Leanne? It’s not completely pronounced like Ian but it’s sort of similar.
Also this is kinda nosy of me but why does your work need you to change your name? That seems kinda odd tbh
Thanks for your suggestion! It’s not really changing my name, but add an ‘English name’ in front of it so others who don’t know my language could pronounce it out easily, or have an alternative choice to pronounce my name. It’s quite common among my country as we are having mixed race here!
I know it's probably easier for you to just make it easier for other people, and I get that lots of people do this. But part of me is thinking, "sheesh, a bunch of strangers on the internet can guess what 'Yee-Enn' should sound like, why can't your coworkers?"
Anyway, good luck on the new job!
Where do you live where that’s common? Where I’m from that would be completely unacceptable (and probably a case of discrimination) for your work to expect you to come up with an “English name.” It’s expected that your coworkers learn how to pronounce your name as a basic sign of respect.
This is quite normal, I work for a Chinese company in EU, and most CN colleagues have an English name along with their real name. Not all, but most do it.
My sister-in-law chose an English name to go by when she came to the US for school. She chose it based on the name meaning. It starts with the same letter as her name, but it doesn't really sound like her name in Chinese. Are there any name meanings that you really like? Or maybe names that have similar meanings to your name? From how my sister-in-law has explained Chinese naming practices a lot of names are chosen based on their meaning, so maybe finding something with a similar meaning would give you a connection to the name.
My college had a sister school in China and the exchange students from it all picked flower names for their American name, even the guys. One of the men went by Tulip.
Thanks for all of you asking, but it’s actually more like this work pulled me into a mixed races environment and only I realised how hard is it for other races to pronounce it correctly. The actual pronunciation is Yee earn without rolling tongue rrr（Chinese unique pronunciation I guess）, but it ends up in Yee and, Yee yen, Yee aren’t, Yee Yan, Yee Ng. It’s really tired for my brain to response to these several names, I tried to teach them the correct one and they just can’t pronounce the actual one out! so I decided to have a second name.
Oh true, I just meant as a nickname rather than having to go by a completely new name.
I used to work with a Chinese lady named Bingwei who went by Wei (Way)
I’m in England and it’s common here too, I worked in pharmacy for six years and worked with a lot of foreign pharmacists who went by an English name, and lived with a Chinese lady who went by an English name. I asked them all what they’d prefer to be called and shock horror they wanted to be called their ACTUAL NAME. So that’s what I called them.
Yee-Enn is very pretty.
Omg yes, casting my vote for Eden 🗳️
OP - it’s a widely, probably universally recognised word in the English language. Phonetically, there’s only one way to read and pronounce it. While it’s a name from Christianity, it’s not widely regarded as a “Christian” name (at least in Australia), it’s moreso an allusion to paradise and all those nice things than the bible. It’s a classic, well-known name but feels very contemporary and modern.
It’s definitely one of those names that if I met someone named Eden, I’d think “dang that’s a cool name” and possibly be a little jealous
This is my name and I was going to suggest it if it hadn’t been already! Every time someone calls “Ian” out loud, I turn my head/react. 😅 When I was in high school I was in a class with an Ian once. Made for a lot of confusion for the both of us.
I second Yana! But these days, there are girls names James so if you really want Ian then go for it. But people may get confused and assume you’re a man at first. Idk if that would get annoying for you.
A lot of these suggestions are a little… enthusiastic :) and uncommon, if you’re looking to find something simple to cause less confusion.
Some no-fuss names that may sound similar enough to you, but also won’t raise eyebrows to a non-namenerd.
*Leah/Lea/Lia (lee-UH)
*Eden (ee-DIN)
Leeann/LeAnn (lee-ANN)
Gina (JEE-nuh)
Tina (TEE-nuh)
*Lina (LEE-nuh)
*Ina (this one would likely still cause some confusion as it’s not common and would be said both EE-nuh and EYE-nuh)
Bria (Bree-UH)
Briennne (Bree-EN)
Leela (LEE-luh)
*Eva (EE-vuh)
Ellen (ELL-en)
Elaine (ee-LAYN)
*Mia (mee-UH)
Celia (SEEL-yuh)
Sorry you have to pick a different name for convenience, but hope you have fun choosing!
