Fanni/Fanny - both inappropriate?

[YoungLadyFromScandinavia]

Sorry for my bad English, I'm not a native English speaker and neither have my English grades been high. So I guess there are a lot of mistakes in this post.

I'm from Finland where the name Fanni/Fanny is a quite usual name. I know many girls and women who are named Fanni or Fanny. It's my name too, written with "I" as the last letter. For the last few days I have read much opinions about my name. This hasn't been very fun... I have read that the name "Fanny" means in the UK female genitals, and is considered very vulgar. Many Finnish people also think that it's not anymore a good idea to give that name to babies, since the world has become more international and English is a so well-known language. Do you think it saves anything if the name is written "Fanni" and not "Fanny"? It would be nice to read honest opinions. smile

Haha, I guess I'm over -emotional since I cried yesterday a little because I felt that my name was ruined.

Sorry for writing this question in this discussion area, I'm not sure if this is the right area for this question.

It doesn't matter what the spelling is, the pronunciation is the same so it isn't any better I'm afraid.

I would not give that name to a child nowadays. they would be badly teased

If you live in Finland fine, if you live in the uk then they please don't.

The Scots put the nail in that coffin.
Fanny is a very amusing sleer up North.
Frani is OK so maybe Francis.

Spelling doesn’t make a difference. People will always smirk at it as soon as they hear it. There are plenty of other names to choose from!

Be proud of your name. I think the fact you're from Scandinavia means you can pull it off. I wouldn't name a child who is going to be brought up in the UK that name though.

How about Frances or Francesca as an alternative?

Hi :) I'm not UK based but I still wouldn't use it... Sorry!
Were you thinking about naming your baby Fanni?

Nanni is imo really pretty and might be a good alternative....? Good luck.

I wouldn't, if a child ends up in a job dealing with brits it will cause hilarity there too. We live in an international world these days

I don't know if it helps at all with your own name, but the vulgar meaning is UK-specific. In the US it's not a rude word at all, though it is used as a (polite) slang term for bottom.

I think it is perfectly fine to use it, though. English is not everyone's culture or language and shouldn't be allowed to overwhelm all others.

I think OP is just wanting opinions as it's her own name?
Not that she's considering giving it to her child.

It's the OP's name!

Not a name she is thinking of using for her child.

I don't think you should use it but it is a shame as it is a nice name. Apparently my grandma (french speaker) wanted me to be called it as it was the name of a deceased relative...I'm endlessly grateful it's not actually my name.

Anyway, when I hear it I actually don't think of female genitals as I would never use the word fanny like that.

Apologies, skimmed the OP and assumed from the topic!

Ooops. I thought the name was for a baby too. Teach me to read the post properly rather than assume.

Sorry OP but no it doesn’t matter how it’s spelled- it’s still the same pronunciation. And yes, it’s a very rude word! Not sure there’s anyone in the UK who wouldn’t associate it with a vagina! In the US it means bum.

Yeah It's my name. I asked my mother today if she had been aware about the connotations when my parents were thinking about my name twenty years ago. She hadn't known about these connotations back then, which is a bit sad because after all she's an intelligent woman.

In a work environment though, most people you encounter will have enough sense to know not all countries follow English or American naming conventions.

I could see the issue if it was a child in school in the UK now perhaps but I don't see the issue for an adult from another country where it's a commonly used name.

Where are you living at the moment? If you're living in Finland then I wouldn't worry about it. Please don't be upset about your own name. Even if you live/plan to live in the UK people are generally very accepting of names from other cultures and quickly get used to a name.

You cant call a child Fanny in the uk ffs

I knew a Fanni. She was from a Scandinavian country, but I don't remember which. She did not say her name the way we would say Fanny. It was more like Fannn-neh or Funnn-neh. It was just her name, if you see what I mean. Didn't make us think of rude, sniggery jokes. In any case, she spoke with a lilt, a different rhythm to us, which also separated her name from our slang terminology.

But we were all adults and friends. As a teenager, things were different. Very soon after joining our school,
Frances changed her nickname to Frankie. And the teacher who invited her A-level set to be on first name terms with her regretted it when knowledge of her name trickled down the school. "Francesca, but you can call me Fanny."

If you did want to be known as something else though, Fran is a very normal name over here and wouldn't raise an eyebrow.
Or you could use Franny or Francis.