Amira or Serena?

[Millie272020]

Which name do you prefer and why? Baby will have an Arab & English background :)

Amira. Nissan used to make a car called a Serena..
I had one!!

Amira

Both lovely names but personally prefer Serena.

Well, Amira sounds arabic (princess, right ?) and Serena sounds english, so I guess it depends which background you want to honour the most.

Which one goes best with your family name ?

Also - assuming she'll live in the UK I'd go with the english name, so Serena.

But whichever you pick I'd give her a middle name for the other heritage. For instance, Serena Miryam Lastname or Serena Aisha Lastname.

Both lovely...Serena would be my choice

Serena - lovely name, and I know and like the meaning. Lots of nice options for shortening too.

I'm not sure what Amira means and the "Meer" sound is a bit harsh for th shortened version.

Serena's lovely and feels a bit more neutral.

Amira is also a lovely name, but will always get assumptions about her background, which you may be fine with (it may even be a plus for you), but just as a point of info.

Amira because I like how it sounds.

Thank you all for your opinions, really appreciate it! The only thing that I am concerned about with Serena is that is sounds similar to Sirena... I read online that this has something to do with mythological mermaids that used to kill sailors? Quite a sinister story. It is slightly putting me off. Has anyone else heard of this?

Amira

Don't like the sound of Serena at all

Love both, but I think I prefer Serena.

Is Serena Arabic?
I really love Amira, Mimi as a nn 😊

Serena is derived from Latin & means serene, tranquil and peaceful. Amira is Arabic for princess/ leader.

I think Serena, definitely.

The idea of serene is a good one, plus if and when she feels like she wants to 'fit in' with other children and not be different, it would fit the bill without being a very common name. It's memorable but doesn't immediately seem 'not English' or locate to a specific country or culture. (I have an an unusual but not odd name and am mixed race and as a child I remember strongly just wishing I could be the 'same' as my peers at certain ages.)

I like Amira. It's a nod to your daughter's cultural background without being too "out there" or difficult for people to spell or pronounce.

My brother in law's wife is from an Arabic background and we are a little surprised that they have given their son a name which doesn't even hint at that side of his culture.

But I remember your other threads and think Leila is a better crossover name in the UK, even if the meaning with your surname might sound a little funny in Arabic.

Serena doesn't have anything to do with the mythological sirens.

It sounds very similar to Sirena which does have some stories associated with mythology... I don’t know if this is a big deal though?

Amira is a name that I really like as well and it is nice to have a name linked to Arab culture. Serena is nice too because it is neutral.

It doesn''t really, OP - in English the Sirens are pronounced like air raid sirens, with the emphasis on the first syllable rhyming with fire, while Serena is Suh-REE-nuh.

But both are lovely names. You could have one for the first name and one for the middle name.

Amira. Serena is a bit middle-aged and makes me think of Serena Joy.

I love them both.

Amira. Just because it's so beautiful.

Serena makes me think serene, and Serena Williams, both of which (whom?) are wonderful.

Amira - beautiful