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Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

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Original poster

What about Ferdinand? (German/English dual heritage)

32 replies

BabyLabyrinth · 15/07/2013 06:13

I've already posted on here looking for boys' names that are pronounced similarly in both English and German (DH is German, we live in Germany).

What do you lot think of Ferdinand? I think Ferdy is quite sweet as a nickname.

Other names we like (although the first two aren't pronounced the same in the two languages ...):
Arthur
Jonathan
Alexander

Other names I like that DH has vetoed:
Sebastian
Rueben
Tristan
Christian
Thomas

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moastina · 18/07/2013 21:21

Ferdinand is nice. We had the same discussions in my family, I'm Swedish but we live in Scotland. Similar pronunciation is the key!

We went for Axel for our boy. It's very common in Sweden but rare here. Funnily enough my German friends have been quite underwhelmed by it! We've had a lot of positive comments her in UK (but people wouldn't tell you the negative of course).

I was pushing for Edgar for a while. Albert is also nice I think, and Alfred. Hans is nice in German.

LittleBearPad · 18/07/2013 20:02

I love Tobias (Toby for short). I would have added it to my list but I called my cat Toby aged 8. Dammit.

Zynding · 18/07/2013 19:50

I like it! love ferdy too. knew a Ferdia and thought it was short for Ferdinand

Original poster

BabyLabyrinth · 18/07/2013 19:46

I'm surprised the German ILs don't like Tobias or Florian!

I took DH's name, too - but it's not too complicated for English-speaking people. In fact, a hell of a lot easier than my maiden name.

OP posts:

luxemburgerli · 18/07/2013 15:10

Nope, my ILs are German. Maybe the have a point then

bingeddybongo · 17/07/2013 17:51

BabyLabyrinth - no, in the middle

I took my German husband's surname when I got married... I didn't think it was a particularly complicated one but boy is it mangled every time I'm back in the UK!!

Original poster

BabyLabyrinth · 17/07/2013 06:36

Cheese, your English is bloody brilliant then! Decidedly better than my German Yes, that's the right pronunciation.

Henrietta is lovely, too. I'm surprised the Scottish family would turn their noses up though -- it's not a weird name in English, imho.

Going to completely hijack my own thread now: on the subject of OPOL, how is bringing your DD up in Scotland? Are you a SAHM? We are undecided about moving to England in the next few years because I'm terrified DC won't learn enough German. If DH is out at work all day long and they're in English schools, I don't know how they would stay fluent. If we stay here in Germany, it's a bit easier. English is everywhere anyway, and I'm basically a SAHM, so all games and songs and chat at home is in English. (But all friends are German, so when we're out she hears me speaking German a lot, and they all speak German to her.)

Onesleep, that's exactly how I felt when I first thought about it!

Luxemburgerli, are your ILs British then? I think Tobias is quite lovely in English, whereas I can understand why Florian was met with (although I like it now I know a few Florians here). That's exactly the problem - having to go on the sound of the name because you don't know the connotations in that culture. Quite a lot of the German names I like have been vetoed by DH because they remind him of old men or Omas or something.

Glad having a name mangled by everyone didn't scar you for life

OP posts:

Exhaustipated · 17/07/2013 06:22

Love Ferdy!

mathanxiety · 17/07/2013 06:17

I love Ferdinand -- the Bull is a delightful story.
Oskar might be another for you to consider if you decide against Ferdinand?

Frederika nn Frieda is gorgeous too. I love Frieda on its own as well.

luxemburgerli · 17/07/2013 04:46

Reading with interest because we are in the same situation - it's hard isn't it?? It's led to some funny suggestions, because when it's not your native culture you're going purely on the sound of the name without any cultural connotations attached. I suggested Florian and Tobias which were laughed at soundly by the ILs!

On the plus side I moved to Germany when I was 5, with a name very difficult to pronounce in German. Didn't make a difference, I got used to having 2 pronunciations very quickly. Even if one is very mangled...

Onesleeptillwembley · 16/07/2013 22:42

For a split second I was a bit hmmmm, but then it hit me that actually, Ferdinand is quite cool.

CheeseFondueRocks · 16/07/2013 22:37

No, I'm just German.

Really? I wouldn't have thought Amelia to be a complicated name for Germans. From your post I expected it to be Eilidh or something.

Being German, I would have said A-me-lee-a. Is that close?

We had much faces from DH's Scottish family about Frederika but they can deal with Frieda. I really hope for another girl so I can see their "Henrietta face".

Original poster

BabyLabyrinth · 16/07/2013 15:25

We're doing OPOL, too. Nobody on the German side ever tries to speak English to DD or to me, so that's ok :)

DD is Amelia never looked at baby name lists once!, and PILs call her Amelie, Emily or A-me-LI-a. Never just Amelia. My friends and other Germans all say A-MAY-li-a, which is fine (and what I say when speaking German so people don't think it's Emilia). PIL are a case unto themselves, though.

