Marry Merry Mary... or not
August 26, 2020 3:42 PM Subscribe
Thinking about naming our soon to be here baby girl Merry. There are both paternal and maternal relatives with the name Mary. I don’t hate the spelling Mary but Merry just speaks to me more.
If you are a Merry or know a Merry I’m wondering how you feel about the different spelling. Does it bother you if people spell it Mary? Did it ruin your life?
I’m usually not a fan of creative spelling for names. My other two daughters have totally normal names. Our last name is normal and east to spell.
Also considering Marigold, but my husband thinks it’s too earthy.
I’m usually not a fan of creative spelling for names. My other two daughters have totally normal names. Our last name is normal and east to spell.
Also considering Marigold, but my husband thinks it’s too earthy.
We have a neighbor named Marisol and it is a beautiful name.
posted by foodmapper at 4:09 PM on August 26, 2020 [4 favorites]
posted by foodmapper at 4:09 PM on August 26, 2020 [4 favorites]
I like the name and spelling of Merry! In fact, I really like it!
I know you don't mean to be any sort of -ist in your comment about "normal" names but please recognize that calling certain names "normal" versus "not normal" can be loaded with classism, racism, xenophobia, etc, intentionally or subconsciously. All names are "normal" but some are more common or popular than not, which makes them perhaps more appealing on a mainstream level in certain cultures or settings. If fitting into mainstream middle class white US society is important to you (and it's fine if it is), you can certainly choose a more common or "classic" name or spelling. As a teacher, I have had students with all names and appreciate the all the names their families chose for them or the names they later chose for themselves. Some people are judgmental, sure, but if not for your name choice, then for something else about you. Kids can make a joke or pun about literally any name, and Merry Christmas is equally annoying but less harmless than many.
I have an unusual first, middle, and last name. Rarely are they pronounced correctly on the first try and almost never are they spelled correctly without clarification, either in the US or elsewhere. I am used to explaining and people are fine with it. Rarely do I experience judgment -- granted, I am white, middle class, and very educated so have that privilege -- and if and when people are judgey, I gently point out their bias just as I did with you here.
posted by smorgasbord at 4:09 PM on August 26, 2020 [27 favorites]
I know you don't mean to be any sort of -ist in your comment about "normal" names but please recognize that calling certain names "normal" versus "not normal" can be loaded with classism, racism, xenophobia, etc, intentionally or subconsciously. All names are "normal" but some are more common or popular than not, which makes them perhaps more appealing on a mainstream level in certain cultures or settings. If fitting into mainstream middle class white US society is important to you (and it's fine if it is), you can certainly choose a more common or "classic" name or spelling. As a teacher, I have had students with all names and appreciate the all the names their families chose for them or the names they later chose for themselves. Some people are judgmental, sure, but if not for your name choice, then for something else about you. Kids can make a joke or pun about literally any name, and Merry Christmas is equally annoying but less harmless than many.
I have an unusual first, middle, and last name. Rarely are they pronounced correctly on the first try and almost never are they spelled correctly without clarification, either in the US or elsewhere. I am used to explaining and people are fine with it. Rarely do I experience judgment -- granted, I am white, middle class, and very educated so have that privilege -- and if and when people are judgey, I gently point out their bias just as I did with you here.
posted by smorgasbord at 4:09 PM on August 26, 2020 [27 favorites]
My ex-aunt-in-law was Merry and she absolutely hated it. She was constantly teased about "Merry Christmas" when she was young. Always had to spell it for people. I have a first and last name I have to spell for people and after nearly 50 years of doing so, I AM SICK OF THEM GETTING IT WRONG even after I CLEARLY spell it for them. It's really frustrating and yeah it's not the end of the world and there are bigger things to worry about but it's CONSTANT.
posted by cooker girl at 4:14 PM on August 26, 2020 [20 favorites]
posted by cooker girl at 4:14 PM on August 26, 2020 [20 favorites]
Merry Clayton's voice is awesome.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 4:15 PM on August 26, 2020 [3 favorites]
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 4:15 PM on August 26, 2020 [3 favorites]
Where you live, are Mary, Marry, and Merry all pronounced identically? They are where I grew up, and I was astonished to learn as an adult that they are very much not pronounced the same where I live now. Does it change your feelings on the idea if it's possible that she'll someday live in a place where her name is pronounced MEH-ry?
posted by willpie at 4:15 PM on August 26, 2020 [26 favorites]
posted by willpie at 4:15 PM on August 26, 2020 [26 favorites]
I was going to make the point willpie already did, so instead I will just say I would not associate "Merry" with the name "Mary" at all. I would assume she was named after the quality of happiness - along the lines of virtue names like Hope, Prudence, Charity, etc.
