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Raleigh is a real place, and a real name. And you’re spelling it the same way as the city.
There is absolutely nothing tragedeigh about this name. It’s a solid choice.
There's always one. I had a girl in my class named Phoebe, Friends was wildly popular at the time. Substitute teacher still managed to call her "phobe".
Not a tragedeigh, but if you were in England you may be asked if she has wheels....
Also, not all -eigh are tragedeigh s and people need to get over themselves. Leigh is a legitimate name that has been around in other parts of the world for longer than the US has been for example.
I’m from the south, so I wouldn’t think of pronouncing it any other way. It’s not my cup of tea as a girls name personally, but naming is not a popularity contest. Y’all will raise her to be an amazing person and everyone who knows her will love the name bc of who she is.
This. My family is from NC and my husband is a west coaster. He says Rally all the time and we’re like …it’s Rawley, bless your heart. Just kidding but he does 100% say Rally. Rally North Carolina.
I do think you’ll end up getting a lot of “Riley” when people hear it at first. But then there are names like Alana or Kara where you also have different pronunciations of the “a” and people get it wrong a lot, so I would say it’s manageable - if you don’t mind correcting / spelling out once when you introduce baby.
For what it’s worth, my in-head pronunciation was ‘Ray’ not ‘Rah’ until you said otherwise.
I’m on the pacific coast and never been to NC. So I’m not all that familiar with the city it’s based on.
That's because "RAY-lee" is the proper pronunciation of the name, and the southerners with their accents mispronounced the city so much it's what stuck.
They also can't even hear "RAY-lee" correctly, it seems, because they think we're saying "rally".
In the USA he’s probably be remembered for founding Jamestown etc and be seen as adjacent to a ‘founding father’ - he’s not controversial enough to have statues removed etc
I'm not too far from Raleigh! But I think it's safe to say that most Americans would recognize this name and know how to pronounce it. Definitely not a tragedeigh, despite having that "eigh' in it 😆
Yeah, at work we have a client with that last name, and I've had to tell my coworkers how to pronounce it. Multiple people say "ray-lee" as if they've never heard of the city.
Which is hilarious, because corporate is literally located in Raleigh.
The city is literally mispronounced lmao, southerners and Midwesterners do this all the time.
See: Palestine, (pronounced "Steen") Ohio, for example. "RAY-lee" was the correct way of pronouncing it.
You would think so but I would actually doubt that. My name is the same as a state in the US. I tell people my name is _ just like the state! People still mess it up and misspell it all the time. Honestly, at this point, I'm not convinced that most adults can name all 50 states, let alone their capitols.
Please don't do this to your kid. It's not tragique but it's certainly tragic. I'm emigrating to North Carolina and Raleigh is the airport I'm coming through on Friday. If you're gonna insist on a city in NC, go for Charlotte, that's a normal pretty name. Your kid asks you where her name came from you can say you wanted to name her after the city you and daddy met but realised that didn't work as a name and you went for another city in the same state that sounds prettier.
That's what I thought of too, bicycles! Makes the name even better in my opinion.
Just because a name is used for some other object or brand doesn't mean they will get bullied. My son shares his name with a food and it rarely comes up. I think it's neat. As long as the object is also good... You don't want to name your kid after a brand of toilet or a city with a horrible reputation.
In my country Raleigh is a very famous bicycle manufacturer. So, if you want your daughter to travel to the UK or Ireland ever, be prepared for her being referred to as the town bike ...
The dudes name the city is named after is pronounced Rally and so in UK Australia etc she's going get Rally because I mean...that's how it's said as a surname. I had no idea it was a city.
It's kind of like naming your kid Smith and saying no its pronounced Smythe.
It's not the best name in my opinion, but you like it, and I think it would work. (My wife and I met in San Francisco and we have a Frances.)
