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Baby names

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

Original poster

What name would you love to use but you feel you can't because it's from another culture?

108 replies

Wavyheaded · 25/10/2019 23:03

Just for fun... I'm not even close to having a kid but love thinking about names.

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Serafina (my all time favourite name!) but I'm not of Mediterranean or French descent and so it would be weird to use it - unless I marry a French man.

I also love Ettyenne, another French name (I think), it's just so elegant.

What do you wish you could use?

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Serenity05 · 27/10/2019 21:49

Laszlo. This is entirely because the hero of one of my favourite novels is named Lazlo (without the s) and I would love to name a son after him but as neither DH nor I have a drop of Hungarian blood, it would just sound weird.

Muckycat · 27/10/2019 20:27

I absolutely adore Nilufar which is Persian or some of the more unusual old testament ones like Hepzibah. I can just imagine a little Nilu with my very Yorkshire surname.

Cineraria · 27/10/2019 18:38

I'm always asked if we are Russian or Greek already due to my DSes names. They both have British forms of the names but DS1's name is fairly rare in its British form and the only ones I've met had Greek or Russian parents. I also liked Dimitri and Vasily but wouldn't have used them as they didn't have a British form that I liked.

I'd really have liked Catalina for a girl but would more likely have used Catriona, which is a family name. We both like quite a few Welsh names enough to use them with only tenuous links to Welsh heritage, and had Rhiannon and Emrys close to the top of our shortlists. A girl might have had the Indian Meghna/Meghana as a middle name in honour of an Indian friend who died not long before we had our children. She suggested it for all female babies but I don't think anyone else took her up on it!

Eleanorbellanor · 27/10/2019 14:49

Use whatever name you want.
I know plenty of Asian people with names like Alex and Matthew- should they not have been given those names because they’re not white european and not christian? They’re not Hebrew or Greek speakers either.

formerbabe · 27/10/2019 14:15

Oh there's so many names I loved but felt I couldn't use because I had no connection to that culture

I love

Priti
Priya
Nadiya
Tatiana
Mario

SLKKP93 · 27/10/2019 14:03

My mums name is Jacinta, its of greek origin yet we've only ever come across 2 other Jacintas both asian, our family are all english, i love it and used it as my daughters middle name, i loved Abel for my ds partner hated it, he ended up with a Scandinavian name, but it suits him, no ties but we loved it

TheCanterburyWhales · 27/10/2019 11:46

Luisella is just a nickname though as Luisa (for some reason) is considered too grown up. Similarly, Mariella, Mariolina are nicknames for Maria

The only Luisella I know is really a Maria Luisa just to confound things, and my good friend Marilu (who I had always presumed is also a Maria Luisa is a Lucia!!)

Mimosa1 · 27/10/2019 10:20

Luisella (pronounced Louise-Ella) - gorgeous Italian name

NationMcKinley · 27/10/2019 09:20

Soren and Aishwarya. Such beautiful names.

@maryberryslayers I know 2 Reubens and a Ruben none of which have any Jewish ancestry. It’s a Biblical name like Joseph, Noah or Peter.

Greenandcabbagelooking · 27/10/2019 07:01

Zosia and Xanthippi are two of mine.

Thankfully, I have both Scottish and Irish heritage so that opens up a world of names I love.

Nillynally · 27/10/2019 07:01

Any of the welsh names!

Imtootired · 27/10/2019 06:50

I love the name alessandro for a boy!!!! or alessio!!!!!! Won’t use it because it’s a bit too Italian but I’m calling my baby Alex and I’ll call him Ale in the Italian pronunciation for short

DamnitCharlie · 27/10/2019 06:46

Leila/ Leela is one of my fave names at the moment for impending baby no. 2 but I'm a bit worried I'm stealing it from Indian culture

queenqueenqueen · 27/10/2019 06:43

I love Irish names but zero Irish links here and personally think it would sound v odd to use them x

Moominfan · 27/10/2019 06:39

Yes loads

Tove
Torin
Shay
Khadija
Giovanna

We're a really mixed race family but not a drop of the above

AppropriateAdult · 27/10/2019 06:37

I'm a Miriam. Throws everyone off (I'm Irish but dark featured) and have had some really nasty stuff said over the years. I wish my dad had stuck with Mary to be honest.

Gosh, really?! I’m Irish too and I wouldn’t have thought Miriam an uncommon name over here at all (cf Miriam O’Callaghan).
I’m surprised as well that people would consider Biblical names ‘out’ if they’re not practicing Christians or Jews themselves - these were just the ordinary names of the people of the time, and so many of them are completely mainstream now (David, Sarah, Ruth, Joseph).

IJumpedAboardAPirateShip · 27/10/2019 06:36

Love loads of Hawaiian names

CuteOrangeElephant · 27/10/2019 06:31

I really love the name Sorcha but there is not one drop of Irish in either me or my husband.

Aprillygirl · 27/10/2019 06:25

Why can’t you use names from a different culture when every single person working in Indian call centres are called John?

Almahart · 27/10/2019 06:10

Soraya. Beautiful name

Rainbowhairdontcare · 27/10/2019 05:55

To all of those who say you wouldn't use "Latin" sounding names with English surnames, that happens quite a bit in Argentina. There's a very famous Gustavo Adrian Clark

maryberryslayers · 27/10/2019 05:42

I also love Anoushka

maryberryslayers · 27/10/2019 05:39

Reuben. When I told him I was considering it my dad howled with laughter and kept saying Mazel Tov 😒

mapleleafshiba · 27/10/2019 02:13

Sacha for a boy.
Nuala
Tagdh
Aoife
Eleri
Ania
Anastasia
Lucie (love this spelling!)
Violette
Oskar
Sven
Lars

braw · 27/10/2019 02:07

Priya is one of my favourite names.