Names that work in Danish and English

[BikeGeek]

I've got a long time to decide but struggling on finding names that work in both languages

Criteria :
Pronunciation easy for both Brits and Danes
If a Danish name not too similar to any English name that it could be mistaken for.
No non-English letters

Not finding out sex so need girls and boys names

yy Freddie a bit 'Frully' I suppose

Thomas?

Lars?
Sandra?

Martin - again another Bridge fan.

I think you can get too hung up on pronouncing names differently in different languages. It doesn't really matter at all, in my experience, especially if your child will actually be bilingual and speaking both languages anyway.

My DC are bilingual, and their names are pronounced differently in each language - very differently in DC1's case, and slightly differently in DC2's, but it isn't an issue, and as far as I know, it's the same for their bilingual friends too - total non issue.

If you start talking to DD in English and ask her name, she will respond with the English pronunciation; if you start talking to her in her other language and ask her name, she will use the other pronunciation.
In the same way, the DC will call DH "Papa" or "Daddy" depending on which language they are speaking in, and he will call them whichever pronunciation of their name fits the language they are currently speaking.

It is weird at first, but now both versions feel equally like my DC's names.

I think I'd be ok with different pronunciation if I liked both versions, however I often find I like the sound in one language and not the other.

I'm not convinced we'll manage to bring up bilingual kids, English primary care giver, in England, with parents who only speak English to each other is a bit of a losing battle I think

Tor
Linus
Patrick
Andreas

Lina
Nina
Pia

Actually, these are all non-Danish Scandinavians I know so am making a huge assumption that these a pronounced similarly in Danish.

Leo?

Per
Stefan
Tomas
Oscar

Monika
Helena

Lots that don't work though. Just spotted Bengt, Dick and Fanny in a FB friend's list.

Danica?

Alexa? - not really Danish but my German friends chose it because they wanted a name that worked in both German and English

I have a friend (English) with a Danish husband and they also wanted to pick a name that was said more or less the same in both countries - and went for Isaac.

I like Carolina said caroleena

But also how about malene, josefine/josefina/Josephine or Fiona?

Soren

As I understand the Scandinavian languages, they can all understand each other when speaking their own?

I know of a Norwegian with a son called Dorian, so if that works in Norway it would probably work in Denmark?

I love Anouk.

I have a Danish friend called Mette. I (and everyone else I know) pronounce this Metta which I think is right! I think it's a lovely name.

I think it's a tough ask to find names that are pronounced just exactly the same and maybe doesn't matter too much.

My lovely Norwegian/ Danish friends have lived in the Uk for about 6 years, speak their own languages to one another but also perfect English. The DC go to bog standard primary with my boringly monolingual DC and their names are just their names.

Kim (male name and no pronunciation problem)

Reidun (I get this a bit wrong myself. I think it's a Rye not a Ray sound. I said it wrong for years and she was too kind to correct me)
Thora (they say too-ra. English folk pronounce it in an Anglicised fashion but DC seems happy with either
Signe ( gets Zena sometimes but most people get it right)
Solveig (surprisingly English people seem to get this right quite easily although not the spelling)

Soren tends to be said as 'sorren' in England whereas in Danish, as Søren, it sounds a bit like 'sern'.

It's a lovely name in Danish, it always makes me cringe a bit when it's anglicised.

I love Katrin or the variants however they're pronounced.

Seems like every third female in the OHs family is Mette, so that one is ruled out.

Søren has the ø so would be a pain.

Getting some semblance of a short list together after looking at friends of Danish family on facebook, now just waiting for OH to say they're old lady/ old man names or similar

Pernille
Nanna

I have no idea if the Danish pronunciation and Google is being unhelpful. Are these any use?

Clara
Rosa
Magnus
Victor

Erik
Marianne

Marianne is lovely. It works in so many countries.

Caspar?