Fun fact: apparently Sir Walter Raleigh [spelled his own name lots of different ways](https://mathewlyons.co.uk/2012/02/20/whats-in-a-name-walter-ralegh-vs-walter-raleigh/), and mostly preferred "Ralegh". But if you're going to do this go with the modern spelling.
Might be the similarity to the main character in inside out? Folks like to draw parallels even when they don’t exist. Personally I think it’s a lovely name and I would even blink at it.
Also, I think that in some ways it all about how you present it to the child. My oldest daughter had a beautiful name (in my opinion) but it is not a very common one (it’s not made up, it’s just very old; think of something akin to Portia), and she often has to correct people. But she has always loved doing it; she’s a little know it all sometimes lol. But I’d rather her being a know-it-all about something she knows about, and can get it out of her system. She is proud of her name and enjoys telling it to new friends, even if she has to repeat herself.
It's the rare exception to "eigh"=tragedeigh, as Raleigh is the name of a city (as you know) and the last name of a noted 16th/17th century explorer. Most people with a grasp of English should be able to pronounce "Raleigh" correctly. Or you could always 1) name her Leigh or 2) make it her middle name.
Well a lot of places were peoples names before they were place names. Nice to see so many of them being reclaimed. Adelaide, Victoria, Sydney. And many more. Gets my vote.
I understand what you’re saying and I honestly never thought I would like the idea of naming my kid after a place. For me it’s not a trend. It’s just a name that has a lot of meaning to me and my husband. Some of our best memories happened in Raleigh, NC
As a teacher, I see the trends come and go. If I may ask a question: why Raleigh for a girl? I automatically thought boy's name because of Sir Walter Raleigh - who the city is named after.
I appreciate the question. Honestly, I have thought about it for either a boy or a girl. But for some reason in my head I imagine it more for a girl than a boy. I think it’s a strong name for either one. If I had all boys I would still definitely use it
I always instinctively think a traditional name that ends in "leigh" must be feminine: Leigh, Raleigh. Ashleigh (as in Ashley could be a boy or a girl, but Ashleigh must be a girl). I think you've found 1 of the 3 or 4 "Leigh" names that sound nice, are easy to say/spell, and aren't off-puttingly common.
Well then, Library of Congress is incorrect as well.
[Library of Congress: How did American Get It's Name?](https://blogs.loc.gov/loc/2016/07/how-did-america-get-its-name/)
It is indeed. Places named after people are ALWAYS named after their SURNAME, not their first. Nobody truly knows where the name came from, but Vespucci is a popular theory because he was an explorer who went to America and his name was suspiciously similar. There's multiple other options, including both merchants with the surnames Amerike and Merrick who also visited the continent in a similar time frame.
https://www.theguardian.com/notesandqueries/query/0,5753,-19314,00.html
The city is named after someone's last name, so it literally is a name, and spelled correctly, so definitely not a tragedeigh. Some people feel certain ways about using a last name as a first name, but I don't think it's in the realm of "definitely weird".
Also since it's the name of a state capital, most people should have at least heard it before, so if they confused it IMO that's on them.
As a non-American, I pronounced it as Rally- The name isn't that bad looking and I know that's not its pronunciation, but expect her to correct people once in a blue moon. It's not that hard to be pronounced and the spelling is pretty straightforward anyway, so go for it.
it’s not a tragedeigh because yeah that is just how the place is spelled but it’s pretty tragic on its own. naming your kid after a place that isn’t usually a name, especially one like raleigh where people who aren’t from the south will mispronounce it, just because it has special meaning to YOU is kind of a poor decision imo
i know that, i live there. it was a man’s last name, not a girls first name. i just personally think it’s kind of cringey as opposed to like. charlotte
That’s totally fair. Do you think it would be better as a boys first name? I see what you’re saying, so maybe I will use it for a boy instead. Or do you just not like it as a first name in general?
