If you had named your first child Hosanna...

[hosiesmum]

I've name changed for this, because with a kid called Hosanna I'm hardly one of thousands in the UK (!)...

My husband is Zimbabwean and we were living over there when our daughter was born. It's more normal over there to have, what in the UK would be considered, unusual names, and we both liked the name, so Hosanna she is.

We're now in the UK and get a lot of "Susannah? Savanna? Rosanna?" type responses when we introduce her... which is fine, people tend to be able to cope with her name once they've worked it out!

We're imminently due our second, no idea of sex, and I'm wondering whether to go "weird" (in UK terms) again, or something more mainstream...

We've got a bit of a list going, but I'm curious to hear what others would do. (Obviously, going by stats, most of you wouldn't name your firstborn 'Hosanna'! But please for the sake of this question pretend you did!).

So, what would you name your next child, based on this info?!

For a boy:

Emmanuel (my favourite, gorgeous name)
Gabriel
Courage
Awesome

For a girl

Patience
Prudence
Temperance
Blessing

Precious
Faith
Constance (Nn Connie)
Charity
Hope
Praise
Melody
Harmony

How about making a girl or a boy after a place in Zim? My dh is from another country and we have a daughter named after a very beautiful beach. It's also a recognised name in it's own right, although a different spelling.

I love Seren and Lovejoy. I think they're Welsh names.

@baroness gods-power is a nice name, much better than some i hear suggested on mumsnet!

@op i think you have to avoid anna names (Rosanna/joanna etc) but anything else would be fine. my current favourite names are Clayton for a boy and Jewel for a girl if that helps at all.

Aphra
Damaris
Hephzibah
Jerusha
Keturah
Talitha
Keziah
Selah
Tirzah
Vashti
Zipporah

I once met an African boy named ‘Triumph’. Lovely name.
‘Zion’ is very nice too.

Boys

Moses
Elijah
Aaron
Samson
Gabriel
Zebulon
Saul
Cassius
Michael
Tobias
Prosper

Girls

Carita
Aisha
Aaliyah
Melissa
Naomi
Belinda
Marcia
Abigail
Bethany
Natasha
Estella

"I once met an African boy named ‘Triumph’. Lovely name.
‘Zion’ is very nice too."
"African"? Seriously???
And you're not seriously suggesting Zion as a name, are you? Do you not pay any attention to the news?

I think Gloria would be perfect

BertrandRussell
I know of a boy called Zion. His sisters are called Eartha (ok) and Bluebell-Fawn (imagine being a 40 year old woman and introducing yourself as that). The family are white British but very "alternative".

I know a Zionn. His sister is Saleem. The parents are Black British (ex Christian) and African American (ex Muslim). Go for what you like.

I do know that Zion is a name. I was just flabbergasted that anyone would suggest using it......

Oh yeah, I wasn't trying to imply it was a good name or advisable in any way (as demonstrated by the other names chosen by that family).

I know a little boy of Zimbabwean heritage called Gift . Other family names include Precious . Good luck with your choices - love Hosanna .

@MerryMarigold I really like Loveday which I think might be Cornish?

Bertrand what are you on about? Yes I know two boys by both names, just because they are not explicitly in African language doesn’t mean they are not African and what has the news got to do with it?

I do know that Zion is a name. I was just flabbergasted that anyone would suggest using it......

Flabbergasted? Why? Get off yourself.

You are not aware of the significance of Zion/Zionism in the news?

Hosanna is a beautiful name by the way - I think I'd expect their sibling to have a similarly beautiful and unusual name, rather than something more run of the mill (not that there's anything wrong with popular names - my son has a top 30 name and DC2 probably will as well).

The first name that jumps to mind is Emmanuel, which could also be Emmanuelle for a girl.

Or something Old Testament - there are a lot of those around and many are lovely names, like Elijah or Micah.

I am assuming some religious angle to your preferences. If that's wrong well, anything goes!

I went to school with a Hosanna, I always loved the name.

I’d call your child a name you both like but make sure it’s pronounceable (Hosanna is)

Yes I know two boys by both names, just because they are not explicitly in African language doesn’t mean they are not African and what has the news got to do with it?

I suspect Bertrand is at your use of ‘African’ to describe both a nationality and a language!

I'm not absolutely sure that white Zimbabweans using names more commonly associated with black people is necessarily a good or respectful idea, frankly. Is it a regular thing?

@Bertrand you really need to get off your high horse. Triumph and Zion are good African names regardless of what is going on in the news. People haven’t stopped naming their children ‘Fred’ because of Fred West whatever the news says about that name.
I’m not sure why you seem to think you know more about African names than Africans themselves. I’m yet to meet a white British person called ‘Triumph’, it is an African name in English, just like ‘Precious’ or ‘Innocent’.

The OP already has a child called ‘Hossana’ so both names suggested are well in keeping with the spirit of that if she likes them.