Help me pick from these! Girl.

[GummiBeari]

Here are the top names. The baby girl is half Spanish-American with a Spanish last name.

Javiera
Julia
Maria or Martina

Thank you for the help. I have no idea which to pick!

Thank you! I’m seriously considering Galicia. I like that it represents both sides.

Julia is beautiful, one of my favourites but I don't like Spanish pronunciation.

Maria and Claudia are also beautiful.
I don't like Galicia I'm afraid but it does make sense for your family.

How are you pronouncing the names?
I'd pick Martina.

Julia - with J sound
Javiera - with H sound
Maria - Mah-ree-ah
Martina - Mar-tee-nah
Galicia - like Alicia but with a G.

A potential point against Galicia: Her last name is a town in Galicia, Spain. So maybe it’s a bit much.

I vote Julia. It's a wonderfully international choice! Galicia sounds a bit clunky to me but would make a nice middle?

NOT Javiera. It's lovely but as someone with a Spanish name I can tell you right now that no one will ever be able to pronounce it properly in the UK.

Speaking with DH, Julia and Martina are taking the lead. ⭐️

This is a great idea. Galicia might be better as a middle name.

Julia or Martina
Both lovely

Javiera - with H sound is my fave also sounds nice with Galicia as a middle name? Or even the other way around. Javiera Galicia/ Galicia javiera then she's got two names that represent both of your and also her heritage. unless you've got middle names already covered. If so what middle name you thinking, that would maybe make a difference.

Interesting! Has it been a pain for you?

We’re in the US, so people are perhaps much more accustomed to Spanish names here.

"A potential point against Galicia: Her last name is a town in Galicia, Spain. So maybe it’s a bit much."
All depends. Is it a nice place? There are plenty of people called Paris or London I don't see why not! If you like. I think it's a pretty name.

This sounds lovely! We don’t have any middle names in mind yet, and would like something that goes well with the other two.

Julia is my favourite! And Jules is a cool option for when she’s a teen if she likes.

Divorce the husband and use Claudia.

With so many gorgeous Spanish girls names I’m not sure how you have come up with this list.

Julia is beautiful but why not pronounce it as it’s meant to be pronounced in Spanish?

Galicia - like Alicia but with a G. but how do you say Alicia?
In the UK, Alicia is usually Aleesha or Al-iss-y-a. I'd say Galicia as Gal-isha or Gal-ith-ee-a.

You can't go wrong with Maria. Such an international classic. Julia is too, but personally I'm much less keen.

I’m sure they would be fine in the US, but if there’s a chance your daughter will one day travel a lot / move somewhere else, especially to Europe, please don’t call her Javiera or Galicia.

The first is quite strange, the second is a big no-no unless you’re in a country where place names are totally accepted and nobody bats an eyelid.

Many people in Europe (especially continental Europe) will know of Galicia as the autonomous region in Spain. Especially those into hiking / pilgrimage as Santiago - where the Camino de Santiago ends - is located in Galicia. A lot of French / Italian / German / Swiss people I meet are familiar with the Camino or have walked it. Their mind would jump at that most likely.

It’s just as weird calling her Galicia as it would be calling her Nebraska or Albania - I’m sure those would not be too out there in America, but everywhere else in the world they’re just nuts.

PS Julia or Martina are beautiful! All the Martinas I have met have been awesome!

Thanks for sharing this view. Do you think Galicia would still be too strange from a European perspective to have it as a middle name?

Great point. We would Americanize the pronunciation to be Gah-Lee-see-ah.

I think it’s a strange name but middles names aren’t shared with everyone you meet on a daily basis, so would probably be fine.

Will she have 1 or 2 surnames? Because for example in Spain people would assume the “Galicia” in Martina Galicia Johnson was a surname (if they saw the full name written down). Place names are very common surnames - but then again, this is a small or non-existent issue in your case if it sounds totally normal to American ears.

1. LOL
2. What other names would you suggest?
3. Julia is a well known name in the US pronounced with a J sound. It would be exhausting for her to insist everyone always call her Hoolia. Javier is not an unheard of name here and everyone knows to pronounce it with an H sound. And there’s no Javier used with a J sound. So I’d do Spanish pronunciation of Javiera but not Julia. Maybe when she’s an adult she’ll strongly identify with her Spanish side and want to change the pronunciation. That’d be fine.

She’ll only have one surname.

It might be funny if her first name was Galicia and surname was a town in Galicia, even though no one would recognize it in the states. It’s like naming a baby “Scranton Pennsylvania” but in Japan 😂

DH and I are considering Galicia as a middle name.