Indu as a girl's name

[Bythelake89]

Indu is an Indian girl's name meaning "moon." Is it ok for a Caucasian baby girl...? It's the name of someone who is special to us so it's not entirely random! I'd appreciate your thoughts!

No.

I didn’t know it was an Indian girl’s name (although it does look like “Hindu” minus the “h”) I just think it’s kind of ugly.

She will be asked

Sorry love, is your name Hindu?

For the rest of her life

Not sure where the other thread went, but as I said before, I’m not keen on white kids having non traditional names from other cultures. I’m arab heritage and I always raise an eyebrow when people who are comfortable slagging off Syrian refugees have tattoos in Arabic/call their blonde daughters Leila (which means night in Arabic)

However on the basis you are naming her after someone special to you and I’m sure they’ll be flattered I think it’s different. I also like the name

@EineReiseDurchDieZeit that is a very good point. We were thinking that might be a possibility so it's good to have someone else say that too. Thanks

It's usually short for Indhira which I think would be better with Indu as nickname

That's how they said Hindu in South London

@Strongmummy thanks for writing your response over here again. I had gotten the other thread deleted because the title formatting came out weird. I appreciate your thoughts!

@Bythelake89 no problem. I really like the name, Altho prefer Indhira

Indira is a better version of the name. Indu is more of a pet / home / informal name (in Indian culture we often have an official name and a pet name). or perhaps an Indian name that means moonlight - Chandni (Hindi)/ Chandrika (Sanskrit) / Noor or Noorie (Arabic) / Mah (Arabic).

Saira means like the Moon and is Arabic and a really popular Indian name. Dara is also of Arabic origin and means the halo of the moon.

We live in a town with an Intu shopping Centre so wouldn't use the name although I live the meaning

Caucasian that make me cringe

Why would you give your white daughter living in the west an obviously Indian name? I would be very puzzled if I was back home in India and randomly met a neighbours obviously Indian kid called.... I dunno.... Emily or Alice.

PS grumpyhoonmain cool name! In response I say “main bhi!!”

There’s loads of Indian kids called names like Emily and Alice in states like Kerala, you can get non-Hindu/non-Muslim Indians you know incidentally I don’t think the ‘oo’ Sound at the end of names works in Britain, it just doesn’t sound nice although I know it’s very common with pet names in India. I agree with another poster that could could choose another name that means ‘moon’ but works better in English - I considered Niva for my daughter and I swear that meant moon 🤔

As the other poster has said many Indian Christians have “English names”. But the name indu sounds too much like Hindu. I would go with Indira...much nicer. She can be called Indy for short.

Well yes but there is a reason there - a christian cultural heritage. Don’t me about my own country thanks. If Britain had a significant historical reason and population which was likewise ethnically Indian but Hindu by religion/culture and uk a former Indian colony sure. The point is that there is - unless the op is about to do a massive drip feed - no comparable reason or context for a white presumably British girl to randomly be called an Indian Hindu/Sikh/Muslim name. And yes India is home to numerous religions - something its current fascist government is trying hard to attack.

If Britain had a significant population which is Ethnically “Caucasian” (to borrow the OP’s word) But culturally Hindu owing to colonisation or whatever I mean

@Thoughtlessinengland

She can call her baby anything she likes. It’s just that indu doesn’t sound very nice . If she wants to give her a baby an Indian name why not? I know a lot of south Asians who aren’t Christian but still have western sounding names think Neil, Arun, Maya, Rita,

All of those four names are actual Indian origin words which actually totally have meanings in the Hindi and Bengali languages. They may sound as Western to you as you want but they are words out of the dictionaries in both these languages.

Indeed OP cal call their kids what they want. But this board exists for people to ask other people’s views on what they want unless I’m wrong and pointing out the oft-cited MN and wider idea that culturally appropriating names you have got zilch to do with heritage wise is not often wise.

The OP can of course call their kid any combination of letters. Their right to do so is not in doubt here.

Off topic here, but can I ask why the OPs use of the word 'Caucasian' is apparently controversial?

No. I would also think you’d called your baby ‘Hindu’

I used the word Caucasian in ignorance, I've just googled it and can see why it's distasteful to use it. Glad to have learned that. The debate amongst posters here has sufficiently put me off giving my child a culturally appropriated name! Thanks all for your input.

Indira with Indy for short is beautiful. Agree with PP that Indu is not as nice

I don’t believe that giving your child a name from another culture is wrong at all. We live in a global society now.

It’s beautiful but doesn’t sit right with me to give an Indian name to a white child. Middle name it maybe?

I am Indian and think as India was once part of the British empire it’s fine for anyone in Britain and the commonwealth to use Indian names. It’s the same reason most north Indians have Persian origin names without even realising it — because India was once part of the Persian empire and it’s fair game.