Which Indian baby boy name more suitable for UK

[Cookiemonster2022]

Hi,
I want to ask your opinion on the following Indian baby boy names-

1. Arav
2. Vian/Vihaan
3. Avik

We have Indian names and have really struggled with people calling us with wrong names. So, we are being careful with our baby's name.
Any suggestions are welcome and also if you can think of any of these being turned into any unpleasant nicknames.

I have three boys with Hindu names and names were chosen for easy pronunciation in English because I have a name which is always mispronounced. Btw I don’t think it’s a micro-aggression, people just say it as they read it and assume the rules of English pronunciation apply. They always make an effort once corrected but I can’t often be bothered to correct.

Out of your names I think Vian would probably be the hardest to pronounce. I think a lot of people would say it to rhyme with Ryan.

Re people mistaking it for a girls name, I’ve found this is a real problem with names people don’t know. I think people just guess so 50% of the time they get it wrong. I’ve found this far more annoying than any mispronunciation.

Not that I think names outside the majority language shouldn’t be used - they should and I love hearing them! But if you pick a name like Tadhg when you live in Manchester then people will occasionally mispronounce it or ask how it’s pronounced.

Out of your names I think Vian would probably be the hardest to pronounce. I think a lot of people would say it to rhyme with Ryan.

Ooh I didn’t think of that! I think it would be less likely with the Vihaan spelling? But that could be annoying, yeah.

All nice names but I like Avik best.

Just out of sheer nosiness if you weren’t being careful with regards to people saying names properly what would be your top 3 choices?

I don't think it's always a micro aggression. It is often unintentional as people just don't know how to pronounce it properly. My DH's family have never been able to pronounce my name or my dd's first name correctly. I have never really bothered to correct them so I can't complain. Likewise, lots of people struggle to pronounce our surname. It's just unfamiliar to them.

What is a microagression is when people repeatedly pronounce things incorrectly even when they have been told how to say it. Assuming that there are no particular sounds which are difficult for speakers of other languages to hear/say correctly, there is no possible justification for this.

Those who mispronounce ethnic names do so intentionally. It’s a racial micro aggression.
What a load of rubbish, people mispronounce all sorts of names.

Hi OP,
Firstly congratulations!
Secondly, as a South Asian myself I would never base my name choices on how other people would pronounce them. That is just my personal opinion. I have a difficult name for many English speakers to pronounce but I simply correct them and move on. My son’s name is a little difficult too but it has such a deep meaning for us and is so beautiful when pronounced correctly that I had no
problem choosing it.
There are so so many beautiful Indian names out there and it would be a shame not to celebrate them. We are living in such a diverse time now that we should be celebrating each other’s cultures and learning from our differences.
Of course you have the freedom to choose but don’t narrow down your choices because of others!

Vihaan is a lovely name, really evocative.

I think Vian might be pronounced Ian with a V by many in the UK so if you want the longer A sound I would go for the spelling with the H.

Your other two sound fine for the UK with Avik probably being less likely to be mispronounced.

I think from your options, Vihaan might be the best option because Vian might be pronounced at “Vy-an”

Had a quick google so apologies if they’re not all Indian names, it was from this website…some other suggestions would be:
Ajay
Jai
Neel
Prem
Riaan
Rohan
Sanjay
Siddarth
Sunni
Suresh

I've got two kids with Indian names. One gets their name mis-read or mis-remembered as a similar name which is more common in England. The other gets their name mispronounced (a long vowel instead of a short one) by lots of people who hear me and others, including the child in question, say their name regularly.

I get my (very common very English) name shortened against my taste.

I figure that's life.

Congratulations. My favourite is Vian/Vihaan.

Please call your son what you want to call him, not a simplified compromise to appease potential bigots.

I know from later posts it's not pronounced the same way but when I saw your list my brain heard Araf which is the Welsh for slow (the single f is pronounced as a v). That would be the only one I might hesitate slightly on, but again please name your child something that means something to you.

Really appreciate all of your comments. My favourite is Vihaan. Might go with that :) Thanks

If Vihaan is your favourite you should definitely pick that - it’s my favourite too! It has such a lovely soft sound for a beautiful baby but it’s also strong and sensible for a grown up man too. I do think the Vihaan spelling will bypass some issues re Ian/Ryan that you might have with Vian.

Vihaan is lovely

@WhatTheWhoTheWhatThe

Just out of sheer nosiness if you weren’t being careful with regards to people saying names properly what would be your top 3 choices?

My top choice was Vivaan and Vihaan. Friends said Vivaan might get confused with Vivian, which would be a girl's name. So, happy with Vihaan

Avik is my favourite its lovely, such a strong name. Also he could use Vik/Vick as a nickname if he chose which is easy and common as a western name (although he shouldn't have to "westernise" his own name at all)