Fenna or Minna?

[lululu99]

What are your thoughts on these 2 names for a girl please? Any other similar ideas? I like that they are short and simple, but not too common and feel like they would work for all ages.

But the Minna spelling is the one that doesn’t have an ambiguous pronunciation. You can only say it one way.

I don’t like either name, but I do like Willa which is kinda on the same page.

Yes I do like Willa. My cousin has a Willow though so possibly too close. Thank you for all the reasonable responses, good and bad.

Some of these replies seem very harsh to me. Society and schools nowadays are a lot more multicultural than in the past and I doubt today's kids would bat an eye at the idea of a classmate named Fenna or Minna.
Fenna is very pretty.

Anya or Jenna?

Random question: did Ferne McCann call her youngest Fenna? Just off to look it up……

(Edited to add…. Nope! I was wrong. Her name is Finty).

As you were! Just ignore me 😁

I actually love Fenna - but it does make more sense if you have Dutch heritage.

I also like Stella, Willa, Hedda which have the same sort of formula

They only sound 'silly' because you're not familiar with them.

There are a lot of named MNers don't bat an eyelid at, but if you sit down and think about them, you have to admit there's a certain silliness to them.

Take a long, hard look at the name Penelope and tell me it doesn't sound 'silly', and also comment on the spelling. Other 'silly' names might include Elodie, Ottilie, Iona, Imogen...

Minna would only be pronounced Mina by people who don't understand basic phonics.

Funny, for me the name makes me think of the word 'Volkswagon'.

(Sarcasm)

To be fair, a lot of ESL speakers would pronounce it that way too. Someone from Spain for example is likely to pronounce Mina and Minna exactly the same. The short "i" is difficult for many non-native English speakers to pronounce.

Are you a native English speaker?

Yes but not all names or people follow the rules of basic English! Neither sound like English names and have you never come across names spelt the same but pronounced differently?

@Zennia , why would OP worry about whether someone Spanish might say it differently?
My Spanish friend says Isabel differently to how I say it, as does my French friend.

@MiddleAgedDread , the pronunciation is pretty obvious from the spelling. Do you ponder over whether Nina is Ninna, Nighna or Neena?

I’m familiar with the other names you
mentioned and I think those also sound daft, apart from Imogen which don’t mind. Not even sure what your point is, the names don’t sound any better once familiar, my opinion is the same. Some
unfamiliar names sound nice, some are silly, same
as some very popular names are silly in my opinion, and some are nice.

My DD has a good friend called Minna and I've never considered it strange. Other DD used to have a friend called Menna. We're in Cornwall if that makes a difference and lots of kids have Cornish names so we often hear names that would probably be considered unusual in other places.

Sounds like brands of sanitary towels.

I think calling perfectly fine names 'silly' is uncalled for.
Both names are a refreshing change from all the Ava/Evie/Eva/Ivy and Lily/Lyla/isla names.

Minna is like minnie which is what we called female body parts in 80's or 90's. Up there with Fanny.

I don't think it matters at all. My friends from other cultures pronounce my name differently from the English pronunciation and it doesn't bother me at all.

I'm responding to the idea that anyone who pronounces it "mee-na" must be thick or uneducated.

I don’t like what either. Sorry not for me.

Of course I have. But if you use basic English phonetics you’ll get these two right.

I was thinking the same thing
so many nice names out there!

@MiddleAgedDread , Isla doesn't conform to the rules of basic English.