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Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

Original poster

Unique girl names - esp German?

79 replies

Walnut8 · 13/12/2009 18:02

I posted a while ago, saying that my husband and I were thinking about calling our baby girl Annaliese. My DH has now decided that he's not entirely sure about this name which is fine but we can't seem to find anything else that we like that suits our very harsh-sounding german surname. We've ruled out many names that we like, ie Chloe, Juliet because they just don't sound right with the last name!

Can anyone pls give me some suggestions of nice sounding German girl's names (or names that would suit a harsh sounding surname). We are after something a little unusual as I have looked at lists of popular names in Germany over the last few years but the names all seem very common - there are many Lauras, Hannahs & Annas in DH's family. Thanks everyone.

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diddl · 14/12/2009 07:56

I like Lucia (I would say Lu-chi-a) & Alexa.

cumbria81 · 14/12/2009 10:18

My friend is called Jette. I've always thought it was a lovely name.

janek · 14/12/2009 10:25

what about insa? or isolde?

pofacedandproud · 14/12/2009 10:26

Anya was on our list. So was Ingrid. I also love Astrid but that is more Scandinavian.

MmeLindt · 14/12/2009 10:35

Jette will make all the Germans think of Jette Joop.
I would avoid anything ending in a -e (Renate, Ute, Silke..) as the Brits find it difficult to pronounce them.

I wonder if the old fashioned German names are going to come back soon. They must be getting fed up of all the Anna/Sophia/Maria combinatinons.

Names like Gretchen, Liesel and Hannelore are lovely but sound very Bavarian to me. Depends on where your DH is from.

I like Greta, Frieda, Rebecca, Vivien.

frogs · 14/12/2009 10:36

I like all the classic Prussian names:

Katharina
Wilhelmine
Johanna
Franziska
Christiane
Magdalena
Clara
Susanne
Sabine
Elisabeth

I also like

Anne-Katrin
and
Marie-Therese

but you probably need to be Catholic to pull off the latter.

Original poster
Walnut8 · 14/12/2009 10:39

Thanks again everyone. I also love Heidi, Anya and Greta/Gretel but know at least four or five girls by these names. I also know a couple of Astrids, neither of whom I like a lot!

We liked Ingrid but can't think of any nice nick-names. I like quite a few more of the suggestions too but DH not convinced.

How do you pronounce Jette? Is it Jet-teh? i think this is pretty but wouldnt go with our surname.

I think the short-list so far is Lucia and Alexa. We like Lilja but not enough...

OP posts:
Original poster
Walnut8 · 14/12/2009 10:41

Oh vivien is nice!

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Original poster
Walnut8 · 14/12/2009 10:45

I love Franziska too but would hate the nick-name "Fran" .. reminds me of that awful american show. Also Katharina but know several Katarinas and Katrinas (seem to be popular German and/or lutheran names)

OP posts:
MmeLindt · 14/12/2009 10:47

Franziska would probably be shortened to Franzi in Germany. Like the swimmer.

Francesca was one of our favourite names but we used it as a middle name because we did not want DD to be called Franzi all the time.

Original poster
Walnut8 · 14/12/2009 10:59

Okay well that rules that out. My grandma's dog is called Franzi!

OP posts:
diddl · 14/12/2009 14:15

For me Jette=Yetteh.

So maybe no good if you are in UK!

I know a Franziska with nn Cissy.
But too old fashioned in UK?

hazeyjane · 14/12/2009 14:18

I know a little girl called Heneko (sp? - pronounced Hen - eh - ko)

I think it is a really lovely name, and is very sweet when shortened to Henny.

hattyyellow · 14/12/2009 14:27

Ursula?

MrsVik · 14/12/2009 14:36

I also have a relatively long and harsh sounding German name - and we have decided on Lucia (loo SEE ah).

Are you me?

Other names we considered were Isabelle and Alice. Going by the names of some kids in my class - how about Anouk, Greta, Sabrina, Cosima, Florentine, Alina, Lena... although mostly they are called Anna, Hannah, Lara etc.

jessia · 14/12/2009 14:42

My friend has a 13-y-o Saskia in Germany. I really like that name.
I know it's not German, but I love the Czech name Vesna. It means spring (as in springtime, not as in coiled piece of metal)

mathanxiety · 14/12/2009 15:17

Dagmar?
Eliska (Czech)?
Lida?

nighbynight · 14/12/2009 19:16

Liljana
Annina

MortaIWombat · 14/12/2009 19:59

Ilse

Lotster · 14/12/2009 20:09

How about Hermina? It's quite old fashioned in Germany but could work in a vintagey way?

Lotster · 14/12/2009 20:12

How about Hermina? It's quite old fashioned in Germany but could work in a vintagey way?

midnightexpress · 14/12/2009 20:12

My German/British friends have a Rosa and a Mia, which both work in both langs and I particularly like Rosa, as a variation on the rather overdone Rose.

Also v much like Ilse mentioned above.

Lotster · 14/12/2009 21:00

How about Hermina? I think it's quite old fashioned in Germany but could work in a vintagey way? Reminds me of a lovely old family friend who used to let me get me jacked up on coffee and marzipan at her house when she looked after me when I was about 10!!

tadjennyp · 14/12/2009 22:01

How about Gabriela, or Susanna? Both can be shortened to nice nicknames. I like Wiebke but wonder whether British people would have problems pronouncing it?

Gethsemane · 15/12/2009 04:51

My German Grandmother is called Ilse. Annaliese is my middle name - but spelled 'Analise' - my other half finds it very amusing to call me 'Anal lisa'. Ho hum.