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Baby names

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

Original poster

Anne, Anna, Anya, Annie or Ariana?

87 replies

sloaneBear · 07/07/2019 22:14

Which of these names for a baby girl to honour her recently departed grandmother Anne?

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Namechangedonceagain · 08/07/2019 14:37

Annie or Anna!

CarryOnUpTheNile · 08/07/2019 14:11

They’re all nice, but I’d for Anna.

georgialondon · 08/07/2019 14:11

Anna. I really dislike Annie.

Kittykatmacbill · 08/07/2019 14:10

We have Annie, it’s a great name, named for her gran too. Also like anushka and anouk, if you have a different spin.

shiningstar2 · 08/07/2019 13:38

Anna

Fatkins · 08/07/2019 13:37

Anna

99point9FahrenheitDegrees · 08/07/2019 13:08

I went for Anne to honour an Anna known as Anne. It is a surprisingly unusual name for this generation and very nicknamable. Frankly, I like all your options. I probably wouldn't go with Anna because it's more popular, or Ariana because it's so synonymous with the pop star, but really they're all good choices 😀

Allthebears · 08/07/2019 12:49

I like all of them, except possibly Ariana which sounds a bit 'modern' and faddy.
Just Anne is lovely and refeshingly simple.

MikeUniformMike · 08/07/2019 10:52

Ariana has no reference at all to Anne in it. It is derived from Ariadne. The meanings are different.

Original poster
sloaneBear · 08/07/2019 09:52

@bridgetreilly it’s the way you worded it which was pretty insensitive. If you were my mum you would be “pissed off”. It’s “just rude”. I just don’t understand using that sort of critical and bombastic language with anyone really but especially on a thread that mentions recent bereavement.

OP posts:
Marlena1 · 08/07/2019 09:47

I did Annie as a middle name (not that close so wouldnt have used as first name). I love it. Anne might be a bit short for a new baby but all the others are lovely. Ariana maybe a bit far removed if you wanted people to notice.

Enclume · 08/07/2019 09:45

Bridget totally disagree. An old school friend named their daughter after me but used a variant spelling. I was extremely touched.

MikeUniformMike · 08/07/2019 09:44

Anne's lovely. Use it. It's not boring as it's refreshing from all the frilly names, but in her nan's time it was probably very popular. It was massively popular as a middle name in the mid 20th century.
Sorry about your loss and congratulations on your baby daughter.

Enclume · 08/07/2019 09:44

Anya is a nickname for Anna in Russia.

I love it but it's a bit silly to Slavic ears, like calling a kid Natasha on the birth cert instead of Natalia.

bridgetreilly · 08/07/2019 09:43

Fine, if you talked to her about it and she had some input into the name.

But I don't think it is either ridiculous or cruel (over the top, much?) to point out that giving someone a different name does not feel honouring or respectful.

MikeUniformMike · 08/07/2019 09:40

Or Ah-ree-ah-nuh, which I don't like.

TixieLix · 08/07/2019 09:37

I love the name Anna. I like Annika too and Rhianna but not sure if they're close enough to Anne.

MikeUniformMike · 08/07/2019 09:27

If it's to honour her grandmother, Anne, possibly with nn Annie.
I prefer Ann.
Of your list, with no honouring, I'd choose Anna. Annie I like too.
Anya is nice but seems a bit wet.
Ariana is too much, and will be Arry Ah-na or Arry Anna, and will have an extra n put into it.

Original poster
sloaneBear · 08/07/2019 09:26

@bridgetreilly don’t be ridiculous and cruel.

The names are all very close to Anne.

I actually told my mum before she died that I would call the baby after her and she was really pleased but said she had always wished her parents had given her a more “interesting” name, we then discussed these options (minus Ariana which I hadn’t thought of). She loved all the ideas and said she felt honoured.

When wading into a thread where the person has mentioned being recently bereaved maybe think about how kindly you make your points.

OP posts:
diddlediddle · 08/07/2019 09:25

Anna isn't plain or boring!

IHeartKingThistle · 08/07/2019 09:24

I have an Annie. She thinks it's old fashioned but what does she know, she's 13 Grin

bribery · 08/07/2019 09:24

I have an Annabel, named for my Nan who was Annie.

What about Anne-Marie? Pretty Thanks

Original poster
sloaneBear · 08/07/2019 09:22

Thanks. We like Anna but we are a bit worried people might think it plain or boring.

I like Marianne etc but it doesn’t feel close enough to Anne. But maybe I should reflect on that. Arianna probably off the list for the same reason although it was the suggestion of my older kids who think it’s it’s the most “peng” name ever!

OP posts:
bridgetreilly · 08/07/2019 09:20

Well if her grandmother was Anne, then to honour her, you need to call your daughter Anne.

I genuinely can't think of something that would piss me off more than being told someone had been given a different name from mine 'in honour of me'. It's just rude. If you like the other names, great. But don't pretend it's honouring Anne to call your daughter Ann, or Annie or Adriana. That's not respectful.

17caterpillars1mouse · 08/07/2019 09:18

Anna nn Annie

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