Xia or Isla?

qwerty777

Isla Kathleen Pinski << I've had this picked out forever but H doesn't really care for it. 

Xia Pinski << We've been saying it Zee-Yah The only girl's name he has agreed on so far. Can't come up with a middle name that isn't super common. I don't love it that much, and I kind of think it looks weird when written down. H loves the initials though (XP for video game people).

 Thoughts?

SLHurst11

I don't really like either name, but I think Xia is yuck.  I would have no idea how to pronounce it (if you hadn't said how above).  Sorry, and good luck!

qwerty777

Thank you. I like the way it sounds, but I'm just not a fan in general. I just can't get him to agree on anything else. I know we have a ton of time, but every name I throw out for a boy or girl he rejects it. He's still mad that I rejected Cecil and Edgar for boys.

He got the idea that our child could have initials XP, so now that's what he's looking for, but hates Xander and Xavier. Everything else is weird. Ugh, men.

jupiterthecat

XP like Windows? That's a really weird thing to base your child's name on. Maybe it's some video game ref that I don't get, but video games come and go, and your child will be around for a very long time, long after you are dead. I'm trying to imagine if my dad (born 1938) was named after some fleeting late depression-era fad, how lost that would be on everyone today. 

If you like Xia, then fine. Personally, I think Isla is much nicer.  

qwerty777

No XP as in Experience Points. Every video game either abbreviates it as Exp or XP.

caramia582

I love the name Isla, Xia is really not good- what about Zara?  Your DH might have to let the XP thing go.  It's really not going to matter at all what his/her initials are, what matters is that you give them a good name that they will not hate you for!

SpruceGrouse

Xia is pronounced shaw.

I know a Xia, it is a common chineese name. 

qwerty777

SpruceGrouse:

Xia is pronounced shaw.

I know a Xia, it is a common chineese name. 

 

Thank you for this! I knew it was a Chinese name, but never saw the pronunciation for it. I think I'm going to use everyone's comments to tell H that he needs to pick better names! 

austenreader85

I would have pronounced Xia as "Shee." I spent a few weeks studying in China and we visited a city called Xian and pronounced Shee-in.  But it was only a few weeks so I could be totally wrong.

KittyMarie219

If your DH is really intent on picking a name that begins with X, here is a list of girls' names that start with it --

https://www.behindthename.com/php/browse.php?type_gender=1&operator_gender=&value_gender[]=feminine&type_letter=1&operator_letter=&value_letter[]=x

I think there some cool ones that are a million times better than Xia, but otherwise, I vote for Isla.

AshDahlia

SmileyGirl18:

I don't like either.  Isla is an island and Xia is hard to pronounce and she will always have to spell it and tell people how to pronounce it.

 

 

Agreed. Isla is better.

ObLaDi

Isla is better (especially since you're just guessing on how to pronounce Xia!). However, if you haven't found a name you're both on board with, mostly it seems like it's time to keep looking.

And I love video games as much as the next person (gonna go run a dungeon in WOW with my husband now before going to work), but I think specifically aiming to give your kid the initials XP is dumb.

kbm2009

This entire post is too sad for me to read.  PLEASE do not name your child after a love of video games, especially when you have no idea how to pronounce the name. 

chibride4

If your DH is hellbent on using an "X" name, how about Xyla (pron. zy-la) and Xavier? Personally, I think that these names are better suited for the middle spot and XP would still be part of his/her initials. Isadore Xyla P____ is cute, for example. There are lots of great names out there, so I wouldn't limit it so much. Besides, I feel bad for any grownups from my generation running around with awful names like Atari and Commodore!!

Lilleybug

I also would not know how to pronounce it. I first saw XIA and the first thought I got was what the heck is that name? Both are strongly NMS.

alehayes

I definitely prefer Isla.  I think it would be a lot less of a headache than Xia.

FWIW, I put both names in Nymbler to try to give you some ideas, and it came up with Malvina, Alina, Maura, Ava, Fiona, Nora, Davina, Shea, Charlotte, Erin, Cameron, Moira, Dara, Kerensa and Shauna.

Also, a thought along the 'X' thing...my mom said she once met an Alexandra who went by Xandi (Zan-dee).  She said she wishes that's what she would have called me (I'm an Alexandra who's an Alex). 

mommytoconnor

Don't like either.  I had an Asian friend named Xiobhan, it's pronounced Shauvon, which sounds much better than XIA.

sparklem

Out of the two of these, I prefer Isla.

KitchenElf

I love the name Isla and I actually don't mind Xia (I would pronounce it exactly as you've written it out). It is an unusual name and I think it would sound fine with Kathleen as a middle name.

SamanthaG+3

I love Isla, it's what we named our second daughter.