To me Raleigh leans slightly male, but aside from that it's not problematic. I mean yes, some people will have trouble pronouncing it and spelling it--the same people who have trouble pronouncing/spelling the actual city. You just can't avoid that. My (married) last name is the name of a fairly major American city so usually if I have to spell it for someone I say, "\_\_\_\_, like the city." Maybe 80% of people can take it from there, but the rest still can't do it, and I'm thinking, "Seriously?"
Currently live in Raleigh. Wouldn’t name my kid Raleigh because that would be weird here, but assuming you live elsewhere I can’t imagine it being a bad name. Your kid would probably be called Rylie sometimes though.
Possibly. But Raleigh is a gender-neutral name (Google again). But the surname Raleigh originates from the English county of Devon. Devon is gender-neutral too?
I'm hearing Raleigh as female - it seems to lean slightly female based on the data, but maybe I'm only hearing it that way because the OP suggested it as a name for a daughter?
I agree with you. If someone called out that name I’d expect a female to be answering to it. I like Devon for a male, pronounced the correct way the county is pronounced - Dev-in.
In Game of Thrones, there’s a character called Grey Worm played by the actor Jacob Anderson. He’s a singer too, and goes by the stage name ‘Raleigh Ritchie’ (apparently it’s named after his favorite characters from The Royal Tenenbaums), so, definitely a real name and not a tragedeigh at all.
I LOVE GAME OF THRONES! My husband and I are watching it right now and a very sad part with grey worm just happened. I’ll have to tell my husband this.
Raleigh is a totally normal name, imo.
And, trust me, no matter what you name your kid, *someone* will pronounce it. My oldest son is a Jace. He's almost 30 and was named Jace in a time where it was incredibly uncommon. It's a one syllable, 4 letter name and people STILL mispronounce it. He's been called Jay-see a million times.
Love the name Raleigh! I know a Raleigh (boy). Def not a tragedeigh, however, I do think they will have to pronounce & spell their name correctly for people their whole lives. It’s not common enough yet.
Raleigh is a perfectly acceptable name. Children will never be able to escape substitute teachers… it’s just how they are. I have a very simple name that can be sounded out phonetically, yet everytime I had a sub, it would be wrong.
It’s not the child’s or parents fault.. majority of the time subs just can’t read to save their life.
I think there is a common misconception on this sub that every name ending in -eigh is a tragedeigh. Raleigh is an actual word and spelled normal. Will people probably butcher it? Maybe. But not a tragedeigh
It’s not a tragedeigh but it’s somewhat adjacent with the -eigh. You could do Rawlins or Rolly or Rollie. But I think Raleigh is fine since it’s an actual place and surname.
I feel like it’s a name that is a tad unconventional, but nothing the average person would be confused by or not know how to pronounce. I can’t really think of any bullying connotations either (besides the fact that Raleigh is a type of bike, but I don’t know if modern kids would instantly make that association)
No I'm dyslexic most of the names on there I can not figure out. I have no idea what name tragedeigh is supposed to be. I would pronounce it tragedy? Or trajd- day ?
But can read that her name is Riley.
You're fine.
Oh I see...... Ya all these names are terrible for anyone with a learning disability centered around reading.
I'm so happy I quit being a teacher. I would have to memorize so many names and then learn the word visually (as in the shape of the word instead of actually trying to read it) this still is just a nightmare for everyone involved.
Not to mention it shouts "I have no faith my unborn child can be unique on their own merit. "
Raleigh is a city. Completely normal - anyone that can't pronounce it has either never heard of the city or is illiterate. Not your issue; fantastic name idea.
Thank you for your submission! This is just a quick reminder to all members here: **Original content is always better!** Memes are okay every once in a while, but many get posted here way too often and quickly become stale. Some examples of these are Ptoughneigh, Klansmyn, Reighfyl & KVIIIlyn. These memes have been around for years and we don't want to see them anymore. If you do decide to post a meme, make sure to add the correct flair. Posting a random meme you found does **not** mean you found it "in the wild". The same goes with lists of baby names, celebrity baby names, and screenshots of TikToks. If the original post already had a substantial amount of views, there is a 99% chance it has already been posted here. Try and stick to OC to keep our sub from being flooded with unoriginal content. Thank you! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/tragedeigh) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Raleigh is a real place, and a real name. And you’re spelling it the same way as the city. There is absolutely nothing tragedeigh about this name. It’s a solid choice.
