Help us find a name for a daughter - Polish name that works in the UK

[RosieAnnie]

We don't know what we're having yet as we want it to be a surprise. My husband is Polish and we would love a name that works here as well as in Poland and Germany, where my relatives are from.

This is our list:

Aniela (sounds like ahn-yell-a)
Malina (mah-lee-na)
Liliana
Lilia
Kalina (kah-lee-na)
Pola
Andżelika (we would be willing to spell this Angelica as it would be easier)
Jásmina (we might change this to Yasmina)
Apolonia
Kaja (we might spell this Kaya, pr. kah-ya)
Oliwia (only like the Polish/German pronunciation so might take this off the list)

Comments appreciated!

I think they’re all nice names. Kalina is probably my favourite.

I would go for the spellings Angelica and Yasmina as you’ve suggested over Andżelika and Jásmina, purely because letters that aren’t in the English alphabet can be a pain on official forms etc.

From your list I love Liliana. I work with a Polish woman called Magdalena, Magda for short, which I think is lovely & would work in English, Polish & German.

Malina is a nice name but are you aware that this means raspberry in Polish?

Other names that might work:

Magdalena (Madga for short)
Aleksandra (can be shortened to Ola)
Julia (pronounced Yulia)
Dominika
Izabela
Wiktoria (W pronounced as V)
Karolina
Helena (pronounced helayna)
Zofia
Ania
Marta

I also suggest looking at a Polish calendar, they have name days and might give you more ideas.

I had 2 polish sisters live next door to me to Jelena and Janina. We always said Jelena with a J sound but Janina was with a Y sound.

Hanna
Gizela
Estera
Jasmina
Zuzanna
Magdalena
Anja
Zofia

I like Agata....Aggi

I would go for Lilia. Works easily across many languages, it’s a nice name and functions well. I would avoid anything that the child will have to tell people how to pronounce. Or you could use Kristina. But I do prefer Lilia. I am a fan of keeping things simple and usable, but still very nice.

I probably wouldn’t use Kalina.

it remind me of Kyleena, which is an American version of the Mirena IUD.

My favourite polish name is Ksenia. I worked in a school, and everyone always pronounced it correctly with no issues!

Hails68. Ksenia is new to me. Is it pronounced Kosma?

Cosima
Renate
Pia
Mira

I’ve worked in a few schools with lots of Polish children. Lots of Weronikas but I really liked Marcelina and Karolina. Nobody had any issues with names. Chn accept all names. Theses days there are all sorts of made up names I’ve never heard before but it doesn’t faze chn at all.

I grew up with a Kaja. I've always thought it was so pretty, so that's my vote.

Please avoid Malina

Justyna (with a soft J) or Mia?

Malina is a nice name but are you aware that this means raspberry in Polish?

I used to know someone called Jagoda, which I think means blueberry. Suppose fruit names are not that much different to Lily, Poppy or Rose conceptually.

Lilia is my favourite. In fact I had it on my shortlist for DD2, it was only because I heard about so many Lilys, Lilahs and Lolas at the time (15 yrars ago) that we went for something different.

DD1 has a name beginning with J, and initially I was looking at other J names, and liked Janica, which I think is Polish, and that would work in the UK too.

I love Liliana, so pretty but can be shortened to Lily or Liana or even Anna when she hit her teens and wants to be different.

Liliana is beautiful.

I like Kalina. Not heard it before but easy to spell, say and pronounce.

Aniela is nice too but two lls would help with pronunciation, as a previous poster said.

I love Aniela, I was engaged to a Polish man and would have chosen this if we had ended up having children.

Second choice is Kaja, I have German friends with a Kaja in the UK and its not an issue.

Outside your list I also love Maja!

Beautiful names! I also love Aniela 😊

I love Kalina.
Also like Aniela and Kaja.

Definitely don't call her Melina. As a pp said, every medically trained person will think of blood in poo. It's possibly the worst smelling thing ever.

I love Liliana and Kaja!

No, because Polish female names end with the letter a

I think Liliana or Angelica would work best in the UK but Kalina and Malina would be ok too.