Aditi or Anjali?

[Veggiestirfry]

I posted on here before about Aditi. We are after a traditional Sanskrit name that is fairly easy to pronounce. I’m torn between these two; initially we were set on Aditi but now I’m having second thoughts because Anjali seems to be a more popular (probably because it’s easier to pronounce than Aditi). I like both names, please help me decide!

I really love both. I do have a slight preference for Anjali though. It's so pretty.

Have you considered Akriti? I also think that's very pretty.

Sorry, not really being much help!

I know an 8yo Aditi - lovely name! People do mispronounce it or misspell it but that's often the way with unusual names.

Fwiw, I think Aditi is pretty easy to pronounce too, so I wouldn't let that put you off. It's also a bit less Bollywood, which might be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on your perspective!

@Xmasbaby11 Thanks!! That’s true, guess I’ll just have to correct them initially.
@AlexaShutUp hmm that’s the thing I’ve been considering as well, Anjali was almost every actress’s character name in Bollywood in the 90’s haha!! I don’t know if that should put me off... it’s a beautiful name so that’s why they prob used it but is it cheesy now in 2021 because it’s been so overdone in Bollywood? I have no idea!

@Veggiestirfry, I have a bit of a soft spot for those 90s films, so I'm probably not the best judge! However, for kids being born now, I reckon that the films from a couple of decades ago won't be particularly relevant. Plus, of course, if she is growing up in this country, most of her friends won't think about Bollywood in any case!

I really like either of your chances, so I don't think you can really go wrong!

Anjali is pretty and also seems easier to pronounce. I think Aditi might be harder to pronounce.

Posted too soon. I had an old school friend called Sanjana and she said that her parents named her after a Bollywood character. Her nickname was Sunny. I always loved her name.

Anjali is gorgeous. In the UK I’ve heard of with two pronunciations though - ANjallee and anJAHlee. So you may still need to do some correcting. Either way I think it’s lovely.

Thanks everyone! Steering more towards Anjali at the moment based on the responses so far... Keep your opinions coming!

I much prefer Aditi but that's because it's a friend's name, while Anjali was the girl at school I didn't like! Objectively they are both lovely names, I think Aditi is a bit more unusual...

Anjali has a prettier sound to me but that could just be because I'm more familiar with it (both as a better known Indian name but also because of its similarities to popular "English" names like Angela etc).

I know an Anjali and I love her name

Anjali is lovely.

I work with an Anjali, she goes by Anj.

I like them both.

I've never heard either name previously, but I prefer Anjali at first glance and sound. It rolls very easily off the tongue, whereas the D in Aditi makes it sound quite hard.

Anjali - it flows better, it’s much prettier and it is similar to some European names which (if you are in the UK) is helpful I’d think.

Aditi is a bit abrupt

@HeadlessGummyBears

Posted too soon. I had an old school friend called Sanjana and she said that her parents named her after a Bollywood character. Her nickname was Sunny. I always loved her name.

@HeadlessGummyBears

Sanjana looks pretty - Is it san-JAAR-na?

Thank you everyone! @partyatthepalace @Starseeking I see what you mean! It is a lot harsher and not as flowy as Anjali. The name having a pretty sound is really important so I’m really not sure about Aditi anymore!

@HeadlessGummyBears Sanjana is lovely! I really want the “i” ending though. I also like Anjana!

Both are nice. I think I like Anjali best because it just sounds pretty. I don’t think you could really go wrong with Aditi either though.

Anjali is beautiful

I posted on your other thread, encouraging you to go for Aditi despite your misgivings about English pronunciation of the दि and ति. (Not sure whether MN can cope with the characters but let’s see).

I personally prefer the meaning of
Aditi and it is considered quite a traditional name in India; “old money” I guess. Anjali is less so, as seems to be the case with more popular contemporary names that are more “international”. I guess it depends on how much time you spend in India, and who your little girl’s peer group will be in the UK.

Anjali is very pretty. I like both, and have never heard either before, so have no preconceptions.

@drainrat Thanks for the really helpful insight! I also had a feeling about Aditi being a bit more sophisticated - simply because of the really significant meaning in Sanskrit. I just wish it was a bit more of a flowy name when said in English, if we can look past that, Aditi is the one we will go for.