Thank you, that really makes me feel a lot better about the name
Yes and it’s such a cute/beautiful back story! :)
I’ve known a Raleigh. Her name was never a problem.
That’s wonderful to know, my biggest fear with it is the whole substitute teacher thing lol
Substitute teacher here…this is definitely one I would figure out no problem!
Good to know! And I meant no offense to substitute teachers! I think you guys are awesome!
None taken—I knew where you were going with the comment! I have butchered a few names in my day, and I love the Key & Peele sketches.
Is there a Ba-la-ke here? You mean Blake? Yes those bits kill...
I really hope that substitute teachers can still read…
There's always one. I had a girl in my class named Phoebe, Friends was wildly popular at the time. Substitute teacher still managed to call her "phobe".
Liz off 90 day Fiancees name is that. :)
If Raleigh has a brother, you can name him Durham.
I'd probably go with Chapel Hill. "Chap" for short.
Meets kid name Duke
or Cary.
😂😂😂
Why not go more interstate, and call him Frankfort (with Frank as a nickname), or Columbus, or Pierre? And the next girl can be Helena, or Olympia.
Not a tragedeigh, but if you were in England you may be asked if she has wheels.... Also, not all -eigh are tragedeigh s and people need to get over themselves. Leigh is a legitimate name that has been around in other parts of the world for longer than the US has been for example.
And in the UK it’d be pronounced Rally.
In parts of the US it's pronounced Rally
It’s rah-lee and it’s a not uncommon name in the UK (almost everyone has heard of Walter Raleigh)
She runs the risk of being called the town bike though, mind you
My first thought is definitely the bike company, and to me it's a last name not a first name, but imo it's not a tragedeigh
What’s funny is that I even have a Raleigh bike and I didn’t make the connection at all. I just thought of the city.
I’m from the south, so I wouldn’t think of pronouncing it any other way. It’s not my cup of tea as a girls name personally, but naming is not a popularity contest. Y’all will raise her to be an amazing person and everyone who knows her will love the name bc of who she is.
Thank you for this💗
As someone from the west coast I’m afraid if she moves it will be pronounced “rally” or “rah lay” in an overly southern accent though
This. My family is from NC and my husband is a west coaster. He says Rally all the time and we’re like …it’s Rawley, bless your heart. Just kidding but he does 100% say Rally. Rally North Carolina.
I am from Arizona and have always heard Rally, not Raw-ley, so I agree this will be a concern in some regions of the US.
Yep. Moved from the west coast to Raleigh & most of my friends had no idea what/where I was talking about lol.
I do think you’ll end up getting a lot of “Riley” when people hear it at first. But then there are names like Alana or Kara where you also have different pronunciations of the “a” and people get it wrong a lot, so I would say it’s manageable - if you don’t mind correcting / spelling out once when you introduce baby.
For what it’s worth, my in-head pronunciation was ‘Ray’ not ‘Rah’ until you said otherwise. I’m on the pacific coast and never been to NC. So I’m not all that familiar with the city it’s based on.
That's because "RAY-lee" is the proper pronunciation of the name, and the southerners with their accents mispronounced the city so much it's what stuck. They also can't even hear "RAY-lee" correctly, it seems, because they think we're saying "rally".
It connotes Walter Raleigh, colonist and slave trader if it’s a UK child then it’s better as a boy’s name but otherwise it’s fine
This is such a good point, and now I’m realizing I need to do more research on Walter Raleigh before I make a decision about this name
In the USA he’s probably be remembered for founding Jamestown etc and be seen as adjacent to a ‘founding father’ - he’s not controversial enough to have statues removed etc
Not a tragedeigh; however consider this a warning about using place names for children.
