M. writes:
How would you pronounce the name Greer? I think I could love this little-used one-syllable gem of a name…but would like to know the “right” pronunciation.
Various source are telling me:
Gryer (rhymes with dryer)
Greer (rhymes with beer)
Gree-er (like greeter without the t)
Grair (rhymes with fair)But I trust YOU, Swistle! :)
Many thanks, should you choose to answer this one!
I just realized I’ve never heard it pronounced aloud, and I’ve never met a Greer. I’ve been going along assuming it was pronounced to rhyme with beer, though if someone described it as “greeter without the T” I could see it that way too: I don’t exactly say Gree-er, but as with the word beer there’s a lengthening of the vowel. I see The Baby Name Wizard has it listed the way I think of it. It’s also that way on Inogolo and Forvo (and there are three more chances to hear it under Germaine Greer), so I’d be ready to say it’s the rhymes-with-beer one—but whenever we do these pronunciation polls we get some surprises. Normally I like to do the poll with separate options for people who actually know someone with the name, but I think with so many possible pronunciations, that would get too long.
[yop_poll id=”10″]
I know someone with “Greer” as a surname and they pronounce such that it rhymes with beer.
Would Grier be pronounced the same as Greer? Or would that be GRY-er? I’ve always been confused about this one too.
Oh, good question! Inogolo says it’s the same, but Forvo doesn’t have it. The Baby Name Wizard lists it as a variant of Greer, with no note about a different pronunciation. But that one definitely LOOKS different, and I’m less certain too.
I know someone whose sister’s name is Grier and they pronounce it like ‘Greeter without the T’ which can also sound like ‘Beer’ depending on how you pronounce ‘Beer’! Basically it’s a bit like ‘Beer’ if you lengthen out the ee’s a little bit to make almost a 2 syllable sound but not quite! I am fairly certain Greer and Grier are supposed to be the same name with the same pronunciation, just different spelling.
In response to the Grier pronunciation question, the actor David Allen Grier pronounces his name to rhyme with “beer” as well. Funny enough, if I saw Grier written as a surname I would not hesitate to pronounce it as rhyming with beer, mostly because of the familiarity with David Allen Grier. But written as a first name? It might give me pause.
When I say it it rhymes with beer. I prefer the Grier spelling, by far.
I know a Greer & her name rhymes with Beer.
I know a girl named Greer. She pronounces it like beer. I don’t really hear the difference between greer (beer) and gree (t) er, but then I’m from the south and we drawl everything out. :)
As the owner of a hard-to-pronounce name (first AND last, for bonus fun!), which means that I am constantly having to fix people’s pronunciation and spelling of my name, may I put in a vote for not naming your child something that you yourself find hard to figure out how to pronounce? If you find it ambiguous, others will too. Please don’t do that to your child…
So far 94% of the poll respondents use the “rhyme with beer” pronunciation. That’s the pronunciation I always assumed, and never realized it could be pronounced any other way. As long as you use the beer pronunciation, I think you should be OK.
Greer is a great name. I encourage you to use it if you get a chance.
Beautiful name! I’m fairly certain that in the vast majority of cases, it rhymes with beer – I know one woman with the name and she is lovely. And I LOVE Germaine Greer, so that’s a great association as well. It would be on our list but we need names that work in Spanish as well as English. I say go for it!
I knew a Grier growing up, and hers was pronounced like “beer.” I would assume that pronunciation with either the Greer or Grier spelling. I think it’s an adorable name!
I knew a Greer once, and it rhymed with beer. (I think the “sounds like gree-er” isn’t necessarily a separate option from that, since many people where I’m from tend to pronounce beer more like bee-er too.)
I agree with the rhymes with beer pronounciation, however, I was surprised to read that all the Greer/Griers that people know are female. I just assumed it was a boys name. Could it be unisex or is it strictly a female name?
Oh, good thought! I looked it up to see what it’s doing in the U.S.: in 2011, there were 11 new baby boys and 52 new baby girls named Greer. There were 10 new baby boys and 14 new baby girls with the Grier spelling.
I love that name too. I would pronounce it like beer and think it would be great for a wee boy or girl. I’m kind of leaning to boy though. I think I like Greer for a girl and Grier for a boy.
I too had assumed it was a boy name.
I live very close to a town with the name of Greer and it’s pronounced to rhyme with beer.
LOVE this name! I have only convinced my husband to use it for a middle name since it’s a family name, but I would prefer to use it for a first name if I could sway him. It’s my great-grandmother’s maiden name and rhymes with beer.
Movies of Greer Garson were featured on Turner Classic Movies in March. The moderator pronounced her name exactly as I’ve always heard it and pronounced it: rhyming with Beer. Greer Garson’s birth name was Eileen Evelyn Greer Garson; Greer was her mother’s maiden name. I’ve never liked the name because it reminds me of the the word ‘rear’ (as in someone’s bottom). I noticed that Greer has never been in the SSA Top 1000.
I have a 17 year old (tomorrow) daughter named Greer. We used the name simply because we loved it. But how is this for unlikely?? There was another girl named Greer in our Greer’s KINDERGARTEN CLASS who became and has remained a close friend though they don’t still go to school together. Lucy – I think it’s a great name anyway but if there was such a strong family connection…oh you just have to talk him into using it for a first name! Also not ONCE in 17 years has the name made me think of the word rear/bottom. Thanks for that!
For me this is unquestionable it is just Greer like Beer I have never heard it any other way although I only know one Greer ( pronounced like beer).
I’ve known two Greers, one a woman and one a little boy. It works on both. Both pronounced it to rhyme with beer. I also grew up close to a town named Greer, where my grandfather worked actually, and IT also rhymed with beer. I have honestly NEVER heard any of the alternative pronunciations. Interesting.
Rosey Grier the football player was pronounced Gree-er, rhymes with beer. A friend went to a private school in the U.S. named Greer, also rhymes with beer.
My married last name is Greer. I’ve never had anyone ask the pronunciation – it’s assumed (correctly) to rhyme with beer, every single time.
My 16-yr-old female cousin is named Greer, rhymes with beer. I didn’t care for the name when I first heard it, but of course have come to love it now, and I hope you get a chance to use it!
This is my actual last name…
I would say it rhymes with beer… but then I saw the option of “greeter without the t” and felt a bit confused, and now I wonder if it sort of naturally does end up sounding like that because of the way the GR- makes your voice go. To be honest, I feel jumbled up at times saying my own last name and always have (have no idea why), and I’ve been looking forward to changing it when I get married. I tend to tell people, “It’s like green, just change the n to an r” because they don’t always hear me clearly when I say it on the phone.
My name is Greer and I pronounced like beer, I also have a friend named Grier, she pronounces it the same
My name is Greer. It is one of those names you have to grow into, difficult when you are growing up because it is different but, as an adult, appreciated for the same reason. I have always used the pronunciation as in ‘beer’, one syllable only. I find that people who read my name often have difficulty. Also, get confused when I spell my name or mistake my name for a surname. Despite all this, I love my name.