Well at least he didn't suggest Adolf

[zeegilly]

I'm German. DH is irish.
As surname will be very irish, we have agreed that DCs will get a German first name.
I was thinking a relatively simple German name or a name used in both German and English

DH has come home today after making his shortlist.
But he really thinks that 'the name' is in this list and wants me to put it to you lot.

Please please be honest

Girls

Hedwig
Ebba
Jutta
Ortrun
Elfriede

Boys

Jochim
Bertram
Dietrich
Dietfried
Ekkehard/Eckehard

Where are you living? I would be worried about a name starting with J purely from the difference in pronuncuation as y ratger than j.

Also hedwig - wasn't that harry potter's owl?

Also I don't think the other names work particularly well in english, except maybe Ebba, that's very pretty.

Just my opinion though - I got the feeling from your OP that you didn't like the list?

In the UK - don't think pronounciation has even crossed DHs mind

Yes it was but it is a proper german name as well (said properly not like they say it in HP films) think there was a saint called it and you do find it (Hedy Lamarr was Hedwig)

I'm German too but I find all of your suggestions incredibly old fashioned and, well, really not nice, sorry. Do YOU like them?

I know a Dieter and a Karl-Heinz. Both lovely chaps.

iklboo, I bet the Dieter and Karl-Heinz are over age 40....

I like the first two boys names. That's all. Sorry . But you know the baby makes the name and when it's linked to your cute little bundle the name will take on their character .

ROFL at thread title

I think Hedy is cute. Otherwise I think they are too old fashioned.

I would go for the 'European' names that work in both

Alexander/ra
Hannah
Peter

etc

Elfriede is nice, with Elfie as a nn
Not keen on any of the boys names though sorry.

Ebba

Sorry they are just not going to work IMHO

I have a few German friends their small children are called

Franziska
Konstanze
Christine

Stefan
Nicklaus
Tobias

Another fellow German

I too don't particularly like the names on your list, sorry.
If you are going to be living in the UK and the child will grow up here, would you not better think of names that 'work' in both languages? So that they might be easy to pronounce for German and Irish grandparents and for future friends and class mates?
That't the theory that I and my Scottish DH worked on anyway. It partially worked, all our boys' names are easy to say in both languages although some of them are not as common in German.

How about names like Anna, Katarina, Sebastian, Frank?
I know 'old fashioned' names are once again en vogue but Eckehard, really?
Otto, Karl, even Erich, I could come to terms with.

BTW, our names are all one syllable - think 'Ben' - good for shouting when the need arises .

Good luck on finding and agreeing on a name!

I do quite like Elfriede, and (assuming it is pronounced Elfreeda) I think most British people would be able to manage it. And Bertram is nice - lots of Berts/Berties about and there was Bertram Russell.

I think at a push ebba would work. It's quite cute actually, not sure how much a grown woman living in UK would like it. Obv I'm not pronouncing any of them right in my head but please don't go for dietfried... It sounds like a cheap KFC. Sorry I hate being negative about people's names ideas but most people are going to pronounce them in 'English' rather than the proper German way c

Ebba is nice, and Elfriede is very pretty...but could be anglicized a bit as Elfrida? Or would he not go for that. Actually, just plain Frieda is a very nice name too.

How about Lena and Josef?

Ooh, I like Lena and Josef, I do

mopsy they are indeed both on the other side of 40.

:)

Girl ideas:
Ilse
Karolin
Lena
Liesel
Hanna
Isolde
Heidi
Sofie
Rosamund/rosalinde
Gisela
Effi
Daniela
Marlene
Anneliese
Melania
Claudia
Birgitta
Andrea

Ebba is nice. The rest are scary. He seems to have found the harshest sounding names possible.

Josef makes me think Stalin!! Not sure that's better than Adolf!

Erika?
I like Anneliese and Anouk too

He wants 'proper' german names, that people know are automatically German. Apparently that means names that my G-G-G-grandparents had.
But he is refusing any names that appear 'English like'.