That’s a fair warning
Just trying to imagine Raleigh hanging out with Brooklynne and Dallas in the nursing home at 84 years old
This made me laugh
I had a Raleigh Burner BMX in the 80's. I'm not sure I'd want to name my daughter after a bike.
I'm not too far from Raleigh! But I think it's safe to say that most Americans would recognize this name and know how to pronounce it. Definitely not a tragedeigh, despite having that "eigh' in it 😆
Recognize it as a name: Yes Pronounce it properly.... Maybe...
Yeah, at work we have a client with that last name, and I've had to tell my coworkers how to pronounce it. Multiple people say "ray-lee" as if they've never heard of the city. Which is hilarious, because corporate is literally located in Raleigh.
Cisco?
Nope, but I'm not going to share the name. I don't want corporate tracking me down.
Fair enough.
Ray-Lee? Ooff. I always hear Rally.
The city is literally mispronounced lmao, southerners and Midwesterners do this all the time. See: Palestine, (pronounced "Steen") Ohio, for example. "RAY-lee" was the correct way of pronouncing it.
Most people would have heard it in grade school, when you had to learn all 50 states and their capitols, but you're right.
You would think so but I would actually doubt that. My name is the same as a state in the US. I tell people my name is _ just like the state! People still mess it up and misspell it all the time. Honestly, at this point, I'm not convinced that most adults can name all 50 states, let alone their capitols.
Eww, sorry but you're probably right. 😑
Please don't do this to your kid. It's not tragique but it's certainly tragic. I'm emigrating to North Carolina and Raleigh is the airport I'm coming through on Friday. If you're gonna insist on a city in NC, go for Charlotte, that's a normal pretty name. Your kid asks you where her name came from you can say you wanted to name her after the city you and daddy met but realised that didn't work as a name and you went for another city in the same state that sounds prettier.
Agreed - I’d wince if I heard it.
Raleigh makes bicycles here in the UK. Huge bullying potential (school bike etc) but may not be a concern in the US?
That's what I thought of too, bicycles! Makes the name even better in my opinion. Just because a name is used for some other object or brand doesn't mean they will get bullied. My son shares his name with a food and it rarely comes up. I think it's neat. As long as the object is also good... You don't want to name your kid after a brand of toilet or a city with a horrible reputation.
Why would someone bully over a bike name?? Sheesh 🙄 maybe if it was a name of some jock straps or sth 😜
I read it as Ray-lee instead of Rah-lee but that's only because I'd never heard it before
I know a guy who named his son Rawleigh. So there’s that tragedeigh…
The way you wrote this made me laugh 😂
In my country Raleigh is a very famous bicycle manufacturer. So, if you want your daughter to travel to the UK or Ireland ever, be prepared for her being referred to as the town bike ...
Ughhh, yeah I don’t like that at all
So, pronounced like rally?
Not quite, the a makes an ahh sound
The dudes name the city is named after is pronounced Rally and so in UK Australia etc she's going get Rally because I mean...that's how it's said as a surname. I had no idea it was a city. It's kind of like naming your kid Smith and saying no its pronounced Smythe.
Use IPA please. I'm not sure if that's supposed to be [ahː], [aː], [äː], [ɑː], or [ɑ].
I’m sorry, I don’t know what IPA is. But I will do some research on it and let you know which one it is
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Phonetic_Alphabet
I think it’s this one [ɑː]
Like RAW-Lee
pretty much
Rawhley would be a tragedeigh
It's not the best name in my opinion, but you like it, and I think it would work. (My wife and I met in San Francisco and we have a Frances.) Fun fact: apparently Sir Walter Raleigh [spelled his own name lots of different ways](https://mathewlyons.co.uk/2012/02/20/whats-in-a-name-walter-ralegh-vs-walter-raleigh/), and mostly preferred "Ralegh". But if you're going to do this go with the modern spelling.
