Slightly(!) preposterous foreign names

[InmaculadaConcepcion]

...this is inspired by my own MN nn.

Inmaculada Concepcion

is a bona fide name here in Spain (although it's rare to find anyone under fifty with it). We've caused a mixture of horror and hilarity among our Spanish friends by telling them we're going to call our daughter IC...

Another good one is:

Purificacion

And you get the male/female combos of:

Jose-Maria
Maria-Jose

(a friend with the latter name insists she's called "Mary Jo")

as you also get

Jean-Marie

in France.

Anyone got any more to add?

I am italian, and a catholic and I find some old-fashioned, uber religious italian names much worse than preposterous.

Why would you call your child Crucified? Or Chain? Little Saint? Sorrowful, anyone? All these are widespread (although thankfully now less so) names in parts of Italy.

Similarly, in the 30s anarchists in parts of Italy gave their children "progressive" or "revolutionary" names like Iron, Electricity, Dynamo, Turbine etc etc.

They are all preposterous names.

My parents (inadvertedly, I hope) called me something that when translated in the world's most spoken language is the name of an illegal substance. I was briefly hugely popular in high school because of that

This is quite apart from the fact that some names just sound silly in other languages- it is maybe puerile to laugh, and possibly a bit to start a thread with the sole purpose of taking the piss out of furrin names, but I think a bit of lightheartedness is sorely needed...

Racist? What, this thread?? PPPLLLEEEEAAASEEEE...

This from forriner who still wishes her dad had out her foot down and called her Ginevra.

There a countless of threads on MN sniggering and laughing (rightly or wrongly) at british names or names given to british children, this is no difference.

BTW, being italian Pippa always always makes me cringe obviously even though now I think it is a nice name.

Oh Masseuse, I actually love Italian anarchist/progressive/socialist names, my fav being Libero (Free), Rosso (Red) and Idea Socialista.

I have heard of a family with three kids, called Hasta, Victoria, Siempre!!!

Now, Idea Socialista, that's a preposterous name if I have heard one!

and Libero makes me think of Nonno Libero (non-italians feel free to roll your eyes here...)

Our neighbours in the country called their children Primo, Secondo, Terzo etc... No lie!!

Why is an uber-religious name preposterous?

Math are you getting the wrong end of the stick on purpose or are you honestly telling me that if someone came on MN and asked for opinionson calling their ds Crucified, or Martyrised, you would say 'sure go ahead excellent choice love it so unusual'?

there are thousands of wonderful Christian names that can express parents' religious beliefs without inviting ridicule on their dcs.

The best thing about this thread, IMO, has been Bucharest's use of the word trollop.

Not if it was in English, but if it was in some other language and there was a cultural context, then it would be fine. I would say lovely name. I would hesitate to say go ahead and call an English boy Jesus, but for someone who was going to live in a hispanic country or whose family culture originated in the Spanish speaking world, even if they were going to live in Britain, nothing amiss. I'm not being deliberately obtuse here. Just because a name like Immaculata isn't popular now in Spain doesn't mean it won't come round again, like Elsie or Alfie or any of the other granny names that hibernated for a few decades. Who knows, Immaculata might be the next big thing in retro chic in Spain in a few years? And names like Pilar and Guadalupe are very common in the US in hispanic circles, presumably in Mexico and Central America too.

I wonder in the case of the religious/ philosophical names if it's the names themselves or the values they represent (piety, religious focus to life) that are now out of fashion. The values were and are deeply held -- nothing preposterous there really. People have a right to believe and express their beliefs.

Some of the names don't exactly roll off the tongue, (Assumpta maybe, or Elektron) but there are names that were once popular, like Ninel for girls in the USSR in the 30s (Lenin spelled backwards) that have a certain ring to them as well as having a strong philosophical impulse behind them. They are not heard much now, both because the passions behind them have faded, and because some are not considered attractive names for the moment. (But I've heard of some little Diesels.)

I don't know whether it's offensive or preposterous or not to find it surprising/entertaining or whatever, but the name Immaculate Conception presumably contravenes the Trades Descriptions Act for anyone except Jesus...

In the Catholic tradition, naming someone Immaculate Conception would express a sincere belief in that event or phenomenon, or it would be a way of asking for the protection or influence of that particular aspect of Marian theology. You're not saying this happened inthe case of your child -- it's more like commemorating a virtue, like calling someone Hope or Faith or Grace.

Some Catholics name children according to saint's days they were born on or around most days are the feast day of some saint or other. Some with names like Gerard, Gerarda or Majella were named to thank St. Gerard Majella, patron saint of pregnant women, for a happy outcome for their pregnancy. There are patron saints for everything under the sun in the Catholic tradition many children get a patron saint's name, depending on the circumstances.

Idea Socialista is a great name!

the spanish are good at forumalating less pious-sounding nick names. eg Anunciacion becomes Nunsi and Concepcion Conchi. There are Nunsis and Conchis! my age (39) maybe not that many though, and the nunsi I knew didn't like her name.

ps, ginebra is Gin isn't it, like the drink. certainly ginebra y tonico is a gin and tonic!

I quite like it as a name!

ah yes, i think ginebra is a translation of juniper. [not sure]

I live in St Lucia and there are some great, blinging names in my dd's classes but I don't want to offend anyone by listing them...

...apart from I saw one today, Dannyz. I'm not even sure how it is pronounced.

I love Idea Socialista too. As I like Anita, when used to remember Garibaldi's wife.

Go on Franca, I dare you to start a thread: What do you think of Idea Socialista, or Soci for short?

I do believe Ginny in Harry Potter is a Ginevra.

(Completely irrelevant and fairly dull point )