I think it's a pretty name. So is Marigold! I have a super plain first name - short, phonetic, common in US English - but it gets misheard all the time, I have to repeat it tons. There's no guarantee a kid is going to like their name. That said, a longer variation of Mary - Mariam, Marianne, Marigold, etc. - gives more options for nicknames. So she could be Merry with the family, and Goldie/Margo/whatever with friends. This could be a plus or a minus depending on your feelings on nicknames. My sister is 34 and my mom is still kinda pissed at the preschool teacher that got her to spell her nickname "Katie" instead of "Katy."
Congrats!
posted by the primroses were over at 4:32 PM on August 26, 2020 [9 favorites]
I think it's a pretty name. So is Marigold! I have a super plain first name - short, phonetic, common in US English - but it gets misheard all the time, I have to repeat it tons. There's no guarantee a kid is going to like their name. That said, a longer variation of Mary - Mariam, Marianne, Marigold, etc. - gives more options for nicknames. So she could be Merry with the family, and Goldie/Margo/whatever with friends. This could be a plus or a minus depending on your feelings on nicknames. My sister is 34 and my mom is still kinda pissed at the preschool teacher that got her to spell her nickname "Katie" instead of "Katy."
Congrats!
posted by the primroses were over at 4:32 PM on August 26, 2020 [9 favorites]
I knew somebody named Merry growing up... the kids (my peers) interpreted it as evidence that Merry parents didn’t know the English language and accidentally misspelled “Mary”.
posted by gemutlichkeit at 4:43 PM on August 26, 2020
posted by gemutlichkeit at 4:43 PM on August 26, 2020
I knew a Merideth who went as Merry. I live in a place where Mary and Merry are pronounced differently.
posted by xo at 4:44 PM on August 26, 2020 [8 favorites]
posted by xo at 4:44 PM on August 26, 2020 [8 favorites]
Best answer: My name is Joy. I hate xmas and people who sing "joy to the world" and "happy happy joy joy" (but Jeremiah was a bullfrog would be alright). You know how women get told to smile? I have resting bitch face and people tell me I should smile because of my name as well. It took me a long time to realise I could abbreviate to Jo, but in my accent, young Merry would get Mare (or Mez). I think Merry is a beautiful nickname for some sunshiny people I've met, but I would not settle it on some poor defenseless baby as a formal first name.
posted by b33j at 4:53 PM on August 26, 2020 [20 favorites]
posted by b33j at 4:53 PM on August 26, 2020 [20 favorites]
Best answer: So, I am a person named Merry. I like it! It's short for Meredith, not just an alternate of Mary. I'm not a big fan of Mary, as it seems a bit old-fashioned to me. I like my name because it speaks to my character in a major way - I'm Merry by name and by nature. :)
The only people who get the spelling wrong are baristas and delivery drivers. This is has basically no effect on my life.
No one has ever mistaken me for a Brandybuck (more's the pity). I have on occasion heard "oh, like Merry Christmas?" but this has also not ruined my life, and is a handy way to tell people how it's spelled. Honestly, I've probably said this to people more often than I've had it said to me.
The cool thing about it at work is that once people see it in print, they get it, and never have a problem with it again. Teachers have never had a problem pronouncing or spelling it.
And I'm often the only Merry in the company (or the class, or the whatever) which I find kind of nice! If you're a Mary or a Jennifer you're going to have to tell people your last name a lot to differentiate; I never really have that problem.
Late edit: "Meredith" as a more formal first name is handy to have around, though, for things like resume's. I'm not sure if Merry would ever give an employer pause, but I always put "Meredith" on my resume and introduce myself as "Merry" when I get in the room.
posted by invincible summer at 4:57 PM on August 26, 2020 [30 favorites]
The only people who get the spelling wrong are baristas and delivery drivers. This is has basically no effect on my life.
No one has ever mistaken me for a Brandybuck (more's the pity). I have on occasion heard "oh, like Merry Christmas?" but this has also not ruined my life, and is a handy way to tell people how it's spelled. Honestly, I've probably said this to people more often than I've had it said to me.
The cool thing about it at work is that once people see it in print, they get it, and never have a problem with it again. Teachers have never had a problem pronouncing or spelling it.
