Yahya or Eesa?

[Aaliyah1]

I need some help guys with the two above names. We are having a baby boy and like these two names. I wanted to know the opinion of non Muslims (Muslims too ) of what you think of them. I'm swaying towards one but my DH is swaying to another

Yahya is the Arabic for John and Eesa is Arabic for Jesus.

I was guessing you had thrown scrabble letters up in the air, to be honest.

What about Asa? Sounds like Eesa but is more conventional.
If you don't live in an Arabic-speaking community then they may be names that don't travel outside your culture well.

I didn't know that about Yahya. I guess most people will have heard that name before because of the footballer with the same (but differently spelt) name. Eesa sounds like a lovely name - it's pretty straightforward to pronounce too.

Can you give me an idea of how they are pronounced? If Eesa is said like it sounds (EE-sa) then I like that a lot. It works well in English/US English, and is similar in other European languages, I think. (Well, so says google!)

There's a German version and a Nordic version apparently.

Eesa is really lovely and will give you much less hassle spelling/pronunciation wise .

Eesa. I love that.

From an ignorant non-Muslim I thought they were girls names.

As an ignorant Christian, why would you want to name your DC a variant of Jesus?

How do you pronounce yahya? Like ya-ya? If so, I quite like it.

I know an Eesa, lovely little boy with a white british mum and asian dad. X

To my very British eyes, they look like names that a 2yo sibling would use because they can't pronounce the "proper" names.

If you live in an Arabic country or community then they're great and i love the actual sounds. But i don't think they'd transfer well to a non-arabic community

Yusef, Jacob/Jakob, Caleb/Kaleb, Esau or Eli are Old Testament (sorry, that's my frame of reference and i know there are many similarities with the Koran) names that to me sound similar and would work well in either culture?

I assumed both to be girls' names too.

Love Eesa.

As well as Musa

I like both but prefer Yahya.

Joshua is a form of Jesus too, for the poster asking why you'd name someone Jesus. And Jesus is a very common name in some countries.

Eesa is lovely.

I like Eesa (I'm not a Muslim, but recognised both as boys' names)

Loads of people from Spanish spelling countries have a form of Jesus in their names- do you have an issue with that too?

Yahya is harder for an an English speaking tongue to get round, if that's important to you.....

I dont like either of them. Go a bit more mainstream. That's just my advice.
similarly, eg Maeve in the uk - ok. Madhbh - inadvisable.

I haven't a clue how to pronounce either.

I realise that Jesus is respected by Muslims and John is an equally Christian New Testament name, but living in a 99% white rural area a small Muslim child telling his school friends his name is the Arabic for Jesus is going to confuse people no end.

What about Isam (eesam).
Eesa looks like a girls name, and an odd one at that.
Just because a lot of spanish speakers call their son jesus does not make it any more usual here.

Eesa all the way. It is beautiful and I don't find it feminine and we considered it for all of ours, albeit spelt as Isa.

Is eesa said E-sa? I like that, never seen it before.

I can't work out how to say the other - sorry - so can't comment.

I thought the two were alternatives to Grandma/Nannie

isn't Yahya greek for grandmother?

I know a little Eesa, hes a lovely boy, I think its easier to see how to say it too.

I am really surprised at people saying that they can't pronounce them - they are very simple names, pronounced the way they are spelt. As if Asa is more intuitive or something! - I know how it is pronounced, but I could definitely make a better stab at Eesa if I didn't. (I am not Muslim or Arab)

I prefer Eesa, but I know a couple of little Eesa/Isa s born in the last year or so, if that bothers you.