Ariola

Actually you are right! Those names look frightful when strung together like that!

I hope not actually. But my point was that if someone says a word then, well, that's what you do tend to think of.

Kind of goes under the same umbrella as names like Dick, Regina, Fanny, people with surnames like Cock, Cocks, Pratt, Dick … albeit at school she won’t have quite so much ribbing as most kids won’t know areola til they’re a bit older

I’m not convinced that “areola” is jn the vocabulary of most primary school children. It feels like the kind of word that, if you’re old enough to know what it means, you’re old enough not to tease people about their name.

My brother Bawbag completely agrees with you.

The West Ham goalkeeper is called Areola ( surname ). I think of nipples everytime they say his name.

I was sat next to an Ariella in a cafe recently (the little girl had it written on her backpack). I must admit when the mum first called her over I thought she was called Areola…

Actually it’s also an uncommon Nigerian Yoruba name which means “we have seen God’s wealth”. As a Yoruba descent, I actually love the name and meaning but as a British, I wouldn’t name my child that either as they’ll most likely get teased in school. She can shorten to Ari though, if necessary!

I believe it also has some Italian origin.

Doing Midwifery in the late 60's early 70's, the drug of choice for constipation was Cascara.
I knew of 2 women who named their baby girls this even though they knew the origin of the name

It is a very beautiful name, In a different language… In English it means nipple.
it just does.
Clearly in Albanian it doesn’t mean that, or in fact in many, many other countries. I do think that everyone should think and check on this kind of things if they are choosing to bring up their child in a country that speaks a different language to their mother tongue. As should English speakers living elsewhere.
At least make yourself aware so you’ve made an informed choice. One of the new kids in our school has a name (not an English one) that basically reads as ‘arse’. I do wonder how that will play out has they grow.

Me too.

I too wonder if you misheard and it was Ariella (here's hoping 🙏🏻). Ariola is definitely going to make most people think 'nipples'. That's not because we're sexualising breasts, it's simply because it's the name of a body part! Most body parts wouldn't make good names, let alone one that has massive teasing potential for when she's in secondary school. You wouldn't call a child Clitoris, Labia or Vulva Ariola/Areola is of a similar ilk.

If course people should consider whether their child will get the piss ripped out of them at school because of their name. It's completely naive of a parent not to consider such things.

Poor woman must have no family or friends at all because there’s no way no one acted surprised or mentioned nipples when she first announced the name. It’s pretty if you don’t know what it means and I like Ari as a nickname but it’s just not a name, it’s a body part. Are you absolutely sure she didn’t say Ariana? Or even Ariella?

Ah now come on - people are going to hear the word, not read it, on first meeting.

If the word boob was a beautiful name in another language, would you defend the parent who chose to bestow it on a child who would grow up in an English speaking country?

I automatically thought of nipples!!! Poor kid.

I think hearing Ariola and thinking Areola is understandable to be fair- they are phonetically identical in an English accent. I think If I moved permanently to another country I’d try to avoid calling my child something that was phonetically the same as a body part in said country.

Albania is actually named after the eagle, its national bird. The local name for the country is Shqipëria, derived from shqiponjë (“eagle”). Google tells me that the golden eagle is shqiponjë e malit.

Labia for a name?
Probably is somewhere.

Aye, this. Insane reply.

@HelpMeUnpickThis thank you for the telling off. Bi am not obsessed with boobs and I don't over sexualise them but the vast majority of teenagers do and secondary schools are fairly brutal places. Have you spent much time in UK secondary schools? I've been teaching in them for the past 25 years and I thought very carefully about what I called my children and their initials because why make their lives harder than they need to be.

I don’t think it will be an issue in primary school nor tbh secondary school, I’m not sure areola is a word most kids are familiar with!!

I agree it does sound pretty but nipples are all I can think of. Nothing to do with sexualising boobs as I think only became aware of that word when I was breastfeeding!! Unfortunately words from other languages sound like our words which can be a problem or it can not be. I taught a Chinese girl called Quinn pronounced chin. Obviously the first time I heard it I thought it sounded like chin. Obviously inevitable, but not particularly embarrassing, whereas areola potentially is I guess.

If you cant read or hear the word “Ariola” and not think of boobs, that is a you problem I think.

Not really. It reads and sounds exactly like the word we only ever hear used to refer to part of a boob. What else do you expect people to think of.

It’s like telling someone you want to name your child Tiger and expecting them not to think of a tiger.

It is a beautiful name, but only in languages where it doesn’t mean of a nipple.

I met an Amorous once. The mum told me she had made the name up.

Nope, that’s exactly what id first think too!

But I guess it’s used in other countries and if you’re not primarily English speaking you won’t think the same thing?