M. writes:
Hi here, Swistle! I love your blogs and i have a baby name question: How would you pronounce “Lucia”? Just first instinct, without thought, as if you were a teacher calling roll on the first day of school. We are strongly considering it as a name for a baby girl, but I only like one pronunciation and I fear that everyone else assumes the other. Thanks for your opinion!
Lucia is a name that immediately registers two pronunciations with me: if I were a teacher reading out the class list, I would say, “Loo-SEE-ah, Loo-CHEE-ah…?” I know it can also be pronounced LOO-sha, but that one comes to my mind as a distant third.
What pronunciation does everyone else think of first?
I think of Loo-Chee-ah first, but as you say, would say both and ask the child…and I am a casual relief teacher, so I do that a lot!
I think of Loo-Sha first, because the only Lucia I’ve ever known pronounced it that way. Behind the Name has a guide to the various pronounciations, which vary based on language.
http://www.behindthename.com/name/lucia
My daughter is a lucia pronounced loosha, shes 13 now, people always get it wrong, I am of carribbean decent so to me it made sense to pronounce it this way luke the island, although I went to school with an Italian girl pronounced loocheeah which I love! My ex husband was very adamant on the loosha pronunciation xxx
Loo-chee-ah is definitely my initial reaction.
my first instinct is the loo-sha pronunciation.
loo-see-uh
when i see it, two parts of my brain argue as to whether it’s loo-see-ah or loo-sha. it’s loo-chee-ah that is, for me, a really really really distant third.
Loo-sha first, Loo-see-uh next. Didn’t even think loo-chee-a
Ditto.
LOOsha immediately comes to mind.
Loo-chee-a first for me then loo-see-uh
LOO sha, I think because I always said St. Lucia day like that.
I used to think Lu-SEE-a. Now I know one, and she introduced herself as Lu-CHEE-a, so that’s the pronounciation I assume unless told otherwise.
I look at the name and think “I have NO CLUE how to pronounce that name!”
My instinct is Loo-chee-ah, and Loo-see-ah would be second. Loo-sha wouldn’t have occurred to me. It’s a beautiful name, but one that you and your daughter will always need to pronounce for people.
Lou-CHEE-a first for me, then Lou-SEE-a.
Didn’t even think about Loosha.
I’d say “Loo…” and hesitate a little waiting for direction from the child. I’d consider Loo-SEE-ah and LOO-sha about equally likely. I don’t think Loo-CHEE-ah would come immediately to mind but it wouldn’t surprise me to learn that was how it was pronounced.
I’m Swedish, so I immediately think of the Lucia festival we have every Christmas. We pronounce it Loo-SEE-uh.
instinctively i’d say loo-sha. (but really with a name like that i wait until someone says it first.)
Loo-see-uh. Love the name!
Loo-sha like St. Lucia :-)
Loo-sha
I would say Loo-SEE-uh. That is not my preferred pronunciation, but it’s what seems the most common one where I live.
Loo-see-ah
Loo chee ah. Then loo sha like the island. Never heard loo see a before.
I read it as LOO-sha.
I know a Lucia and she pronounces it Loo-SEE-ah, so that’s what comes to mind first. Maybe even LOO-see-ah like the name Lucy, because of the similar spelling, but it doesn’t look like that occurs to other people?
I’m Italian so I automatically pronounce it Loo-Chee-Uh. I went to high school with A Lucia who pronounced it that way.
First, I think LOO-sha, like St. Lucia (sigh, love it there!). But if it were a child’s name I would think Loo-CHEE-uh and then Loo-SEE-uh. I am dying to know what the OP intends it to be!
Loo-sha.
I would start with Loo-see-ah, but I’ve heard all 3 pronunciations (loo-chee-ah and loo-sha), and would try all of them in succession if I was calling role. I think it’s a very pretty name all 3 ways.
The only Lucia I know pronounces it LOO-sha, and between that and the island, that’s the way I see it now.
Definitely Loo-Chee-Ah. (I’m Italian.)
Then Loo-See-Ah.
Loo-Sha wouldn’t come to mind. It’s an island!
Did not even know Loo-sha was an option! I think of Loo-Chee-a first, with Loo-see-a being a close second.
I would think LOOsha first, then LooSEEah. I wouldn’t have thought of LooCHEEah, but I like them all and would remember it after the child/mother told me.
