If I love Nina and Maya for a girl.....what would be my son's name?

[NameTheNewGuy]

DH is from a Catholic background, I'm from a Muslim one. Both atheist.
DH is as British as it gets whereas I'm a wandering subcontinental.
Now we're having a baby boy and just cannot agree on a name!
Please help!

Combining (some) parts of our ridiculous lists of desirable features, we would prefer:

• nothing overtly affiliated with Abrahamic religions in general
• something that does pass with folks from my background as well as his, like Nina or Maya would for a girl
• nothing with any 'hard' sounds like 'K'
• something short
• nothing clearly aligned with being British/American/European/Western nor Muslim/Indian/Pakistani/Bangladeshi

Ideally a name that 'passes' internationally where you'd have to meet the person before being remotely able to box him into an ethnicity.

I really liked Rafi but DH has vetoed :(
And I'm just blank after that.

Arun or Rohan

Dylan, Seth or Kiran

Salman or Arun?

Tom/ Thomas
Hugo
Guy

Emil
Ivo
Malik
Neil
Otis
Otto

Sonny

Bert/Burt
Carl
Jude
Dean
Giles
Liam
Finn
Orion
Martin
Quinn
Ray

You guys are fantastic.

Leon is in the running. Dylan, Aidan, Alex all considered.

DH likes Louis too - he says everyone he's met named Louis has been a great friend (but not necessarily the lead guy).

urbinosparrot had the kind of names I was thinking of!

But yes, these are great - dare I ask for more...? DH is really impressed (and says to add to the list of reqs - nothing that could be a dog or cat's name - every time I suggest a name he pretends he's calling it out to a dog in the park ).

namethenewguy you appear conflicted about the name as you mentioned not wanting anything that is defined as Muslim/biblical nor too western or identified as Pakistani/bangledeshi/Indian and an international name with no ethnicity box ticked. So a pretty non conforming name.... However you then are so worried about losing your culture/name/country which may indeed lead to certain boxes being ticked when you hear a cultural name.

I don't mean that in a patronising way by the way.

I personally love zaki, ayden, Luca, and of course my DN names Adam and Daniel

I wonder if Myles nn Milo could work for you.. or if this is too western?

Suloman (nn Sul) I have met before and he came from Muslim heritage

Jasper (nn Jas)

or more perhaps towards a less western/ British/ American culture:

Eshan
Zuti
Zaki

Sachin
Ali
Alex
Jacob
Karim

You're on the nose Lewaney - I think I just get defensive when all the names DH suggests are so foreign to me. I suggested Nina and Maya for a girl because I don't see them as sounding foreign necessarily - I know a few with those names back in the homeland so they're familiar' yet I don't think they would be out of place in the UK either. I was hoping to find a male equivalent.

The no religious affiliation thing is one of DH's conditions, though I think that'd be the easiest route out - Adam and Daniel are lovely and would work across the board for instance, but they don't meet the rule.

Issa
Ishmael
Isaac
Tariq
Jai
Rowan
Zain
Adnan
Faris
Tony

Kush

Ben
Hugh
Joshua
Zack

Something that shortens to Al (Alistair, Alan, Alfred)? Otherwise maybe Eric, Gareth, Hector, Innes, Keir, Linus, Magnus, Paul, Sam, Simon...

Adi

namethenewguy having read back my post I hope I haven't come across as harsh! :)

And I guess it's a lot harder when you think of how many names tend to come from abrahamic religions. Do let us know your short list would be interesting to see what you manage it down to :)

Good luck!

Alex
Leo

Ravi
Ali
Karim
Seth

Laith

penguin I personally love your suggestions but the majority of them are pretty distinct Muslim names especially prophet names, which I think doesn't meet the op criteria for non religious names.

those that immediately spring to mind are:

Hugo
Theo
Bruno

Omar
Karim
Ali
Adam
Ben
Sam
Rodin

Jay
Ethan
Alex
Sasha
Oscar
Evan
Asher
Nico
Ivo
Bruno
Sonny
Max