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Baby names

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

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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Swedes · 04/12/2008 17:40

Toby? Although it's a bit Lane Fox/Savills Country House department.

wotulookinat · 04/12/2008 17:29

My mum is German and my brother is Felix as a result. He does get a lot of ribbing about Felix the cat.
How about Reuben?
My middle name is Marta - I don't like it.

Weegiemum · 04/12/2008 17:22

Surname is something else though!!!!

Anna8888 · 04/12/2008 17:22

Michael

Weegiemum · 04/12/2008 17:22

My dh is a Jurgen - German Dad, British Mum. He has never had any bother with it.

MKG · 04/12/2008 17:09

Marta for a girl (but then I'm a little partial)

Sebastian for a boy

KristinaM · 04/12/2008 16:28

definitely not Ricarda as will be regarded as a girl's name here. sorry your Dh is right

KristinaM · 04/12/2008 16:27

we have anna and max after german grandparents. lovely names on this thread

wilbur · 04/12/2008 14:30

Caspar
Tessa
Katarina
Clara (luurve this one)
Katya

duchesse · 04/12/2008 14:29

Anna
Annalise (I know a very English girl called this, and it seems to work fine)
Liesl (I reckon that would work in UK)

Dare I say, my own son's name: Benedic(k)t

fanjoforthemammaries7850 · 04/12/2008 14:29

Kirsten?

duchesse · 04/12/2008 14:27

Florian
Tristan
Osc(k)ar

Rosa
Maria
Gabriella

tiredemma · 04/12/2008 14:23

A german pal has a boy and girl.

Jakob and rebekah

DeckHallsWithFIMBOughsofHolly · 04/12/2008 14:21

Conrad
Oskar

Katrine
Hana

KateF · 04/12/2008 13:59

Louise, Sophie, Lisa
Michael, Stefan

Swedes · 04/12/2008 13:53

DP is half Austrian and we wanted a name that was a nod to this fact

On our shortlists were:
Girls: Astrid, Mathilda, Heidi, Anna
Boys: Otto, Oscar, Alexander, Peter

I absolutely adore Otto.

frogs · 04/12/2008 13:40

Alexander, Phillip, Matthias, Felix, Fabian, Max, Oliver, Sebastian, Ben, Oskar, Patrick.

Victoria, Elisabeth, Magdalena, Katharina, Hanna, Emma, Anastasia, Natasha, Nicole, Isabelle/Isabella, Anna.

Lucas is hugely popular in Germany atm, which would put me off.

KateF · 04/12/2008 13:32

My German friend (married to an Englishman) has Carissa and Markus.

annasmami · 04/12/2008 13:31

We too are an English/German family and named our dd Annabel and our ds Quentin. Both work well in both languages imo

Lucas was on our list too but is becoming too popular... and Charlotte is pronounced quite differently in German vs English imo.

suwoodolf · 04/12/2008 11:47

Astrid
Agnes

snice · 04/12/2008 11:46

Would Magnus or Marcus work?