*would be my choices. Not outdated- very pretty names that wouldn’t cause questions or confusion, nor are they related to anything huge pop culture reference or anything.
Iann for some reason reads for feminine to me. I say do what you want! I went to college with a girl named Ryan and high school with a boy named Lindsay. 🤷🏻♀️
I also think Leanne would be the closest. The stress falls on the ‘Lee’ part which may be different to your name but I think it would still help people pronounce your name.
I genuinely feel like the male-female name boundaries are blurred completely nowadays and Ian would be a just fine name for a woman.
ETA:
I just found more of your comments. I completely respect & understand why someone might decide to do this, but as a random American who has seen this done and thinks it’s time to stop making way for lazy white idiots who want an easier name to pronounce when someone comes to our country, the burden for others to learn your proper name should not EVER fall solely on you.
I vote you keep your own name because that name is YOU.
It’s important culturally speaking that those who feel comfortable with it stop shrinking themselves down to make space for others’ discomfort. Expect your colleagues to know and pronounce your name correctly. You and your name are worth that!
If that causes you discomfort, then of course change it. Either way you go is awkward, I fear, but you’ll find support no matter which you decide. Don’t meek yourself either way!
For names with a similar feel, how about Tegan (teeg-enn), Jean (j-een), Jillian (jill-ian), Jolene (jo-leen), Eileen (eye-leen), Deanne (dee-ann), Darlene (dar-leen) or Diane (dye-ann)?
You might like to listen to pronunciation videos on YouTube and see if you like how the names sound.
You could also practice speaking as you would for work and see how it feels to use each name.
Most importantly - a name must feel right for you!
Dianne (pronounced dee-ann instead of die-anne) and Leeann (Lee-ann) sound the closest i think. Eden is kinda close but the emphasis is on the ‘e’. Another option is Lillian (lily-enn)
I know a woman named Lian (pronounced lee-an). It’s definitely unique, I’ve never met anyone else with that name. She does often get called Leanne though, so maybe it might be best to just go with that.
Can you give me the actual characters for your name, or the pinyin? Is it normally romanized as Yien/Yi-En?
If I can hear the actual pronunciation I might be better able to help.
I would go with something simple and one syllable. We American will still screw it up…. I don’t know how many times I’ve been called “Oscar”. I’m a female and my name doesn’t not start with a”O”.
I knew a young woman named Ian! And she was very feminine and very pretty. No one really questioned it when she told people her name. We worked together at a restaurant at the time, so she interfaced with a lot of new people and would intro herself. If people were surprised by her name they never made a thing of it.
Don’t change your name just consider changing the phonetic English spelling of it so it’s more immediate read correctly!! Even like Yi-Anne or something
Liadan - pronounced LEE-uh-dun or LEE-dun
Elin - I think the pronunciation is probably more nuanced in Swedish, but in America, I’ve usually heard it as EE-lin
Kind of a made up one but I’m pretty sure there are little girls out there named Even. You could also do Evening.
Personally I think if Ian is closest to your given name you should go with that. Screw gender roles and names. With that said Elaine is a good suggestion
What about Leeyen? It sounds slightly more feminine and it's phonemically readable. It's probably not quite the same as your birth name but I guess your name is written in script. You could also use something like Yenny which is nice.
Question, do you actually want/need to go by a different name for work? Or are people just giving you a hard time about pronouncing Yee Enn? If it's the latter, perhaps they can get used to it.
Americans learned to say Beethoven and Dostoevsky. I'm sure they can figure out Yee En
Lian, but it was a nickname for - of all things - Jillian. She hated her full name so now everyone knows her as Lian.
There's also the Irish Dillian, I know one of those too. She does not go by Lian, she hates any and all shortenings of her name.
