Ximena

[stopandquarantine]

Would I be setting up my child for a lifetime of misspelling and mispronunciation?

He-meh-nah

There is some Spanish background so that's the reason behind the name.

Other options:

Alba
Lua
Constanza
Luisa
Carlota
Manuela
Loreto
Regina - Even though I don't think it'd be possible to keep the Reh-he-nah pronounciation and it'd always be Reh-Jee-nuh

(There's a longer list but this is just an idea of what our preferences are so far)

I taught a lovely little girl called Ximena how to ride when I worked at a summer camp. She was Spanish and I thought it was a beautiful name.

People will mispronounce it but only until they learn how - I never think this is as much of an issue as people make it out to be!

@stopandquarantine I concur I think there’d be too many pronounciation issues here. Of the others on your list I like Luisa. Xiomara might be easier Mara for short x

I would have thought it was a Z sound, sorry. Also I'd be slightly worried that Regina could get pronounced as rhyming with vagina which school kids might find amusing. (I think that pronunciation of the word is used when Regina refers to the Queen ie Elizabeth Regina - E.R )

I actually speak Spanish as a second language and when I read it, I read it in a very English way: ‘Zi-min-a’

I like Constanza a lot

Finallychangedmyusername
We spell it Carlota, as Spanish does not include double T in its words but I do believe the Italian version is Carlotta.

Codenamevillanelle
In Latin America it’s pronounced as He-men-ah though. Only some X words have the Sh sound and Ximena is out there enough to get the right pronunciation

PineappleDanish
I do admit that Jimena is probably 10x easier but I just don’t find it aesthetically pleasing when I look at it. Arantxa was also up there but I’m struggling with the trouble of having an X in the middle of it.

Edenember
I do love Xiomara, the only two girls I knew with that name were not too pleasing so sadly they ruined it for me

From your inputs, Alba* has remained second favourite and Lua has too*. The only thing that I’m slightly concerned with Lua is that it might get confused with Luna, a name I absolutely adore but unfortunately cannot use anymore as it’s too popular and it has kind of lost its connection to Spanish. It’s just a name now.

I love it, also love Arantxa.

Do you mean Lua or Luz?

I LOVE Constanza so 100% vote for this. I am not so keen on Xemina I wouldn't hate it if I met someone with it.

*mathanxiety
*
I definitely mean Lua. The name Luz is a very old fashioned, ancient name around my area. There's not really any young people named that plus it just means light in a very straightforward way.

Ximena always makes me think of the Cid's wife ! But yes, a lifetime of mispronounciation I'm afraid. I know how to say it but I speak spanish, which not everyone will in the UK.

I think I like Alba and Constanza most in your list. I like the meaning of Alba, and also there's a poetic side to it since one of the names for GB is "Albion", so it seems fitting for a child of spanish heritage born in the UK.
As for Constanza it just has a nice sound to it and works well in english.

@stopandquarantine I totally feel you about people spoiling a name for you.

Ximena is acharacter in Auggie and Me so you night encounter less resistence to pronunciation than you expect.
It sounds nice.

I keep reading it as "chiminea" , the outdoor fire things. I think it is too hard for English people to get right, and will be a frustration for you/the child their whole life.

If the child is being raised in the UK I think it will forever be mispronounced. I’d pronounce the name Zimena personally.

I like Regina but it will be pronounced with a G.

I would mispronounce thatbut due to my own ignorance. Which is mad because i love the name xiomara and can pronohnce that. My names always misspelled etc and its easy to live with so dont worry to much about that.

Lovely OP, go for it.

First try- Ex-eem-ah
Second try- Zim-meena

Then I gave up.
Sorry I think your child would be in for a lifetime of mispronunciation.
Nice as a middle name

I like Alba and Lua

It sounds like the name of my Chinese phone, Xiaomi, it's very good.
Can I recommend the middle names of MI A1?

I think correcting pronunciation/spelling would get wearing after a bit, even though I like it. I'd probably use it as a middle name.

One word of warning with Loreto, I think most people would only have come across it as the name of a Catholic school.

I like Alba (and also Alma for the meaning, but I don't know how fashionable or not it is).

Regina as in Elizabeth Regina (the Queen) rhymes with vagina in the UK

There is an Arab equivelent - Hamina.

Another Spanish speaker here so I know how it's pronounced but I think your dd will be constantly correcting pronunciation. Alba is beautiful it's my DDs name.

As pp said Macarena is lovely and I know 2 with that name but gas been ruined by the song

Alba and Luisa are beautiful. I taught a very clever Luisa so I always think of it as a cool, individual, clever person name.

People mispronounce perfectly ordinary names all the time. Most people will be polite and ask. If you like a hard to pronounce name go with it. She'll cope.

Like it lots

Off topic but

Luisa
Xiomara
Alba

Are all names from jane the virgin all very pretty.

I’d have pronounced it starting with a Z at first glance. It’s not tough to pronounce once you’ve been told how, but I don’t think that many anglophones are familiar with X being pronounced H (in english terms) so it might be a difficult one to explain. The English are much more familiar with Spanish J pronounced H, as in Joaquin and South American Jesus, but I agree with you that your name looks more attractive with an X. Tricky choices.