Lakshmana for a girl and nicknames?

Go with Lakshmi.

To be honest, I'm white British and my first reaction was "but that's a boy's name". We did read the Ramayana at school though. Lakshmana is a very obviously male, masculine character, so meeting a girl with the name would probably throw me for a second, although then I would probably just wonder if maybe the name was actually unisex in India and I just hadn't been aware of it before.

As pp have mentioned, there is a Hindu goddess called Lakshmi, which I've always thought was a lovely name.

If you are religious it’s often considered okay to use deeply religious, inappropriately gendered names in some Hindu cultures. Names are considered vital in the passage of the soul to the afterlife and so often people who yearn for kids make maantas (promises or sacrifices) to a specific god that if they have a boy or girl they will name their child after it. That’s why you can get male Laxmi’s (girl’s name) and female Krishna’s. But you would be really looked down upon if you did this without the religious connection.

I’m Indian. I’m Hindu. Unless you or your DH is religious I wouldn’t use Lakshman / Laxman/ Laxmana / Lakshmana for a girl. He was the Lord Rama’s brother in the Ramayana and a really important figure in mythology and the name may piss off the Indian / Hindu sides of your DH’s families (they may even refuse to use it and create a nickname). The appropriate feminine version is Laxmi / Lakshmi which a actually means fortune and wealth (the birth of girls is believed to portend great wealth and riches in Hindu cultures) and while also a Goddess’ name, is considered far more appropriate in daily use.

And also the cultural appropriation thing is a very hot topic at the moment (cringe at saying hot topic! But it is) and I do think you and your daughter might be frowned on for people thinking you've stolen the name from a culture you're not linked to..it's not fair that people judge other people's heritage based on their skin colour but they do both you and your daughter will be subject to a lifetime of explaining and justifying yourselves

My DH is fully Indian (lived in India all his life, family still there, just working abroad) and I was worried about using a very Indian sounding name on a mixed race child - I didn't do it in the end as I thought it would just seem weird. There are some names which would work on a mixed race child and some names which just wouldn't and in my opinion the name you have chosen
wouldnt. It is VERY Indian and doesn't work very well in English and I'd be reluctant to use it personally. If your daughter will be only 1/8 Indian then I don't think it's ready suitable to use such an Indian name, especially an Indian boys name, as like a PP said, she'd have to spend her whole life explaining the name choice and her heritage. It seems like a very odd choice which would cause her pronunciation problems and raised eyebrows in the UK (just being honest, I do think people would be a bit about it) and like a pp said, Indians would find it odd (DH said it's a boys name, maybe it's not when your DHs family is from but at least where my DH is from it is not a girl's name, and in my experience the whole gender neutral thing isn't big in India and Indians WOULD find it odd for a little girl to have a little boys name. If you're intent on using an Indian name maybe go for something more neutral like Priya which sounds OK in English or Luxmi which is easy to say and can be shortened to Lux which I've always thought is cool. I'm sorry to give a negative reaction and I'm only saying this as I wanted honest feedback (when I was in a similar situation). I really don't think the name is a good idea in either England or India - I wouldn't name my half Indian daughter something like this, let alone a 1/8 Indian daughter, especially as it's a boys name. If you do want an Indian name choose 1) a girl's name and 2) a name which works well in both countries and seems less OTT and 3) sounds less odd next to two Irish names (might not be very nice for your daughter to feel so obviously different/maybe a bit left out?)

Why a boy's name? Lakshmi is lovely and Shmi is a cute NN while Mimi could also be a slightly more grown up NN.

What about a name that works for both cultures?

e.g. Tara, Nina or Anita?

More suggestions on this thread

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/baby_names/616968-indian-irish-names

It sounds like a girl’s name to us, as we’re used to girls’ names ending in -a. But won’t a billion Indian people find it a bit odd ?

Also, be prepared for assumptions she’s Hindu (Laxmi)

NN could be Manna, Minnie

I don’t think anyone would think it’s stealing a cultural name, for her only being 1/8 Indian. It’s nice.

Don’t forget names are significant labels. An obviously Indian name is a lifetime of assumption or at least questions about her Indian-ness. Be sure you’re ready for that. It can come as a shock if you’re not.

Agree with your DH Jasmine is very ubiquitous now.

I would go with Lakshana instead of Lakshmana.

Lakshana means good-featured or pleasing to look at. Can be shortened to Laksha or even Lucky