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Baby names

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

Original poster

If you had named your first child Hosanna...

155 replies

hosiesmum · 27/08/2018 21:45

I've name changed for this, because with a kid called Hosanna I'm hardly one of thousands in the UK (!)...

My husband is Zimbabwean and we were living over there when our daughter was born. It's more normal over there to have, what in the UK would be considered, unusual names, and we both liked the name, so Hosanna she is.

We're now in the UK and get a lot of "Susannah? Savanna? Rosanna?" type responses when we introduce her... which is fine, people tend to be able to cope with her name once they've worked it out!

We're imminently due our second, no idea of sex, and I'm wondering whether to go "weird" (in UK terms) again, or something more mainstream...

We've got a bit of a list going, but I'm curious to hear what others would do. (Obviously, going by stats, most of you wouldn't name your firstborn 'Hosanna'! But please for the sake of this question pretend you did!).

So, what would you name your next child, based on this info?!

OP posts:
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PawneeParksDept · 28/08/2018 21:13

Patience
Blessing
Mercy
Peace
Faith
Evangeline
Emmanuel
Zion
Moses
Micah
Solomon
Isaiah

JaretsGirlfren · 28/08/2018 21:12

Wow it’s fabulous! What about Gabriella? Hero?

woodfires · 28/08/2018 21:11

Joy
Hope
Faith

Moses
Abraham
Theodore

MeYouWye · 28/08/2018 21:08

How about Selah? I know it on a white American girl, I'd love it but worked in my accent but would sound like cellar 😊

BellMcEnd · 28/08/2018 17:19

WomanWise with regard to virtue names and not so innocent Innocent trying to nick the car - I know a little girl call Serenity who is adorable but absolutely wild. She’s normally doing the wall of death in a toy car at toddler group Grin

YeTalkShiteHen · 28/08/2018 16:53

I’d consider Zion to be a very politically loaded name

I agree with this. Rightly or wrongly, it’s got political connotations.

OP I worked with a Zimbabwean woman named Hosanna and her sisters were Precious and Exodus. Her son was Tafadzwa Moses. Tafadzwa means “we are pleased” which seemed a lovely meaning to me. She said a lot of names in her culture are chosen for the meaning rather than the sound which I liked.

lottiegarbanzo · 28/08/2018 16:47

Or Solomon.

WomanWise · 28/08/2018 14:58

I wouldn't use Blessing. It's too much to live up to!
Yes to that. Although blessing is so mainstream now most Africans don't really think of it in that way, although in the UK it will might be Virtue names in general can be overly optimistic i.e 'Innocent', Hmm, i knew a robber called that, he was found guilty of robbing DM's car.

lottiegarbanzo · 28/08/2018 14:55

I do like Mordecai, if you're going Old Testament. Not as cheerful as Hosanna and rather grown-up but sounds good. Or you could go for Benjamin, or Esther.

NoLeslie · 28/08/2018 14:34

I wouldn't use Blessing. It's too much to live up to!

Hosanna is lovely. IMO it goes equally well with something olde worlde English like Charlotte/Rose/Katie, or with anything more unusual. I would be more inclined to make sure new baby has a name as long though. I.e. 'Hosanna and Oliver, time for dinner' sounds better to me than Hosanna and Max iyswim.

MargaretDribble · 28/08/2018 14:23

Rebecca 36 did you mean to be so rude?

sidonie1 · 28/08/2018 13:16

Love it! I knew a little girl called Blessing, and think it’s beautiful. I personally wouldn’t go mainstream British since you already have one kid with such an awesome name. For a boy, I reckon something like Jeremiah or Josiah would be great and also work with Hosanna. Congratulations!

Rebecca36 · 28/08/2018 13:05

Hosanna means, "blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’"
So why call her that?
Very odd.

uncomfortablydumb53 · 28/08/2018 13:03

I love the name Keziah, which I think goes with Hosanna
For a boy perhaps Elias or Elijah
Or perhaps Faith or Hope

Dumbledoresgirl · 28/08/2018 12:56

If it's a boy, name him Immanuel. I always wanted to be married into the right culture so I could name a son that. It never happened..... Immanuel goes really well with Hosanna in my opinion.

BertrandRussell · 28/08/2018 12:53

Grin Not the fountain of all knowledge, but not writing in this case. Take it from a European.

WomanWise · 28/08/2018 12:33

Sometimes Betrand you just have to be humble enough and accept you are not the fountain of all knowledge and in this particular case, you've got it spectacularly wrong. Take it from an African.

BertrandRussell · 28/08/2018 12:30

1)It is ridiculous to say that anything is "African"
2) Zion is a name so charged with historical and political connotations it would be very inadvisable to use it in today's climate.

MargaretDribble · 28/08/2018 12:28

Blessing. Absolutely lovely. Or Benedict for a boy.
I know of several white British Hosannas, mostly with Charismatic Christian parents.
Trinity is another.

WomanWise · 28/08/2018 12:16

You're the one asking what language they speak in Africa? I was interested to know what you thought the answer to that was. Can you answer the other two questions?

BertrandRussell · 28/08/2018 12:10

I think there are about 1500 languages spoken over the continent of Africa. Any other points of general knowledge you'd like me to clear up for you?

MerryMarigold · 28/08/2018 11:36

Hosie, please share your names with us. You have great taste! I think any slightly unusual name would be fine.

WomanWise · 28/08/2018 11:35

@Bertrand Never mind the Political, social, economic or technological significance of the name, can you answer why ‘Triumph’ isn’t African? Why Zion inspite of many African boys with this name, is now out of bounds, Whilst ‘Harry’ and ‘Donald’ continue to be used and I’d love to know the your answer to your own question, ‘what language do they speak in Africa’?

MerryMarigold · 28/08/2018 11:34

Bertrand, it has a political significance. And perhaps that is the context you associate it with the most. But for others, it has other links.

BertrandRussell · 28/08/2018 11:25

Hmm. I would have thought a person not knowing the political significance of the word "Zion" is the silly one here.

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