And I'm often the only Merry in the company (or the class, or the whatever) which I find kind of nice! If you're a Mary or a Jennifer you're going to have to tell people your last name a lot to differentiate; I never really have that problem.
Late edit: "Meredith" as a more formal first name is handy to have around, though, for things like resume's. I'm not sure if Merry would ever give an employer pause, but I always put "Meredith" on my resume and introduce myself as "Merry" when I get in the room.
posted by invincible summer at 4:57 PM on August 26, 2020 [30 favorites]
Best answer: To the point above, Meredith is a great compromise if you want to call her Merry and also give her the escape hatch of going by the full name if she gets tired of correcting the spelling.
posted by space snail at 4:57 PM on August 26, 2020 [31 favorites]
posted by space snail at 4:57 PM on August 26, 2020 [31 favorites]
I am not a Merry, but I had a friend named Merry who hated it so much (because of Christmas etc.) that she goes by Molly (she didn't change it legally, just tells everyone to call her Molly).
As others have said above, "Mary" and "Merry" do not sound at all alike in many, many places (at least within the U.S.), so consider that people may get her name "wrong" solely based on that. If I saw your "Merry" on my classroom attendance list, I would pronounce it like "berry." I would be surprised if she told me it was pronounced like "fairy," and would wonder why it wasn't spelled "Mary."
posted by tzikeh at 5:08 PM on August 26, 2020 [7 favorites]
As others have said above, "Mary" and "Merry" do not sound at all alike in many, many places (at least within the U.S.), so consider that people may get her name "wrong" solely based on that. If I saw your "Merry" on my classroom attendance list, I would pronounce it like "berry." I would be surprised if she told me it was pronounced like "fairy," and would wonder why it wasn't spelled "Mary."
posted by tzikeh at 5:08 PM on August 26, 2020 [7 favorites]
My daughter is "Merry," for Meredith. She loves it; we love it. There is a little bit of Mary/Merry confusion, but less so in New England than elsewhere as we pronounce these all differently. We had briefly considered something like Meriwether, but decided that was going too far. When we told her this story, she said she would have liked that even better.
So, A+ name! Would name again! (Also, congratulations.)
posted by theredpen at 5:19 PM on August 26, 2020 [3 favorites]
So, A+ name! Would name again! (Also, congratulations.)
posted by theredpen at 5:19 PM on August 26, 2020 [3 favorites]
Obviously I live in a different place than some - for me, Merry, Mary, berry and fairy all have the same vowel sound.
As someone who had a common one syllable nickname as a child, I made a choice when I become adult (married, going off to graduate school) to switch the longer more formal form of my name. It fit with who I was trying to be at that point in my life (and also avoided an alliteration between my nickname and new married last name) So a vote for a longer name that shortens to Merry.
Also be aware that the nickname your child ends up with may surprise you. My daughter's big brother (3 years old at the time) decided that the common nickname for her was too hard to say so he picked a different one and, then because he loved rhyming, she ended up with a family nickname based on the rhyme of that. So, if she had been named Meridith, instead of Merry, she would be ReeDee and then Dee-dee and then Deet. So you never know.
posted by metahawk at 5:31 PM on August 26, 2020 [4 favorites]
As someone who had a common one syllable nickname as a child, I made a choice when I become adult (married, going off to graduate school) to switch the longer more formal form of my name. It fit with who I was trying to be at that point in my life (and also avoided an alliteration between my nickname and new married last name) So a vote for a longer name that shortens to Merry.
Also be aware that the nickname your child ends up with may surprise you. My daughter's big brother (3 years old at the time) decided that the common nickname for her was too hard to say so he picked a different one and, then because he loved rhyming, she ended up with a family nickname based on the rhyme of that. So, if she had been named Meridith, instead of Merry, she would be ReeDee and then Dee-dee and then Deet. So you never know.
posted by metahawk at 5:31 PM on August 26, 2020 [4 favorites]
I've known a Merrily and a Merritt, but never a Merry. This is a bit of a stretch, but it seems like maybe it could be a nickname for Marina, which is a pretty name. Personally, as someone with an uncommon name, I always advocate for names that are simple to spell without confusion.
posted by pinochiette at 5:36 PM on August 26, 2020 [4 favorites]
posted by pinochiette at 5:36 PM on August 26, 2020 [4 favorites]
Best answer: I'm not a Merry, but chiming in to note that the Marry-Merry-Mary US pronunciation map was a fixture of my linguistics classes decades ago. Here's one version. (Mine is an 'all three are different' dialect, with both the first syllable of my maiden name and my sister's first name sharing the a sound in Marry, emphatically not Mary or Merry.)
