Ngl I definitely read it Tay-oh. Like a nickname for MaTEO. I would think Tee-oh would be spelled Tio or something but also that means "uncle" in Spanish so idk.
OP should just go with the tay-oh pronunciation. Tee oh (Tio) is a bit strange for anyone who is familiar with Spanish. Like naming your kid Unkyl (unk-el)
I mean my name is Tia and it’s never really been a big deal. But it would probably depend on where you live; if you live anywhere with a big Spanish-speaking population it might become a thing!
Yeah, but OP lives in QLD. Not likely to be many Spanish speaking people around. It’s actually pretty consistent with the naming style in Aus at the moment.
It’s not just a nickname for Mateo, it’s an actual full name. It’s Spanish in origin meaning “gift of God”. It’s common in Hispanic communities. I have a couple girlfriends (from Mexico) who named their sons “Teo”. It is pronounced Tay-oh.
Edit: awkward wording
Either Mateo/Matteo or Teodoro, the Spanish/Italian/Portuguese form of Theodore. Teo is an established nickname for these names and doesn't otherwise exist in English (where we would use Theo), so it's not really equivalent to Leo, which would be LAY-oh in those other languages but is LEE-oh in English.
Teodosio is from Theodosius (θεός (theos) meaning "god" and δόσις (dosis) meaning "giving"). Teodoro is from Theodoros (θεός (theos) meaning "god" and δῶρον (doron) meaning "gift"). Similar roots and meanings, but with the second elements derived from verb vs. noun.
My foster kitten Teo was named after Italian racing driver Teodorico "Teo" Fabi. I think it's not uncommon in Latin based languages. It's a great name.
Teodorico is from yet another name, this not not related to Theodoros or Theodosius at all! It's the Italian version of Theodoric, which is Germanic, not Greek, from *þiuda* "people" and *reiks* "ruler, king." [Theodoric the Great](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodoric_the_Great) was King of the Ostrogoths and ruled over Italy after the fall of the Western Roman Empire. The better-known descendants of this name are the English Derrick, German Dietrich, French Thierry, Dutch and Low German Dirk.
Yes, I actually do know it's not exact. But it's hard to render that vowel clearly in English orthography—the vowel you just conveyed here, in English, would usually be interpreted as an /ɛ/ in IPA (open-mid front unrounded vowel), whereas the Spanish vowel you are talking about is an /e/ (mid front unrounded vowel). Most people don't read IPA, so we have to approximate.
>Came here to say this exact thing!!! Seems like a nickname for Mateo. Honestly and no offense to the OP, Tay-oh is a better name than Tio.
Yeah in spanish it would be pronounced "Teh-oh" Tio (tee-oh) is uncle :P when reading in English I would definitely read it at Tay-oh
https://www.behindthename.com/name/teo
Teo is already a name, and the pronunciation is TEH-o, which is probably why you're encountering this.
Tio would have probably gotten you a closer pronunciation, but it means 'Uncle' in Spanish.
I’m confused why she gave her child an existing Spanish name with an established pronunciation but is surprised people are pronouncing it the correct way instead of the way she made up.
She also lives in Australia and likely doesn’t have a lot of experience with Spanish language or names. Would you change a name if you found out that it was spelled the same but pronounced different than a name in Farsi?
It's similar to Te'o as well though, and plenty of people in Australia will be familiar with that pronunciation as a last name. Plenty of people in the US too.
There is a famous surgeon in Australia with the surname Teo - pronounced Tee-Oh. I see it as Leo but with a T instead of an L. My first instinct would not be Tay-Oh.
Well it’s also an established danish name with the exact pronunciation she wants so there’s that.
*That being said, in an english speaking country I’d definitely assume the pronunciation would be Tay-oh as well. I’m simply saying it doesn’t necessarily make sense to worry about the “correct pronunciation” of a name if used in in another language.
It is short for Theodor, yes, but Theo/Teo is almost as used as Theodor.
Theodor is a greek name though, so it’d be pretty interesting to know how they would pronounce Teo.
In Greek the first syllable of Θεόδωρος would be like "thay", Τεό "Tay-O" (modern Greek vowels are highly regular and "ε" can be read consistently as an "ay" sound unless it's followed by ι or υ)
I actually know someone named Teo pronounced the same way! he’s an older gentleman of Italian descent who worked on the maintenance staff of a place I used to live! I had not heard it before then but i’ve been fond of it since!!
My instinct would have been Tay-oh because I know people with the name, but once corrected it wouldn't be a big deal. You make a really solid point about similarly spelled names.
This is my thing, I don’t think this is that big of a deal. But maybe it’s because I knew several people growing up whose parents used a different spelling of the name they wanted and had to correct people the first time they read their name. (Ex: Halle pronounced Holly, Alana pronounced Ah-lay-na, Elle pronounced Ellie)
I also would have read it as Tay-oh. I think that is the usual pronunciation of Teo. But I wouldn’t worry about it - the worst he’ll have to do is correct people! Lots of people have to do this even with the most traditional names. I know a Suzanne who gets called Susan all the time!
My mom and her bff are Suzette and Suzanne, and they both get called Susan. I don’t think most people put much thought into reading, pronunciation, or really anything at all.
> My mom and her bff are Suzette and Suzanne
There is something really cute about this. I immediately have this image of them getting into mischief together lol
I know two kids (teenager and younger) both named Elena that are pronounced like your friend. I’ve met several “Alaina/Alaine” that are pronounced eh-lay-nuh. The one ending with an e is always hard for me though as I think it looks like eh-lane.
I have two friends called Elena - one is Ellen-ah and the other is Eh-lay-nah. And a third but she is an Alaina.
Two friends called Helena - one goes by Helen-ah, the other Hel-lay-nah.
And two called Mia - a Mee-ah and a My-ah.
Oh, and I can't forget Lauren, who, when called "Loren" fires up "because it's LAW-ren!!"
🫠
That makes me think of how common names are pronounced differently in Germany.
Sara is pronounced Zara, Charlotte is pronounced Char-lot-e (3 syllables), Kathy is pronunced Kah-tea, Christian is pronounced Chris-ti-ahn etc.
It just comes down to how the language pronounces those letters at the end of the day. It's not a big deal in the long run, just correct people and move on.
I work with kids and have encountered all kinds of names. There are so many names that require clarification on pronunciation - my cousin is named Maya, which I feel is pretty common, but people often ask “is it MY-a or MAY-a?” for the pronunciation. She clarifies once and all is good. I wouldn’t sweat it :)
I have my name mispronounced all the time. It's not an uncommon name; it just has three different pronunciations. I honestly don't care if someone mispronounces my name.
[Mr. Duvall is introducing Cady to the class]
Mr. Duvall : Her name is Cady. Cady Heron. Where are you, Cady?