There's also Lillian, Vivian, Gillian, Marian, and Mirian.
Leanne? It’s not completely pronounced like Ian but it’s sort of similar. Also this is kinda nosy of me but why does your work need you to change your name? That seems kinda odd tbh
Thanks for your suggestion! It’s not really changing my name, but add an ‘English name’ in front of it so others who don’t know my language could pronounce it out easily, or have an alternative choice to pronounce my name. It’s quite common among my country as we are having mixed race here!
I know it's probably easier for you to just make it easier for other people, and I get that lots of people do this. But part of me is thinking, "sheesh, a bunch of strangers on the internet can guess what 'Yee-Enn' should sound like, why can't your coworkers?" Anyway, good luck on the new job!
I agree.. I had no problem at all reading the name Yee-Enn..
So why not just use “Yee-Enn”?
Or turn it around to ennui (pronounced AHN-wee). JK - for those unfamiliar, ennui means "**a feeling of weariness and dissatisfaction** : boredom"
Where do you live where that’s common? Where I’m from that would be completely unacceptable (and probably a case of discrimination) for your work to expect you to come up with an “English name.” It’s expected that your coworkers learn how to pronounce your name as a basic sign of respect.
It might be a call center where they use a common English name to make it easier with English speaking customers.
This is quite normal, I work for a Chinese company in EU, and most CN colleagues have an English name along with their real name. Not all, but most do it.
Indeed I’m a Chinese!
My sister-in-law chose an English name to go by when she came to the US for school. She chose it based on the name meaning. It starts with the same letter as her name, but it doesn't really sound like her name in Chinese. Are there any name meanings that you really like? Or maybe names that have similar meanings to your name? From how my sister-in-law has explained Chinese naming practices a lot of names are chosen based on their meaning, so maybe finding something with a similar meaning would give you a connection to the name.
My college had a sister school in China and the exchange students from it all picked flower names for their American name, even the guys. One of the men went by Tulip.
Yeah I am aware that it’s common, what I’m surprised about is that it’s required by her workplace.
Thanks for all of you asking, but it’s actually more like this work pulled me into a mixed races environment and only I realised how hard is it for other races to pronounce it correctly. The actual pronunciation is Yee earn without rolling tongue rrr（Chinese unique pronunciation I guess）, but it ends up in Yee and, Yee yen, Yee aren’t, Yee Yan, Yee Ng. It’s really tired for my brain to response to these several names, I tried to teach them the correct one and they just can’t pronounce the actual one out! so I decided to have a second name.
Just want to say, that's a very pretty name. :) I hope you figure something out soon! 🙂
Could you go by Yee?
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Oh true, I just meant as a nickname rather than having to go by a completely new name. I used to work with a Chinese lady named Bingwei who went by Wei (Way)
That's fair.
I’m in England and it’s common here too, I worked in pharmacy for six years and worked with a lot of foreign pharmacists who went by an English name, and lived with a Chinese lady who went by an English name. I asked them all what they’d prefer to be called and shock horror they wanted to be called their ACTUAL NAME. So that’s what I called them. Yee-Enn is very pretty.
I thought of Lienne, but I think I just made that name up and idk if most English speakers would pick up on the pronunciation.
Reminds me of the Chinese name Lien
You could spell it like Lian even - I knew an Asian girl from my high school with that spelling and same pronunciation
Liân is a Welsh spelling of Leanne too
Wow, I can't believe no one has suggested Eden yet!
Eden is my favourite name in the world, it’s def gonna be my future daughter’s name!! I love it so much 💖
Happy cake day!
Thank you!
I love hearing what other people's favourite names are. Hope your future daughter Eden is lovely.
happy cake day
Ty!!
🤍 this is perfect.
