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Baby names

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Original poster

Looking for boy/girl names that work in English and in German

46 replies

GermanMummy · 04/12/2008 11:45

I'm German, DH is English, and our first baby (don't know if it's a boy or a girl) is due in a couple of weeks. Still haven't been able to agree on names though.

We'd like a name that works in English as well as in German with the same pronunciation and spelling - not too common but not too unusual/complicated either.

I like Felix, but DH thinks it reminds him of the cat. Also like Ricarda, but DH's market research revealed that people in England find that too unusual.

Both like Lucas and maybe Charlotte.

Any thoughts or suggestions?

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ChristmasFairySantAsSLut · 08/12/2008 10:06

ys, who is a Flynn was almost a Frederic....but whenever I said what we planned to call him people would either pull a face or they would be totally pro the name but shorten it immediately to Fred or Freddy....the pulling faces ddn't bother me, but the shortening of the name put me off immediately, sigh....

NowICanSpellGeansaiNollaig · 08/12/2008 09:46

ps Patrick/Patrik and Frederick/Frederik are also great names, love them.

NowICanSpellGeansaiNollaig · 08/12/2008 09:43

I like Felix and Marcus for a boy.

Every family I know that is half English and half anything else seems to have a Lucas.

I like Greta or Claudia for a half german girl.

LunarSea · 08/12/2008 09:27

The Germans I deal with through work - Alexander, Oliver, Thomas, Martin, Karl and Moritz (very male dominated industry!) - could almost all be equally British.

gagarin · 07/12/2008 23:26

Leo
Leon
Leonie

frazzledoldbag34 · 07/12/2008 23:19

Claudia
Stefan
Can't think of any more, sorry!

VirginBoffinMum · 07/12/2008 22:43

Sophie
Anya/Anja
Verena
Katya/Katja
Astrid

Conrad
Marius
Paul
Leo
Martin
Julius
Felix

ChristmasFairySantAsSLut · 07/12/2008 22:35

whatever you do, don't call your Kid Kerstin....it's my name and I loath it....and it is slightly different pronounced in english and german, anyway....

Nighbynight · 06/12/2008 12:41

my children have/had classmates (in Bayern) called Vanessa, Jessica, Carina, Nicole, Annina, Anna (v popular), Aileen, Jasmine, Hannah, Fransiska, Verena, Laura, Veronika, Kerstin, Elizabeth, Philina, Lisa, Cristina, Philomena, Annaliese, Tanya, Julia, Annalina, Sophie, Nina

Lukas, Luka (both popular), Marcel, Simon (v popular), Jan, Kevin, Leon, Stanley, Dominic, Andreas, Martin, Maximilian, Henrik, Manuel, Josef, Adrian, Leonhardt, Jakob, Erik, Dennis, Fabian, Florian, Thomas, Nikolas

LynetteScavo · 06/12/2008 11:43

I've always loved Katya.

littlemissm · 05/12/2008 14:33

Marijka is Dutch / Geman pronounced ma-ri-ka or ma-ree-ka this is my name but we pronounce it ma-ray-ka middle name also Aneliese

tiredemma · 05/12/2008 12:49

MIL's sister is called Katinka. We all call her Tinka- its a lovely name.
their father was german

lotspot · 04/12/2008 23:18

little girl i know with a german mother and english father is Katja - pronounced Katya?
quite like it myself. no idea at all whether its traditional or not though

wotulookinat · 04/12/2008 20:38

Asta ?

tinselroundtherock · 04/12/2008 20:37

Astrid

mopsyflopsy · 04/12/2008 19:05

Lucas is nice but has become too popular/common imo....

Ricarda is very nice, though and would sound nice in German and English. I would use that for a girl - very pretty.

Other boys names that I think might work in both languages include Fabian, Patrick, Quentin, Conrad and Dominik.

wotulookinat · 04/12/2008 18:50

Lucas is great. What about Frederick? I have a brother called Marwynn - it's a bit Welsh but my mum chose it and she's German.

FabioTheLiterateCat · 04/12/2008 18:48

Fabio

ChristmasFairySantAsSLut · 04/12/2008 18:48

Lynette....I always lked Marvin....but otehr ppeople, brittish one always pulled a face about it...so never braved it.....which is silly, because obvioulsy especially Yannic is receiving some raised eyebrows anyway, lol

LynetteScavo · 04/12/2008 18:42

Marvin is so not old fashioned! Very Cool IMO.

Lucas is fabulous.

ChristmasFairySantAsSLut · 04/12/2008 18:40

Kristina...Ricarda would be a girls name in germany, too...Ricardo is the boys version....

Oh, and I like Ricarda...but then, I suppose that might be because I am german, lol

ChristmasFairySantAsSLut · 04/12/2008 18:38

e were in the same situation (me german/dh english)
our 3 boys are called:
Sven
Yannic (although wish now we had spelled it Yannick, lol)
Flynn

boys names that would also work:
Noah (my favourite, but dh can't stand it, )
Frederic
Marc/Marcel
Dominic
Tom/Tim
Dylan
Lucas
Henrik
Scott
Carl
Christopher
Marvin (although sadly in england it seems to old fashioned)
Kevin
Eric
Len/ Lennard
Patrick
Sasha
Yul

for Girls:
Anna
Anya
Allannah
Beatrice
Bernadette
Carissa
Cecilia
Cerys
Cara
Christina
Dinah
Esther
Francesca
Fiona
Florence
Hannah
Helen
Ilona
Inez
Jennifer (although depends on your german family if this will work )
Larissa
Lucy
Lisa
Lara
Lana
Melissa
Melina
Melanie
Natalie
Natasha
Ninaara
Olivia
O dette
Silvana
Sylvia
Stephanie
Tara
Tanya
Tessa
Vanessa
Victoria
Xenia
Yvonne
Yasmin

I think all of the above would work...although anything wiht an r in, might not work, depedning on your family!
In general I would avoid r names...I love the name Rhys, and ms was nearly a Rhys, until I heard my mum pronounce it, and it sounded godawful, lol

SnowMuchToBits · 04/12/2008 17:57

Anna, Maria

Karl, Rudolf (although that may be a bit "red-nosed reindeer" in England), Philip, Emmanuel

Majeika · 04/12/2008 17:53

Liesel
Friedrich
Louisa
Kurt
Birgitta
Marta
Gretl

or too von Trapp for you?

ggirlsbells · 04/12/2008 17:48

Margo