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Baby names

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

Original poster

Turkish names that work in both England and Turkey

59 replies

LyraSilvertongue · 15/09/2013 10:27

So I'm expecting baby number 3. This one has a Turkish father and he would really like him or her to have a Turkish name, which I'm happy with as long as it works here in the UK too. So nothing too Turkish and definitely no "special" letters.

The baby is already going to be stuck with DP's surname, which is very difficult for non-Turkish people to pronounce and contains three special letters, so the first name has to be easier. DP wants Ahmet for a boy, after his late father, but I don't like it so have agreed it can be the middle name.

Which just leaves the first name. We don't know yet if we're having a girl or boy.

Any suggestions?

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SooticaTheWitchesCat · 16/09/2013 12:07

My girls are half Turkish and they are called Jasmine and Rojin.

Stat · 16/09/2013 12:05

I think Aydin is spelt Ayd?n in Turkish, that is with a dotless i. I'm not sure if you could spell it with a dotted i and it still be the same name in Turkish. From what I can remember dotted and dotless i's are pronounced slightly differently in Turkish.

Although obviously we don't have a dotless i in English so it would need to be spelt Aydin on a British birth certificate.

Creeping · 16/09/2013 12:02

Girl names:
Selena
Almina or Mina
Tuana
Aleyna
Ilayda
Dilara
Leyla

Boys:
Arif
Ilyas
Idris
Taylan

Original poster
LyraSilvertongue · 16/09/2013 11:56

The surname contains ç x2 and a ?, among many other letters. Bloody confusing Turkish alphabet Grin

OP posts:
burberryqueen · 16/09/2013 11:48

oh right i see that could be a bit odd...

burberryqueen · 16/09/2013 11:48

mmm but you could spell it Jem in England, Cem in Turkey?
maybe?

Original poster
LyraSilvertongue · 16/09/2013 11:46

The other problem with a name beginning with C (j) is his/her surname begins with a Ç (ch). Confusing to have two names beginning with two different versions of C.

OP posts:
smithwillsam · 16/09/2013 11:43

I have picked Turkish names, Which works well both in Turkish and England. I like the following name...

Girls
Aisha
Naima
Nuura
Ayla
Zerrin
Aylin

Boys
Walid
Mustafa
Adem
Sami
Aydin

Original poster
LyraSilvertongue · 16/09/2013 11:42

What about Kamuran? Opinions?

OP posts:
burberryqueen · 16/09/2013 11:34

oh i was just going to say Aydin
Can
Cem

Original poster
LyraSilvertongue · 16/09/2013 11:32

I thought Aydin was spelt with a i rather than a ?...

OP posts:
Original poster
LyraSilvertongue · 16/09/2013 11:30

I'm liking Ayla or Aydin at the moment.

Cem wouldn't work because 99% of people here would pronounce it Sem or Kem.

Leaf is very pretty Smile

OP posts:
UriGeller · 16/09/2013 11:27

I only know of one Turkish family whose newest addition, a girl, is named Elif. Pronounced Eh-Leaf. She is known as Leaf. So pretty Smile

headsspinningforachange · 16/09/2013 11:27

Oops posted to soon

girls

Senay (pronounced Shanai)

Zelihan

Ceyda

Ayse

headsspinningforachange · 16/09/2013 11:22

I have a lot of Turkish family & find the more Turkish names work well in English than English in Turkish iyswim

Boys

Kenan
Teoman
Ridvan (gets shortened to Riddo)
Kahraman
Cem (love this name)
Kerim
Ercan

girls

Kader
Neslihan
Leyla
Yasemin
Doygu

telsa · 16/09/2013 11:13

I love the name Demet. It means bouquet apparently!

Stat · 16/09/2013 11:02

I love the name Emre for a boy.

Boys names I also like,
Kaya
Ayd?n (although that has a Turkish character, and would probably be mispronounced as Aidan/Aiden in the UK)
Mustafa
Enes
Emir
Erdem
Ender
Demir
Cemal (pronounced Jemal, I think it'd normally be spelt Jamal in the UK)
Kamil
Zeki
Ziya
Turan
Taylan

And for girls,
Azra
Esra
Esma
Ayla (pronounced like the name Isla)
Aylin
Melike
Leyla (the Turkish spelling of Layla/Leila)
Safiye

Jewelledkaleidoscope · 15/09/2013 23:45

Yazmin?

Original poster
LyraSilvertongue · 15/09/2013 23:41

Some good suggestions here, thanks.

Can't use Yasar - it's DP's younger brother's name. Also has that dreaded special character, the s with a curl under it.

Hopefully we'll have a shortlist by the time the baby's a year old Grin

OP posts:
QOD · 15/09/2013 22:33

Emine
m in aye

Lovely name

tywysogesgymraeg · 15/09/2013 22:20

I know a girl called Perihan. I don't like it though. Shock

WidowWadman · 15/09/2013 22:12

Aisha or Reyhan for a girl

SanityClause · 15/09/2013 22:11

I knew a girl called Deniz, but it means Sea, so I suppose it's unisex.

I love the name Yasar, pronounced Yashar. It means Life.

hermioneweasley · 15/09/2013 22:11

I really like Ahmet BTW

hermioneweasley · 15/09/2013 22:10

For a boy

Jem, Selim, Sinan, Levent, Suleyman (half joking with the last one, but I LOVE it)

For a girl
Armagan, Beyza, Esin, Filiz, Zeynep

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