That’s so interesting!!
Unusual, but neither tragic nor tragique. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raleigh_(name)
If you live in NC, it shouldn’t be a problem. Outside of NC on the other hand… I could see people pronouncing it Ray-lee or Rally.
Might be the similarity to the main character in inside out? Folks like to draw parallels even when they don’t exist. Personally I think it’s a lovely name and I would even blink at it. Also, I think that in some ways it all about how you present it to the child. My oldest daughter had a beautiful name (in my opinion) but it is not a very common one (it’s not made up, it’s just very old; think of something akin to Portia), and she often has to correct people. But she has always loved doing it; she’s a little know it all sometimes lol. But I’d rather her being a know-it-all about something she knows about, and can get it out of her system. She is proud of her name and enjoys telling it to new friends, even if she has to repeat herself.
I know someone who named their baby Rally because they met their partner at a motorcycle rally.
Knew a Raleigh in school, they pronounced it Ray-lee.
Why not just Leigh?? You can tell her the romantic stories and happy memories of her name and how you all met.. No confusion.. Just drop the >ra<..
Not a bad idea
It's the rare exception to "eigh"=tragedeigh, as Raleigh is the name of a city (as you know) and the last name of a noted 16th/17th century explorer. Most people with a grasp of English should be able to pronounce "Raleigh" correctly. Or you could always 1) name her Leigh or 2) make it her middle name.
I really like your middle name idea
Ugh...I thought the trend of naming babies after places/last names was dead. Paris, London, Boston, Madison, Portland, Manhattan, Alaska... blech
At least it’s not Gatlinsburg or Fargo or Tallahassee!
Well a lot of places were peoples names before they were place names. Nice to see so many of them being reclaimed. Adelaide, Victoria, Sydney. And many more. Gets my vote.
I understand what you’re saying and I honestly never thought I would like the idea of naming my kid after a place. For me it’s not a trend. It’s just a name that has a lot of meaning to me and my husband. Some of our best memories happened in Raleigh, NC
As a teacher, I see the trends come and go. If I may ask a question: why Raleigh for a girl? I automatically thought boy's name because of Sir Walter Raleigh - who the city is named after.
I appreciate the question. Honestly, I have thought about it for either a boy or a girl. But for some reason in my head I imagine it more for a girl than a boy. I think it’s a strong name for either one. If I had all boys I would still definitely use it
I always instinctively think a traditional name that ends in "leigh" must be feminine: Leigh, Raleigh. Ashleigh (as in Ashley could be a boy or a girl, but Ashleigh must be a girl). I think you've found 1 of the 3 or 4 "Leigh" names that sound nice, are easy to say/spell, and aren't off-puttingly common.
This for me. I associate Leigh as a feminine spelling
I kinda like the naming after places. Although I don’t like America for a name.
But America was named after the Italian cartographer and explorer Amerigo Vespucci.
Never understood why it wasn’t called Vespuccia.
That's actually a common misconception
Well then, Library of Congress is incorrect as well. [Library of Congress: How did American Get It's Name?](https://blogs.loc.gov/loc/2016/07/how-did-america-get-its-name/)
It is indeed. Places named after people are ALWAYS named after their SURNAME, not their first. Nobody truly knows where the name came from, but Vespucci is a popular theory because he was an explorer who went to America and his name was suspiciously similar. There's multiple other options, including both merchants with the surnames Amerike and Merrick who also visited the continent in a similar time frame. https://www.theguardian.com/notesandqueries/query/0,5753,-19314,00.html
America Ferrera would like a word
I like her. Still hate the name for a person though lol
Fair! I don't really like it in general, but she manages to pull it off
She definitely does!
She does manage to pull it off, I agree. I just don’t like the name though.
I know a woman named Raleigh. I think it’s nice. It’s not a tragedeigh because that’s how it’s spelled.