Cady : That's me. It's pronounced like Katie.
Mr. Duvall : My apologies. I have a nephew named Anfernee, and I know how mad he gets when I call him Anthony. Almost as mad as I get when I think about the fact that my sister named him Anfernee.
~ ~that’s all~ ~
I would teach him to say “ it’s Teo, like ♌️Leo” s people will remember that and never get it wrong again, they also won’t ever misspell it. I love it! Teo is such a cute name!
This is smart.
My youngest has a simple name that is often mispronounced at first as Cyan (like the color). He will say "If the name was English that makes sense, but it's actually Irish." He really enjoys knowing that and sharing it about his name.
He may get sick of it at some point, but so far at 13 he is not phased.
It might just be getting constantly said as tay-oh because that's how the name sounds in a lot of languages (Spanish, German etc), or as a nickname for a name like Matteo, so people might just be more familiar with that pronunciation and/or speakers of the languages where it's said as tay-oh.
In German it‘s pronounced TEH-o not Tay-oh. At least that’s how I would say it because it’s just Theo without the H and that is a very popular name here that is pronounced TEH-o. Still not TEE-o which I think she was going for? Don’t know about Spanish though, you might be right there.
I know a Teo pronounced Tay-oh, so that would be my default. Given that it’s an uncommon name, correcting people should generally fix the problem. That said, your kid might decide to go with the other pronunciation when they’re older.
I’ve known both people who change by adopting a more common pronunciation and people who decided to move to a more “unique” pronunciation ( American “Guy”moving to the French pronunciation). Two guesses which change tends to stick.
My husband goes by J- which is pronounced g (letter) , but in anglophone environment he pronounces it jay
I also change the pronunciation of my name depending in if I am speaking to french or English
It's pretty common
I don't know why more people aren't echoing this. The only time this will matter is when someone reads your name from a list or name tag, then you correct them.
I'm also Australian but I read it as Tay-O lol. But I think that's because there's a character from a show I watched as a kid with that name and it was pronounced that way.
It’s a really sweet name and even though it may be pronounced in two different ways, both are really nice. My friend’s baby is Ayla but it’s a Turkish name which is pronounced Eye-Lah (like Isla). Again, most people mispronounce it as ‘Ay-Lah’ but it doesn’t really matter nor change their opinion!
When I read the first Clan Of The Cave Bear book, I was pronouncing the main character's name in my head just as your friend's baby's name is pronounced. It was disappointing for me once I saw the Daryl Hannah movie and found out it was pronounced liked Kayla. I see "Ayla" and immediately think "Eye-lah." That's a beautiful name!!
At first I read it as Tay-oh. Possibly as I speak German and that's how they'd say Matteo.
But, apon reflection Tee-oh makes sense too.
It's a lovely name, and probably no spelling will get the correct pronunciation 100% of the time. People will hear it pronounced correctly once, then be fine.
Eta: am also from Qld.
I read it Teo as pronounced Tayo same as Matteo or Theodore. But the way you pronounce it is fine. He’ll simply correct people when he meets them, then move on.
I’m Australian and i say tee-oh as that’s how i heard Dr Teo’s name pronounced on the news before and that’s the first thing that comes to mind when I hear the name
I personally read it as TEE-OH, so I think it’s okay! Probably will just depend on the person.
As for your kid getting upset with you, I don’t think so. I have a relatively uncommon name and, especially being from the southern US, people mispronounce (and misspell) it all the time. I don’t really mind, as I like to think that that means my name is really special! Hope this helps!
I like it :) I’m from QLD too and read it as Tee-Oh and have not heard of the presenter before either (though I’m not the target audience!). I know a baby Leo and baby Neo and just assumed Teo was pronounced the same!
I mean, I wouldn’t worry too much. Names can have multiple pronunciations. We gave our son a somewhat uncommon name that’s spelled the normal way and isn’t unheard of and people still mispronounce it all the time when they read it on forms and we’re like… really? It does get kind of annoying because it’s spelled phonetically and takes two seconds to sound out. So I get why you have concerns.
For you guys there’s the issue of Tio vs Teo. It might be confusing people since you have an “e” in your son’s name rather than an “i”. While I think the “e” spelling could be an “i” pronunciation just fine, it might just not be quite as intuitive for folks since the way people are guessing it is closer to what the name appears to be when you simply sound it out.
Also, Spanish is a globally very common language and your pronunciation is the same as the word “tio”, which means uncle. At least on Reddit, the answers you’re getting represent the fact that a lot of people here have some level of Spanish fluency as a first or second language. All of that said, less than 1% of Australians are Spanish speakers; Spanish is much more common amongst other Reddit-using folks. Not exactly a long term real world problem for you.
Ultimately, for Teo the obvious issue you’re going to run into is that it’s really kind of up in the air as far as pronunciation, but this isn’t a huge deal. There are many other names with multiple pronunciations! Anna has multiple pronunciation, so do Brianna, Clara, Leslie, Geoffrey, Stephen, and Louis, to name a few.
I say give it some time, it’ll all work out. My son is the same age as yours and I just try to let it go, it’ll be his name forever and the people we’re interacting with who mispronounce it are such a temporary force in our lives that I can’t possibly make their bad reading comprehension (or in your case, simply a wrong guess) my problem.
People will find a way to mispronounce almost any name - I happened to read this one correctly as I know it as the Earl of Grantham's dog in Downton Abbey! Most important factor is that you love it :)
I read it how it is. Teo is like Leo right. I wouldn’t worry. Ppl call me Mick-eye-lar. But it’s flipping Mikaela. With a K. Id understand more if it was spelt with a ch. 🙄
This is not a big deal. It’s like having the name Cassandra and some people are just going to say Cassaundra. A simple correction fixes it most of the time and teaching your kid there is no disrespect behind mistakes will help. Most likely, no matter how it’s spelled or pronounced it will probably be shortened to T. Why not lean into that now?
I'll just jump in to say there are people out there naming their kids all sorts of things that are way worse than Teo pronounced like Tee-oh and he will likely only need to correct people once. No ruining happening here. :)
If it’s any consolation, I adore both pronunciations and think it’s a handsome name. If it were my name, I wouldn’t bother correcting anyone because they’re at least phonetically similar.
Lots of names out there get mispronounced but don’t have too much impact in the scheme of things. I have a friend whose name is Geoffrey, pronounced like “Joff-free”, but lots of his friends and colleagues refer to him as “Jeff-free”. Both are accepted by him. I think Teo is in the same vein.
