Cassia & India or Isabella & Emilia

[Sayler]

My DH and are due twin girls any day now (36 weeks) and are having a massive name disagreement.
I love Cassia and India, he loves Isabella and Emilia. We both like the others names, but I feel his are very popular, he thinks mine lack timelessness and class.
Neither of us like the two sets combined (we thought about India and Isabella for a but but matching initials is a no).
Which set do you prefer? Any suggestions that might please us both?

And eons ago Fanny was a perfectly respectable name for a young girl. Associations and trends change.

Given the importance that society now gives to avoiding cultural appropriation, assuming India remains unproblematic and won’t raise eyebrows among future generations during the OP daughter’s lifetime is not a bet I’d be willing to take. Especially when it’s a name that quite literally came into use because of imperialism. https://nameberry.com/babyname/india

You know a baby called Italia?? Ok then

Interesting to see how many people object to place names (I do understand the colonial concerns with India, but it has been being used as a girls name for decades and still continues to be).
I live in Southwest London, many of my friends live around west/southwest London, children all attending private preps or similar and in conversation I hear place names quite frequently. I wonder if this is just a thing in my wider circle or if it’s bigger than that.

As did Kimberley. Society? Not everyone subscribes to 'appropriation'... like my British Indian SIL and her family. White Brits and Irish tend to be the ones who get offended on others behalf about this sort of stuff. India is seen as a corny white girl name if anything, not some horrendously offensive insult.

Has India been used for decades? I can only think of India Hicks (grandchild of the Mountbattens) and Inda Knight (changed her name and has pakistani heritage), and more recently Katie Hopkins' child (nuff said).

All great names Cassia is absolutely lovely so that would be a definite for me
They all flow but I think my first choice would be
Cassia and Emilia
Cassia and India
Wishing you all the best for their birth

Well 245 babies were called India in England and Wales in 1996, going to assume it didn't spring out of nowhere then, but even if it had, yes decades. There was a girl named India a few years below me at school (I'm 28) and another doing the same course as me at Uni.

It's been a girl's name since the 19th Century. It declined in popularity and regained popularity 50 years ago and has been in steady use since. It's a name commonly found in the anglosphere and is now popular in Spain. Kimberley is another name that has a 'dodgy' background (Boer war). India doesn't need to become controversial and the majority of people I see trying to make it so tend to be white British women.

@frnames , you can't see me. I might not be white, British or female.

Cassia and Emilia. (India is lovely also, but Emilia works well and is a compromise). Isabella is way too overdone.

India and Cassia sound cheesy to me as Cassia makes me think of the spice and therefore it seems like you've gone for a sort of 'spice route' theme for your twins.
Also I would be confused how to pronounce cassia, is it with a sh like Kasia, or cas-see-ah?

And I agree with others that you may find India fine but your DD may find it embarrassing in the future if it does come to be seen as more problematic (than it already is).

So overall I Emilia and Isabella (sorry), both are popular now but that's because they are classic, pretty names, and have good nn options.

I wasn't referring to you. That wasn't meant as a dig or anything.

OP, India was a name used by colonial families in the 19th Century. Now it's just a modern place name like all the others and found across cultures. It's been this way for more than half a century. If people think it 'inappropriate' that's their own hang up.

@frnames , India was a name used by colonial families

Well, I'm part tea-drinking Brit and part spice-loving Desi, and while naming someone India seems a bit cheesy to me, I'm not exactly losing my cool over it. You must have a constitution as delicate as a porcelain teapot to get your feathers ruffled by that.

Also, I comprehend your perspective, British colonialism in India was a case of plunder disguised as progress. @0LampLady0, but when you compare the name India's appropriateness to your dislike for a name associated with the disadvantaged and impoverished class, you could be said to be displaying classism and elitism. See how this could go on and on and on ad nauseam?

Cancel culture is a bigger concern than the narrow, misguided focus on blaming only white people for all historical injustices. Forget the Arab slave trade and the origin of the word 'Slav' white people are the evilist evil of the world and must repent eternally. There was nothing but love and peace before those baddies came along.

Indie - cute and quirky. India - eh, not my cup of tea. But hey, to each their own! Alternatively stick with a classic European name like Elizabeth, Anna or Lucy - they're like a fine wine, they never go out of style & versatile enough to suit any era or social rank.

Toodle-oo.

Millie and Bella

'Country' names are starting to be seen as a bit old fashioned and naff unless you have family history to link them.

I would go slightly different,
Isobel and Amelia.

Classic, timeless, elegant.

They are popular for a very good reason.

India is cringey and really not classy.

Cassia and Emilia are nice and go well together.

I think India is a bit naff, I think place names are generally. There are so many lovely names out there, why go for a Country. I much prefer Isabella and Emilia, I guess my taste matches your husbands.

@NotAFanOfEldridgeCleaver

It's great that we're on the same page about India being an unsophisticated choice for a baby name.

And I completely understand and share your worries about cancel culture. However, in my opinion, I still don't think India would be a suitable name especially for a British baby girl. Why use India with complicated connotations when she could use the very similar name of Indie? I believe Indie would benefit the little girl much more and that India could possibly be a hindrance. I think that's fair. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

P.s. Slavic people went through slavery at different points in history, but it's not confirmed whether or not the word "slav" actually comes from that. Interesting stuff.

Also I did not know that about Neveah I just thought it was a made up name used by the general population and I am not a big fan of made up names. I'm glad to be better informed.

Cassia and Emilia for me - one of each parents choice, can't say fairer than that 🤷‍♀️

Cassia and Juliet

Just because I think you might like it and I’d use 2 names with different endings. But seeing your DH likes really popular names how does he feel about Eve?

But (urban and educated) people in India happily use names from non-Indian languages, cultures and origins. If they like the meaning and/or sound, they’ll use it.

India Hicks was named India because her grandfather was Viceroy of India so definite colonial vibes. The only other India I can think of is India Willoughby.

Cassie and Isobel (prefer this spelling). I detest -a names because of the peculiarly British tendency to say -uh instead.

Agree with pp regarding India.