Well, my best friend is Norwegian. And Scandanavians celebrate “Santa Lucia Day”. I often celebrate these days with her, and have learned a lot about how to pronounce things the Norwegian way. lol So, my first thought is “Loo-CEE-uh” and I like it a lot more than “Loo-chee-uh”, personally.
I always pronounce is LOO-sha first, then Loo-SEE-ah.
Loo-CHEE-ah
It’s an italian name, so that’s what I’d asssume first.
Loo-sha comes to mind first. I considered this name a number of years ago and from my research it seems to me that people are pretty evenly divided between the three pronunciations. If you love the name you will just have to pick the pronunciation you like best and accept that you will have to correct a lot of people the first time. Once they’ve heard it then it’s no big deal.
Loo-see-ah first, then Loo-chee-ah. I might guess Loo-chee-ah first, depending on the last name. I probably would not guess Loo-sha, even though I know it is an accepted version. But Loo-sha wouldn’t be hard to remember once I was corrected.
loo-SEE-ah, then LOO-sha, then LOO-see-ah. It wouldn’t even dawn on me to think loo-CHEE-ah.
I’ve been exposed to it only in the loo-SEE-ah pronunciation. It’s a very popular name in Spain, and when I went last year I ran into tons of little loo-SEE-ahs.
It was also my “Spanish name” in my high school Spanish class, so I’m very fond of Lucia.
M, I want to know which pronunciation you prefer!
Definitely LOO-sha first, then LOO-see-ah. Loo-Che-ah would be a distant third for me.
loo-THEE-ah
Loo-sha first, but as a former teacher, I’ve heard all 3, plus LOOSE-ya, and LOOCH-ya
(where LOOSE is pronounced like the word meaning ‘not tight.’
Loo-cee-uh.
Loo-SEE-ah. But if the last name was obviously Italian I’d try Loo-Chee-ah. Loosha is not one I’d try by instinct at all.
I was in this position a LOT since I was a substitute teacher for a few years. Since I live in Texas I would first try a Spanish pronunciation: Lu-SEE-a, then an Americanish pronunciation: LOO-sha, then the Italian Loo-CHEE-ah.
A girl’s last name could also clue me in. If her last name was Resendez or Garcia or something, I’d be more likely to use the Spanish first, and if it was Giovanni I might try the Italian first.
M here – I want to go for loo SEE ah, but I don’t want to set a baby up for a lifetime of having to clarify her name! We are in a real name rut!
I think 2 pronunciations too but the 2 that come to my mind are:
Loo-see-ah
Loo-sha
Sorry people but it is an ITALIAN name. The pronunciation is LuCHEEah.
You can make up any other pronunciation you want, but that doesn’t make them correct.
It’s not just an Italian name. It’s also a Spanish name. The correct pronunciation is whichever the parents chose.
I think of two pronunciations: Loo-SEE-ah and Loo-sha. I didn’t even think of Loo-CHEE-ah. I wouldn’t really like Loo-CHEE-ah.
I think Loo-sha first, but would wonder if it was Loo-SEE-ah. Loo-CHEE-ah would be a distant third and my least favorite option.
Loo-sha, but I live in New Zealand where the name is pretty unusual. I don’t think I’ve met one before.
I’m Swedish, so: LOO SEE UH
I think of looSEEah first, as I had a professor of that name. I suspect ethinicity/cultural experience plays a role here. The professor I knew was from Argentina, so I think of looSEEah first, but I also assume that as more of a hispanic oriented pronunciation where if I thought someone had more of an Italian or European background I’d lean more towards looCHEEah. So, think about where you are located too and if there is a strong lean you’ll encounter based on other people’s language/ethnicity/cultural biases.
I first think loo-see-ah, then go to loo-sha. Loo-chee-ah didn’t even occur to me.
Loo-SEE-uh first. My fiance is insisting, “LOO-syah, like Lucy.”
I am finding the people who are insisting that this name “is,” for instance, Italian, very funny. I guess people feel a lot of ownership about this particular name?
My first exposure to the name was through the American Girl book about Kirsten (from Sweden, I think?) who celebrated St. Lucia’s Day, so that’s probably why I go to the pronunciation I do.
M, for what it’s worth, Loo-SEE-uh is my favorite pronunciation, too. I think it’s totally usable, despite the various ways to pronounce it.
I say Loo-chee-a
I think Loo-CHEE-a. I kind of wish I didn’t, because I like both of the other pronunciations better, but that’s what my brain hears when I read the name.
loo-SEE-ah.
