Would people think this was a bizzare name choice?

[Aworryingtrend]

We are TTC at the moment and are starting to discuss names for our (yet to be conceived!) first baby.

DH absolutely adores the girl's name Amina. I also think it is a really lovely name, but as a white couple living in the North East with absolutely no family connections to the Muslim faith (other than friends/colleagues etc) would people think this was an utterly bizarre choice?

Interested to hear your thoughts.

I would actually think it was a slightly odd choice for a white couple with no muslim background.

Thanks again everyone- such a mix of responses. No BFP yet so it's going to be a while before it actually becomes an issue, if ever!

Thanks Stealth- I am in Darlington and work full-time at the moment but once I'm on ML I will most certainly be joining you all in Durham for a meet-up!

Given that the name Amina is the name of the mother of the prophet of Islam, I would assume it predates Islam actually.

It has a lvoely meaning and is easy ot pronounce and spell, it's an Arabic name as apposed to a Muslim name IMO.

You get Arabic versions of hebrew names too.

As for the name Christopher, you wouldnt get many Muslim familes knowingly naming their child Christoper as it is very close to Christ (but that's for religious reasons), however you get many a Muslim boy named Isa the arabic version of Jesus........

I doubt anybody would be offended by it, if you like it use it, you get loads of names that cross over, eg Hannah, Jasmine, Mariam, Fatima (I'm sure I'll think of many more)

I don't think it's would be bizare (My mother would, she once said all Astrids should be blonde and all Jasmines dark )

I'm just not keen on the name, though, due to someone I went to school with.

Isa is a name from the middle east region though, and Jesus is seen in Islam as a prophet with a ministry to the Jewish people, a precursor to Mohammed (and a mortal human being as opposed to the Christian belief in Jesus as God). So Isa is not a name plucked from one context and dropped down into another.

What math said.

"Given that the name Amina is the name of the mother of the prophet of Islam, I would assume it predates Islam actually."

You mean, like the names John, Matthew, Luke, and Mary? Since these people were all named before Jesus started preaching, their names predate Christianity. And yet they are now Christian names, because they are the names of individuals who are very important to this religion.

Similarly, the names of Mohammad's parents, children, and other relatives are now Muslim names. They have versions in the language of every Muslim country.

"You get Arabic versions of hebrew names too."

That is not because Arabs heard these names on Israeli TV channels or found them on baby name website and imported them

If one day you care to flick through the Quran, you will see that it encompasses many Jewish stories as well as some Christian ones. The story of Abraham, for example, is told in the Quran and is thus part of Islam, which is why Abraham/Ibrahim is a common name in Muslim countries. Mary, mother of Jesus, is talked about rather extensively in the Quran, which is why Maryam/Mariam/Meryem are common names in Muslim countries.

Cote would you find it offensive? I just assume a name would be used because it means something special to the parents.

I have a Persian name, my mum used to learn Farsi as a language at school and fell in love with the name so called me it when she had me, I'm not remotely persian tho.

OMG MadamD, your husband sounds hilarious!!!!

No, I wouldn't find it offensive. Then again, I don't care for religion.

I would find it ridiculous and a bit sad.

Considering that Jamaica and Britain have a lot of history in common I would see Ethelred as far less of a stretch for a Jamaican than Amina as a name for a non-Muslim British baby.

LOL at your DH, MadameDeathstare

Personally (and maybe I'm a bit picky) I am wary of picking names that are vastly different to my child's own ethnic background. For example, I really like Leila/Laila, but as it's Arabic (and my baby will be of mixed white/Hindu Indian heritage) I've had to pass on it.

I would expect a baby girl called Amina to be Muslim, yes. But I guess some names cross religious/cultural/geographical barriers more than others.

Lovely name.

There are loads of originally "foreign" names that are now common in the UK for many-generations-British children.

Someone has to be the first to use them outside their original culture.

As long as the OP doesn't mind (and thinks her DD won't mind) assumptions that she is Asian/Arab/Muslim, then no problem.

I wondered exactly this when considering Amira, Indra & Mahindra for DD. In the end opted for a simple 4 letter very English name & end up repeating & explaining every time, so go for exotic if that's what feels right to you, you may have to say "we just liked the name" a few times but probably no more so than if you'd picked a Welsh name if not Welsh I imagine! Amina is pretty & pronounceable which counts for a lot.