# Swedish: pronunciation of the name Beata



## gunderpond

MY due date is 2 weeks away and my husband and I are struggling with finding a girl's name.  His family background (and last name) is Swedish, so we are looking for the Swedish equivalent of the name Beatrice (his granny's name).  I think Beata might be one form, but we would like to know if this is true, and if so, how would it be pronounced in Swedish?


----------



## Lars H

Hej!

I believe these two names have the same origin, related to "blessed", "happy" or "beatification" as in the Roman church. 
But it might be good to know that there are more than 8 000 Swedish women who bear the name Beatrice while less than 3 000 are named Beata. All according to Swedish Wikipedia. One might discuss which one of these forms is Swedish, if any.
Another source of information is the official Swedish statistic institute, SCB. Follow the link below to see the top 100 female names in Sweden.

http://www.scb.se/Pages/TableAndChart____31042.aspx

About spelling. When saying "Beata" all five letters should be pronounced:
"Be" like English Besides, perhaps with a slightly longer "e".
In "ata" both letters "a" are pronounced as in "far". Neverlike in"ace".

Best of luck with everything


----------



## Wilma_Sweden

Beata came into Swedish use already in the 14th century (direct from Latin, I think), and was then particularly popular among the gentry. 

Beatrice wasn't 'imported' until the 19th century, then from French. We would pronounce it the same way the French do. It was particularly popular in the 1980s.

I see them as two different names, although they are clearly etymologically related. If the granny was called Beatrice, that is the name I would give the child, not Beata. Alternatively, the grandmother may have had several names, one of which might sound 'more Swedish'? 

Since Swedes often have 2 or 3 first names, only one of which is used on a daily basis, you might find several options. We often honour relatives that way. The elderly relative won't get terribly upset if you don't *call* the girl Beatrice, as long as it's on the birth certificate. 

P.S: Personally, I'd also say that Beatrice sounds much more cute than Beata, Beata gives my bad vibes of wicked stepmothers, Cruella de Vil or such persons.


----------



## cocuyo

Maybe I could fill in that "Beata" gives me much more pleasant vibes, while one of my absolute favourite photographers, Beata Bergström, wears that name. It is however not common nowadays.


----------



## Lars H

Hej again

I realize that I have to correct myself concerning how to pronounce Beata.

The second "a" should not be pronounced exactly like the first. The second "a" is pronounced more like "a" in "absolutely" - a little bit more "open" than the first "a"


----------



## gunderpond

Thanks for all the input!  Still no baby...  My husband's brother has "claimed" the name Beatrice (although he is not married, has no girlfriend, and no future, prospects...), so Beata is a way for us to have the name without stealing it.
On another note, our boy's name will come from the name William.  We are going with Willem, hoping this is an acceptable Swedish name.  Wilhelm (pronounced with an initial V) seems a bit too strong for us.


----------



## cocuyo

The name Willem is not a Swedish name, but Dutch, and it would indeed be a strange name in Sweden. As well, English speakers would most certainly pronounce it in a strange way. Imho William would be better. The name William is not too uncommon in Sweden. 

The letter W is seldom used in Swedish, and I cannot remember any other Swedish word with it than the word for Tungsten. Even in that case the single v is correct spelling. To make a Swedish form of William, you might use Vilhelm. At least one well known Swedish author, Vilhelm Moberg, had that name.


----------



## Lars H

Hej igen,


Beware 
"Willem" is by all means a very nice name but it is certainly not Swedish! Its Dutch!

There are actually a couple of hundred people living in Sweden that bears that name but almost each and every one of them has a Dutch sounding family name. 
If I met a swede presenting himself as "Willem" I would assume he had said "Wilhelm/Vilhelm" and that I had misheard.
More than 33 000 Swedes are named Wilhelm/Vilhelm and added to that a few hundred are named Ville, a name found mainly in Finland and Sweden

If "Wilhelm" associates too much with the last German Emperor Wilhelm II, it could be good to know that he is called "Willem II" in the Netherlands and in Flemish Belgium. 
And Vilhelm, spelled with an initial "V", is a more proper Swedish spelling.

Naming could be quite tricky. in any language!


----------



## Yared

I have a friend called Wilhelm. His mother is Swedish and his dad is Norwegian.

I too would suggest the name William.


----------



## JohanIII

Willem, when overheard by Swedes, would certainly often be misunderstood as Wilhelm.
Vilhelm, I would say, looks more Swedish, less Kaiser-like .

As for the nickname he certainly will be getting, it will be "Ville" - whatever of the above mentioned names he will get. So, especially with more exotic ("strong") names, these become less of a "problem" in everyday conversation. 
  Um... in Swedish, that is.


----------