posted by daisyace at 5:59 PM on August 26, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by daisyace at 5:59 PM on August 26, 2020 [2 favorites]
I have a friend who goes by Merry. Though her full name is Meredith. I think Merry by itself is a sweet name. Just get used to lots of “Merry Christmas!”
posted by katypickle at 6:21 PM on August 26, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by katypickle at 6:21 PM on August 26, 2020 [1 favorite]
I have a friend whose name is Merrilee and it's a nice name and she goes by it which is another way to have a longer name that could be abbreviated to Merry. I also have a cousin named Meredith and we call her Mer. I grew up somewhere where the Mary/Merry/Marry all sound different. I think it's a nice name. I will note that if you do have two kids already who have more conventional names (on whatever tradition your family does names in) and one "stand out" name, it's possible it could be a thing. My sister has a very traditionally-simple name in the community we grew up in and I have one that is a little harder to spell and pronounce, so it is worth thinking about that somewhat, maybe making sure if you go for Merry (which is nice) she also had a middle name that might have a more straightforward pronunciation in case it turns out the name is not her thing.
posted by jessamyn at 7:12 PM on August 26, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by jessamyn at 7:12 PM on August 26, 2020 [1 favorite]
Oh I like Meredith as mentioned up thread—
Or would you consider Meri ?
I think it looks a bit more unique and less connected to the phrase Merry Christmas.
posted by calgirl at 7:19 PM on August 26, 2020 [7 favorites]
Or would you consider Meri ?
I think it looks a bit more unique and less connected to the phrase Merry Christmas.
posted by calgirl at 7:19 PM on August 26, 2020 [7 favorites]
A colleague is named Mari. and I'm never sure how to pronounce it, since I'm from Washington DC, where merry = Mary = marry.
BTW I have to vote thumbs down (since the only Merry I know is the hobbit)
posted by Rash at 8:29 PM on August 26, 2020
BTW I have to vote thumbs down (since the only Merry I know is the hobbit)
posted by Rash at 8:29 PM on August 26, 2020
My friend Merry seems just fine with it. Mostly I remember her saying that the reason she was named Merry was because her maiden name, well....made it a pun. However, it was such an old pun most people didn't get the joke, and she changed it when she got married so that hasn't been an issue in decades.
Mostly I'd be concerned with the mixups between Mary (the most generic lady name of all time) and Merry in pronouncing it, if anything.
posted by jenfullmoon at 8:37 PM on August 26, 2020
Mostly I'd be concerned with the mixups between Mary (the most generic lady name of all time) and Merry in pronouncing it, if anything.
posted by jenfullmoon at 8:37 PM on August 26, 2020
Use it as your Starbucks name for a few weeks, to try out the experience.
posted by condour75 at 8:47 PM on August 26, 2020 [15 favorites]
posted by condour75 at 8:47 PM on August 26, 2020 [15 favorites]
I have a first name that is an uncommon spelling of a common name - imagine 'Soosan'.
It's something of a pain; whenever giving my name, I have to jump straight in to spelling it because if I say it, the person has already typed in the wrong name before I get to the part where it's spelled strangely.
I would advise against it. But on the other hand, I'm sure the Susans of the world have their own problems.
posted by Hatashran at 10:20 PM on August 26, 2020 [3 favorites]
It's something of a pain; whenever giving my name, I have to jump straight in to spelling it because if I say it, the person has already typed in the wrong name before I get to the part where it's spelled strangely.
I would advise against it. But on the other hand, I'm sure the Susans of the world have their own problems.
posted by Hatashran at 10:20 PM on August 26, 2020 [3 favorites]
I used to know a Miranda that was known as Merry (as her parents intended from the start).
posted by Logophiliac at 10:41 PM on August 26, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by Logophiliac at 10:41 PM on August 26, 2020 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: Appreciate all the feedback. Lots to think about. Daisyace, that map is fascinating. I’ve lived in different parts of the country but must have managed to always be in the red because to me Marry/Mary/Merry are all pronounced the same.
posted by MadMadam at 10:44 PM on August 26, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by MadMadam at 10:44 PM on August 26, 2020 [2 favorites]
Also just a reminder that may be helpful: you can name the baby one thing and call the baby whatever you want. My sister is named Suzannah and we call her Frankie and always have. She's 38.
posted by DarlingBri at 5:35 AM on August 27, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by DarlingBri at 5:35 AM on August 27, 2020 [2 favorites]
My parents chose a name like this for me. (We speak American English, btw.) It's not an unusual name, but a very unusual spelling of it. And the vowels can be pronounced differently; my spelling indicates how it should be pronounced. Honestly it's been really annoying, especially when I say my name but don't bother spelling it, someone else writes it down, and then a third person comes up asking for me with a differing vowel sound. I have to constantly be alert not just to my own name, but to the other pronunciations of it, say, at the doctor's office.
