Farida

Wolfiefan I'd pronounce it FA-rid-duh

I'm and Arabic speaker and my children are all native Arabic speakers. You'd be wrong to pronounce it the way you said you would.

There are conventions though. If someone called their child Elizabeth because they liked the way it looked but didn’t know how to say it, Ellie-za-Beth would sound a bit odd.

I think I’d say fa-REE-da or fah-ri-DAH but that’s a Persian spin. There is a Persian name ‘fa-ri-deh’ that means delightful.

Plus if its a translation of a name from the Arabic alphabet that can chance the pronunciation by the choice of roman letters.

My name has a correct pronunciation. You can't just decide to pronounce it differently.

Wolfie - a name is pronounced/spelled the way the family intends it. Whether they prefer
FAR- idda
FAR-eeda
Fun-REEda
Far-EE-dah

whatever - THAT is the correct pronunciation.

It's like Irene - EYE-reen, Eye-REEN or Eye-REEN-ee - none are wrong. It's just preference.

You need to be certain how to pronounce it.

My girls have names that are very obviously Arabic. We live in the UK and they are white. The only comments they get are how unusual. What a pretty name etc.

Occasionally they get asked a bit more, but again it’s because they are unusual and people are intrigued.

It’s not the names that people look at the like it’s when they tell people their dad is from North Africa 😂 But surprisingly this doesn’t come up that often.

There are so many unusual names nowadays, I wouldn't think twice about a blonde, blue-eyes Farida. I would just assume that her parents had wanted something unusual. And it is a very pretty name - many years ago I knew a Fredella (YES - called after BOTH of her parents), which was unusual - indeed unique - but IMO rather ugly (apologies if she is reading this).

I you love the name - go for it. Personally I prefer it to Farrah.

Your post said you think you know how to pronounce it. Imagine how your child would feel if they grew up being called one pronunciation and then found out it wasn't right?
I wouldn't.

It's a lovely name and for me I wouldn't place it as particularly Muslim or Arabic. I'm not sure why this would make it not a good choice. This is 2018 - you can choose any name for any child. Names don't belong to cultural or ethnic groups these day. Seriously. If you like it, choose it.

There is a Ferida in my daughters class at school. She's lovely. No idea what religion or ethnicity she is and I don't care!

You say you "think" you know how to pronounce it? Don't use a name you're not certain how to pronounce.

Although not Arabs, you do get blonde blue eyed native Iranians

And Iraqis too. I think it’s a very pretty name OP, and whoever made the point about Hebrew/biblical names is spot on. I’m not Jewish or from a Jewish country but I have a Hebrew name.

I really like Farida (Fa ree dah)

Lol also Asian not an Aldi Asian- more Lidl myself.

Aldi Asian but I don’t think I would find it offensive. Many members of my family have named their children typical European names. Farida is a beautiful name, although I have only heard it ever pronounced as ‘Fa- ree- da’. It’s gorgeous and it would not matter to me what colour skin the person had.

People will make assumptions and jump to conclusions. Now I know that’s their problem but your daughter will have to explain a million times why she has her name.

Although not Arabs, you do get blonde blue eyed native Iranians.

Not too many problems.

To me it sounds like Frieda if you say it fast.

I know many Asian people with western names so why not.

I think it’s a nice name. But I think it would be odd to use it if you’re not from that background / culture and I’d steer clear for that reason. There are plenty of other nice names. If you’re determined, in terms of pronunciation, my colleague says Far-ee-dah.

Its a gorgeous name
Similar sounding would be Frieda, Corina, Serena
I don't know about cultural appropriation and those things - id hate to offend people by choosing a name with a nice meaning that sounded pretty.

I completely disagree that it's inappropriate and cultural appropriation. What about all the (hebrew) biblical names? I don't see a problem. I come from a mixed British-middle eastern background and think Layla, Farida, Nadia, etc, are all beautiful names and open to everyone.

Thinking about this, and I'm not sure I agree. We live in a town with a large 'Asian' population, and have noticed that many families of Southern Asian descent are now naming their children typical British names, eg Ryan Patel, Mia Shetty, etc. So why cannot people of Western background use a Hindu or Muslim name, or indeed one from any other culture? As long as it doesn't have some sensitive religious significance like Mohamed, Cohen, etc., I can't see what the problem is.

Aren't cultures blending together a good thing?

Hence, Please think before you appropriate names from cultures you don't belong to. It doesn't fit at a variety of levels and may not create the best experience for your child.

Absolutely agree with this.

I've actually just come off the phone to a Farida and thought what an absolutely lovely name. She automatically spelt it out to me though which makes me think she has a bit of a problem with people understanding it.
I know of a non-asian family who have a daughter called Samira. A beautiful name is a beautiful name, regardless of what race/religion it originates from. I wouldn't find it weird at all.
That being said, Universities are receiving applications without names on them to stop any racial prejudice from occurring. This might be a concern to me.

You may well know a Bengali max but he is unlikely to be residing and living in India. I assume you are western and living in the west and are presumably not resembling the appearance of a Farida?Hence, Please think before you appropriate names from cultures you don't belong to. It doesn't fit at a variety of levels and may not create the best experience for your child.

I think it is an odd choice, yes.