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Oh help, I think we're being the fussiest people in the world about girls' names

74 replies

WhatDyouCallEr · 26/08/2013 20:12

We're expecting a DD in October and seem to have so many requirements that there are no names left that we can agree on.

I'm English (with some Irish ancestry), DH is German, and we live in Germany. DD will have my (English) surname and I don't want to burden her with two difficult names, so we're looking for a first name that will at least be easily recognisable to German speakers, even if it isn't German.

And then there's the issue of the surname itself (starts with an H and rhymes with Keith) which, especially when it's pronounced with a German accent, makes several sounds (ie, th, s, t, f) problematic in a first name.

We already have a DS called Johannes so none of the -anna names are really an option.

So far Klara and Esther seem to be top of our joint list, but neither of us can quite settle on either... We've also considered Katharina, Natalia, Aila and Rebecca. And I like Maren (MAHren), Ellen/Elena/Nella, Laura and Alma too, but he's not so keen.

Does some inspired person out there have the answer?! (I realise this OP totally outs me, so RL people could you please just pretend you haven't seen it? Thank you!)

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
ceeveebee · 26/08/2013 21:26

Eliza?

MummyBeerest · 27/08/2013 01:43

Ada (pron. Eh-da) is a Germanic favourite of mine.

WafflyVersatile · 27/08/2013 01:52

Maris pronounced maris

Sabine.

Arianne

WhatDyouCallEr · 27/08/2013 13:15

Thanks again for all the replies. I think I'm just going to have to accept that the German pronunciation of lots of lovely English names won't work, especially with my surname. It often comes out sounding like "Hiess" and that makes anything with a stressed "ie" and/or "s" sound really bad, doesn't it? Louisa Hiess, Maria Hiess, Elieza Hiess Sad

From the names people have suggested I especially like Natascha, Martha (does it matter that the German version sounds like "martyr"?!) and, unexpectedly, Nora. Actually I also love Bridget, bridgetsmum, but I can't think of a more Germanic version that really works. Lots of other good suggestions too that sadly don't work so well in German... Maybe we should just go for DS's choice of Charlie, after his recently deceased gerbil?!

Curious to see what DH has to say about the thread when I show him later...

OP posts:
WhatDyouCallEr · 27/08/2013 13:18

Oh, and phineyj, DH pronounces Zoe something like "TSOHeh", which my mouth just doesn't seem able to do.

OP posts:
ChippingInNeedsSleepAndCoffee · 27/08/2013 13:20

Seriously, is Charlotte (Charlie) an option?

littlemog · 27/08/2013 13:25

Love Rebecca. It's a beautiful name.

littlemog · 27/08/2013 13:27

So is Charlotte - and the dead gerbil connotations are kind of sweet!

littlemog · 27/08/2013 13:27

I did say kind of....Smile

brightnearly · 27/08/2013 13:30

Pauline
Mia
Laura
Leonie (? not sure about English pronunciation)
Manon
Miriam
Leah
Tabea
Christine
Nicola
Verena
Leni/Lena/Lene

brightnearly · 27/08/2013 13:31

Bridget = Brigitte or Birgit (Birgits are around 50 + years old now in Germany)

woozlebear · 27/08/2013 13:35

Louisa Hiess, Maria Hiess, Elieza Hiess

I think those combos sound nice - internal rhymes which I think just sound complimentary rather than twee rhymy rhymes.

I second the Charlotte suggestion.

brightnearly · 27/08/2013 13:35

Some more:
Nina/Ninette
Janina/Jeannine
Cornelia
Annabell
Annika
Anja/Anka (could be short for Ann-Katrin)
Anne
Louise
Lara
Clara

Jiina · 27/08/2013 13:37

Elisabetta? Brigitta? Sabrina?

I went to school, with a couple of German girls, one called Veronique, one called Julia (we all pronounced it the English way: Jool-ee-uh, her parents and everyone in Germany pronounced it Youl-ee-uh. She was happy with either.)

GraduallyGoingInsane · 27/08/2013 13:41

I love Claudia and Clara (DD4 was so very nearly Claudia) and the German pronounciations of both are nice. I like Natasha too.

I have a lot of German friends called Sarah, could that be an option?

brightnearly · 27/08/2013 13:44

Johannes and Rebecca go well together, I think.
From northern Germany, without an "a" in it:
Imke
Birte
Gesche (Gesine)
Marthe
Bente
Inge
Ine (pronounced Ee-na)

MrsSchadenfreude · 27/08/2013 13:45

Elsa
Minna
Frieda
Adelheid/Adelaide (Heidi for short?)
Ottilda

These are some of my family names, if that helps? Smile

Itsallabout · 27/08/2013 13:46

Pia
Clarissa
Vanessa
Ines
Marian
Penelope (Penny)
Beatrice
Rosemary
Eva

EldritchCleavage · 27/08/2013 13:46

Corinne
Cora
Eva
Nicole
Marin
Marit
Beatriz
Isla
Edith
Rachel
Helen
Dinah
Rosalie

Mindmaps · 27/08/2013 13:47

Caroline - Charlie as a nick name

MrsSchadenfreude · 27/08/2013 13:48

I love the name Sabine, and would have liked it for one of the DDs.

Longdistance · 27/08/2013 13:49

I'm with Clara Wink

Small town in Ireland, popular in Germany.

Win, win I say!!

BigBongTheory · 27/08/2013 14:09

What about Lotte as a nn for Charlotte. I lived Lisa und Lotte as a child.

BigBongTheory · 27/08/2013 14:29

Francesca

I've also known a German baby called Chiara so I assume they know how to pronounce it. Would the Irish Ciara be doable?

JamieandtheMagicTorch · 27/08/2013 17:39

Hannah

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