Emma Hutton, a 35-year-old mother of two from Sheffield, England, is igniting just such a deadline-diverting discussion after sharing her daughter’s unusual name. She is often surprised by the way people mispronounce her one-year-old daughter Elae’s name. Pronounced like the city of LA, Elae’s name was chosen by Hutton to help her daughter stand out and avoid being “boring.”
Though she appreciates the sentiment behind the decision, Hutton frequently has to do damage control when someone thinks they can guess how to pronounce her daughter’s name. Not long ago, while visiting her general practitioner, the doctor incorrectly addressed Elae and called her ‘Ellie’. This simple mistake belies the toilsome fight Hutton faces every day. She’s focused on teaching others to pronounce her daughter’s name right.
Although people mispronouncing her partner’s name may seem like a little nuisance, Hutton shared that it really bothers her.
“It’s 2025, I didn’t know that people wouldn’t be able to understand basic English.” – Emma Hutton
Earlier this January, Hutton produced a viral video to highlight the challenges that she and others with Elae’s name are experiencing. The video was met with a range of responses, as many commenters criticized her for giving her child an unusual name.
The report confirmed what we already knew—that people’s preferences have changed, with people choosing longer, shorter, more complex, or simpler names.
“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.
The impulse to name outside the box seems to be finding favor with younger generations who are more open to nominating quirky names than ever.
Hutton’s experience is not unique. Other parents face similar challenges with their children’s names. We heard from one mom about her daughter Tasia, pronounced Tay-Asia, who is frequently misidentified as Tasha. Another said that her daughter’s name, spelled ZAILA but pronounced Zay-la, gets mispronounced all the time as Zay-lia.
Hutton shared her own experiences with the hate mail she has received about Elae’s name. She communicated that many have rallied around her special needs son. Some have said that she’s doomed her child to be bullied for the rest of their life.
“I’ve had people say that they feel sorry for my child, or that I’ve set her up for a lifetime of bullying,” – Emma Hutton
The backlash extends beyond mere mispronunciations. Hutton’s suffered disparaging remarks from critics accusing her of trying to win a competition for the world’s most ridiculous name.
“They’ve called me a chav, or [say] that I’ve tried to win a competition for the world’s weirdest name,” – Emma Hutton
Even with all the darkness, Hutton never loses his hope. It’s just so strange to me that you – as an adult – felt the need to get on here and tell a kid how ridiculous their name is.
“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,” – Emma Hutton
The truth is that society, along with culture, has continued to change and adjust to new terminology and language. Regardless, it will be cool to see how folks adopt these quirky names in their everyday lives. For now, Emma Hutton, of course, hopes that the attention brought on Elae’s pronunciation will contribute to a greater awareness and understanding.
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