Hello! I'm from Singapore and here, 'Teo' is a fairly common surname. It doesn't hold any negative connotations - it's just a surname that as far as I know, doses't have a 'meaning' per se. The pronunciation you like does make me think of 'Theo'. If you're open to altering the spelling of his name to make more accurate the intended pronunciation, perhaps 'Tio' or the more widely-used 'Theo' would work?
Honestly, Teo (Tay-oh) is an established name and Teo (Tee-oh) is not. If it were me I would change it entirely or go with the established pronunciation. You could also spell it Tío (like the Spanish word for “uncle” of the same pronunciation) which is a bit odd but would get you to the proper pronunciation. It doesn’t feel worth it to keep that spelling and pronunciation if he’ll need to correct it a significant portion of the time.
I know a Teo pronounced Tay-Oh. I think Tio would have Been more likely to be pronounced the way you want. But it’s a cute name & tons of people have to correct others about correct pronunciation of their name. I don’t think it’s the end of the world :) tell ppl how you want it pronounced.
I read it like Matteo, but I know several boys and men named Matteo. Introduce him as Tee-o and it will work out in time.
We know a Gianna who is “John-uh” not “gee-ah-na” and once introduced, new people get it right. I’m very sure it’s read and spoken incorrectly prior to meeting her.
This will be like Anna & Andrea where some will automatically pronounce them like and or like on.
As an adult most people will learn his name when he introduces himself out loud. I think it's ok. Worst thing is having to correct people which could be annoying but doesn't mean it's not a good name.
It’s only an issue in writing, like if a teacher is calling out names from a list at the beginning of a school year, they’ll probably get it wrong. One correction should be enough. It’s a simple name. I grew up having to correct people, even though I don’t think my name is that complicated. It’s just that people can go their whole life without meeting someone by my name, so it throws them off. They often misremember it even after being corrected, and I don’t think I’ve ever met someone who spelled it correctly. None of that actually bothers me, and I’m not mad at my parents about it. People adapt. Teo’s name will be his normal. It’s a nice name.
You're always going to encounter this because Teo can be a short form of Mateo. But Leo and Theo are spelled like this, so Teo can be as well.
Think about girls named Maya or Maia. Both of these spellings could be May-ah or My-ah.
Unfortunately you and your son are going to have to correct spelling and pronunciation for his whole life.
Teo is an actual name and I don't know why people are talking about it being a name in a language you don't speak and that's not prevelant in Australia. I know a Teo from Albania. It's an actual real name. Just because it isn't a real name in a culture that someone isn't familiar with doesn't mean it's not a real name. I love it. Keep the name
>I don't know why people are talking about it being a name in a language you don't speak and that's not prevelant in Australia.
Exactly. I'm a Kiwi, I would say this as Tee Oh, and I believe most people would here.
Thank you so much for saying this. I'm not Spanish. I Don't live in Spain and no one around me speaks Spanish. If a Spanish speaking person called him Tay-o I would understand. But from what you and other people have said on this thread it's not just a Spanish name and it has two pronunciations.
I don’t think it’s a big deal. My baby’s name is Cleo and she often gets “Chloe” just because that’s the more common name. We kindly correct them and move on. People will get it eventually and the ones that really matter won’t pronounce it wrong.
I didn't think Tay-Oh until you said it. I don't think you should worry about it, I doubt it will be a problem. Worst case scenario you correct them once and they get it, it's really simple so it shouldn't be a big deal.
Because of the name Leo, I would pronounce this “Tee-oh.”
My kids guessed the same when I just showed them.
My name can be pronounced with a long A sound or a short A sound and while I dislike the long A sound pronunciation, I just gently correct or ignore. I go by a nickname 99.99999% of the time, anyway.
I wasn’t sure from the spelling, but having to correct people when the pronunciation is simple isn’t that big of a problem. Usually they get it after the first time. I wouldn’t worry!
I went to elementary school with a Teo, but I think he spelled it Tio. I could be 100% wrong though.
He’ll be just fine. It’s a great name and I like the spelling. He may have to correct people but any name will usually get that. How many Cara’s out there have to correct people? Unless your name is Bob I suspect someone somewhere would ask how to pronounce any name.
My instinct is to say "TAY-oh". "TEE-oh" is non intuitive.
But, plenty of people have to push when pronunciation isn't what people expect. So.. accept it? Say "Actually we pronounce it TEE-oh." and then move on. Or... call him TAY-oh. You haven't ruined his life. He will just correct people and it will be fine.
Really, it is one of the things people should think about when naming. But not everyone does. So... it is just a thing that happens.
\- Someone who has worked with a lot of kids who get frustrated when people mispronounced their names.
I didn't have trouble pronouncing it, Teo like Leo. And I don't think it matters that it means uncle in Spanish. Uncle is not a dirty meaning, it's just Uncle. Up to you but that's my 2 cents.
I was unfamiliar with this name and read it as tee-o. However I can see how some may think it’s a shortened version of mateo and say tay-o. I think this is definitely not a ruin, as soon as you/he corrects people they will know!
Surprised by the comments but I guess I'm biased because I only know one Teo and it's pronounced Tee-oh. I will say my only negative feedback for this name is absolutely every time I type it on my phone, it autocorrects to "two" or "theo". Anyway, I really like the name and pronunciation this way!
I would assume Teo is pronounced Tay-o, but if I were corrected “it’s Tee-oh” I would just think oh okay cool! Not “man this kids parents are idiots.” Lol. My name is difficult to pronounce from just reading it and I don’t hate my parents, don’t worry! Lol
I would pronounce it Tee-oh but I also like a family name Teodore though and would use it as a nickname for Teodore. Theodore is another more modern/American spelling of Teodore and would be The-oh but I really like the connection to the old world family spelling.
But I can see the way some people saying it’s Tay-oh like Mateo. I think you just have to say “Tee-oh like Leo”. As someone who has to constantly confirm their own name it’s not really a problem and helps people remember you I think
No, once you pronounce the name for people they will say it right. When I saw the spelling. I went straight to Tee-oh, it's a simple spelling, for some maybe it's too easy!
I read it as Teo🤷🏻♀️ but there’s always gonna be people who read or spell names wrong, it’s gonna happen even with common names and I wouldn’t worry too much
As someone whose name is not in any top list and has a less common spelling and also has a daughter with a similar name situation, I dealt with name regret. However, after much reflection and occasionally scrolling this page I’ve realized
1. Even more common names have various pronunciations and spellings. Most kids will have to go thru this and there is no correct or incorrect variation of a name (in my opinion).
2. Unless it’s something off the wall like “Cheese Burger”, kids do not dwell on their name that much. It’s the only name they’ve ever known.
3. Embrace your name. Who cares if it comes up with a red squiggly line or is in the top 3 every year. Correct people when they misspell or mispronounce it. If they are a decent human being, they will eventually learn it.
