Down to the wire... Help with our girl's names please!

temursgirl · June 2014

Yes, we seriously only just now agreed (sort of) to a short list. Our last name sounds like "boss" and the MN could also be one listed below or could be Kumari. We are specifically trying to pick something that works cross-culturally, so if something strikes you about the difficulty or sound of any of these for Americans, please give me details. Thanks!

tbmadeamistake · June 2014

I voted for it up there, but I really like Nuriya

.

ricecakes1216 · June 2014

jmar2011 said:
I voted Selena bc it is the only one I am familiar with

This goes for me too. I can't figure out the correct pronunciation for any other name on your list.

temursgirl · June 2014

Thanks! @lizardbreath14‌ that is exactly what I wanted to know. I never thought of that. Obviously we don't have a dog.

kbellizio3 · June 2014

I grew up in a very diverse town with a lot of multi cultural names, and I can't pronounce many of these...however I do like how Selena Kumari sounds, and I also like Nuryia.

temursgirl · June 2014

@jmar2011‌ and @ricecakes1216‌ if your LO had a classmate with a name you were completely unfamiliar with and/or found difficult, how would you react? Do you think you would get used to it or would you kind of always think it was odd? We want LO's name to reflect her heritage but we don't want her life to be overly difficult!

ricecakes1216 · June 2014

@Temurlang1‌ I have a unique name that I love...and have always loved. I like unusual names, so I'd try really hard to learn the correct pronunciation and I'd get used to it. This is especially true if I knew that it was a legit name and not something made up.

Just a small thing, though. It can be really frustrating when people make stupid comments about my name. I get asked all the time where I got my name...um my parents. It doesn't bother me enough to go by an easier nickname, but depending on my mood it makes me want to kick people.

temursgirl · June 2014

@jmar2011‌ don't apologize, I want real opinions

I realize that names from other backgrounds can be tough for people to get, remember, pronounce, etc. and I'm hoping we can strike a balance between cultures. We live in a really diverse area, but that doesn't mean everyone will recognize names from cultures outside their own.

cas889 · June 2014

The only one I feel confident I know how to pronounce is Selena. What heritage are you trying to reflect?

I "get used to" names quickly, but as a teacher, I always struggle on the first day of school with unfamiliar names and feel bad anytime I can't figure out how to pronounce one.

temursgirl · June 2014

@ricecakes1216‌ thanks! DH has an unusual name (in the US), but he came here as an adult, which is a different experience. Obviously people do ask about it all the time. Although he doesn't care I can see how it could be really annoying.

temursgirl · June 2014

@cas889‌ DH is from India. I'm American. My main ethnic groups are Swedish and Russian. We'd like an Indian name that works for the other groups as well.

kbellizio3 · June 2014

@Temurlang1‌ forgive me if I'm wrong but isn't your husband from India? What about the name Priya? Not sure how it would sound with your last name but it was always a name that I thought was beautiful but not too hard to pronounce and it was definitely multi cultural. If you hate the suggestion I totally won't be offended, it just popped into my head

tbmadeamistake · June 2014

@Temurlang1‌ I also have a unique name. My biggest fuss was that my siblings all had "normal" names like Dave and Liz. I think those names, as far as how I'm pronouncing them, are pretty. I made my peace with my name a long time ago, and now I love it.

temursgirl · June 2014

@kbellizio3‌ actually I like that name a lot. Unfortunately it's extremely common in India as is our last name, and we spend a fair amount of time there. Also, we live in an area with a sizable Indian population, and Indians here use the name a lot for the reasons you mentioned. A lot of the Indian names I like fall in this category sadly.

temursgirl · June 2014

@jmar2011‌ I don't know the reference, but I want to

)

kbellizio3 · June 2014

Temurlang1 said:
@kbellizio3‌ actually I like that name a lot. Unfortunately it's extremely common in India as is our last name, and we spend a fair amount of time there. Also, we live in an area with a sizable Indian population, and Indians here use the name a lot for the reasons you mentioned. A lot of the Indian names I like fall in this category sadly.

