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Baby names

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

Original poster

names that mean something in other languages

84 replies

LoucheLady · 28/08/2016 10:49

I live in an area with high immigration where 75% of kids at DC1's school are bilingual in a particular minority language. When I introduced newborn DC2 to our neighbours with her standard English name, they were a bit Hmm and Grin and said "you know what that means in XXX language, don't you"? Oh shit I thought, I've called her the XXX equivalent of dogbreath or something. Turns out it's not that bad, it just means daytime, but it got me thinking, it would be interesting to hear what other names have, erm, unfortunate meanings in other languages. Like my poor French friend Fanny.

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Caipora · 03/09/2016 02:06

Me too. My boys love their pipas. Good job there's no Polish in earshot when they're out in the fields shouting about getting the strings of their pipas tangled up.

I feel sorry for all Pippas now!

Alisvolatpropiis · 02/09/2016 23:12

I'm really glad I didn't name my daughter Pippa Grin

ageingrunner · 02/09/2016 22:29

Just assume pippa means something rude in every language and you won't go far wrong, it seems

user1471734618 · 02/09/2016 21:25

in Polish Pippa means 'cunt'

BabboshkaKate · 02/09/2016 20:55

Scott means bastard in Russian.

Alisvolatpropiis · 02/09/2016 20:53

Pippa is the ultimate "does not translate well" name, isn't it?

Caipora · 02/09/2016 20:39

Kione ok I don't speak Spanish so I wouldn't know. It's just Greece then. In Italy she is "Wank Middleton". Pippa is not looking like a good name!

riksti · 02/09/2016 20:25

Suri means 'died' in Estonian.

Kione · 02/09/2016 20:24

Caipora Pippa doesn't mean blow-job in Spanish Hmm

Amalfimamma · 02/09/2016 20:01

Leirope

Just had a listen on Google translate and it sounds more ikebana seabukey in Greek to be fair

Caipora · 02/09/2016 19:53

The whole of Greece, Spain and Italy must have spluttering their coffee all over the place during the Royal Wedding when they learnt that the future queen's sister is called "Blow-Job Middleton" Grin

Can't believe it means something so innocent in Portuguese, usually they're the dirty ones!

anametouse · 02/09/2016 19:51

Barry means "my arse" in Assyrian

Leirope · 02/09/2016 19:47

Can confirm that Pippa means blowjob in Greece! I think it might be the same in Spanish, but at the very least means pipe there too. Poor DNiece.

Caipora · 02/09/2016 19:46

I've heard of Cockcroft, but not Cockhead. That's really funny unfortunate!

YourNewspaperIsShit · 02/09/2016 19:23

On a surname point, I worked in civil service and once encountered a Mr Cockhead and it was on the birth certificate not a name-change. Is that normal in other place of the world (UK here)Blush

riceuten · 02/09/2016 18:16

Actually, "arsehole" in German is "arschloch" (arsh loch)

Good one is "gift" in German which means "poison"

"Fahrt" means "way" or "journey"

To "propose" in French means "to offer"

HexBramble · 02/09/2016 18:13

Blaidd means Wolf in a Welsh. Kid is particularly wild too Grin

Even better is Taran - which means thunder. That said, most folk I know I'm my community use Taran
For 'fart'.

"Fa-aart! It's dinner time!" GrinGrin

Amalfimamma · 02/09/2016 18:09

Pippa in Italian means wank

GruffaloPants · 02/09/2016 18:02

I once knew a Japanese woman called Chikako, which I believe sounds like "she shits here" in Italian. She worked with a mainly Italian team.

panad317 · 02/09/2016 18:02

On a girls' holiday in Greece, a barman asked for my friend's name. When she said "Pippa" he laughed and said "here, that means blowjob" Blush
Not sure if it's true..?!

Zhabr · 02/09/2016 17:54

Mishka is a nn for Mikhail (like Gorbachev). It does not mean fur, but a bear, also a teddy bear ( equivalent of Teddy). Sorry for being a pedant.

redexpat · 02/09/2016 17:52

I know a Danish Randi who is female, an american Randy who is male, and Bent is also a Danish man's name.

ThatsNotEvenAWord · 02/09/2016 17:43

I taught a Turkish girl whose nickname/shortened version of her name was Nazi... We pronounced it 'Nazzy' but still

Zhabr · 02/09/2016 17:37

Onion in Russian is "Look", not Luke.

Jeffjefftyjeff · 02/09/2016 17:31

Surname rather than first name but my (Hindi speaking) Indian colleagues giggled like school children when Mrs Lund (from Sweden) joined a teleconference. Lund = penis.