Opinions on final two baby girl names

[Ari7890]

Me and my husband have really, really struggled to agree on a girls name. We have it down to two choices we both like (but are quite different).

We like India / Indie and Mya.

We actually met backpacking in India 11 years ago so there is some significance for us but I know it still has negative connotations for some so that's my only reservation. I do like that it's not very common and she's likely to be the only one in her class.

Mya I just love the sound of. I also like Maya but think there is more margin for error and confusion on pronunciation. We like the My-uh sound rather than May-uh. However....I know there are quite a few Mayas, Myas, Mias etc.

I guess we're torn between a popular name (but popular for a reason I'm sure!) or an unusual name that could have negative reactions for some....

We already have a 3 year old Cassandra / Cassie...also quite different to the two names!

@Ari7890 I seeeee makes a bit more sense.
Still don't like it though sorry.

I guess if you see the country India as a sort of love of your life then it's a bit odd to name one of the others after it rather than give them their own name.

India is lovely

If you call your child India and you’re white British, you’ll be seen either as a racist/colonial type or a thick/uneducated type. Your child will have to live with it.

India is great

What about indigo

Also Lidia sounds a bit like India

Definitely not India and I detest Indie.

Maia would be lovely with Cassandra. Please don't spell it Mya.
Maya is another spelling.

Cassandra &

Imogen
Felicity
Genevieve
Elinor
Juliet
Rosamund

@lemonsyellow

If you call your child India and you’re white British, you’ll be seen either as a racist/colonial type or a thick/uneducated type. Your child will have to live with it.

How ironic. That's how you, and the other posters agreeing with you are coming across - racist and a bit thick

It doesn't really matter if you think the reasoning is correct or not though, as this thread shows, a significant portion of the population will think that naming a (white british) girl India is indicative of being insensitive/a bit racist/ignorant. And it's your daughter who has to live with that. Would you want a name like that yourself?

@superstripeysocks that's some real mental gymnastics...

@thinkover that's a bit different though, because 'Georgia' was named after King George II, and the name Georgia has been in use since the Middle Ages.

Also Mya just looks misspelled and is confusing in terms of pronounciation. I would pronounce it just like Mia, but I guess you're aiming for Mah-ya.

@villamariavintrapp

It doesn't really matter if you think the reasoning is correct or not though, as this thread shows, a significant portion of the population will think that naming a (white british) girl India is indicative of being insensitive/a bit racist/ignorant. And it's your daughter who has to live with that. Would you want a name like that yourself?

This is the thing. You have to be aware that lots of people will think this about you, and also the child. It's not really about whether you agree.

There is a small but growing movement to change the country’s name from India to Bharat, because India is a “slave name” - not my words but quoted from one article I looked at. There have been petitions in the last few years, including this year. Changing the country’s name any time soon is unlikely, but you must be able to see that there could be an issue with naming your child India. Would you call your child Bharat?

Mya is lovely but I prefer the more usual spelling of Maya.

India/Indie, no, I don't like it much. There could be problems to do with appropriating the name of a country, as pps have outlined, plus it just doesn't have a particularly nice sound - especially 'Indie' which only makes me think of independent record labels etc.

Definitely India …I have a friend who was conceived in the Himalayas and she is called India …beautiful name.