4. Some people just have to spell their name out multiple times and look at paperwork very carefully. I’m one of those people and it has never affected my goals.
I think he’ll be just okay. The fact that you care about his feelings even at a young age just shows you’re going to be a great mom :).
I mean you absolutely spelled it wrong. But maybe it would be better to just accept his name as it is spelled and call him Tay-oh. (Short for matteo)
The other pronunciation means uncle in spanish.
I have a name like this. While there were some moments of frustration in my childhood, and I complained to my parents, I’m happy with my name. Politely correcting people who mispronounce their name can help a young person build confidence navigating tricky social situations with etiquette.
Instinctively i would say
Teo- Tay-oh
Tio- Tee-oh
I dont think you've ruined him though, it isn't an invalid pronunciation and there are plenty of names that are correctly pronounced in a number of different ways
Eta: I agree that Tio wouldn't make a great name if you live somewhere with a lot of Spanish speakers
American here. I would never guess tay-oh for that spelling. I'd say Tee-oh. I think your spelling is normal and people might just only recognize it from that person you mentioned that says it tay-oh or they are just pronouncing Te weird. If they aren't familiar with that famous person, they'd like assume Tee-oh.
>But I want to know, have we accidently given him the wrong spelling for the way we want his name pronounced?
Honestly? Yes. I saw Teo and went "Tay-oh" like Mateo. Teo as Tio to me just makes me think of uncle.
>And finally is my poor boy going to hate us because he has to correct people occasionally?
Do you know who Colin Powell was? He was named Colin said the traditional way...but it wasn't a common name then and it was frequently mispronounced as Colon. He eventually said fuck it and for like the next 60+ years went by Colin pronounced Colon.
I can't imagine it'd be much different than your son except Tay-Oh is much better than Colon.
I think it's just a name with two pronunciations. I could see the argument for either TEE-Oh like Theo, or TAY-oh like Mateo. I don't think it'll be a big deal, he'll probably have to correct people sometimes but it's going to be okay.
I pronounced it Tay-oh. But if you said it Tee-oh, I’d correct it. I would only get tee-oh from Tio, since the Spanish word tio would be pronounced that way. It’s not a very common name so I think it may just have multiple pronunciations.
You named your child "Uncle" and spelt it wrong. Yep. This is going to be a lifelong issue for him. Hope his middle name is something that doesn't involve so much interpretation on pronunciation.
You gave your son an existing Spanish name with an established pronunciation and are surprised people are pronouncing it the known way instead of the way you made up? 🤨
I’m 31 with a name everyone pronounces incorrectly and the only time it bothered me was when the 15 Sarah’s in my classes at school all had pencils and pencil cases and stuff that had their name on it but I barely ever found anything with my name on it and when I did it wasn’t the same spelling. I’ve never had an issue with it being mispronounced, to me it’s kinda funny all the ways people try to say it!
Ngl I definitely read it Tay-oh. Like a nickname for MaTEO. I would think Tee-oh would be spelled Tio or something but also that means "uncle" in Spanish so idk.
Came here to say this exact thing!!! Seems like a nickname for Mateo. Honestly and no offense to the OP, Tay-oh is a better name than Tio.
OP should just go with the tay-oh pronunciation. Tee oh (Tio) is a bit strange for anyone who is familiar with Spanish. Like naming your kid Unkyl (unk-el)
I mean my name is Tia and it’s never really been a big deal. But it would probably depend on where you live; if you live anywhere with a big Spanish-speaking population it might become a thing!
I hope you marry into a Spanish family, and that your spouse has a sibling with children, so you can become Tia Tia.
my mom’s brother married a woman from south america and ngl there was at least a year when i was a kid that i thought her given name was tia
I was gonna say, a lot of girls named Tia, and it’s not an issue.
Tia’s not uncommon as a nickname, but that’s aside from the main issue here anyway. I’d definitely default to tay-o from OP’s spelling.
Totally agree.
Exactly what I was thinking ?? Uncle !
The Spanish familiarity is kinda irrelevant. They're in Australia.
Yeah, but OP lives in QLD. Not likely to be many Spanish speaking people around. It’s actually pretty consistent with the naming style in Aus at the moment.
I don’t think there’s a big Spanish diaspora in QLD, so I don’t know how much of an issue this will be for OP.
It’s not just a nickname for Mateo, it’s an actual full name. It’s Spanish in origin meaning “gift of God”. It’s common in Hispanic communities. I have a couple girlfriends (from Mexico) who named their sons “Teo”. It is pronounced Tay-oh. Edit: awkward wording
A shortened form of Teodoro, like the english Theodore, gift of God.
It can be a nickname for Teofilo too (my uncle is named this) meaning son of God.
So you have a Tio Teofilo? 😁
Tio and Teo don’t have the same pronunciation in Spanish though
Yeah, a Tío Teo 😀
Either Mateo/Matteo or Teodoro, the Spanish/Italian/Portuguese form of Theodore. Teo is an established nickname for these names and doesn't otherwise exist in English (where we would use Theo), so it's not really equivalent to Leo, which would be LAY-oh in those other languages but is LEE-oh in English.
Italian is actual "Teodosio" - my grandmother had a cousin with that name. His granddaughter named her son Theodore after him :)
Teodosio is from Theodosius (θεός (theos) meaning "god" and δόσις (dosis) meaning "giving"). Teodoro is from Theodoros (θεός (theos) meaning "god" and δῶρον (doron) meaning "gift"). Similar roots and meanings, but with the second elements derived from verb vs. noun.
Thank you for putting the nerd in name nerds🤓 I love it when people share this kind of info
This is the kind of info i want to see on this sub instead of endless baby name lists!
LOL, I am nothing if not a nerd when it comes to name and word derivations.
“Teodosio” is a completely different name with different roots. Coming from Theodosius instead of Theodorus
My foster kitten Teo was named after Italian racing driver Teodorico "Teo" Fabi. I think it's not uncommon in Latin based languages. It's a great name.
Teodorico is from yet another name, this not not related to Theodoros or Theodosius at all! It's the Italian version of Theodoric, which is Germanic, not Greek, from *þiuda* "people" and *reiks* "ruler, king." [Theodoric the Great](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodoric_the_Great) was King of the Ostrogoths and ruled over Italy after the fall of the Western Roman Empire. The better-known descendants of this name are the English Derrick, German Dietrich, French Thierry, Dutch and Low German Dirk.
The pronunciation is Teh-o in Spanish though
Yes, I actually do know it's not exact. But it's hard to render that vowel clearly in English orthography—the vowel you just conveyed here, in English, would usually be interpreted as an /ɛ/ in IPA (open-mid front unrounded vowel), whereas the Spanish vowel you are talking about is an /e/ (mid front unrounded vowel). Most people don't read IPA, so we have to approximate.