They might be rather pleased with a good German-sounding name like Ferdinand! Putting me off slightly.

I only know one little Frieda, if that makes you feel any better! (And she's very cute.)

Were you also brought up biliingually?

OP posts:

CheeseFondueRocks · 16/07/2013 13:56

Btw, I'm horrified to see Frieda as the 37th most popular name in Germany at the moment. Damn.

CheeseFondueRocks · 16/07/2013 13:54

Oh, if it's considered along the same line as Hugo and Thomas and you both like the name, I'd go for it.

I'm not sure what my families reaction would have been if we had chosen "British" names, but I do know that I would have been annoyed by the constant wrong pronunciation. But I am like that. i have no patience either for my mum when she's trying to speak English. We're raising DD bilingually, with a strict OPOL approach and so it is important that people like my mum, who have bad English grammar and pronunciation stick to German.. Yet she doesn't get it. I'm not sure anymore why this is relevant. I'm moody at the moment.

Anyway, if Ferdinand is making a come back in Germany anyway, go for it. You might be having another girl though

Original poster

BabyLabyrinth · 16/07/2013 13:36

Oh, I see, Herbert! No, I haven't asked on a German forum. I might ask a couple of my friends what they think. Older names are definitely coming back in here, so it might not be considered that out there ...

I'd wanted to call my DD her name since I was about ten. DH speaks fluent English without an accent, and he loved the name. He didn't think there would be a problem with the pronunciation either ... Maybe PIL are just making a meal of it ... She was born in Germany (only 14mo).

I just had a look at the top baby names in Germany for 2012 and apparently it's number 168 (ahead of Hugo and Thomas!).

Frederika is a lovely name for a girl, Cheese. I love Frieda as a nickname.

Christopher has been used in the same generation on my side, so that's out.

OP posts:

CheeseFondueRocks · 16/07/2013 12:55

And YY to Christopher. Lovely name.

CheeseFondueRocks · 16/07/2013 12:54

Oh, and about Ferdinand. I think it's ok in the UK as people would just assume it's German and normal but what is the perception of the name in Germany at the moment? I know that old names are slowly coming back there as well in certain social groups but you don't want to be too out there.

Hugo is coming back in Germany as far as I know and is nice in English.

CheeseFondueRocks · 16/07/2013 12:51

We are a Scottish/German family but in Scotland.

Our name criteria have always been that they need to be the same pronunciation in both languages to avoid confusion.

For boys our list was

Frederick
Philipp
Maximilian

though we wouldn't have gone for Maximilian if living in Germany due to popularity.

As it happened we had a DD.

We had a final list of

Helena
Frederika (Frieda)

and went for the second name.

I'm now pregnant again and a boy will most likely be Philipp and a girl Henrietta.

Madamecastafiore · 16/07/2013 07:35

Otto?

We have a Maximilian and everyone assumes we are German!!

HerbertGistcool · 16/07/2013 07:31

Hi BabyL
I meant the German version of Mumsnet rather than Net Mums in the UK. Was dd born in the UK or did you not consider pronunciation.

Original poster

BabyLabyrinth · 15/07/2013 20:49

Thanks for all the thoughts and suggestions. I'm pleasantly surprised at the amount of people that like it! I kind of thought everyone would laugh

DD has a name that is actually quite hard for the Germans to pronounce, it would seem. I don't mind that it's different, though - to be honest, I now pronounce it that way when speaking German, too. I just thought it might be easier for the next baby if it were the same or very nearly in both languages.

Binged, funny! Whereabouts are you? Not up north by any chance?!

DH was talking about Ferdinand the Bull the other day. I still haven't looked it up!

Herbert, no, not asking anywhere else. Why? Mumsnet education has taught me to stay away from Nethuns at all costs, although I'm not entirely sure why ...

Tim was an ex, so I don't much want that name! Alexander and Maximilian are also both in the top ten here in Germany. Frederick is lovely, but DH isn't so keen.

Only 9+4, so still got a bit of time to go before a final choice has to be made

OP posts:

Leeds2 · 15/07/2013 15:08

Ferdinand brings to mind, for me, Rio and Anton.

I prefer Alexander from your list.

RoooneyMara · 15/07/2013 13:14

Ferdinand is lovely. Frederic is also lovely.

Sunnysummer · 15/07/2013 13:11

Ferdinand is awesome! It was actually suggested by another poster when I had my own name thread here a little while ago, and I loved it but DH said no.

Ferdy is cute for a littlun and cool for an older boy, plus Ferdinand the bull and Ferdinand Magellan the explorer are awesome namesakes

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