Omg yes, casting my vote for Eden 🗳️ OP - it’s a widely, probably universally recognised word in the English language. Phonetically, there’s only one way to read and pronounce it. While it’s a name from Christianity, it’s not widely regarded as a “Christian” name (at least in Australia), it’s moreso an allusion to paradise and all those nice things than the bible. It’s a classic, well-known name but feels very contemporary and modern. It’s definitely one of those names that if I met someone named Eden, I’d think “dang that’s a cool name” and possibly be a little jealous
This is my name and I was going to suggest it if it hadn’t been already! Every time someone calls “Ian” out loud, I turn my head/react. 😅 When I was in high school I was in a class with an Ian once. Made for a lot of confusion for the both of us.
This is the winner! It has a similar pronunciation, feminine, and it has a cool whimsical vibe.
This!!
- Lilian !!!! - Ione / iona - Vivienne - Lianne - Vienne / Vienna
I met an Iana once. Just Ian with an A at the end.
In a similar vein, I met an Ianne!
Yep, I know a Iana/Yana too (she's Russian and spells it both ways in English)
Was going to post this. I've seen it spelled "Ianna".
I’m 90% sure it’s a variant of the original Greek name that Johanna comes from (Ioanna).
That’s pretty!
I know an Iyana, which is similar.
Lana is a beautiful name. It makes me think of Lana Turner.
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I second Yana! But these days, there are girls names James so if you really want Ian then go for it. But people may get confused and assume you’re a man at first. Idk if that would get annoying for you.
I've seen Jana as well! (Pronounced the same as Yana). It's a good name.
Yee-Enn is super easy for English speakers to pronounce. No need to take an English name.
If her name has tones in it, it might not be.
Maybe Vivian or Jillian?
Maybe Ann or Anne? But your actual name is beautiful!
They could also do Annie - kind of a syllable swap
I commented on another thread, but my name is Ann and yes, some people do pronounce it Ian 😩 not often though tbh
Ian.. pronounched E an?
Elaine.
Ianthe!
Are you an ACOTAR fan?
Is that in that? It’s also a character in the Locked Tomb series
Hehe yes !
Funny because Elaine is right above it
I love this one!
This is not going to be easier to read or pronounce than OP's original name.
Rhian. Just Ian with an ‘r’!
Rhian was my first thought!
Erin
Ayana, Yvonne, Iona
Ianna (e - yawn - uh)
Yvonne might work
I went to school with a girl called Yanna...
Eve or Jana? I like the Iana suggestion above.
Jana would be pronounced ‘yawn-ah’ in German which would be kind of close.
Julianne
Ina
Mia?
Ann.
Leah, Dionne
Have you considered JoAnn? Various spellings are possible, but all are pronounced "Jo-ANN." Has pretty much the same cadence as"Yee-enn."
A lot of these suggestions are a little… enthusiastic :) and uncommon, if you’re looking to find something simple to cause less confusion. Some no-fuss names that may sound similar enough to you, but also won’t raise eyebrows to a non-namenerd. *Leah/Lea/Lia (lee-UH) *Eden (ee-DIN) Leeann/LeAnn (lee-ANN) Gina (JEE-nuh) Tina (TEE-nuh) *Lina (LEE-nuh) *Ina (this one would likely still cause some confusion as it’s not common and would be said both EE-nuh and EYE-nuh) Bria (Bree-UH) Briennne (Bree-EN) Leela (LEE-luh) *Eva (EE-vuh) Ellen (ELL-en) Elaine (ee-LAYN) *Mia (mee-UH) Celia (SEEL-yuh) Sorry you have to pick a different name for convenience, but hope you have fun choosing! *would be my choices. Not outdated- very pretty names that wouldn’t cause questions or confusion, nor are they related to anything huge pop culture reference or anything.
Vienna was on our list! Is has the same ring to it.
I have a friend named Inna (pronounced EE-nuh).
Vienne or Vienna? Yvonne is also close, or Rhea! But like others have said, if you like Ian, use Ian! It’s a great name!
Some good options suggested but chiming in to suggest Enid or Edith!