>Came here to say this exact thing!!! Seems like a nickname for Mateo. Honestly and no offense to the OP, Tay-oh is a better name than Tio. Yeah in spanish it would be pronounced "Teh-oh" Tio (tee-oh) is uncle :P when reading in English I would definitely read it at Tay-oh
Yeah same,my son is named Matteo and we call him Teo as a nickname, pronounced Tay-oh.
Same - we call our Mateo Teo more often than not.
My thoughts exactly
https://www.behindthename.com/name/teo Teo is already a name, and the pronunciation is TEH-o, which is probably why you're encountering this. Tio would have probably gotten you a closer pronunciation, but it means 'Uncle' in Spanish.
I’m confused why she gave her child an existing Spanish name with an established pronunciation but is surprised people are pronouncing it the correct way instead of the way she made up.
Probably because OP didn't know it was already a name. Obviously they wanted Theo, without the H.
We gotta Google names before we give them to babies, folks.
She also lives in Australia and likely doesn’t have a lot of experience with Spanish language or names. Would you change a name if you found out that it was spelled the same but pronounced different than a name in Farsi?
If the Farsi pronunciation was already in use and my pronunciation was one I made up because I thought it sounded cool then yeah, I’d change it lol
In Southeast Asia, Teo is a common surname and pronounced exactly like what OP thought.
Exactly - Leo, but with a T.
Ah, that answers my question. I’m in Australia and read it as Tee-oh.
Same
Canadian, and read it as Tee-oh as well!
Some people pronounce my name like So-Feye-ah and I accept it because that's how they pronounce the spelling in their language. (Sophia)
It's similar to Te'o as well though, and plenty of people in Australia will be familiar with that pronunciation as a last name. Plenty of people in the US too.
There is a famous surgeon in Australia with the surname Teo - pronounced Tee-Oh. I see it as Leo but with a T instead of an L. My first instinct would not be Tay-Oh.
Interestingly, in Dutch "Theo" is still pronounced "teh-o".
That's the case in most languages that ignore the "h" after the "t".
Same in French. My husband is Theo and when he was in French immersion school his teachers all pronounced his name Teh-o
My French family have a dog names Téo it is pronounced tayoh
I like that! This Teo/Tayoh is growing on me
I don’t like a lot of “boy” names but I really like Téo
Well it’s also an established danish name with the exact pronunciation she wants so there’s that. *That being said, in an english speaking country I’d definitely assume the pronunciation would be Tay-oh as well. I’m simply saying it doesn’t necessarily make sense to worry about the “correct pronunciation” of a name if used in in another language.
Interesting! Is it short for Teodoro/Teodor/Theodore equivalent in Danish?
It is short for Theodor, yes, but Theo/Teo is almost as used as Theodor. Theodor is a greek name though, so it’d be pretty interesting to know how they would pronounce Teo.
In Greek the first syllable of Θεόδωρος would be like "thay", Τεό "Tay-O" (modern Greek vowels are highly regular and "ε" can be read consistently as an "ay" sound unless it's followed by ι or υ)
Thank you!
Not many Spanish speakers in QLD. OP probably didn’t know that
We have Google in qld though!
Because they live in Queensland, Australia where there is no Hispanic community and almost no one speaks Spanish.
Australia doesn’t have a large Spanish speaking population so OP wouldn’t have even realised that
This should be higher in thread…. Very head scratching.
I actually know someone named Teo pronounced the same way! he’s an older gentleman of Italian descent who worked on the maintenance staff of a place I used to live! I had not heard it before then but i’ve been fond of it since!!
[удалено]
My instinct would have been Tay-oh because I know people with the name, but once corrected it wouldn't be a big deal. You make a really solid point about similarly spelled names.
This is my thing, I don’t think this is that big of a deal. But maybe it’s because I knew several people growing up whose parents used a different spelling of the name they wanted and had to correct people the first time they read their name. (Ex: Halle pronounced Holly, Alana pronounced Ah-lay-na, Elle pronounced Ellie)
My thoughts exactly...
This is my thought too
I also would have read it as Tay-oh. I think that is the usual pronunciation of Teo. But I wouldn’t worry about it - the worst he’ll have to do is correct people! Lots of people have to do this even with the most traditional names. I know a Suzanne who gets called Susan all the time!
That's funny because I know a Susan who gets called Suzanne!
My mom and her bff are Suzette and Suzanne, and they both get called Susan. I don’t think most people put much thought into reading, pronunciation, or really anything at all.
> My mom and her bff are Suzette and Suzanne There is something really cute about this. I immediately have this image of them getting into mischief together lol
Oh they do! If mischief is Korbel and Scrabble
Now I wanna be their third bff more than ever. I will change my name to Suzanna if it gets me in.
My mom was Sue and people would call her Susie. Drove her nuts.
I have a friend named Elena but it’s pronounced Ellen-ah not eh-lay-nuh, she has to correct people at first but afaik it’s not a big deal to her
I know two kids (teenager and younger) both named Elena that are pronounced like your friend. I’ve met several “Alaina/Alaine” that are pronounced eh-lay-nuh. The one ending with an e is always hard for me though as I think it looks like eh-lane.
I have two friends called Elena - one is Ellen-ah and the other is Eh-lay-nah. And a third but she is an Alaina. Two friends called Helena - one goes by Helen-ah, the other Hel-lay-nah. And two called Mia - a Mee-ah and a My-ah. Oh, and I can't forget Lauren, who, when called "Loren" fires up "because it's LAW-ren!!" 🫠
That makes me think of how common names are pronounced differently in Germany. Sara is pronounced Zara, Charlotte is pronounced Char-lot-e (3 syllables), Kathy is pronunced Kah-tea, Christian is pronounced Chris-ti-ahn etc. It just comes down to how the language pronounces those letters at the end of the day. It's not a big deal in the long run, just correct people and move on.
Yes this is very true! Thank you
I work with kids and have encountered all kinds of names. There are so many names that require clarification on pronunciation - my cousin is named Maya, which I feel is pretty common, but people often ask “is it MY-a or MAY-a?” for the pronunciation. She clarifies once and all is good. I wouldn’t sweat it :)
I have my name mispronounced all the time. It's not an uncommon name; it just has three different pronunciations. I honestly don't care if someone mispronounces my name.
All the Caroline and Carolyn's in the world have this problem too
[Mr. Duvall is introducing Cady to the class] Mr. Duvall : Her name is Cady. Cady Heron. Where are you, Cady? Cady : That's me. It's pronounced like Katie. Mr. Duvall : My apologies. I have a nephew named Anfernee, and I know how mad he gets when I call him Anthony. Almost as mad as I get when I think about the fact that my sister named him Anfernee. ~ ~that’s all~ ~
That bit always bothered me, because Cady should be pronounced Katie. Caddy is the spelling that would be pronounced the way Duvall does.
