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Baby names

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

What are your thoughts on the name Adda?

58 replies

awuszka · 30/08/2018 15:44

Hi all, I'm expecting a baby girl in September and can't decide on a name. I would like something that will be connected to Poland as I am Polish. There is a Polish name Ada but pronounced completely different from English Ada. Very similar in pronunciation to Adda. Have you heard this name before? Is it nice or not really? What are your opinions please?

OP posts:
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Shadow1234 · 09/09/2018 00:20

Think i just pressed 'report' button by mistake! Oops.

Yes, i thought of snake straight away as well, not good.

Sara is a very pretty name, i love that.

EvilRingahBitch · 01/09/2018 12:24

I think that in the U.K. most people will look at Sara and expect it to be pronounced Sahra but also be aware that Saira is an alternative possibility. So it’s a very easy cross cultural choice. Maya is a trouble free choice as well.

30hours · 01/09/2018 12:16

Snake

Goostacean · 01/09/2018 12:16

I’d pick Sara, in your shoes! In my mind Sara is sah-rah and Sarah is s-air-ah. Beautiful names, all of them, but Ada will require endless correction and Maya is very popular these days in the U.K.

peachypetite · 01/09/2018 11:20

I work with a lovely Polish lady called Marta.

moredoll · 31/08/2018 18:37

Sara is fine - it's a lovely name. Once people know how it's pronounced the spelling won't be all that important.

awuszka · 31/08/2018 07:32

Yes it is pronounced like saa ra.
I don't like Zara... I'm so picky.
I can't sleep at night because I'm constantly thinking I have no name for my baby ;)

OP posts:
awuszka · 31/08/2018 07:27

Sorry, I have difficulties describing the sounds. The polish pronunciation is with short A. Both the first and last letter.

OP posts:
Rebecca36 · 31/08/2018 04:24

Snake?

moredoll · 31/08/2018 02:14

Ella and Sara are lovely. If it's pronounced Saa ra you might want to spell it Sahra, otherwise the pronunciation is usually
Sae ra.
How about Zara?

BradleyPooper · 31/08/2018 01:30

My Turkish friend named her daughter Ada (prounounced "ah-dah", not adder). It means "island" I think and is a beautiful strong name, love it.

Dinosaursdontgrowontrees · 31/08/2018 01:10

I was going to write exactly what pemba has written.
Adda pronounced add er is a snake
Ahda pronounced are da is gorgeous

Pemba · 31/08/2018 01:00

I think you made a bit of a mistake, OP, by writing it down as 'Adda' . Because according to English spelling rules, that double 'dd' will make people think it is a short 'a' - like in 'apple'. So Adda sounding like the snake adder.

But later on you say Polish Ada is actually sounded like ah-da (so that's a long 'a'), which would be fine. Although different from the British version which is said ay-da, first part to rhyme with hay or way.

Because you put 'Adda' in your title, people keep mentioning about the snake.

MikeUniformMike · 30/08/2018 22:07

In Wales Adda is a boy's name.

Joeybee · 30/08/2018 21:34

Like the snake??

It's lovely to honor your Polish routes lots with a name, but all Brish people will think is that baby is named 'Adder' like a snake.

HPLikecraft · 30/08/2018 20:50

My GF was Polish, and his niece (my mum's cousin) used to visit us.
She was Zosia, which I always thought sounded lovely.

Perhaps it's an "old lady" name, though! Grin

Ohyesiam · 30/08/2018 19:39

It’s a bit Slytherin.

Cosmoa · 30/08/2018 19:37

I know a family with the last name Adda, I'm friend with 4 of their children who are close in age so it just makes me think of them. Not a first name to me.

EthelThePiratesDaughter · 30/08/2018 19:14

Adda will be pronounced like the poisonous snake. I wouldn't.

LarkDescending · 30/08/2018 18:53

*too

LarkDescending · 30/08/2018 18:53

It’s a snake association for me to.

Ela and Sara are lovely. Kasia is my favourite Polish name though Smile

Sophronia · 30/08/2018 18:36

I like Sara.

BigBlueBubble · 30/08/2018 18:13

Ada and Ela are both fine as long as you (and your child) don’t mind correcting people, and letters, and forms, for ever more. Most people will pronounce Ada the British way unless told otherwise, your child might even decide to use the British pronunciation. And most people will “correct” Ela to Ella. Depends whether that bothers you.

Knittedfairies · 30/08/2018 18:09

I think Adda is a boy’s name in Wales.

butlerswharf · 30/08/2018 18:03

Maya is a beautiful name.