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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Baby's name

80 replies

AcrylicAfternoons7 · 26/05/2018 20:29

My friend's baby is due shortly and she has decided on the name but when she told us what it's going to be I was a bit shocked. It's Ava Brown.

Is it just me or is anyone thinking what I'm thinking?

OP posts:
Boredandtired · 26/05/2018 22:53

Why on earth would it matter? A names a name. Definitely overthinking this. Ava is pronounced differently to Eva...

Fruitcorner123 · 26/05/2018 22:54

if you really can't tell her say something like, " I've heard that you should always google a name you like first to check it isn't a famous porn star or something" (Hopefully she will google it.

Fruitcorner123 · 26/05/2018 22:55

Boredandtired but you woukd essentially be naming your child after a famour Nazi! Surely that matters. It is likely to affect her particlarly when they are studying ww2 at school.

robotcartrainhat · 26/05/2018 22:56

yeah.. she cant name a baby that. Im 29 and thats what I thought straight away.... and the children will be taught this in school, Hitler is not exactly going to be taken off the curriculum any time soon... so cue massive amounts of bullying or at the very least piss taking

DappledThings · 26/05/2018 22:57

Ava is pronounced differently to Eva.

Nope, Eva Braun, being German, is pronounced Eva. The only Eva I know is also pronounced Ava.

I got the connection immediately too and think uou should tell her.

throwcushions · 26/05/2018 22:57

Eva Braun is pronounced just like Ava Brown. Definitely an issue!

MrsHathaway · 26/05/2018 22:59

Ava is pronounced differently to Eva...

Ava in English is pronounced the same as Eva in German.

Brown in English is pronounced the same as Braun in German.

So English Ava Brown sounds the same as Eva Braun in German (give or take a little flavour).

This isn't like having a little Joey Steele and someone says "lol that's the English equivalent of Josef Stalin" and 99% of the population going HmmConfused

It's.
Exactly.
The.
Same.
Name.

DappledThings · 26/05/2018 23:01

Bloody autocorrect completely making me wrong. What I was trying to say was:

Nope, Eva Braun, being German, is pronounced AVA. The only Eva I know is also pronounced Ava

TheOriginalEmu · 27/05/2018 00:11

But she’s not naming the baby AFTER Ms Braun is she. I think it’s over thinking a lot tbh.

Nodnol · 27/05/2018 00:22

You have to say something OP. Even if you just tell her to google. The poor child!

I had a friend who debated using the name Azaria. Here, in Australia. Noooo. Once the obvious was pointed out she was quick to change the name, but in the name picking haze she hadn’t clicked. Your friend is most likely the same.

Boredandtired · 27/05/2018 00:22

You are all over reacting. We are not in Germany, we are in the UK. Eva Braun in The UK be pronounced Eva. Ee-vah. I know this because I have children with French names and they get anglecized. The fact that if you are in Germany it is pronounced more similarly is barely relevant.
I know 2 Eva's and they are called EE-vah, and several Ava's (this would be my reasoning not to use it, it's quite popular) and they are pronounced A-vah.
I genuinely think you are completely over reacting and it would not have occurred to me.

Boredandtired · 27/05/2018 00:25

@Nodnol such a shame, beautiful name and hardly the baby's fault.
I know one and she's always had such lovely comments. Why on earth shouldn't a name grow with a person.

Boredandtired · 27/05/2018 00:29

The younger sister of Millie Bobby Brown (Stranger Things) is named Ava Brown and there is also an actress named it.
I can't believe you all know children at school called Eva pronounced Ava? So weird.

Nodnol · 27/05/2018 00:34

@Boredandtired

It is a beautiful name but my generation (loosely speaking), associate it with that tragedy. With time it has and will continue to fade from consciousness I think.

TheDowagerCuntess · 27/05/2018 00:40

You are all over reacting. We are not in Germany, we are in the UK. Eva Braun in The UK be pronounced Eva.

But the pronunciation of Eva in the UK is irrelevant.

This particular Eva - Eva Braun - pronounced her name: Ay-va.

So someone calling their child Ava Brown is doing them a serious disservice because they sound pretty much identical.

She is a widely known figure from history - and not in a good way. Just because a handful of people haven't heard of her is also irrelevant. Many, many people have heard of her.

Acrylic - I think you do have to say something. It's up to her what she does with the information. She may decide to go ahead with the name anyway, and that's her decision.

Boredandtired · 27/05/2018 00:41

@nodnol I had a bit of a fascination with that story and have always loved the name. I feel sad that it has such negative connotations as the baby was innocent. I suppose here in England these day Hank Azaria is more widely recognised.

Seren85 · 27/05/2018 00:47

I'm 33 so lots of my friends are having babies at the moment and I would have to say something. I immediately thought of Eva Brawn and the pronunciation is so similar despite the different spelling. It'll be rubbish for the child once they get to school and study WW2.

Boredandtired · 27/05/2018 00:48

@Thedowagercuntess well we are allowed to disagree. 2 teenage children here who've studied WW2, i have heard of her of course. I'm just saying that Ava and Eva are very well used names and these days I really don't think there would be an issue despite the Germanic pronounciation. Anyone studying it, reads it. And would immediately see it was spelt Eva.
We are entitled to our own opinion and it would seem a number of people have called their children this name.

Boredandtired · 27/05/2018 00:52

Just pop the babe into a google search and pages and pages will come up on Facebook of Ava Browns and Eva Browns. I'm not even a member of Facebook any more. School for a child in another 13/14 years with all these other people with the sabe name paving the way will be fine. If the op wants to mention it, by all means do, but children are far more likely to be bullied about other things.

Boredandtired · 27/05/2018 00:52

Confusedbabe??? Name...

HeartsTrumpDiamonds · 27/05/2018 00:53

I agree you’ve got to say something tactful OP.

CadyHeron · 27/05/2018 00:59

Immediately heard Eva Braun too without reading any of the other replies and only the OP.
Although not sure many people would get the connection straight away to Hitler.
50/50 whether people know or don't.

harrietm87 · 27/05/2018 01:14

It's definitely pronounced exactly the same way as Eva Braun. Op you have to say something- she can always ignore it if she wants to but needs to be informed.

boredandtired pretty much everyone who knows who Eva Braun was will also know that her name was pronounced Ay-va (probably through learning about her at school) so the fact that the name is pronounced Ee-va in the uk is totally irrelevant- she wasn't from the UK.

Also just because she is a figure from history doesn't mean she will be forgotten. I am 31 and know exactly who she was.

Kithulu · 27/05/2018 01:14

You could go and visit your friend, say "what name were you thinking of again?" Her "Ava"
You " Ava is a lovely name....Ava Brown.....hang on that name rings a bell...Ava Brown....Ava Brown....oh bugger! That's Hitler's bloody girlfriends name! - did you have any other names that you were thinking of?"

fearfultrill · 27/05/2018 09:25

First thing I thought of. I just googled Ava Brown out of interest and it actually said 'did you mean Eva Braun?' So I would definitely encourage her to have a google!