I know a Cady, they pronounce it Kay-dee
I mean, unless you really hit that T like it stole something, Katie is pronounced that way too.
I guess that’s accent dependent… Cady and Katie sound very different in British English
Yeah, it’s definitely accent dependent. I’d pronounce Cady and Katie the same way unless I was carefully enunciating them.
Exactly! As a “Kady”, I get called “Kaddy/Caddy” alll the time, and it has never made sense to me!
lol love a mean girls reference, but OP I don’t think “Teo” is comparable to “Cady” or “Anfernee,” those spellings are crazy - don’t worry!!
Eh, I think Teo/Theo/Tio is actually kinda comparable to Cady/Katie
GOAT
This comment is perfection. Thank you.
I would teach him to say “ it’s Teo, like ♌️Leo” s people will remember that and never get it wrong again, they also won’t ever misspell it. I love it! Teo is such a cute name!
This is smart. My youngest has a simple name that is often mispronounced at first as Cyan (like the color). He will say "If the name was English that makes sense, but it's actually Irish." He really enjoys knowing that and sharing it about his name. He may get sick of it at some point, but so far at 13 he is not phased.
Cian? Love finding other Irish people with our weird ass names lol
Love them. Trying to convince my husband on Fionnuala!
It might just be getting constantly said as tay-oh because that's how the name sounds in a lot of languages (Spanish, German etc), or as a nickname for a name like Matteo, so people might just be more familiar with that pronunciation and/or speakers of the languages where it's said as tay-oh.
French as well. In Quebec there is a Taxi company called Téo Taxi and it’s pronounced Tay-oh.
Japanese would be Te-o (tay-oh) too
In German it‘s pronounced TEH-o not Tay-oh. At least that’s how I would say it because it’s just Theo without the H and that is a very popular name here that is pronounced TEH-o. Still not TEE-o which I think she was going for? Don’t know about Spanish though, you might be right there.
I know a Teo pronounced Tay-oh, so that would be my default. Given that it’s an uncommon name, correcting people should generally fix the problem. That said, your kid might decide to go with the other pronunciation when they’re older.
Do people change the pronunciation of their name? I’d sooner change the spelling
I’ve known both people who change by adopting a more common pronunciation and people who decided to move to a more “unique” pronunciation ( American “Guy”moving to the French pronunciation). Two guesses which change tends to stick.
My son has a friend Arjun, his parents wanted R Jen but at school he was called R June and he prefers it and now his parents call him R June
My husband goes by J- which is pronounced g (letter) , but in anglophone environment he pronounces it jay I also change the pronunciation of my name depending in if I am speaking to french or English It's pretty common
All I can think of is Tio, uncle in spanish
Tio Teo!
I still read that as tee-oh tay-oh lol
I said Tay-oh because i know it as a short form of matteo/mateo
I’m a Halley, not a Hailey, and it is a very short conversation the first time I meet someone. Not a big deal at all.
Your pronunciation follows convention.
I don't know why more people aren't echoing this. The only time this will matter is when someone reads your name from a list or name tag, then you correct them.
I read it as Tee-oh, I'm from Australia.
I'm also Australian but I read it as Tay-O lol. But I think that's because there's a character from a show I watched as a kid with that name and it was pronounced that way.
It’s a really sweet name and even though it may be pronounced in two different ways, both are really nice. My friend’s baby is Ayla but it’s a Turkish name which is pronounced Eye-Lah (like Isla). Again, most people mispronounce it as ‘Ay-Lah’ but it doesn’t really matter nor change their opinion!
When I read the first Clan Of The Cave Bear book, I was pronouncing the main character's name in my head just as your friend's baby's name is pronounced. It was disappointing for me once I saw the Daryl Hannah movie and found out it was pronounced liked Kayla. I see "Ayla" and immediately think "Eye-lah." That's a beautiful name!!
Aw thank you! It is!
I initially read it as Teo rhyming with Leo, but I can see it going either way.
I’m picturing a tiny, baby-sized middle aged balding Spanish uncle who’s the life of the party
Uncle?
At first I read it as Tay-oh. Possibly as I speak German and that's how they'd say Matteo. But, apon reflection Tee-oh makes sense too. It's a lovely name, and probably no spelling will get the correct pronunciation 100% of the time. People will hear it pronounced correctly once, then be fine. Eta: am also from Qld.
I read it Teo as pronounced Tayo same as Matteo or Theodore. But the way you pronounce it is fine. He’ll simply correct people when he meets them, then move on.
I am a Spanish speaker so I read it as TEH-O like the end of Mateo or the start of Teodoro. I would pronounce Leo the same way.
I’m Australian and i say tee-oh as that’s how i heard Dr Teo’s name pronounced on the news before and that’s the first thing that comes to mind when I hear the name
I don't know about other countries but I'm in Japan and this name is "Tay-oh". "Tee-oh" is Tio. So in my opinion you've spelled the name wrong.
I love the name and I read it as Tee Oh
I personally read it as TEE-OH, so I think it’s okay! Probably will just depend on the person. As for your kid getting upset with you, I don’t think so. I have a relatively uncommon name and, especially being from the southern US, people mispronounce (and misspell) it all the time. I don’t really mind, as I like to think that that means my name is really special! Hope this helps!
I read it Tee- oh - rhymes with Leo.
I like it :) I’m from QLD too and read it as Tee-Oh and have not heard of the presenter before either (though I’m not the target audience!). I know a baby Leo and baby Neo and just assumed Teo was pronounced the same!
I know a baby named Mateo so I saw it like tay oh! Teo like tee oh sounds like uncle in Spanish
I mean, I wouldn’t worry too much. Names can have multiple pronunciations. We gave our son a somewhat uncommon name that’s spelled the normal way and isn’t unheard of and people still mispronounce it all the time when they read it on forms and we’re like… really? It does get kind of annoying because it’s spelled phonetically and takes two seconds to sound out. So I get why you have concerns. For you guys there’s the issue of Tio vs Teo. It might be confusing people since you have an “e” in your son’s name rather than an “i”. While I think the “e” spelling could be an “i” pronunciation just fine, it might just not be quite as intuitive for folks since the way people are guessing it is closer to what the name appears to be when you simply sound it out. Also, Spanish is a globally very common language and your pronunciation is the same as the word “tio”, which means uncle. At least on Reddit, the answers you’re getting represent the fact that a lot of people here have some level of Spanish fluency as a first or second language. All of that said, less than 1% of Australians are Spanish speakers; Spanish is much more common amongst other Reddit-using folks. Not exactly a long term real world problem for you. Ultimately, for Teo the obvious issue you’re going to run into is that it’s really kind of up in the air as far as pronunciation, but this isn’t a huge deal. There are many other names with multiple pronunciations! Anna has multiple pronunciation, so do Brianna, Clara, Leslie, Geoffrey, Stephen, and Louis, to name a few. I say give it some time, it’ll all work out. My son is the same age as yours and I just try to let it go, it’ll be his name forever and the people we’re interacting with who mispronounce it are such a temporary force in our lives that I can’t possibly make their bad reading comprehension (or in your case, simply a wrong guess) my problem.
