Genevieve or Anoushka

[Whatareyoutalkingabout]

Which do you prefer and why?

We love Genevieve and had settled on it but we have Indian background and thought it might be nice to use a name with Indian heritage, but the only one I like is Anoushka and I'm worried the name is vaguely ridiculous in the UK - must admit that even to me it conjures up images of a fabulous eccentric elderly woman who used to work in showbiz and now wears one of those cool old-showbiz-lady turbans and long silk cardigans etc. You know? Who calls everyone dahling and smokes cigarettes from a long cigarette holder.

Also like Lorelei, but again, don't think it tops Genevieve. (I know a Lorelei is a siren who lures men to their doom but I quite like that about the name).

Nickname wise we like Eve or Vivi for Genevieve, Annie for Anoushka (DH likes Anu, I guess is how you'd spell it, which is the Indian nickname (or at least the nickname for this name in his part of India). I can't say properly because of my accent but which sounds a little like An-oo. I'd stick with Annie due to loving it and not being able to properly pronounce the alternative!) I like both Rory and Lorie for Lorelei.

Any thoughts?

I love Genevieve! Very classic, timeless and sophisticated, but not common, with lots of lovely nickname options.

Genevieve is lovely (Jenna-veev, yes?)

No, I'd say Je ne vee ev with the emphasis on the last syllable EV.

Purplelavenders
I’ve only ever heard it pronounced Jenna-veev (in UK and have met several) and seen reference to it being pronounced Gene-vee-EV in France but never come across Jenna-vee-ev. Seems like a cross between the English and French pronunciations

I didn't say Jenna-vee-ev but Je ne vee ev.

It’s surely only got three syllables in both the English and French versions?

In French it has 4 syllables. But the last 2 run into each other: ee ev.

Anoushka is a very common and popular Indian name. I personally wouldn’t use it and I’m Indian.

If you want something to celebrate the Indian part of her heritage the name has to mean something - maybe a name after an Indian female relative, or something religious/ cultural.

For me, Genevieve (which is one of my absolute FAVOURITE names) is more elegant, while Anoushka (which I also really like) is a bit more playful and cheeky.

I used to work a teenage cafe job with an Anoushka (Nush for short) who was a beautiful firecracker of a kid, so maybe that's affecting my view of the name's 'personality'.

I like them both, but they elicit different feelings in me...

But isn’t the French zhon-vee-ev? Where’s the fourth syllable?

en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/Geneviève

In French it's Je ne vee èv

/ʒə.nə.vjɛv/

Well I never. I’ve had it wrong in my head all this time. Never had to use it in real life.

I think they're both lovely Anoushka is possibly slightly "posh" sounding so it's up to you to decide if that also means pretentious I'm not sure I think so.
It's a lovely idea to honour your Indian heritage other names that I think would work in multiple countries would be ; Kalinda, Asha and Dhara.

Jaanvhee could be a take on Genevieve. It’s another name for the Ganges river. Not as common outside India as Anoushka is, but has more meaning probably in terms of Indian culture.

Purplelavenders ahh I think I can ‘hear’ that, I’ve only ever seen people writing how it’s said in French and obviously peoples spelling interpretations of how it’s pronounced vary iyswim

I prefer Genevieve, I think its beautiful!

As above I think of Anoushka as being russian/eastern European rather than Indian :)

I absolutely love both names and have known both. The Anoushka I went to school with had the nickname 'Noush' but am I correct in thinking that one of the nicknames is Anouk? Like in the book Chocolat by Joanne Harris? Or maybe that's a name in its own right.

deffo Genevieve. so so pretty and has lovely nickname possibilites.

Anoushka is a lovely name, I know a 10 year old Anoushka and she's brilliant (and not mine)

I love Anoushka. Pearl for one of the middle names?

BOTH ! first name middle name.

Genevieve is beautiful
Not keen on Anoushka

Genevieve is gorgeous, classy & elegant. Anoushka has none of those qualities, IMO.

Ooh so difficult! Such mixed reviews - i can't decide between the two and it seems like Mumsnet can't either! Haha.

As for the Genevieve pronounciation, I'd pronounce it Jenna-veev. I too have only heard it pronounced this way in the UK. I'm aware the French pronounciation has more syllables but as I mentioned before, my pronounciation of the French version has been judged and found wanting by my French BFF

Teddybear45 - we don't like any family names (and it would probably cause WW3 if we used just one person's name... They'd ask us to put them all in! and they're all names which dont work at all well outside of India (very long or very difficult to say etc). We don't live in India so I don't mind that it's popular there. I did actually like Asha - it was the only other name I could find that I liked - but DH said he knows too many people with that name and dismissed it

The biggest problem I have with Anoushka is that I really don't like the nickname 'Noush'