Basically when meeting someone for the first time, if they can pronounce my name they can't spell it. If they write it down for someone else using the most usual spelling, that person can't pronounce it.
I would advise you against this.
posted by Hypatia at 6:31 AM on August 27, 2020 [4 favorites]
Basically when meeting someone for the first time, if they can pronounce my name they can't spell it. If they write it down for someone else using the most usual spelling, that person can't pronounce it.
I would advise you against this.
posted by Hypatia at 6:31 AM on August 27, 2020 [4 favorites]
I have a noun name! And it is spelled creatively --- although my name is pronounced exactly like the noun, it is spelled differently.
I love my name, and I believe that my name helped me learn as a kid how to politely and yet authoritatively engage with the adults around me. To elaborate, I felt like I was an expert on my name and that sense of expertise gave me the confidence I needed to correct adults who were mispronouncing my name or mispelling it or whatever. As I gained practice letting adults know how to both say and spell my name, I realized that I could also speak up when I saw adults doing other things "wrong."
Basically, I found my creatively-spelled noun name very empowering as a kid and a lot of positives flowed from that. So if you like the name, "Merry," I say go for it!
posted by ASlackerPestersMums at 8:36 AM on August 27, 2020 [3 favorites]
I love my name, and I believe that my name helped me learn as a kid how to politely and yet authoritatively engage with the adults around me. To elaborate, I felt like I was an expert on my name and that sense of expertise gave me the confidence I needed to correct adults who were mispronouncing my name or mispelling it or whatever. As I gained practice letting adults know how to both say and spell my name, I realized that I could also speak up when I saw adults doing other things "wrong."
Basically, I found my creatively-spelled noun name very empowering as a kid and a lot of positives flowed from that. So if you like the name, "Merry," I say go for it!
posted by ASlackerPestersMums at 8:36 AM on August 27, 2020 [3 favorites]
Wow I have not heard Merry as a name before and I LOVE it! (I'm from somewhere where it is pronounced differently than Mary. I can't quite figure out, for those of you who are from somewhere where it's pronounced the same, would you pronounce all three as I would pronounce Mary or Merry?)
I have a traditional name, but it's pretty uncommon and sounds very similar to a much more common name. Pretty much everyone thinks I have the common name over the phone, or sometimes the first time we meet in person.
My name also shares a first letter and last syllable with another much more common name. People I don't know well often forget and call me that other name, or in a few funny instances, people I had known for years have called me the other name.
It never bothered me. In fact, I thought it was hilarious that every time I ordered takeout, for example, I would say my name on the phone, but every time I went to pick it up, they couldn't find my name, but eventually found the one with the other similar sounding name. I started saying my own name when ordering over the phone, but the other name when picking it up, and without fail it was always labelled with the other name. It was my own private joke.
So while I understand the frustration people have with always having to correct or spell their name, it really never bothered me, and I liked having a more unique name. But clearly, from these responses, some kids will be like me and others will despise it. You can't know what your kid will end up like, so do your research, but ultimately decide what you like. And as many others have mentioned, nicknames (or them changing their name later) are often out of your hands.
Speaking of nicknames, I love them, so I nth all the suggestions of Meredith or Marigold or something else, and calling her Merry.
posted by sillysally at 8:55 AM on August 27, 2020
I have a traditional name, but it's pretty uncommon and sounds very similar to a much more common name. Pretty much everyone thinks I have the common name over the phone, or sometimes the first time we meet in person.
My name also shares a first letter and last syllable with another much more common name. People I don't know well often forget and call me that other name, or in a few funny instances, people I had known for years have called me the other name.
It never bothered me. In fact, I thought it was hilarious that every time I ordered takeout, for example, I would say my name on the phone, but every time I went to pick it up, they couldn't find my name, but eventually found the one with the other similar sounding name. I started saying my own name when ordering over the phone, but the other name when picking it up, and without fail it was always labelled with the other name. It was my own private joke.
