A MUM-TO-BE has been left doubting her Scottish baby name – with people insisting nobody will be able to pronounce it.

Picking a name for your little one can be an incredibly difficult task as you want to make sure you choose something unique, but not so unusual that your child gets bullied.

Alamy

Some people opt to name their child after their favourite book or film character, or even sports star.

Others find inspiration from elderly relatives and their family roots.

One woman, however, has revealed that her plans to give her little girl a Scottish name as a nod to her heritage is proving problematic as they live in America.

Posting on Reddit, the mum-to-be said: “I just recently found out I am having a girl (currently 4 months along) and my boyfriend and I have decided on a name.

“I have Irish and Scottish ancestry and he is South East Asian, so we decided to each take a first and middle name.

“The middle name he chose sounds exactly like it’s spelled, but the first name we both agreed on definitely does not.”

The name in question is Iseabail, pronounced ‘eesha-bell’.

Iseabail is the Scottish Gaelic form of Isabella, a name steeped in history and tradition throughout the ages.

Meaning ‘my God is an oath’, the name Isabella and its anglicised counterpart Elizabeth have been used by countless royals over the course of history.

In Scotland, only one baby girl was named Iseabail in 2023. Meanwhile, there were 17 Isobels, 12 Isabelles and six Isabels.

The pregnant woman continued: “I’ve been told my child will always get their name pronounced wrong and I’ve made jokes that it’ll build character but I’m honestly a bit worried since we are both American and this is a very Scottish name and spelling.

“I don’t want to have to Americanise the spelling but I also don’t know if I’m being obtuse on the issue and should compromise.

“I think the spelling is hard enough, I don’t mind a different pronunciation. I think the spelling itself is beautiful.”

And the mum-to-be isn’t the only one confused by the name, as it has left social media users divided.

Some think the she should reconsider the spelling, as one said: “Isabel is more ‘international’. I know you both like Iseabail very much, but she will be grateful in the future. Spelling the name is exhausting.”

A second wrote: “Personally I think that spelling is setting her up for a lot of spelling and pronunciation problems throughout her life and I would try to find a way to simplify it in a way that makes you happy.

“However the name itself is lovely and as long as you and your husband are happy that’s all that really matters.

“Your daughter will learn to adjust and will not be the only one with a ‘unique/weird’ spelling in her class or her work place.”

Meanwhile, a third added: “This is going to be a difficult name for people to spell and pronounce if you’re in the US.

“Even Isobel allows you to fairly easily say ‘we went with the Scottish spelling’ or something similar. But I worry that with Iseabail, the downside is that almost no one will be able to spell or pronounce her name.”

Others, however, have encouraged her to stick to the name.

“Keep it spelled the traditional way”, insisted one person.

“Nobody should ever change a cultural name to make it easier for others.”

And someone else chimed in: “The spelling jokes should only be reserved for people making names unnecessarily complicated, not when they are legitimate names from different countries. i think it’s beautiful!”

Banned Names in the UK

The UK has no law restricting names, but names that contain obscenities, numerals, misleading titles, or are impossible to pronounce are likely to be rejected when registering a child.

• Hitler
• Monkey
• Cyanide
• Martian
• Akuma
• Chow Tow
• Rogue

It’s not the first time Scotland has influenced a new mum’s baby name choices.

One woman revealed she turns to the map of Scotland to find inspiration for her kids’ names.

Sammi lives in England but chooses to name her children after Scottish places.

And another mum-to-be was forced to scrap her baby name choices after moving north of the border.

She told social media users she was disappointed after realising that people pronouncing the monikers in a Scottish accent would ‘change’ the names.

SOAP star Ross Adams reckons the dramatic shake-up in ITV’s schedules could save our soaps. 

Coronation Street and Emmerdale fans were shellshocked when the channel announced it was slashing episodes from 2026 and feared the worst for their beloved shows.

Rex

But Ross, who is best known for playing Scott Drinkwell on Hollyoaks from 2015 to 2024 but started out as a runner on Corrie in 2010, believes the move could BOOST ailing viewing figures after the once-loved shows have “fallen off their pedestal”.

From next year, the channel will make an hour less soap content a week and air Corrie and Emmerdale as two back-to-back, 30 minute episodes amid a budget crisis. 

Ross, 41, said: “I actually hope that this will give them their special quality back. 

“I feel like over the last couple of years, I don’t know if it has anything to do with COVID and the fact that people are watching telly differently, but I feel like the soaps haven’t been on the pedestal that they once were.

“Long term it will protect the shows. It will protect their legacy.

“I feel like it will steady the ship and I think actually it will improve viewing figures. 

“I just go back to when I watched it was a kid, it was on at 7.30pm, we would sit down and watch Corrie from half seven to eight o’clock and loads would happen.

“I think if people see that it’s an hour-long episode I might not have the time to watch a full episode. But if it’s half an hour – without the adverts it’s like 20 minutes of your time – which doesn’t feel like such a big commitment. 

