I gave my daughter a unique name so she wouldn't be ‘boring' — now nobody can pronounce it

New York Post

27-04-2025

A mom has gone viral after revealing no one can pronounce her daughter's unusual name – stating even her doctor gets it wrong.
Emma Hutton, 35, says 'nobody can understand' the name she's given to her youngest child, declaring that the unusual moniker 'is not that hard' to get right.
Advertisement
The British mom-of-two named her one-year-old daughter Elae – pronounced LA – because she didn't want her bub to be 'boring.'
But she's become increasingly frustrated that people, even intelligent adults like doctors, can't get their heads around how to say it.
'People still don't know how to read my daughter's name,' she vented in a recent TikTok video captioned: 'It's really not that hard.'
Advertisement
'It's 2025, I didn't know that people wouldn't be able to understand basic English.'
The furious mother, who lives in Sheffield, England went on to explain she had just been to see her general practitioner who had incorrectly pronounced Elae's name, before realizing their mistake.
'He pronounced it wrong, again, he called her Ellie,' she explained.
'Then he just looked at me and went, 'I've pronounced it wrong haven't I?'
Advertisement
'Yeah, it's pronounced like the city, but he gave me a blank look.'
3 UK mom Emma Hutton is upset that people have trouble pronouncing her daughter Elae's name.
TikTok / @emloublogger
She then went on to explain how to say Elae's name correctly, stating it is said in the same way as 'the city of Los Angeles.'
But social media weren't very understanding, instead arguing that Hutton should have chosen a more conventional spelling if she wanted to avoid confusion.
Advertisement
'If people decide to spell names a little 'different,' don't get mad at those trying to pronounce it. We try,' one responded to the viral clip.
'It's not their fault, it's yours. Why don't people get it?' another agreed.
3 The little girl's name is pronounced like the city of LA.
TikTok / @emloublogger
As someone else mused: 'I would pronounce it 'ee – lay.''
'If it was pronounced ELL-AY that's how it would be spelt, it's phonetically incorrect sorry,' said someone else.
'Sorry I mispronounced the weird name you made up,' scoffed one.
While one clapped back: 'If everyone is making a mistake, do you think maybe that's more of a you problem than everyone else's problem?'
Advertisement
'It looks like a made up name. I get it with your accent but most would say Ellie. Is it made up with that spelling? If so you can't really get annoyed with people,' argued another.
Others were more sympathetic, stating it was a 'beautiful' name and sharing their own struggles with alternative names.
'I have this with my daughter's name too, her name's Beau pronounced Bo, not boo or bew,' one shared.
'My daughter is Tasia (like Asia with the Tay sound at the front) she gets called Tasha,' explained another.
Advertisement
'Same as my daughter they pronounce it Zay-lia and her name is pronounced Zay-la (her name is spelt ZAILA,' one chipped in.
Hutton's rant comes after millions viewed a previous video in January in which she explained that 'people don't understand' Elae's name.
'I've had people say that they feel sorry for my child, or that I've set her up for a lifetime of bullying,' the young mum, who works as a nail technician, told The Sun at the time.
3 Many commenters blamed Hutton for giving her daughter an unusual name.
Getty Images/iStockphoto
Advertisement
'They've called me a chav, or [say] that I've tried to win a competition for the world's weirdest name.
'I honestly couldn't care less, but I find it so strange that grown adults feel the need to share their horrible negative thoughts on a child.
'I would never comment on a mum's post telling her I think her baby's name is stupid and horrible.'
The 2025 Australian Baby Names report, compiled by McCrindle's, recently revealed parents are turning their backs on 'traditional' names, instead choosing shorter versions, and names featuring fewer syllables.
Advertisement
'After surveying different generations of parents and those planning to become parents across the nation, we found there is a preference for unique names over traditional ones,' the report found.
'This trend is being driven by younger generations, who are embracing unique names more than any generation before them.'
As a result, classic names such as Michael, Charles and Quinn have completely fallen out of favour after once being very popular choices.