Unique girl names - esp German?

[Walnut8]

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.

Hi Walnut,

Since you're still with Lucia and Alexa on the shortlist, I could give you a bit of (possibly useless) background on them.

I suspect the Lucia 'trend' is a very local Berlin thing, because there's a Lucia Christmas market here that is Swedish-themed, and a few parents have nabbed it from that. Nobody else in Germany would know about that connection, though, I imagine.

Alexa's family is quite posh, so I think of it a 'grossbürgerlich' upper-mc name. The posh families round here seem to like names with x in them - Maxime and Maxima are others.

The pronunciation issue is a real potential problem. I know a Wiebke who went to live in the UK and spent the entire time going 'it's veeb-kuh'. We deliberately chose first names that were known in both cultures, but there are still minimal pronunciation differences (in fact dd1 has an English version of her name, as well as a North German and a South German one).

I agree with BlauerWeihnachtsEngel, do avoid names like Wiebke. However lovely, your DD will get fed up that noone in UK can pronounce the name.

Names with -th- are similarly difficult for Germans to pronounce. A friend named her DS Ethan, it was such a shame to hear the Oma call him Eeezan.

Just thought of Henrietta, could be shortened to Henny.

has
Marlies been said yet ..

I really like Ilse but my (Flemish) DH vetoed on the grounds that it really is an 'Aunt Agatha' name there. v old fashioned. I think you have to be slightly aware of aspects like that if choosing a name from a particular country, even if ultimately you think sod it it's a lovely name (I went for another lovely name for DD).

I knew a German girl who had a daughter called Laken.
I thought it was pretty.

Another vote for Isolde too, so pretty. Issy for short.

Laken is pretty. Also thought of Lorelei

Noooooooooooooooooooo to Lorelei. Sorry, but I think most Germans would laugh at that. Shame, as it is pretty.

Laken means sheet in German. Might be a name in the north of Germany - it sounds quite northern.

Marlies is very pretty, my exlandlord was called Marlies.

Have always loved Ilse (was on my very first list) but DH vetoed almost straight away. He said many people wouldn't know how to pronounce it. We are definitely considering the pronunciation issue.

Thank you for the info Blauer! I actually quite like Maxime/Maxima - not sure what others make of this name?

Also of Laken?

MrsVik yes I am you.

I´m in Germany and the names that are popular in our area at the moment are
Lena
Lara
Jana
Alena
Sophie/Sophia
Marie/Maria

also double names so,
Anna-Lena
Lisa-Marie etc.

Laken means sheets in German so I´m not so sure I´d use that.

Sorry but I have to agree with MmeLindt re Lorelei ... I just think of that Gilmore Girls show. Ugh. (So many names ruined by bad American TV).

Alicia?

If you like Ilse, you could have Elsa as an Anglo-friendly alternative?

Agree re. Lorelei, to my ears it belongs in a carnival song sung by a bunch of drunk middle-aged blokes from the Rhineland.

And yes, Laken means sheet. I don't think most Germans would recognise that as a first name. I quite like Maren and Mareike, though both quite north German.

Apparently the name Harriet is Germanic...

I don't like Maxime, sounds too much like Maxine, and though I know a wonderful woman with that name, I don't think it has worn well as a name. Also Maxima sounds lie Maximum Headroom to me.

i'm in germany too - loads of girls called sophia and lara.

Other girls names
Alina
Clara
Ida (prounounced ee-d-a)
Greta
Natascha
Jannika
Arianna

Cosima?

lol at Laken. 'I said, COME HERE AT ONCE SHEET!' I'd like to see the German registrar's face when that name gets suggested.

I agree that some names just sound hopelessly old-fashioned, and not in a good way. Ingrid for me is only for the 60 plus generation. Couldn't imagine a baby Ingrid. Although friends have recently called their dd2 Agathe (pron Ag-ata)!.

Cosima is dead posh, isn't it? Anastasia is quite upmarket as well.

I really like Clara. That's what we nearly called dd2.

Would Laken be the German equivalent of Michael Jackson calling his son Blanket do you think?

How about Kristina or Kirsten? Lotte sounds a bit Charlie and Lola but is pretty, or other cross-over names like Nina or Greta?

Lieselotte is very pretty and a bit more unusual than Lotte.

Agree Laken means sheets in dutch.

and Adelheid (Heidi)

Dora
Marlene
Lola
Zarah
Romy (short for Rosemarie)
Magda
Beate (b-art-ta)
Nina

based on pop stars, film stars, artists who spring to mind

Laken's parents were German.
Apparently there was a German soap opera with a character called Laken.
Sheet. Interesting.

A few that haven't been suggested yet (I think)

Dagmara (softer than Dagmar I think)
Dorothea (shortened to Thea although the common shortform is Dötti I think - this is on my own shortlist )
Liesl
Sonja

I love Lorelei, but then I love Gilmore Girls
DH has vetoed it though!