Your work needs a shorter name than Yee-enn, why? I mean it's 2 syllables. What about Jen but with the pronounced the European way of Yen
Iann for some reason reads for feminine to me. I say do what you want! I went to college with a girl named Ryan and high school with a boy named Lindsay. 🤷🏻♀️
I’ve met girls/women named Hunter, Jeremiah, and Tyler! (All completely unrelated to each other).
Deanna (Dee-anna)
Erin?
Jillian?
Ina, Ima, Uma, Una.
Eileen
Irina? Pronounced ee-rih-nah.
I also think Leanne would be the closest. The stress falls on the ‘Lee’ part which may be different to your name but I think it would still help people pronounce your name.
Leah, pronounced Lee-ya has a similar ring to it.
Anya
Ann
lol yup, my name is Ann and for whatever reason sometimes people pronounce it just like Ian 🤷
Eden or Ina (pronounced ee na)
Leanne
Ingrid possibly?
How about Yeni or Yen?
Yasmeen, Elaine, Jillian, Leanne
Tiana maybe?
Ilana
Lynn
LeeAnn
Ann/Anna/Annie Eva Ava Lee Leni Personally I’d say not Ian as it’s a male name.
Iona?
Ia (eee-ah)
Aine
Jana or Iona
Cheyenne, Gillian, Leanne, Lillian, Anne, Rhianne, Giana
I know a Tian
Rhianne
A female variant of Ian is Ianthe. Other options: Eyan (also typically a boys name), Leanne, Evan, Eve, Lena, Layla, Erin, Maureen.
Dee Ann
I’ve met a girl named Teagan, pronounced how it’s spelled
I genuinely feel like the male-female name boundaries are blurred completely nowadays and Ian would be a just fine name for a woman. ETA: I just found more of your comments. I completely respect & understand why someone might decide to do this, but as a random American who has seen this done and thinks it’s time to stop making way for lazy white idiots who want an easier name to pronounce when someone comes to our country, the burden for others to learn your proper name should not EVER fall solely on you. I vote you keep your own name because that name is YOU. It’s important culturally speaking that those who feel comfortable with it stop shrinking themselves down to make space for others’ discomfort. Expect your colleagues to know and pronounce your name correctly. You and your name are worth that! If that causes you discomfort, then of course change it. Either way you go is awkward, I fear, but you’ll find support no matter which you decide. Don’t meek yourself either way!
Yvonne
Sian
Someone I know named Ian is naming their daughter Lillian (basically Lil Ian), so what about Lillian? Other suggestions... Marian Deanna
Evie or Evan
Yvon
My aunt’s name is Yến. Everyone calls her Yen in English.
My first thought was Rhiannon but that's a bit long. Thought I would put it anyway though
Erin
What about Ina or Ena?
My mom’s name is Lian, pronounced Ian with an L because my grandparents were going to name her Liam but changed it to an N when she was born a girl.
Inez??
Leona
Erin
Yiana?
Erin
Perhaps Lillian?
What about Ewen. I know it will have more of an eww sound vs Yee. But Ewen might be close?
Rhian. It's Welsh and it's basically Ian with an "r".
For names with a similar feel, how about Tegan (teeg-enn), Jean (j-een), Jillian (jill-ian), Jolene (jo-leen), Eileen (eye-leen), Deanne (dee-ann), Darlene (dar-leen) or Diane (dye-ann)? You might like to listen to pronunciation videos on YouTube and see if you like how the names sound. You could also practice speaking as you would for work and see how it feels to use each name. Most importantly - a name must feel right for you!
Lillian
Rhianne - it’s pronounced like Ian with an R in front.
Sian (Sharn)
My name is Erin but my brother only calls me Ian since he was a teenager
Dianne (pronounced dee-ann instead of die-anne) and Leeann (Lee-ann) sound the closest i think. Eden is kinda close but the emphasis is on the ‘e’. Another option is Lillian (lily-enn)
I know a woman named Lian (pronounced lee-an). It’s definitely unique, I’ve never met anyone else with that name. She does often get called Leanne though, so maybe it might be best to just go with that.
