Santa and luella

[Whitley83]

I really like the name Santa (Spanish name) and luella... I also like Tabitha james.

I can't decide! Please don't post to be negative. Just move on.

I don't see how it's empowering to be given an unusual name

It’s not that unusual!

I don't know the figures for Europe or the USA , but, just in case anyone is interested, in England and Wales in 2016, government statistics say that 3 female babies were named Santa and 3 were named James. Both as first names:
www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/livebirths/datasets/babynamesenglandandwalesbabynamesstatisticsgirls

The relevant chart is Table 6 of the downloaded XLS file.
It's a very interesting list - over 7000 different names recorded.

According to one newspaper report, Santa P-T was named after a variety of barley. But I don't know whether that is true.

People giving opinions you don't agree with are still giving opinions. Did you only want opinions telling you you're right?

My opinion is that James is a great name for a boy and a terrible name for a girl. Santa and Luella are okay but not strong feisty names, and Santa in particular is not a great name for a kid who will grow up in the UK, even if it works well in your own culture. Tabitha is a sweet name.

My other opinion is that while this is your child and you can name her whatever you like, it's helpful to listen to other people's opinions so you can see what responses her name is likely to get.

You're welcome.

Personally I much prefer Santa to Tabitha - it’s more elegant and sophisticated. Tabitha is a cat.

Tatiania your comment is completely flawed as James is a current ‘celeb’ name for a girl so if that was all we cared about then we would be all for it. Also you say ‘it’s not that unusual’ but in the UK it is, surely you can not deny that?!
You then say we are all narrow minded etc etc bunch of meanies and follow up with the comment Tabitha is a cat 🤷🏻‍♀️
If people don’t want honest opinions then don’t ask strangers on an anonymous Internet forum.

Liking celeb names doesn’t mean every single one including James, Zowie and Moon Unit.

But Harper, Shiloh, Marlowe, Jayden, Kai, Bear, Sienna, Angelina, Margot - all the rage.

Santa isn’t commonly used in the U.K. but it’s not an unusual name. Anyone who has set foot abroad or met a foreigner should know that.

Pretty much all the names you have mentioned get a massive slating on here!!
I guess we will just have to agree to disagree on that one.
But this little girl is living in the UK and therefore using a name like Santa may prove a problem for her. Jesus is a very common name in many countries but isn’t often used in the UK because it’s unusual here and may prove to be a source of teasing or similar. Doesn’t take away from them being legitimate names but not all names travel well. Pippa is another example-nice name, doesn’t work well in other countries.
Surely you can understand my (and others) point of view here?

Jayden and Kai get bad feedback but they’re suggested nonetheless, but the rest are surprisingly popular.

Your POV bores me to be perfectly honest.

And you accuse people of being aggressive🙄
If people’s opinions and points of view bore you, why are you here?! 👋🏻

It’s this particular discussion that’s now boring, I like the forum.

Maybe Santana?

Santa is fairly common here in Italy- so for someone with Italian heritage like the OP, I don't see it as a problem. The only caveat I would add is it is very very old fashioned. It's also usually put together with another name- the actual name of the saint iyswim? So, I, for example have a Santa Lucia (known as Santa) and a Santa Aurora,( known as Aurora) in class. In old-fashioned terms, I'd say it's the Italian equivalent of calling your dd Doris or Edna. Not quite granny-chic enough (cf Mabel, Edie etc) to be fashionable again.

I remember reading on Babycentre (iirc) a massive bunfight over James being used for a girl.

As people have said if you have Italian heritage there is nothing wrong with Santa in my opinion.

Whichever make you choose, please remember that your child will be an adult for a longer than she'll be a child. She'll have to go through school particularly secondary, maybe university and work. So she'll need a name suitable for all of her life stage, Santa isn't that name imo.

James can be used as a girl or boys name

No, it really is a boys name.

Though Anne used to be a male name...

If you want your daughter to be bullied and ridiculed then go ahead and call her Santa or the boys name, James.

Giving a child a name that reflects your culture is great but it also has to sound non-ridiculous in the mainstream culture in which she has to live.

I live in a non-English speaking country so I gave my daughter a name that works (i.e. sounds non-stupid) in both language. There are plenty of English names that I love but which sound really silly in the national language so I didn't use them.

Luella. I personally know someone named Louella

Love Tabitha, not a fan of Santa or Luella. Santa will absolutely be seen as 🎅🏻, no matter what personal meaning you subscribe to it, and even though his name is Father Christmas!

How about Sancia (Italian) or Sancha (Spanish) meaning sacred?

Lorena, Luciana, Lucia, Laurensa, Liliana, Luisa - all nicer than Luella imo.

Was coming on to suggest Sancha. I've only ever met one. I know a Louella who is lovely also. Not Santa though, that's not fair.