Active discussions

Help protect children from gaming harms.

Take our survey

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Baby names

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

Original poster

Help us find a name for a daughter - Polish name that works in the UK

129 replies

RosieAnnie · 15/03/2024 15:01

We don't know what we're having yet as we want it to be a surprise. My husband is Polish and we would love a name that works here as well as in Poland and Germany, where my relatives are from.

This is our list:

Aniela (sounds like ahn-yell-a)
Malina (mah-lee-na)
Liliana
Lilia
Kalina (kah-lee-na)
Pola
Andżelika (we would be willing to spell this Angelica as it would be easier)
Jásmina (we might change this to Yasmina)
Apolonia
Kaja (we might spell this Kaya, pr. kah-ya)
Oliwia (only like the Polish/German pronunciation so might take this off the list)

Comments appreciated!

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Set a reminder
Anametolove · 18/03/2024 11:51

One of my best friends who is Polish living in the UK is called Kamila @RosieAnnie . Not in your list but she loves her name and says it works really well for her in an international setting.

TheOriginalEmu · 17/03/2024 21:32

Aniela is lovely, I also really like Kaja!

Ellmau · 17/03/2024 21:25

Aniela is lovely.

Alloveragain3 · 16/03/2024 23:41

To me, Kalina sounds like cleaner, Malina makes me think of bloody stool and Apolonia is a supermarket I visit on holidays in Portugal.

Liliana would be my choice

MolkosTeenageAngst · 16/03/2024 23:14

I think Liliana or Angelica would work best in the UK but Kalina and Malina would be ok too.

MrJollyLivesNextDoor · 16/03/2024 23:12

43ontherocksporfavor · 15/03/2024 18:38

Is Annelise popular in Poland? Love that name but maybe more Scandi.

No, because Polish female names end with the letter a

octoberfarm · 16/03/2024 12:24

I love Liliana and Kaja!

breakfastdinnerandtea · 16/03/2024 08:19

I love Kalina.
Also like Aniela and Kaja.

Definitely don't call her Melina. As a pp said, every medically trained person will think of blood in poo. It's possibly the worst smelling thing ever.

BrutusMcDogface · 16/03/2024 08:15

Beautiful names! I also love Aniela 😊

Dadbirthdaytogoornottogo · 16/03/2024 08:13

I love Aniela, I was engaged to a Polish man and would have chosen this if we had ended up having children.

Second choice is Kaja, I have German friends with a Kaja in the UK and its not an issue.

Outside your list I also love Maja!

Phineyj · 16/03/2024 08:05

I like Kalina. Not heard it before but easy to spell, say and pronounce.

Aniela is nice too but two lls would help with pronunciation, as a previous poster said.

ParadiseLaundry · 16/03/2024 07:00

Liliana is beautiful.

sashh · 16/03/2024 06:58

I love Liliana, so pretty but can be shortened to Lily or Liana or even Anna when she hit her teens and wants to be different.

shearwater2 · 16/03/2024 06:49

Lilia is my favourite. In fact I had it on my shortlist for DD2, it was only because I heard about so many Lilys, Lilahs and Lolas at the time (15 yrars ago) that we went for something different.

DD1 has a name beginning with J, and initially I was looking at other J names, and liked Janica, which I think is Polish, and that would work in the UK too.

DigitalDust · 16/03/2024 06:39

Malina is a nice name but are you aware that this means raspberry in Polish?

I used to know someone called Jagoda, which I think means blueberry. Suppose fruit names are not that much different to Lily, Poppy or Rose conceptually.

PrairieDawn101 · 16/03/2024 06:36

Justyna (with a soft J) or Mia?

PaperwhiteTheGhost · 16/03/2024 06:30

I grew up with a Kaja. I've always thought it was so pretty, so that's my vote.

Please avoid Malina

43ontherocksporfavor · 16/03/2024 06:21

I’ve worked in a few schools with lots of Polish children. Lots of Weronikas but I really liked Marcelina and Karolina. Nobody had any issues with names. Chn accept all names. Theses days there are all sorts of made up names I’ve never heard before but it doesn’t faze chn at all.

user1492757084 · 16/03/2024 01:54

Cosima
Renate
Pia
Mira

user1492757084 · 16/03/2024 01:51

Hails68. Ksenia is new to me. Is it pronounced Kosma?

Hails68 · 16/03/2024 01:46

My favourite polish name is Ksenia. I worked in a school, and everyone always pronounced it correctly with no issues!

iwafs · 16/03/2024 01:40

I probably wouldn’t use Kalina.

it remind me of Kyleena, which is an American version of the Mirena IUD.

iwafs · 16/03/2024 01:37

I would go for Lilia. Works easily across many languages, it’s a nice name and functions well. I would avoid anything that the child will have to tell people how to pronounce. Or you could use Kristina. But I do prefer Lilia. I am a fan of keeping things simple and usable, but still very nice.

neilyoungismyhero · 16/03/2024 01:27

I like Agata....Aggi

user1492757084 · 16/03/2024 01:25

Hanna
Gizela
Estera
Jasmina
Zuzanna
Magdalena
Anja
Zofia