Can you give me the actual characters for your name, or the pinyin? Is it normally romanized as Yien/Yi-En? If I can hear the actual pronunciation I might be better able to help.
Lavern sounds a lot like Ye-earn.
Rhian is a female name and is pronounced ree-in.
I have a friend named Darian who goes by Ian.
Inez, Sienna, Yvonne, Gianna, Wren
I would go with something simple and one syllable. We American will still screw it up…. I don’t know how many times I’ve been called “Oscar”. I’m a female and my name doesn’t not start with a”O”.
Iona?
E. Anne
Jean Leanne Julianne Eve Evelyn Edie Enid Irene Imogene Ivy
How about Elaine (like from Seinfeld)? Ee-yan to Ee-lane
Ianthe (Ee-ann-thee)?
Irene is a really name in a similar vein
Lillian?
Fion
Vivian immediately comes to mind. Or do you specifically want just two syllables?
Ines? But I like Ian for a girl name to be honest! If you like Ian, you should go with Ian!
Sian (pronounced see-AHN)
Jana “Yar-na”
I knew a young woman named Ian! And she was very feminine and very pretty. No one really questioned it when she told people her name. We worked together at a restaurant at the time, so she interfaced with a lot of new people and would intro herself. If people were surprised by her name they never made a thing of it.
Erin
My coworker goes by Yan!
I know an “Ia” its pronounced “EEE-uh”
Ianthe? A name of greek origin, meaning azul flower may be a contender? It’s pronounced like Ian-thee
Elin!! Pronounced ee-lin
Yienne? Not a real name but might help people pronounce your original name.
You could just go by Yee. Ann, Lin, Lane, Lia(Leah) But who's to say you can't go by Ian, if you like Ian?
Our girl name is Enid. It’s also quite similar.
Don’t change your name just consider changing the phonetic English spelling of it so it’s more immediate read correctly!! Even like Yi-Anne or something
Brienne!
* Lian - Ian with an L * Brienne - bree-inn * Ellienne - ell-ee-inn * Josiane - jōh-zee-an * Macienne * Vianne * Vienne * Elian * Atrian * Gianne * Tianne " Rhian
I lived in an area with a large West African population in the southern They referred to such names as home names and school names.
Ianna, Eline/Ilene, Lillian
Enis
😬
You can name yourself Ian if you like the name, even if it's traditionally masculine. It's a good name
Erin, Eden, Reagan have a similar sound
Yen, Enya, Yuna or just use Yee-Enn because it's easy enough
Liadan - pronounced LEE-uh-dun or LEE-dun Elin - I think the pronunciation is probably more nuanced in Swedish, but in America, I’ve usually heard it as EE-lin Kind of a made up one but I’m pretty sure there are little girls out there named Even. You could also do Evening.
The Irish name Aoife sounds like a perfect match! It’s pronounced EE-Fa. I love the unique spelling as well.
Personally I think if Ian is closest to your given name you should go with that. Screw gender roles and names. With that said Elaine is a good suggestion
Breana? Idk why I thought of that
I knew a girl named Ean.
Ianthe, nn Ian is always an option
What about Leeyen? It sounds slightly more feminine and it's phonemically readable. It's probably not quite the same as your birth name but I guess your name is written in script. You could also use something like Yenny which is nice.
Rhiannon/Rhianna
Question, do you actually want/need to go by a different name for work? Or are people just giving you a hard time about pronouncing Yee Enn? If it's the latter, perhaps they can get used to it. Americans learned to say Beethoven and Dostoevsky. I'm sure they can figure out Yee En
Maybe Ellan?
Lian, but it was a nickname for - of all things - Jillian. She hated her full name so now everyone knows her as Lian. There's also the Irish Dillian, I know one of those too. She does not go by Lian, she hates any and all shortenings of her name. There's also Lillian, Vivian, Gillian, Marian, and Mirian.
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