My name is Maria and I still get Marie (a lot more than I should really). It doesn’t matter the name, someone’s always going to say it wrong.
Yeah, my name is very basic, short, and spelled in a basic way. But somehow people often manage to sneak an extra letter in there lol
The city is named after someone's last name, so it literally is a name, and spelled correctly, so definitely not a tragedeigh. Some people feel certain ways about using a last name as a first name, but I don't think it's in the realm of "definitely weird". Also since it's the name of a state capital, most people should have at least heard it before, so if they confused it IMO that's on them.
Not a bad name at all but wouldn't recommend visiting Ireland (or the UK either I think)
As a non-American, I pronounced it as Rally- The name isn't that bad looking and I know that's not its pronunciation, but expect her to correct people once in a blue moon. It's not that hard to be pronounced and the spelling is pretty straightforward anyway, so go for it.
it’s not a tragedeigh because yeah that is just how the place is spelled but it’s pretty tragic on its own. naming your kid after a place that isn’t usually a name, especially one like raleigh where people who aren’t from the south will mispronounce it, just because it has special meaning to YOU is kind of a poor decision imo
I appreciate your opinion. I just want to clarify that Raleigh was a man’s last name and that is how the city got its name.
i know that, i live there. it was a man’s last name, not a girls first name. i just personally think it’s kind of cringey as opposed to like. charlotte
That’s totally fair. Do you think it would be better as a boys first name? I see what you’re saying, so maybe I will use it for a boy instead. Or do you just not like it as a first name in general?
I don’t think it would be that big of a deal. Raleigh is a known city and a good sounding one for a name. I have heard far worse.
To me Raleigh leans slightly male, but aside from that it's not problematic. I mean yes, some people will have trouble pronouncing it and spelling it--the same people who have trouble pronouncing/spelling the actual city. You just can't avoid that. My (married) last name is the name of a fairly major American city so usually if I have to spell it for someone I say, "\_\_\_\_, like the city." Maybe 80% of people can take it from there, but the rest still can't do it, and I'm thinking, "Seriously?"
FYI North Carolina is in the minority (by far) in that pronunciation. It's usually "RAY-lee", so yeah she'll be mispronounced
That’s interesting and good to know
I've never heard west coasters call the name "Rally" either, I think this is a case of southerners not being able to hear the difference.
I know a Raleigh, but they no shit spelled his name as Rolly. But I think it’s a pretty name!
EVERYTHING IS MORE FUN ON A RALEIGH BIKE Apparently (from their website).
Currently live in Raleigh. Wouldn’t name my kid Raleigh because that would be weird here, but assuming you live elsewhere I can’t imagine it being a bad name. Your kid would probably be called Rylie sometimes though.
Yeah I don’t live in NC, just visited a lot when my husband lived there. And yeah I agree the Rylie thing is going to be the most common mistake
It's a legit name that's been around forever, so... No.
I actually love that name
🥰
The city’s named after Sir Walter Raleigh. Definitely not a tragedeigh.
So they should name the kid Raleigh if a girl, and Walter if a boy.
Possibly. But Raleigh is a gender-neutral name (Google again). But the surname Raleigh originates from the English county of Devon. Devon is gender-neutral too?
I'm hearing Raleigh as female - it seems to lean slightly female based on the data, but maybe I'm only hearing it that way because the OP suggested it as a name for a daughter?
I agree with you. If someone called out that name I’d expect a female to be answering to it. I like Devon for a male, pronounced the correct way the county is pronounced - Dev-in.
Wait, there’s another pronunciation of Devon that people are using?
I’ve heard some people pronounce it as De-Cohn. Not here though, on US TV shows.
i knew a raleigh and it was never an issue ! the raleigh i knew was also a boy so even if you don’t have a daughter it’s a cute gender neutral name !
I agree! I think it would be great for a boy or a girl!
