she was born and raised in Cornwell. She apparently had a lot of problems when she immigrated to Ireland with her Irish husband. People would adjust and get used to calling her Mariah but it was definitely annoying for her! I remember when I was doing genealogy and I said to my Papa, "And your maternal grandmother, Maria, (asked a question)?" And he made this face and goes, "You NEVER called her ma-REE-ah! She was ma-RYE-a...nothing drove as crazy!"
So even in the late 1800s/early 1900s in Ireland, the ma-RYE-a prn of Maria was causing bearers some problems!
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no ...
It's not "basically the same name." Similar, but not the same.
And if people get confused, it's not just their issue; it's the issue of the person who bears the name and has to correct them all the time.
It's not "basically the same name." Similar, but not the same.
And if people get confused, it's not just their issue; it's the issue of the person who bears the name and has to correct them all the time.
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What happens if you prefer the Maria spelling but still want to pronounce it as ma-RYE-ah?
Maria and Mariah are closely related, so why not? I live in California so I've met a lot of Marias in my lifetime with the usual pronunciation. So this is seems a bit fresh to me.
Maria and Mariah are closely related, so why not? I live in California so I've met a lot of Marias in my lifetime with the usual pronunciation. So this is seems a bit fresh to me.
This message was edited 10/23/2017, 2:47 PM
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I honestly think it's best avoided because it would be really inconvenient to have.
As someone with a name that has a LOT of variant spellings (and I have one of the least common variants), it's annoying to have to constantly correct people, spell out my name (which is a must any time someone has to write it down or look it up), repeat it, and still have people get it wrong. It's an annoyance that I have to live with for the rest of my life.
It would be even tougher for someone who has an extremely common name, pronounced differently. It's not even a variant pronunciation (like AHN-dree-ya for Andrea), it would be like pronouncing Sarah as SAHR-ah or Jennifer as juh-NEE-fer. It would NEVER be said right by anyone who sees it on paper, and more than likely the kid would just give up on the correct pronunciation and just go by Maria (pronounced muh-REE-a) because it's easier.
Don't get me wrong, I love my name and I'd never want to change it. But it can be a pain in the tail. Someone named Maria (pronounced Mariah) would have it even worse.
Think about it.
As someone with a name that has a LOT of variant spellings (and I have one of the least common variants), it's annoying to have to constantly correct people, spell out my name (which is a must any time someone has to write it down or look it up), repeat it, and still have people get it wrong. It's an annoyance that I have to live with for the rest of my life.
It would be even tougher for someone who has an extremely common name, pronounced differently. It's not even a variant pronunciation (like AHN-dree-ya for Andrea), it would be like pronouncing Sarah as SAHR-ah or Jennifer as juh-NEE-fer. It would NEVER be said right by anyone who sees it on paper, and more than likely the kid would just give up on the correct pronunciation and just go by Maria (pronounced muh-REE-a) because it's easier.
Don't get me wrong, I love my name and I'd never want to change it. But it can be a pain in the tail. Someone named Maria (pronounced Mariah) would have it even worse.
Think about it.
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