I went to Swedish camp for 5 summers and have considered using it as a middle name — for me, the first thought is Loo-see-a, although I wouldn’t be surprised if non-Swedes used a different pronunciation.
Paired with an Italian-sounding lastname, I’d guess Lu CHEE ah, but with a Scandinavian or Hispanic-sounding last name, I’d automatically guess Lu SEE ah, which is my favorite pronunciation and one of my top baby name choices. I think LOOsha is more common in Britain than America, and it definitely comes as last guess for me.
Who knew the name Lucia was so divisive!!
I’d immediately think of Lu-see-uh as the pronunciation (despite years of singing it as “Santa Loo-chee-uh” in elementary school). That’s the only way I’ve heard it pronounced as a child’s name, though it’s generally been in Hispanic families, where I’m guessing that may be the standard pronunciation?
I think Angela’s comment at 12:38 is spot on, but I’ll add yet another pronunciation just to make things fun: in Portuguese, it’s LOOSE-ya.
Loo-sha, then Loo-see-ah.
Loo-see-ah
Is there a way to do a poll but allow people to vote more than once?
Loo-see-uh
Loosha, automatically – maybe I need a tropical vacation.
Then I realized its Loo Cee ah, at least where I come from (Missouri.)
I think “LOO-sha,” because the only Lucia I know pronounces her name that way. However, she has to correct people’s pronunciations all the time, so I guess maybe it’s not as common a pronunciation in this area (east coast USA)?
My daughter is Lucia and (pronounced Lou-see-ah). We call her Lucy about half of the time. When people say her name I get Lou-see-uah and “Lou-sha” about 50/50. Her twin brother is Silas (Sigh-lus)and he gets “Sill-as” a lot. I love their nsmaes Silas and Lucia – or Sy and Lucy as they are usually called
Loo-see-ah
Loo-SEE-ah then Loo-Chee-ah
I speak Italian, so I say loo-chee-a
Lu-SEE-a. If Italian last name, I might go for Lu-CHEE-ah. Last, Loo-sha. I don’t like that pronunciation, but I know a Lucias and it is pronounced Lu-shiss, so I suppose the feminine of his name would be Lu-sha.
I think Loo-see-ah first and then Loo-chee-ah, but would probably look to the last name for a clue. We know a Lucia and a Luciana; Lucia is Italian and pronounced Loo-chee-ah, and Luciana is Loo-see-ah-nah (and often called Lucy). So I’d probably wait to hear it spoken…
Loo-CHEE-ah, because I know some Italian.
I think it’s pretty obvious that you’d have to clarify the pronunciation a lot. However, all 3 ways of pronouncing it are totally valid.
Almost everyone has stories of people mispronouncing their name… even the simplest of names. Lucia is a beautiful name, no matter how you pronounce it. Go for it!
This is my daughter’s name, pronounced Loo-SEE-ah. I was worried about pronunciation problems, but have been pleasantly surprised: most people have used this pronunciation, and it’s been a non-issue.
I immediately pronounced it out loud as Loo-see-ah. I also considered Loo-chee-ah. I like to think about the ethnicity of names when pronouncing them for the first time, and I recognized this as Italian so I knew how to pronounce it. Unfortunately so many Americans “anglicize” names and would immediately say Loo-sha, like how the island St. Lucia is pronounced. So I’d keep that in mind!
Another vote for Loo-sha, then Loo-see-ah. I wouldn’t have guessed Loo-chee-ah at all…
As someone who consistently has to correct pronunciation on my name, I can tell you it’s very tiresome.
my niece is named Lucia, after her great-grandmother Lucia whose parents were swedish. they pronounce it LOO-sha. I also knew an old lady in a nursing home named Lucia and she also pronounced it LOO-sha. i’ve heard Loo-CHEE-a as well.
My husband and I both independently saw it and said Loo-sha. I thought of St. Lucia in the caribbean, and that’s how I’ve always heard it pronounced.
The first Lucia I met was Brazilian and her name was pronounced LOO-see-ah, but most Americans pronounced it Loo-SEE-ah. Then I had a student named Lucia who pronounced it loo-CHEE-ah and I really got used to it and started to love it like that. Then a friend of mine just named her baby Lucia, pronounced loo-SEE-ah and I find it hard to remember to go back to the SEE vs the CHEE pronunciation. If I encountered her on a daily basis, I would remember, but I’m out of practice after saying loo-CHEE-ah several times a day for a year.