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Baby names

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

Original poster

Muslim boy names- help me please

191 replies

Sleeplessem · 23/10/2021 21:11

I think I posted about this before, but I’m nearly 36 weeks and we still have no names, so MN to the rescue! So to set the scene, I’m white brit and dh is brit pakistani. V large extended family on dh side means all the names id choose from the big book of Muslim baby names are gone (Zachariah, Haris, shoaib, kamran, Adam, Ali, layth, zayan, Ismail, ayan etc)

People keep on crapping on the names we / I do like. None of DH know we’re having a boy but they’ve crapped on them in passing. They are also hypercritical because of my heritage (we’ll leave that one there and not touch it because it’s a whole other thread)

My family are also quite Britain first in their mentality (again whole other thread) Neither mental side’s feeling will be strictly paid attention too but tbh I can do without the grief we got for DDs name on both sides, it was f’ing relentless.

So so far we like kinda but not properly.::

Aiden or aydin

Deen but spelt Dean

Asher

Rayan- my family would def have a problem with this name but aside from that it’s v v popular- I know about 4/5 people with a son called rayan so it dulls it a little for me.

It’s this or succumb to the footballer names DH keeps on suggesting

  • * [Edited by MNHQ to remove guideline-breaking comments] **
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SleepingStandingUp · 25/10/2021 20:49

Then you really do need to toughen up. Any name you pick, someone isn't going to like it or there will be a character on TV you don't like with it etc.

Original poster
Sleeplessem · 25/10/2021 20:18

@SleepingStandingUp

I think you just need to be less sensitive.

One person mentions Dean is shavvy so that's it ruined forever.
What would you have done if the comment had inadvertently been made after you'd had him?

Probably felt a bit crap, same as I do when people scoff at DDs name
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stirlingway · 25/10/2021 19:57

Seif
Ifan

SleepingStandingUp · 25/10/2021 19:36

I think you just need to be less sensitive.

One person mentions Dean is shavvy so that's it ruined forever.
What would you have done if the comment had inadvertently been made after you'd had him?

WeeTattieBogle · 25/10/2021 19:30

JAD.

Trust me. It’s very unusual. An old name. And in the country where we live there’s only 7 Jads registered.

It’s just beautiful and it means generous.

MerryMarigold · 25/10/2021 15:59

Wow, you must talk about names a lot to cover so many that people coincidentally talk about the ones you've chosen! Anyway, best of luck. You've had lots of good advice.

Original poster
Sleeplessem · 25/10/2021 14:49

@MerryMarigold

How did they get ruined so quickly? Do it again and stick to your guns this time!
Oh it’s just in our minds they’ve been ruined. When I was pregnant with DD before we knew she was a girl we made a list of the names we liked and narrowed it down to top 5, and just along the way between now and then they’ve been inadvertently dumped on.

Someone in passing says they hate the name Dean it sounds chavvy,
Rayan is overdone
Aydin would be called gaydin etc
DH isn’t a fan of Asher anyway that’s just me.

Yahya sounds like yo yo etc

You get the picture. In general I don’t love boys names, there were many many more faves on the girls list lol 😂

OP posts:
MerryMarigold · 25/10/2021 13:07

How did they get ruined so quickly? Do it again and stick to your guns this time!

Original poster
Sleeplessem · 25/10/2021 13:00

When I said the good names are gone, it is by immediate family I.e siblings, first cousins and their kids- all of whom reside close by and are seen on a semi regular basis. Sucks 😢

OP posts:
Original poster
Sleeplessem · 25/10/2021 12:59

@MerryMarigold

Some footballer names are cool like Xavi! I think you should come up with a list you both like and look at each other's lists and find a couple you like on each other's lists and then maybe talk to a close friend or the other children or just wait till he's born to pick getting the top 4 or 5 names.
Our Top 4/5 were the ones listed in my OP, we’d done exactly how you said, except we kept them to ourselves, they just got ruined along the way 😢
OP posts:
Skyla2005 · 25/10/2021 12:20

Zane

MerryMarigold · 25/10/2021 12:19

Some footballer names are cool like Xavi! I think you should come up with a list you both like and look at each other's lists and find a couple you like on each other's lists and then maybe talk to a close friend or the other children or just wait till he's born to pick getting the top 4 or 5 names.

