Forbidden Favourites

[AubernFable]

Does anyone else have baby names that they absolutely love but can’t use because they’re clearly from a different culture or language?

Here are mine:

Girls:

Soleil
Maryam
Noor
Heloísa
Priya
Ximena
Amina
Blessing
Antigone

Boys:

Islam
Emilio
Luciano
Santiago
Amir
Alejandro
Selim

I love Karim and Malek

I don’t think my pasty ginger baby, the child of two atheists, could rock Islam no matter how much I love it unfortunately. I think it comes down to names being so tied to culture.

Just a fun title really, I know some people are totally comfortable naming their children names from other cultures and I wouldn’t raise an eyebrow but I don’t think our children could quite pull these off.

I also find it quite sweet when people name their children names from my culture too so it’s completely judgement free.

I knew the loveliest girl named Isis in college, it’s beautiful.

How ignorant.

There are plenty of 'educated' people who were educated in a system that doesn't that doesn't study Greek legends. I bet they would have more grace than to call you an educated because you don't know things they have been educated in..

Anouk, i love it so much! If id had a girl maybe i would have used it anyway.

Isis was an absolute teenage favourite of mine. Such a shame such a beautiful name is tainted

Islam??

I love french boys names.

Etienne (top fave)
Fabian
Jean Baptiste
Laurent
Antoine
Clement (could have got away with this)

Also Valentine which is nothing to do with French names but just a bit out there for us.

Yes?

Etienne is absolutely lovely, and Antoine, but Clement is one of my least favourite names 🫢

My friends dad was called Laurant he was great, has good vibes for me.

Soleil is lovely. I think it's usable here. You'd probably have to tell people how to spell it but it's usable.

I would love to call my child Ofelia. So pronounce it the Spanish way. It's lovely.
I hate the English way and everyone would just pronounce it the English way!

It’s a religion

It can also be a first and last name! I’ve known a few over the years, it’s lovely.

If you think about it Christian is a pretty popular English name and that’s not too dissimilar.

Ishmael

You could use any of the Indian names you love, OP. Indians aren’t at all bothered by non-Indians using these names - if anything they’d be pleased. Indians in India happily use names from other cultures, and from religions different to their own. I personally know so many examples, including a Hindu Larissa (parents loved Dr Zhivago), a Hindu Noella (born on Xmas eve), and a Catholic Arundhati (parents admire Arundhati Roy).

Gulnaz.

Hadn’t heard this one before, it has a beautiful meaning.

Absolutely I think some of my Indian friends would love it honestly, same with the Arabic names, I just wouldn’t want my child to feel their name doesn’t ‘fit’ them or to have to answer all of the questions that people may have.

I love that, Arundhati is so pretty and Noella too!

I’m white English.

Girls names: Was watching the Olympic athletics last summer and thought how lovely the names Safin, Athing, Lieke, and Femke were. Also love Oti and Motsi (the ballroom Mabuse sisters) although these are their nicknames.

Boys: I like Thierry, Rhys, Pasha, Carlo.

They are lovely aren’t they! Thierry is a great name but I knew a really awful one so its ruined for me.

I also love the Yoruba names Kehinde and Taiwo meaning first and second born- came back to this thread just to add them!

I think Antigone is well known enough to not count as forbidden, tbh. It’s not such a heavily cultural name that it would seem creepy to use. (As with any name, of course, one may have personal reasons for not using!)

I had it on my baby names list at one point but after hearing an adult professional pronounce it anti-gone I removed it! It’s stunning though, I think there was a reality star or tv personality with the name recently so hopefully more people will be familiar with it again.

I don't think you should let a name's being from another culture stop you from using it. My name is from the bible, it was originally Hebrew but it's very common in the UK.