“Maybe that’s what puts people off watching, because they might not have time to sit and watch for an hour. But 23 minutes, people have time to do that. 

“I think people will become invested again and tune in.”

After starting out on soaps as a Corrie runner, Ross then became a PA to the soap’s top boss Phil Collinson – who led the soap through the famous tram crash for its 50th anniversary. 

In 2013 he moved to Emmerdale where he spent 18 months as a storyliner. He was promoted to script editor after 18 months and stayed in the village until he got the role of Scott on Hollyoaks in 2015.

It means Ross knows his stuff. 

He added: “Soaps have to change, they have to evolve with the audience and the way in which people are watching telly, but at Hollyoaks, for example, where they went digital first, viewing figures have improved and the show has become stronger.”

Lime Pictures

ITV

Ross has been through redundancy himself, after losing his job on Hollyoaks last year. 

He’s now starring on Channel 5’s hit drama The Good Ship Murder, playing the ship’s entertainment director Colin Smallwood.

He added: “Obviously it’s awful for the people whose jobs are at risk, because I remember the meeting we were called into at Hollyoaks, where they reduced the output by two episodes and also shortened the episode length. 

“For people like me, a northern actor, I wasn’t from a family with money so the opportunities for me to work in telly were really limited. 

“If it wasn’t for soap the opportunities would be even fewer for people like me. 

“And for the viewers, they can appeal to so many people, no matter what your age or background, you can sit down, watch a soap, and you will always see something that you can resonate with. 

“They are so important and it would break my heart if we lost that. They are so special.”

Soap's most harrowing teen storylines

We take a look at other harrowing teen soap storylines from soaps Coronation Street, EastEnders, Emmerdale and Hollyoaks.

Belle Dingle’s schizophrenia in Emmerdale – Belle’s (Eden Taylor-Draper) traumatic journey in Emmerdale took a dark turn when, after accidentally killing her best friend Gemma at just 16, her mental health began to spiral.

The storyline, which saw Belle struggling with her grief and guilt, showcased her battle with hearing Gemma’s voice inside her head, leading to a dramatic decline in her well-being.

Hannah Ashworth’s anorexia in Hollyoaks – Viewers were horrified as they watched Hannah (Emma Rigby), a seemingly innocent teen, spiral into dangerous behavior, starving herself in an attempt to achieve what she thought was the ideal body.

As Hannah’s condition worsened, the storyline became more intense, culminating in her being hospitalised for two months as she fought for her life.

Bethany Platt’s grooming ordeal in Coronation Street – Vulnerable schoolgirl, played by Lucy Fallon, was at the centre of one of Corrie’s darkest storylines to date when she fell under the spell of her older boyfriend and sexual predator.

The controversial scenes saw Nathan groom and manipulate the 16-year-old before coercing her into sleeping with his friends, with one of them raping her.

Whitney Dean’s abuse from Tony in EastEnders – Since the age of 12, she had been in a twisted relationship with her stepmum Bianca’s boyfriend, Tony King. The predator had groomed young Whit (Shona McGarty), making her believe she was in love and planning to run away with him.

On her 16th birthday, the traumatised teen finally revealed the years of abuse to Bianca. Tony was swiftly sent to prison sentenced for 13 years.

AS all committed beauty fans will know, looking after your skin in a must.

Whether it’s using a hydrating serum or a good under eye cream, prep is the key to a youthful look.

But sometimes, even the most serious skincare enthusiasts forget about looking after the lips.

An overnight mask for your mouth is a brilliant way to keep your pout kissably smooth.

And if you’re on a budget but don’t want to scrimp on your beauty routine, Primark has the product for you.

Beauty obsessives and celebs alike adore Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask.

Stars like Kate Hudson and Drew Barrymore swear by the product which quickly banishes flaky lips and leaves you with a kiss-worthy pout – but also leaves a £21 hole in your pocket.

Luckily for bargain hunters, Primark has launched three new flavours of their iconic Laneige lip mask dupe – and they’re only £3 each.

Last year, shoppers went wild for Primark’s purse-friendly lip mask, but now, the new flavours are sure to go down in a similar storm. 

The lip saviour has earned cult status on social media and has totted up nearly 500 million views on TikTok alone.

Thanks to the brand new Overnight Lip Masks from Primark, all of which are vegan-friendly, not only will your lips be quick to thank you, but you’ll save yourself cash too.

The brand says the intensive mask ‘perfects your pout’.

Staff at Glasgow’s Sauchiehall Street branch of the budget-friendly store revealed the new flavours saying: “New in overnight lip mask in three flavours – watermelon, raspberry, vanilla.”

And fans are already gushing over the additions to the line.

One said: “I’m obsessed with this.”

Whilst the lip mask is intended to be applied before bed, it can also be used as an everyday lip balm.

This affordable buy, which is £18 cheaper than the posh version, will help you to pocket pounds, whilst revealing healthy and radiant lips with reduced lines. 

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