Original poster
Sleeplessem · 25/10/2021 11:50

[quote Ameanstreakamilewide]@Sleeplessem The trouble is that you don't know what name you want.

So people could be here suggesting names until the rapture.

I agree with PP that other people always have an opinion on your baby's name, no matter what it is, or seemingly neutral to suit extended families, etc.

It doesn't sound like you're going to please everyone by having a combination of an Islamic name for your husband's (family's) benefit and something more Anglicised for you (and your family).

That's quite the Venn diagram sweet spot!

So I would suggest only having this conversation between you and your husband and the rest of them can like it, or lump it. [/quote]
So true! We don’t know what names we like/ can’t agree on any ( DHs suggestions are all footballers 🤦‍♀️)

We always keep names to ourselves it’s just the ones we liked have been inadvertently crapped on in passing and now when we think of them we just think ‘oh Dean, it’s chavvy right?’ Or ‘Aydin, people will just call him gaydin’ etc.

Maybe we’ll just call him boy, birdbox style 😂

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sleepingrabbits · 25/10/2021 11:20

Aiden is lovely, you could change the spelling I know MN hates that, but hey Aden is fine.

SpiceRat · 25/10/2021 09:05

Aiden or aydin (been crapped on by one person saying someone would say oh kids would tease an aiden by saying aidens got aids and another saying he’d be teased called gaydin

The thing is, if you chose a completely neutral and “unmakefunable” of first name, kids will find something in your surname to take the piss out of.
Or in clothes or shoes or something that even just happens once!!

Look at Greg Davies stand up about nicknames, one of his friends in his 40s is still called Baghdad because once at school his dad bought him W new bag.

Go with a name you like. Don’t worry about others opinions and teach your children not to bully others.

Ameanstreakamilewide · 25/10/2021 08:45

@Sleeplessem The trouble is that you don't know what name you want.

So people could be here suggesting names until the rapture.

I agree with PP that other people always have an opinion on your baby's name, no matter what it is, or seemingly neutral to suit extended families, etc.

It doesn't sound like you're going to please everyone by having a combination of an Islamic name for your husband's (family's) benefit and something more Anglicised for you (and your family).

That's quite the Venn diagram sweet spot!

So I would suggest only having this conversation between you and your husband and the rest of them can like it, or lump it.

Cissyandflora · 25/10/2021 08:43

Musa. Even if there’s another in the family he can be your Musa.

Bluepop09 · 25/10/2021 08:36

Aariz
Amaan
Adam
Isa/Eesa
Yaqub

Branleuse · 25/10/2021 08:03

Noones going to say Aidan has aids. Aidan is a lovely name.

I dont think its a big deal if a name is used more than once in extended family. We have repeated names on both my dads and my mums extended family and its not an issue

saraclara · 25/10/2021 07:57

Oooh, someone mentioned Kamran. I knew a lovely kid called Kamran!

EdgeOfACoin · 25/10/2021 07:51

Aban?

tumpymummy · 25/10/2021 00:02

I like Sami too, also Idris and Rafi or what about Zehn?

SleepingStandingUp · 24/10/2021 23:37

Sami isn't chavvy at all, and works well.

You say all the good ones are taken by extended family but how close - siblings and niblings or aunts and second cousins?

youvegottenminuteslynn · 24/10/2021 21:54

Sami is a really lovely name.

Original poster
Sleeplessem · 24/10/2021 20:26

@MsDidoTwite

Does it have to be a specifically Muslim name? I mean, if the extended family is veto-img the names you like and you’re struggling to find something suitably Muslim. then just widen the scope. There’s plenty of perfectly good boys Mars out there!
So Islamically you can call your child any name with a ‘good meaning’ that isn’t sacrilegious (ie lucifer) so lots of people now don’t and that’s totally cool, but personally I do want a Muslim name, just a more neutral one which is seemingly harder with boys names, at least for me lol. So many are taken, and DH’s immediate family is so large xx
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