So while I understand the frustration people have with always having to correct or spell their name, it really never bothered me, and I liked having a more unique name. But clearly, from these responses, some kids will be like me and others will despise it. You can't know what your kid will end up like, so do your research, but ultimately decide what you like. And as many others have mentioned, nicknames (or them changing their name later) are often out of your hands.
Speaking of nicknames, I love them, so I nth all the suggestions of Meredith or Marigold or something else, and calling her Merry.
posted by sillysally at 8:55 AM on August 27, 2020
I can't quite figure out, for those of you who are from somewhere where it's pronounced the same, would you pronounce all three as I would pronounce Mary or Merry?
Wikipedia reckons that it's ˈmɛri, which is also the sound used to describe the word Merry in an NYC or RP accent (and as far as I can think, is the sound used in British English accents generally for Merry).
posted by plonkee at 9:17 AM on August 27, 2020 [1 favorite]
Wikipedia reckons that it's ˈmɛri, which is also the sound used to describe the word Merry in an NYC or RP accent (and as far as I can think, is the sound used in British English accents generally for Merry).
posted by plonkee at 9:17 AM on August 27, 2020 [1 favorite]
Merle/Meryl is a great gender neutral name that is shared with some cool famous people (Meryl Streep, Merle Haggard!) but is still a little unusual.
posted by genmonster at 9:54 AM on August 27, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by genmonster at 9:54 AM on August 27, 2020 [2 favorites]
This is totally intriguing to me. I had no idea there was any other way to pronounce marry Mary and merry, never mind three different ways. I'm really curious: can anyone who pronounces them differently tell me how you pronounce them (using rhyming words--since I'm terrible at deciphering phonetic symbols)?
posted by Transl3y at 3:39 PM on August 27, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by Transl3y at 3:39 PM on August 27, 2020 [1 favorite]
Transl3y, click on plonkee's Wiki link for a recording.
posted by hoist with his own pet aardvark at 3:48 PM on August 27, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by hoist with his own pet aardvark at 3:48 PM on August 27, 2020 [1 favorite]
One more in a family with versions of Mary / Marie / Rosemary, etc.
Mary is one of the default middle names (with Ann, Jean, Jane, Sue, Lynn, Leigh, Rose, etc.) As long as the potential for mix-up is understood, I can see no harm in it.
I would suggest adding a middle name that you like as an alternative. Children have a tendency to go their own way about the names they chose.
Other versions which can use Merry as a nickname -- Meredith, Meriel, Meara, Mercedes, Meryl, Miranda, Marianne
posted by TrishaU at 9:29 PM on August 27, 2020
Mary is one of the default middle names (with Ann, Jean, Jane, Sue, Lynn, Leigh, Rose, etc.) As long as the potential for mix-up is understood, I can see no harm in it.
I would suggest adding a middle name that you like as an alternative. Children have a tendency to go their own way about the names they chose.
Other versions which can use Merry as a nickname -- Meredith, Meriel, Meara, Mercedes, Meryl, Miranda, Marianne
posted by TrishaU at 9:29 PM on August 27, 2020
Transl3, rhyming words won't work, since in your region "harry", "very" and "fairy" (respectively for marry, merry and Mary) probably also sound very similar.
You could check out online dictionaries for the British pronunciation.
posted by Omnomnom at 12:03 AM on August 28, 2020 [2 favorites]
You could check out online dictionaries for the British pronunciation.
posted by Omnomnom at 12:03 AM on August 28, 2020 [2 favorites]
I can't speak for everyone, obviously, but it's worth noting that many people who would pronounce the two names the same way would still not consider them to be alternate spellings of the same name, just as you wouldn't consider flower to be an alternate spelling of the word flour. They both have very well-known, very different meanings and origins. Near opposites, for some etymologies of Mary.
That doesn't diminish your personal meaning of course--all names are made up, make yourself happy. But if the connections to Mary ancestors are important, it's something to consider.
posted by lampoil at 5:29 AM on August 28, 2020 [2 favorites]
That doesn't diminish your personal meaning of course--all names are made up, make yourself happy. But if the connections to Mary ancestors are important, it's something to consider.
posted by lampoil at 5:29 AM on August 28, 2020 [2 favorites]
This thread is closed to new comments.
It is a sweet name, no matter how you spell it. There are worse burdens than having to spell your name. Marigold is also sweet. What about Mariam/Miriam, Marie, Marybeth/Mary Beth, Mary Ann/Marianne, or Maribel? (Mary is a name that combines beautifully with many other names.)
Congrats on your baby!
posted by bluedaisy at 3:48 PM on August 26, 2020 [14 favorites]