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Baby names

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

Original poster

India or Helena

65 replies

pumpkin2021 · 06/12/2019 14:00

I am expecting a baby girl :)

What do you think about names India and Helena?

Which one would you prefer?

Lots of love xox

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Katfood · 09/12/2019 18:24

I've always pronounced it as it's written, Hel en a

Never heard it as Hul ay naConfused

hannahfaith · 09/12/2019 15:40

Helena is beautiful
How would you be pronouncing it? Like Helen-a or Huh-lay-na?

lowlandLucky · 08/12/2019 09:46

Helena is one of my favourite names, could be shortened to Lena , I like India but it will be shortened to Indie

Alvcm · 07/12/2019 23:08

It's not a good idea to name your child India imo. It's borderline offensive

SoftBlocks · 07/12/2019 22:56

Helena.

ShinyDolphin · 07/12/2019 22:51

Leopardprintboots

I love India so much

Helena sounds a bit mumsy to me. Makes me think of a 40+ year old with grey hair (much like me but that’s not my name though)

^ agree with this!

SemperIdem · 07/12/2019 22:40

Helena.

India is increasingly frowned upon on as a name for white people. For fairly obvious reasons.

MollyHuaCha · 07/12/2019 21:56

Helena

Original poster
pumpkin2021 · 07/12/2019 20:52

I would Pronounce it the Polish way that sounds like when you pronounce St Helena island

OP posts:
Hohofortherobbers · 07/12/2019 20:14

How will you pronounce Helena? He-lane-ah or Helen-ah? I've heard both

jackstini · 07/12/2019 20:06

I like India but you will constantly get people asking if that's where she was conceived!

How are you pronouncing Helena?

I think the name is really pretty but unfortunately there's someone at work with that name who almost everyone hates so has tainted it a bit...

FamilyOfAliens · 07/12/2019 20:00

I like both but Helena is more classy and has adorable nickname Nell

How are you getting “Nell” from “Helena”?

Leopardprintboots · 07/12/2019 19:57

@pumpkin2021 just wanted to say that I love your responses 👌
I vote India Helena

PrincessLouis · 07/12/2019 19:41

Helena = classy Shakespearean classic. India = a bid faddy & insubstantial

daisypond · 07/12/2019 19:15

I’m one who considers India ill judged, if not positively offensive. It makes me wince. I do know a couple of Indias - one in her 50s and another aged 20. Both use their middle names now. The 20-year-old started using her middle name in her early teens.

NoSauce · 07/12/2019 18:58

India is not bandwagony or meh. I know a 40 year old India. I wouldn’t say her parents jumped on the bandwagon when they chose her name.

TatianaLarina · 07/12/2019 18:37

Helena is a mythical character though not a country.

I think India is meh and bandwagony but it’s not my kid.

Original poster
pumpkin2021 · 07/12/2019 17:34

I have no ties/connection to India. In the same way I have no connection to Greece by considering Helena as a name for my baby girl

OP posts:
bxua · 07/12/2019 16:47

Not a fan of India, but I do love the name Indie @pumpkin2021

Leopardprintboots · 07/12/2019 16:12

Ps. I don’t think it matters that both end in “a” middle names rarely get used all that much but she will have it as an optional alternative first name if she prefers it as she grows up.

Freyanna · 07/12/2019 16:12

Helena

Leopardprintboots · 07/12/2019 16:11

India Helena is lovely @pumpkin2021 and definitely my preferred order of those two names

India as a name is fairly mainstream now so all those people saying you need a connection to India are a little behind the times in my personal opinion

Difficultcustomer · 07/12/2019 16:08

I like Helena.

What links do you have to India?

I find it odd to name a child after a country, but there are plenty of girls called India, maybe if is seen as exotic. Wikipedia tells me India was kicked off by a character in gone with the wind, then because popular in Britain for people with links to Colonial India. My family is Indian origin. My first language is English and I only know a bit of Hindi, none of the other Indian languages so India is the name of the country to me. In Hindi though it is Bharat.

bridgetreilly · 07/12/2019 15:55

Helena.

India is cultural appropriation of the worst kind. Here's your amazing, vast beautiful nation, and we're going to take its name to use for a white baby girl? Yeah, no.

Grufallosfriends · 07/12/2019 15:44

Agree - India Helen sounds much nicer!