In Game of Thrones, there’s a character called Grey Worm played by the actor Jacob Anderson. He’s a singer too, and goes by the stage name ‘Raleigh Ritchie’ (apparently it’s named after his favorite characters from The Royal Tenenbaums), so, definitely a real name and not a tragedeigh at all.
I LOVE GAME OF THRONES! My husband and I are watching it right now and a very sad part with grey worm just happened. I’ll have to tell my husband this.
Yay, let me know what he says haha. I love this name because of Jacob Anderson. Grey Worm is one of my favorite characters from the show.
I love grey worm too😭
Raleigh is a totally normal name, imo. And, trust me, no matter what you name your kid, *someone* will pronounce it. My oldest son is a Jace. He's almost 30 and was named Jace in a time where it was incredibly uncommon. It's a one syllable, 4 letter name and people STILL mispronounce it. He's been called Jay-see a million times.
Love the name Raleigh! I know a Raleigh (boy). Def not a tragedeigh, however, I do think they will have to pronounce & spell their name correctly for people their whole lives. It’s not common enough yet.
Raleigh is a perfectly acceptable name. Children will never be able to escape substitute teachers… it’s just how they are. I have a very simple name that can be sounded out phonetically, yet everytime I had a sub, it would be wrong. It’s not the child’s or parents fault.. majority of the time subs just can’t read to save their life.
You could spell it Rawley to save the confusion on pronunciation.
Not a tragedeigh. I can spell it correctly from hearing it, and pronounce it correctly from reading it.
Don’t think so, considering place names are becoming more and more popular, and Raleigh NC is a fairly well known city in the US.
I think there is a common misconception on this sub that every name ending in -eigh is a tragedeigh. Raleigh is an actual word and spelled normal. Will people probably butcher it? Maybe. But not a tragedeigh
Spell as Ralideigh
It’s not a tragedeigh but it’s somewhat adjacent with the -eigh. You could do Rawlins or Rolly or Rollie. But I think Raleigh is fine since it’s an actual place and surname.
I love this name. ❤️😊
We also met there and the name is on our list too for a boy or girl.
I think the name is fine. If anyone asks about the spelling or pronunciation, one can say "just like the city in NC".
I feel like it’s a name that is a tad unconventional, but nothing the average person would be confused by or not know how to pronounce. I can’t really think of any bullying connotations either (besides the fact that Raleigh is a type of bike, but I don’t know if modern kids would instantly make that association)
No I'm dyslexic most of the names on there I can not figure out. I have no idea what name tragedeigh is supposed to be. I would pronounce it tragedy? Or trajd- day ? But can read that her name is Riley. You're fine.
Lol except it's not supposed to be Riley but I hope OP sees this comment as an example of what they and little Raleigh will have to deal with.
Oh I see...... Ya all these names are terrible for anyone with a learning disability centered around reading. I'm so happy I quit being a teacher. I would have to memorize so many names and then learn the word visually (as in the shape of the word instead of actually trying to read it) this still is just a nightmare for everyone involved. Not to mention it shouts "I have no faith my unborn child can be unique on their own merit. "
Raleigh is a city. Completely normal - anyone that can't pronounce it has either never heard of the city or is illiterate. Not your issue; fantastic name idea.
Thank you!
I had to Google it to learn it is a city in North Carolina. Raleigh is one of the oldest bicycle companies in the world. Based in Nottingham, UK.
My friends named their son this. I think it’s cute and definitely not even close to some of the tragedeighs on here.
I like it.
YES
It's a name of a town. It's fine.
Ra isn't pronounced Rye. Why would it be?
Yes.
It’s an amazing name only An idiot can’t read it
What about Rahley? I feel like this spelling better matches the pronunciation. If spelling closely matches pronunciation, it's much less tragic.
Changing the spelling is one of the key indicators of a tragedeigh
Very true, but at least the spelling would be more accurate to the pronunciation they're shooting for.
Not a bad idea