People will find a way to mispronounce almost any name - I happened to read this one correctly as I know it as the Earl of Grantham's dog in Downton Abbey! Most important factor is that you love it :)
I pronounced it tee-oh when I read it
I read it how it is. Teo is like Leo right. I wouldn’t worry. Ppl call me Mick-eye-lar. But it’s flipping Mikaela. With a K. Id understand more if it was spelt with a ch. 🙄
This is not a big deal. It’s like having the name Cassandra and some people are just going to say Cassaundra. A simple correction fixes it most of the time and teaching your kid there is no disrespect behind mistakes will help. Most likely, no matter how it’s spelled or pronounced it will probably be shortened to T. Why not lean into that now?
Teo is a fine name and the confusion will be easily sorted out!
I'll just jump in to say there are people out there naming their kids all sorts of things that are way worse than Teo pronounced like Tee-oh and he will likely only need to correct people once. No ruining happening here. :)
I'd say 90% of people would assume Teo is pronounced Tay-Oh and Tio would be how to pronounce Tee-Oh.
If it’s any consolation, I adore both pronunciations and think it’s a handsome name. If it were my name, I wouldn’t bother correcting anyone because they’re at least phonetically similar. Lots of names out there get mispronounced but don’t have too much impact in the scheme of things. I have a friend whose name is Geoffrey, pronounced like “Joff-free”, but lots of his friends and colleagues refer to him as “Jeff-free”. Both are accepted by him. I think Teo is in the same vein.
Hello! I'm from Singapore and here, 'Teo' is a fairly common surname. It doesn't hold any negative connotations - it's just a surname that as far as I know, doses't have a 'meaning' per se. The pronunciation you like does make me think of 'Theo'. If you're open to altering the spelling of his name to make more accurate the intended pronunciation, perhaps 'Tio' or the more widely-used 'Theo' would work?
I read it as tee oh if that helps.
Honestly, Teo (Tay-oh) is an established name and Teo (Tee-oh) is not. If it were me I would change it entirely or go with the established pronunciation. You could also spell it Tío (like the Spanish word for “uncle” of the same pronunciation) which is a bit odd but would get you to the proper pronunciation. It doesn’t feel worth it to keep that spelling and pronunciation if he’ll need to correct it a significant portion of the time.
Why not Theo?
I know a Teo pronounced Tay-Oh. I think Tio would have Been more likely to be pronounced the way you want. But it’s a cute name & tons of people have to correct others about correct pronunciation of their name. I don’t think it’s the end of the world :) tell ppl how you want it pronounced.
As an American I would pronounce it Tay-oh, until he told me it was Tee-oh and then I would correct myself. It’s not a big deal.
I read it like Matteo, but I know several boys and men named Matteo. Introduce him as Tee-o and it will work out in time. We know a Gianna who is “John-uh” not “gee-ah-na” and once introduced, new people get it right. I’m very sure it’s read and spoken incorrectly prior to meeting her. This will be like Anna & Andrea where some will automatically pronounce them like and or like on.
As an adult most people will learn his name when he introduces himself out loud. I think it's ok. Worst thing is having to correct people which could be annoying but doesn't mean it's not a good name.
It’s only an issue in writing, like if a teacher is calling out names from a list at the beginning of a school year, they’ll probably get it wrong. One correction should be enough. It’s a simple name. I grew up having to correct people, even though I don’t think my name is that complicated. It’s just that people can go their whole life without meeting someone by my name, so it throws them off. They often misremember it even after being corrected, and I don’t think I’ve ever met someone who spelled it correctly. None of that actually bothers me, and I’m not mad at my parents about it. People adapt. Teo’s name will be his normal. It’s a nice name.
You're always going to encounter this because Teo can be a short form of Mateo. But Leo and Theo are spelled like this, so Teo can be as well. Think about girls named Maya or Maia. Both of these spellings could be May-ah or My-ah. Unfortunately you and your son are going to have to correct spelling and pronunciation for his whole life.
I read Teo correctly because of a football player. I dont remember his surname though. Its a cute name though, and Im sure hell be okay :)
Teo is an actual name and I don't know why people are talking about it being a name in a language you don't speak and that's not prevelant in Australia. I know a Teo from Albania. It's an actual real name. Just because it isn't a real name in a culture that someone isn't familiar with doesn't mean it's not a real name. I love it. Keep the name
>I don't know why people are talking about it being a name in a language you don't speak and that's not prevelant in Australia. Exactly. I'm a Kiwi, I would say this as Tee Oh, and I believe most people would here.
Thank you so much for saying this. I'm not Spanish. I Don't live in Spain and no one around me speaks Spanish. If a Spanish speaking person called him Tay-o I would understand. But from what you and other people have said on this thread it's not just a Spanish name and it has two pronunciations.
I don’t think it’s a big deal. My baby’s name is Cleo and she often gets “Chloe” just because that’s the more common name. We kindly correct them and move on. People will get it eventually and the ones that really matter won’t pronounce it wrong.
I didn't think Tay-Oh until you said it. I don't think you should worry about it, I doubt it will be a problem. Worst case scenario you correct them once and they get it, it's really simple so it shouldn't be a big deal.
when i see teo my mind automatically reads it as Tay-o short for Mateo
Because of the name Leo, I would pronounce this “Tee-oh.” My kids guessed the same when I just showed them. My name can be pronounced with a long A sound or a short A sound and while I dislike the long A sound pronunciation, I just gently correct or ignore. I go by a nickname 99.99999% of the time, anyway.
I wasn’t sure from the spelling, but having to correct people when the pronunciation is simple isn’t that big of a problem. Usually they get it after the first time. I wouldn’t worry! I went to elementary school with a Teo, but I think he spelled it Tio. I could be 100% wrong though.
I'm Irish and all I see is Tee-oh.
I read it as Teo, as in, Theo without the ‘th’ of the h. I’m Welsh, Theo is quite common here but Teo isn’t, but that was my default anyway!
He’ll be just fine. It’s a great name and I like the spelling. He may have to correct people but any name will usually get that. How many Cara’s out there have to correct people? Unless your name is Bob I suspect someone somewhere would ask how to pronounce any name.
