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Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

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Original poster

Moses or Musa

32 replies

5secondstilltakeoff · 09/03/2015 15:00

We were thinking of naming our son Musa which is the Arabic version of the name Moses. Ive always loved that name but I'm finding people's reactions to it quite off putting. A lot of non Muslims Ive told the name to seem to have difficulty saying it which makes me worry about how it will be for my son in the future. I have thought about giving him the English version of the name however Moses is quite an unusual name in the UK and I think people will assume certain things. What do you think? Musa, Moses or go back to the drawing board altogether?

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DilysDerwent · 09/03/2015 15:11

I like the name Musa (I knew one with the spelling Moesa) and I think that if you are Muslim or have Arabic heritage you should go with it. I would assume a Moses was Christian or Jewish. Anyone worth knowing will make the effort to check how to pronounce your child's name.

Qwebec · 09/03/2015 15:21

How do you pronounce it? Unless there is a sound in it that people don't know and is tricky to master, it only takes a few tries to get it right.

Original poster

5secondstilltakeoff · 09/03/2015 15:30

Thanks Dilys. I have always loved the name Muse but I worry about giving him such a conspicuous name. I have a muslim name that is quite cross cultural (think along the lines of Sara) and I think it probably does make things easier for me. I just worry that Moses will also be perceived negatively. I also like the name Adam but we already have 2 in the family.

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Original poster

5secondstilltakeoff · 09/03/2015 15:39

Qwebec I'm not sure why some people have struggled with saying it. My midwife pulled a weird face when I told her and asked me what it meant. I just don't want ds dealing with that. I thinks its probably cause they have never come across it before. There are not that many Muslims where I live. Its pronounced like Moo sa.

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Original poster

5secondstilltakeoff · 09/03/2015 15:54

Or am i just being paranoid like my dh and dsis think.

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Instituteofstudies · 09/03/2015 15:54

I think if you have always loved the name, that's what you should go with. It's not difficult to spell/pronounce. Looking at the way it's spelled, pretty much tells you how to say it. But then I live in a very multicultural area where the name wouldn't stand out or be considered tricky to say.

Original poster

5secondstilltakeoff · 09/03/2015 16:31

What are your thoughts on the name Moses. I think its cool but do you think it sounds weird. Honest opinions please. I would rather hear it now before i decide.

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nochocolateforlentteacake · 09/03/2015 16:37

I've met a few american Moses's, and other biblical names (Jonah, even a poor little Judas). I like names that can work multi culturally - keeps all sides of the family happy!

NadiaWadia · 09/03/2015 16:39

Very unprofessional of the midwife!

squoosh · 09/03/2015 16:48

I really like the name Moses. Very cool. The only thing that would make me hesitate is that it's such a big name for someone to carry off.

If Musa is the name you love though you should just go for it. People will get used to it soon enough.

Rhubarbgarden · 09/03/2015 16:54

To me it just says banana, as it's the Latin name for the banana family. This may not bother you.

Instituteofstudies · 09/03/2015 17:08

Re the name Moses. I really like it. But I generally like biblical boys names like Noah, Gabriel, James etc.

Qwebec · 09/03/2015 17:32

Then I fail to see why people would struggle to pronounce it. I figured it might be that but thaught I could be wrong if people have issues pronouncing it.
Musa, go for it, it's a lovely name.
Midwife is def. out of place.

NuggetofPurestGreen · 09/03/2015 17:38

I would think of it as a girl's name (know a woman called Musa) but don't think hard to pronounce. Think it's better than Moses.

VainVulva · 09/03/2015 18:30

I prefer Moses out of the two....really quite like it!

Penguinotterfoxbadger · 09/03/2015 18:57

Moses make me think of Gwyneth Paltrow and so I see it as a but pretentious but if you love it then go for it.

I like Musa, people get used to pronouncing names from different cultures (especially children) and he may well live in a more diverse area when he's older. Don't be put off by an arsey midwife!

shakemysilliesout · 09/03/2015 19:01

Prefer musa. Moses makes me think of Paltrow/Martin/ pretentious.

Original poster

5secondstilltakeoff · 09/03/2015 20:42

Thank you for the replies. They have been more interesting than i expected. Didnt know about the banana thing or gwyneth paltrow. Food for thought. I like Moses but i keep imagining people reacting to it like they would to someone calling their child Jesus. Or am I wrong that its not on that scale? I agree squoosh that it could be quite a big name to live up to. Nuggets i kind of get why it sounds like a girls name. My dnephew has a name ending with an a and people sometimes thinks its a girls name when they first see it (but definitely sounds like a male name). Someone once told me that girl's names in English tend to end with vowel sounds if that makes sense. Anyway feeling a bit more confident about Musa. Will have to think on it a bit more.

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Koalafications · 09/03/2015 20:45

Moses is a much nicer name than Musa.

Qwebec · 09/03/2015 22:26

No not in the same category as Jesus

I can't find the site, but not so long ago someone posted a like to uk baby names statistics i would be worth having a look.

Qwebec · 09/03/2015 22:27

it not i

PunkAssMoFo · 10/03/2015 09:53

I knew a few children called Moses growing up & don't think its too big a name at all. I personally prefer it to the sound of Musa.

RatMort · 10/03/2015 10:30

Either is great, though they have such different connotations, given they're different versions of the same name. A Moses might be assumed to be American. A Musa will almost certainly be assumed to be Muslim, if that kind of categorisation-by-name concerns you.

I don't think Moses is a 'big' name to live up to at all, any more than Joshua, Elijah/Eli/Jonah or other biblical names are.

ThisIsOurBlanket · 10/03/2015 10:56

I have only heard the name Musa once before (the Soviet cosmonaut Musa Manarov), it's obviously a lot less known than Moses (in the UK at least), but that isn't a reason not to use it.

I don't think Moses is a difficult name to live up to at all - and nothing at all like calling your son Jesus to my mind (I'm speaking as a Christian).

To my British ear, Moses sounds slightly better, probably because I am more used to it.

Original poster

5secondstilltakeoff · 10/03/2015 12:20

Qwebec I found that link you mentioned. Surprisingly neither name is in the top 10 or even top 100. So after reflection I thought it would be a bit pointless to avoid give him the name I want because its unusual only to give him another name that is equally as unusual and rare in the UK although people will be more familiar with it. So I came up with another idea. Do you think it would be strange to register ds as a Musa and have him be known to friends and family as Musa but at school ask them to call him Moses? I had a Chinese friend at school who had an English name and a Chinese name though I dont know which one was on her birth certificate. Or is that just too confusing?

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