Baby Name question

[MainStreetMomma]

How would you pronounce Madeline? Would you be inclined to pronounce it Mad-a-LIN or Mad-a-LINE?

What about Madeleine? -LIN or -LINE?

(Madelyn seems obvious so I'm not including this variation.)

Don't worry about how you think it's supposed to be pronounced, just tell me what your natural instinct would be.

 

[brookmey]

Mad-a-lin is how I'd pronounce it, regardless of the spelling.

I knew a Madeline in college and that's how she pronounced it, so I've always thought that was the "right" way.

 

[Coconut36]

I think it can really vary based on region and people's experiences. I tend to say "mad-uh-line" regardless of spelling as that is the way someone I knew said it.

 

[*JoGo*]

Teaching preschool and working in a school, every Madeline has been pronounced Madelyn. My best friend calls her daughter Madeline if she's mad, otherwise it's Maddie or Madelyn, but it is spelled Madeline.

It's Caroline and Caroline pronounced Carolyn that stumps us around here.

 

[Scurvy]

I would pronounce both of them Mad-a-line.

 

[shell8558]

I would pronounce both of them Madelyn

 

[MainStreetMomma]

I would pronounce both of them Mad-a-line.

I would pronounce both of them Madelyn

LOL hence my dilemma!

 

[Janepod]

Mad - e - lin for both.

 

[mco65]

mada LINE

just my preference. It kind of reminds me of CaroLINE.. which i prefer

 

[Mickey'snewestfan]

Madeline is Mad UH Lin

Madeleine is Mad Uh Len

but you can't really hear the difference in how I say it.

Madelyn/Madalyn looks totally made up to me.

 

[Handbag Lady]

Mad-a-LINE for the first one.

The second one, I'd have to ask as I can see it both ways.

 

[LuLuO]

Mada-lin.

 

[fly girl]

How would you pronounce Madeline?

Mad-eh-lynn

What about Madeleine? -LIN or -LINE?

Mad-e-line

 

[EdiePA]

"They leave the house at half past nine, in two straight lines.
The smallest one is MADELINE!"
by Ludwig Bemelmans

Having read this book a million times to my niece, I have to say that it ends in LINE !

Edie

 

[crashbb]

"They leave the house at half past nine, in two straight lines.
The smallest one is MADELINE!"
by Ludwig Bemelmans

Having read this book a million times to my niece, I have to say that it ends in LINE !

Edie

Me too!

But, the quote is actually:

They left the house at half past nine
In two straight lines in rain or shine-
The smallest one was Madeline

 

[CathrynRose]

How would you pronounce Madeline? Would you be inclined to pronounce it Mad-a-LIN or Mad-a-LINE?

What about Madeleine? -LIN or -LINE?

(Madelyn seems obvious so I'm not including this variation.)

Don't worry about how you think it's supposed to be pronounced, just tell me what your natural instinct would be.

The leine version looks like "lean" to me.

I'd go Madeline.

 

[TinkerMarie]

I'll put on my name nerd hat for you.

The Madelyn spelling was ranked #104 in 2007. It jumped up to 64 in 2008, then jumped a little more, to 59 in 2009. It has fallen a bit, to 76 in 2010 (2011 numbers aren't out yet). Madeline, on the other hand, has held a spot in the 50s to 70s for the past ten years. In 2010 it was at a low of 77. Madelyn and Madeline are next to each other on the popularity list! Madeleine hovers around 300, so it's not nearly as popular as either of the other spellings. If misspellings bother you, that's one to scratch off the list since many people will spell it whatever way is most familiar to them.

As for pronunciation ... this is why I talked about the Madelyn spelling. Madelyn is a style statement. It's updated for the times. There's also Adelyn vs Adeline, along the same lines. People who want the -LYN pronunciation tend to spell it the obvious phonetic way, and reinforce the spelling trend.

Because of the popularity of the -LYN spelling and pronunciation, and its recent growth trend, I assume that anyone spelling it Madeline is doing so because they want me to pronounce it -LINE instead of -LYN. I would guess -LINE for the Madeleine spelling as well, if I met a little Madeleine one day, but I have heard it pronounced Mad-uh-LANE as well.

 

[scrapquitler]

How would you pronounce Madeline?

Mad-eh-lynn

What about Madeleine? -LIN or -LINE?

Mad-e-line

This. Madeline - Lynn
Madeleine - Line

The second one is the little girl in the orphanage in Paris

 

[Kathi OD]

I pronounce them both the same... Mad-e-lin. I have a friend named Madeleine and that's how she pronouced her name. Not saying it's "correct," just the way her family pronounced it.

 

[hj0519]

Madeline - Mad-e-line
Madeleine - Mad-e-lynn

This is from personal experience knowing people with those spellings and how they pronounced them.