Would this name be a burden?

ckettenb

I've asked before, but I'm asking again. DH and I can't agree on a name to save our lives.  We've come back to Lara, which we both love.  My only fear is that she'll go through life forced to correct people who try to call her Laura. (Or maybe who read her name and then try to pronounce it as if it's supposed to rhyme with Sarah).

Would you name your daughter Lara? 

Full name will be Lara A.line Holland.  

tealowl

When I read it, I read it as Lara, rhyming with Sarah.

Some names are just mispronouced, It's NBD. Just correct and move on!

Helenahhandbasket

teal owl:

When I read it, I read it as Lara, rhyming with Sarah.

Some names are just mispronouced, It's NBD. Just correct and move on!

 

This.  OP, how do you want the name pronounced?

JackieA2013

I absolutely think she will go through life having to correct people - Laura and Lara do sound an awful lot alike.  However, that experience may make her that much more confident and able to speak up for herself.  Can you imagine a spunky 3 year old correcting a friend about how to say her name?  Then maybe you can also imagine a bold 30 something standing up for herself in the professional world too.

ckettenb

It's pronounced Lar-ah.  (Lara Croft, Lara Flynn Boyle)

banannapeach85

To be honest, I much prefer Laura, but it's not a bad name and it's common enough that most people would know the correct pronunciation. Go for it.

ckettenb

JackieA2013:

I absolutely think she will go through life having to correct people - Laura and Lara do sound an awful lot alike.  However, that experience may make her that much more confident and able to speak up for herself.  Can you imagine a spunky 3 year old correcting a friend about how to say her name?  Then maybe you can also imagine a bold 30 something standing up for herself in the professional world too.

This is my hubby's thought.  He says it will build character.  I just don't want her to be annoyed with her name her whole life. 

BulgariHeart

I like Lara and would pronounce correctly. I've known three Laras in my life, all nice

Helenahhandbasket

ckettenb:

It's pronounced Lar-ah.  (Lara Croft, Lara Flynn Boyle)

It must be a regional thing then, because I say Sara/ Sarah just like that.

How else are people saying Sarah?

atlvol

My name is Laura, I get called Laurie, Lauren, Lara, Lori, etc.  I think it will always happen, but to answer your question about being a burden, no.  I love my name and I'm fine that people mispronounce it, I just correct them and move on, it has never really bothered me!  

kelley72

I think it is very pretty and would not have any difficulty with pronounciation

ckettenb

For Sara/Sarah I typically hear Ser-a  (First syllable rhymes with care)

Manderlin923

My maiden name was incredibly difficult for people to say and spell. I think I can count on one hand the amount of strangers in my life who said it correctly. But I'm not damaged from it. I think it's not that hard to correct people and go from there. All 3 of our top names may have pronunciation issues but we love them enough to look past it.

 

Helenahhandbasket

mj.reilly:

Helenahhandbasket:

ckettenb:

It's pronounced Lar-ah.  (Lara Croft, Lara Flynn Boyle)

It must be a regional thing then, because I say Sara/ Sarah just like that.

How else are people saying Sarah?

Lara = /LAHR-uh/ like "R" or "car"

Sara(h) = /SARE-uh/ like "air" or "care"

OP, I would say it correctly and I really like it. Love Lara Croft!

LOL-- thanks.  Totally regional I guess.  

queenbone

Helenahhandbasket:

ckettenb:

It's pronounced Lar-ah.  (Lara Croft, Lara Flynn Boyle)

It must be a regional thing then, because I say Sara/ Sarah just like that.

How else are people saying Sarah?

I'm guessing the OP wants to avoid people pronouncing it Lair-ah, which is how it would rhyme with how people pronounce Sarah.

OP, I would pronounce Lara as Lar-ah, it isn't at all the same as Laura.

Ironically one of DH's cousins is named Laura, but the way her parents pronounce it it sounds like Lara to me.

led2009

I wouldn't call it a burden. It's just a name that people may pronounce differently depending on the region they are from. My name is Laura and I've been called Laurie/ Lara/ Lauren etc many times. It's not a big deal to correct people. I had a friend growing up who's name was spelled the same as mine but because her family was from Boston they pronounced it the way you pronounce Lara. When she moved to the Midwest she had to correct people all the time but it never bothered her or made her dislike her name.

strawberrytree

I love this name so much! I would pronounce it Lahr ah. Do it!

Zimger

I don't think I would use it myself but I like it and wouldn't side eye it. I think it is a nice name.

sunlavender

I think Lara is great. 

rpalen29

When I think of Lara, I think of someone with a boston accent saying it. It just sounds weird to me. NMS. 

Notwifezilla7

teal owl:

When I read it, I read it as Lara, rhyming with Sarah.

Some names are just mispronouced, It's NBD. Just correct and move on!

Agreed. Lara Spencer on Good Morning America seems to be doing fine with that as her first name!

RedInLove

I would not think Laura when I see Lara. I would pronounce it LAH-rah.

kmpls

I like Lindy better.

msmerymac

I think it's a fine name. I pronounce it the way you intend, and I have a great-lakes, broad "a" type of accent. 

I know people named Kristin/Christine who always get the other pronunciation and those are completely different pronunciations. And no one even thinks, "Hmm, if I use Christine she might get called Kristin a lot." 

I'm a Meredith and the variations in spelling I've gotten at starbucks alone can't be counted will all my fingers and toes. And my last name is never spelled correctly. Don't worry about it! 

RunningGal900

I wouldn't mistake it with Laura, but might think it rhymes with Sarah. I have known a few Laras in my life and they have been pronounced both ways. As for the burden, my name is Alexandra and I've spent my entire life telling people I'm not Alexandria and its never bothered me other than wondering why people can't read.

LimeDrops

Don't worry so much about it. My name is Laura  and I live in a borderline region where half my friends say "Lor-ah" and half say "Lah-ra". Variants of Laura are all nice names imo and it doesn't bother me at all that pronunciation varies.

FWIW I would pronounce Lara "Lah-ra" with a slightly more emphasized/flat "AH" sound than Laura "Lah-ra" but probably not a noticeable difference to most people. 

kimmycup

teal owl:

When I read it, I read it as Lara, rhyming with Sarah.

Some names are just mispronouced, It's NBD. Just correct and move on!

This is what I read too. 

candrew05

I like the name and read it the way you would pronounce it.  Like another pp said it must be a regional thing, I don't know anyone who has trouble pronouncing that name.

Again, I like the name a lot!

KikiSmash12

A friend of mine's wife is named Lara. While I say it correctly, probably about 70% of our mutual friends/acquaintances call her Laura. She's too nice to correct them or maybe it doesn't bother her IDK.  

I grew up with a name that gets mispronounced constantly. I'm Kirsten, pronounced Kear-sten. I've gotten so many dammn Kerstins and Kristins I could stab somebody. My criteria for naming my own DD was that it could not be a name easily confused with another. I hate correcting people but I obviously detest being called the wrong name.  

So I wouldn't do it. It's a cute name, but I don't think constantly correcting people builds character, I think it's infuriating. Also, kids are cruel. I got teased a ton because kids knew it bothered me to be called Kristin, etc, so of course, they purposely called me Kristin.