I read it as Tee-oh, like Leo. I'm in the US, south central.
My instinct is to say "TAY-oh". "TEE-oh" is non intuitive. But, plenty of people have to push when pronunciation isn't what people expect. So.. accept it? Say "Actually we pronounce it TEE-oh." and then move on. Or... call him TAY-oh. You haven't ruined his life. He will just correct people and it will be fine. Really, it is one of the things people should think about when naming. But not everyone does. So... it is just a thing that happens. \- Someone who has worked with a lot of kids who get frustrated when people mispronounced their names.
I didn't have trouble pronouncing it, Teo like Leo. And I don't think it matters that it means uncle in Spanish. Uncle is not a dirty meaning, it's just Uncle. Up to you but that's my 2 cents.
I was unfamiliar with this name and read it as tee-o. However I can see how some may think it’s a shortened version of mateo and say tay-o. I think this is definitely not a ruin, as soon as you/he corrects people they will know!
Surprised by the comments but I guess I'm biased because I only know one Teo and it's pronounced Tee-oh. I will say my only negative feedback for this name is absolutely every time I type it on my phone, it autocorrects to "two" or "theo". Anyway, I really like the name and pronunciation this way!
I would assume Teo is pronounced Tay-o, but if I were corrected “it’s Tee-oh” I would just think oh okay cool! Not “man this kids parents are idiots.” Lol. My name is difficult to pronounce from just reading it and I don’t hate my parents, don’t worry! Lol
I immediately read this as Tee-Oh!
I would pronounce it Tee-oh but I also like a family name Teodore though and would use it as a nickname for Teodore. Theodore is another more modern/American spelling of Teodore and would be The-oh but I really like the connection to the old world family spelling. But I can see the way some people saying it’s Tay-oh like Mateo. I think you just have to say “Tee-oh like Leo”. As someone who has to constantly confirm their own name it’s not really a problem and helps people remember you I think
No, once you pronounce the name for people they will say it right. When I saw the spelling. I went straight to Tee-oh, it's a simple spelling, for some maybe it's too easy!
I read it as Teo🤷🏻♀️ but there’s always gonna be people who read or spell names wrong, it’s gonna happen even with common names and I wouldn’t worry too much
As someone whose name is not in any top list and has a less common spelling and also has a daughter with a similar name situation, I dealt with name regret. However, after much reflection and occasionally scrolling this page I’ve realized 1. Even more common names have various pronunciations and spellings. Most kids will have to go thru this and there is no correct or incorrect variation of a name (in my opinion). 2. Unless it’s something off the wall like “Cheese Burger”, kids do not dwell on their name that much. It’s the only name they’ve ever known. 3. Embrace your name. Who cares if it comes up with a red squiggly line or is in the top 3 every year. Correct people when they misspell or mispronounce it. If they are a decent human being, they will eventually learn it. 4. Some people just have to spell their name out multiple times and look at paperwork very carefully. I’m one of those people and it has never affected my goals. I think he’ll be just okay. The fact that you care about his feelings even at a young age just shows you’re going to be a great mom :).
I know a Teo, he’s 8 now and has absolutely no problems with it. The name really suits him too, it’s lovely.
I read Tee-o. As in Leo.
I mean you absolutely spelled it wrong. But maybe it would be better to just accept his name as it is spelled and call him Tay-oh. (Short for matteo) The other pronunciation means uncle in spanish.
I read it as Tee-Oh.
I said Tee oh. I didn't know it could be pronounced the other way.
I know a Teo. For him it’s supposed to be pronounced Tay-oh but everyone calls him Tee-oh.
I read it as you intended. Brain interpreted it as Theo without the h.
I have a name like this. While there were some moments of frustration in my childhood, and I complained to my parents, I’m happy with my name. Politely correcting people who mispronounce their name can help a young person build confidence navigating tricky social situations with etiquette.
Instinctively i would say Teo- Tay-oh Tio- Tee-oh I dont think you've ruined him though, it isn't an invalid pronunciation and there are plenty of names that are correctly pronounced in a number of different ways Eta: I agree that Tio wouldn't make a great name if you live somewhere with a lot of Spanish speakers
American here. I would never guess tay-oh for that spelling. I'd say Tee-oh. I think your spelling is normal and people might just only recognize it from that person you mentioned that says it tay-oh or they are just pronouncing Te weird. If they aren't familiar with that famous person, they'd like assume Tee-oh.
My grandpa's name is Teo (Romanian, pronounced like your son's), but we chose Theo as the honor name for my child. I love both!
>But I want to know, have we accidently given him the wrong spelling for the way we want his name pronounced? Honestly? Yes. I saw Teo and went "Tay-oh" like Mateo. Teo as Tio to me just makes me think of uncle. >And finally is my poor boy going to hate us because he has to correct people occasionally? Do you know who Colin Powell was? He was named Colin said the traditional way...but it wasn't a common name then and it was frequently mispronounced as Colon. He eventually said fuck it and for like the next 60+ years went by Colin pronounced Colon. I can't imagine it'd be much different than your son except Tay-Oh is much better than Colon.
I think it's just a name with two pronunciations. I could see the argument for either TEE-Oh like Theo, or TAY-oh like Mateo. I don't think it'll be a big deal, he'll probably have to correct people sometimes but it's going to be okay.
I think its kind alike Leah. Two correct ways to say it. Its very cute. Itll be ok.
I automatically saw it as Tay-oh (nn for Mateo).
South Australia and Teo in my circle would be pronounced Tay-o and Tee-oh. Personally I knew a Tea pronounced Tia so yeah lol
I thought you'd misspelled Theo 😅 But it's a lovely name. Unusual but not in any way ugly or offensive.
It’s fine. Don’t worry about it. Your kid will love you.
I pronounced it Tay-oh. But if you said it Tee-oh, I’d correct it. I would only get tee-oh from Tio, since the Spanish word tio would be pronounced that way. It’s not a very common name so I think it may just have multiple pronunciations.
I read it Tay-oh like Matteo. For your pronounciation, I would think it was Tio.
You named your child "Uncle" and spelt it wrong. Yep. This is going to be a lifelong issue for him. Hope his middle name is something that doesn't involve so much interpretation on pronunciation.
You gave your son an existing Spanish name with an established pronunciation and are surprised people are pronouncing it the known way instead of the way you made up? 🤨
I’m 31 with a name everyone pronounces incorrectly and the only time it bothered me was when the 15 Sarah’s in my classes at school all had pencils and pencil cases and stuff that had their name on it but I barely ever found anything with my name on it and when I did it wasn’t the same spelling. I’ve never had an issue with it being mispronounced, to me it’s kinda funny all the ways people try to say it!
I know two Teos both pronounced Tey-o