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Baby names

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

Original poster

Unique girl names - esp German?

79 replies

Walnut8 · 13/12/2009 18:02

I posted a while ago, saying that my husband and I were thinking about calling our baby girl Annaliese. My DH has now decided that he's not entirely sure about this name which is fine but we can't seem to find anything else that we like that suits our very harsh-sounding german surname. We've ruled out many names that we like, ie Chloe, Juliet because they just don't sound right with the last name!

Can anyone pls give me some suggestions of nice sounding German girl's names (or names that would suit a harsh sounding surname). We are after something a little unusual as I have looked at lists of popular names in Germany over the last few years but the names all seem very common - there are many Lauras, Hannahs & Annas in DH's family. Thanks everyone.

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BlauerWeihnachtsengel · 17/12/2009 16:33

You're right, Italophil, I know two girls called Grete (the anglicised form would be Greta), 9 and 10 years old respectively, and both of them are short for Margarethe, I imagine in honour of some great-aunt.

Mistletoesnowman · 17/12/2009 16:02

Also my SIL is Dutch with quite a harsh sounding name and she has a Leni and an Angelina. I know they're not German but both lovely names.

Mistletoesnowman · 17/12/2009 16:01

I know two sisters with a German surname called Anja and Karin - both quite nice names.

I also love Elsa though - think it's a wonderful name.

Italophil · 17/12/2009 15:31

Just some commentary on the above:

Laken is just odd. Why not call your child table?

Lorelei agree that there is a huge fascination with it in Germany, probably one of the most famous legends. But she committed suicide, she is a siren rather not in my view

Cosima, Alexa, Xenia -- very posh, aristo, but beautiful.

Have not heard of other Maxima than the Dutch Princess

Marie-Therese, Louisa, Victoria, Letizia, Sophie/Marie-Sophie -- all very upper-mc, beautiful, albeit slightly popular(grossbuergerlich as Blauer says correctly)

Heidi, Liesl, Gretl, etc in their unabbreviated form (Heidemarie, Anneliese, Margarethe) beautiful and used in the generation of the now 60 year olds; all very "Sound of Music"/30s and 40s don't think anyone in Germany would use them unless there is a family/special reason affiliation; the abbreviations IMHO are not real names, I would always go for the "proper" name in the birth register

and then of course the really popular German names such as Lena, Lisa, Leonie, Lea, Anna, Mia, Hanna

My personal favourites are slightly more traditional:
Henriette
Eleonore
Cosima
Charlotte
Johanna

heading4home · 16/12/2009 13:02

A few that haven't been suggested yet (I think)

Dagmara (softer than Dagmar I think)
Dorothea (shortened to Thea although the common shortform is Dötti I think - this is on my own shortlist )
Liesl
Sonja

I love Lorelei, but then I love Gilmore Girls
DH has vetoed it though!

FishInMyHair · 16/12/2009 12:52

Laken's parents were German.
Apparently there was a German soap opera with a character called Laken.
Sheet. Interesting.

telsa · 15/12/2009 19:57

Dora
Marlene
Lola
Zarah
Romy (short for Rosemarie)
Magda
Beate (b-art-ta)
Nina

based on pop stars, film stars, artists who spring to mind

belgo · 15/12/2009 17:09

and Adelheid (Heidi)

belgo · 15/12/2009 17:06

Lieselotte is very pretty and a bit more unusual than Lotte.

Agree Laken means sheets in dutch.

tadjennyp · 15/12/2009 17:01

How about Kristina or Kirsten? Lotte sounds a bit Charlie and Lola but is pretty, or other cross-over names like Nina or Greta?

midnightexpress · 15/12/2009 15:45

Would Laken be the German equivalent of Michael Jackson calling his son Blanket do you think?

BlauerWeihnachtsengel · 15/12/2009 15:43

lol at Laken. 'I said, COME HERE AT ONCE SHEET!' I'd like to see the German registrar's face when that name gets suggested.

I agree that some names just sound hopelessly old-fashioned, and not in a good way. Ingrid for me is only for the 60 plus generation. Couldn't imagine a baby Ingrid. Although friends have recently called their dd2 Agathe (pron Ag-ata)!.

Cosima is dead posh, isn't it? Anastasia is quite upmarket as well.

I really like Clara. That's what we nearly called dd2.

mathanxiety · 15/12/2009 14:36

Cosima?

canella · 15/12/2009 13:42

i'm in germany too - loads of girls called sophia and lara.

Other girls names
Alina
Clara
Ida (prounounced ee-d-a)
Greta
Natascha
Jannika
Arianna

pofacedandproud · 15/12/2009 13:32

I don't like Maxime, sounds too much like Maxine, and though I know a wonderful woman with that name, I don't think it has worn well as a name. Also Maxima sounds lie Maximum Headroom to me.

SE13Mummy · 15/12/2009 12:45

Apparently the name Harriet is Germanic...

frogs · 15/12/2009 11:05

If you like Ilse, you could have Elsa as an Anglo-friendly alternative?

Agree re. Lorelei, to my ears it belongs in a carnival song sung by a bunch of drunk middle-aged blokes from the Rhineland.

And yes, Laken means sheet. I don't think most Germans would recognise that as a first name. I quite like Maren and Mareike, though both quite north German.

diddl · 15/12/2009 11:03

Alicia?

Original poster
Walnut8 · 15/12/2009 11:01

Sorry but I have to agree with MmeLindt re Lorelei ... I just think of that Gilmore Girls show. Ugh. (So many names ruined by bad American TV).

OP posts:
hupa · 15/12/2009 10:58

I´m in Germany and the names that are popular in our area at the moment are
Lena
Lara
Jana
Alena
Sophie/Sophia
Marie/Maria

also double names so,
Anna-Lena
Lisa-Marie etc.

Laken means sheets in German so I´m not so sure I´d use that.

Original poster
Walnut8 · 15/12/2009 10:56

Have always loved Ilse (was on my very first list) but DH vetoed almost straight away. He said many people wouldn't know how to pronounce it. We are definitely considering the pronunciation issue.

Thank you for the info Blauer! I actually quite like Maxime/Maxima - not sure what others make of this name?

Also of Laken?

MrsVik yes I am you.

OP posts:
MmeLindt · 15/12/2009 10:56

Noooooooooooooooooooo to Lorelei. Sorry, but I think most Germans would laugh at that. Shame, as it is pretty.

Laken means sheet in German. Might be a name in the north of Germany - it sounds quite northern.

Marlies is very pretty, my exlandlord was called Marlies.

Lotster · 15/12/2009 10:53

Laken is pretty. Also thought of Lorelei

Lotster · 15/12/2009 10:49

Another vote for Isolde too, so pretty. Issy for short.

FishInMyHair · 15/12/2009 10:04

I knew a German girl who had a daughter called Laken.
I thought it was pretty.

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