Yea I knew a bunch of Priya's in high school, so I understand the fact that it's common, and if you live in a higher Indian populated area I get why it wouldn't be on your list!! (Hence why the name Sophia, which I love, was never an option for us). My vote is still Selena then, not too common but not too difficult either.

ETA- the name Prithi (I may have butchered that spelling, pronounced pre-tee) was also one I liked that wasn't as common as Priya in my town, but idk how common it is in India

catsinawindow · June 2014

I like Alyona best, both by sound and ease of pronunciation. Nuriya would be a close second. The only one of these names that I think would be recognizable to Americans would be Selena, but it's NMS so I didn't pick it.

I think Afsaneh and Nurjehan would be very difficult to pronounce around here.

Dharmatron · June 2014

I like Nuriya. I think Indian names are beautiful- Priya and Lakshmi are my favorites.

catsinawindow · June 2014

Here's my 2 cents when it comes to unusual names. My son has a very unusual (family) name that is pronounced exactly the way it's spelled, very easy to pronounce. There's always a little confusion when we (or he) says his name the first time, but people learn it quickly I assume because it is so easy to pronounce. We do get lots of questions about it's origin, though, so I can see how that could be annoying for him as he gets older.

In our increasingly multicultural culture, and the recent interest in unusual names, I feel like by the time our kids are in school unique and multicultural names will be the norm in many areas of the country.

BMaidPlanner · June 2014

I voted for it up there, but I really like Nuriya .

Same!

cas889 · June 2014

I have no clue how popular these are, but I grew up with an Aaditi and I always liked her name. And this year in one of my classes I have a Shefali, which I think is really pretty. I just googled to make sure these were Indian names like I think they are, so I apologize if my google confirmation is false!

On the same webpage, a few other names I liked (assuming I'm pronouncing them correctly) are Adhira, Avani, Indira, Jayani, Meena, Sarada, Sonali, and Zahra. Again, I'm sorry if I'm using a totally bogus site! :P

BabyCurtiss2014 · June 2014

I say Selena. If it was your name which would you pick? Think child and adult life. Think pronunciation and spelling by others. I like simple names. Good for kids and good on a resume

shellbell813 · June 2014

I work with a lot of Indians and although i had no idea initially how to pronounce their names, once I learned it wasn't a problem. I will say that names that are more phonetically spelled will probably bode better so I would vote against the first and third options.

lest12 · June 2014

lisagde said:
I like Alyona best, both by sound and ease of pronunciation. Nuriya would be a close second. The only one of these names that I think would be recognizable to Americans would be Selena, but it's NMS so I didn't pick it.

I think Afsaneh and Nurjehan would be very difficult to pronounce around here.

This.

Plus this:

Rachel5130 said:
I read like 3 comments because I'm particularly lazy today, so this may be a repeat statement.

Selena is a pretty name, but pending on where you live, it may culturally confuse people. I only say that because you mentioned you wanted it to be cross culture, but with... India? Right? Your ILs live there, if I remember correctly. Selena is super popular in the Mexican/Hispanic community where I live (Texas) and in many other places.

I chose Zephyrine. I love that name. Cute nickname potential, too!

dragonfly711 · June 2014

I am not aware of any of these names except the one everyone else knows and I am not liking that too much.
I know a second grader who is I believe Indian and her name is Daanya and I love that name.

LindsayDesigner · June 2014

I think Zephyrine is beautiful.

bumpuser9343355 · June 2014

I like Alyona best. As a teacher, I would probably butcher all of these on the first day of class, but since I have an unusual name myself, I try really hard to get pronunciation right. It can be hard for a kid to have a name that is hard to say, but I definitely got used to it and now I love my name.

MollySm · June 2014

I think Nuriya is beautiful! I'm not a fan of names that are terribly uncommon if they are made up names, but I love actual names that are uncommon and from another culture.

temursgirl · June 2014

Thanks so much for the input everybody! I'm also not a fan of made up names and I realize names from other cultures can seem made up. I'm hoping that IRL people will think "foreign" because of the context.

BabyCurtiss2014 · June 2014

Cultural names are cool. Made up "unique" names are not cool! I am Serbian and I really wanted to pick a Serbian name for our boy. But, after going through them, I realized that it may not be the best thing for our LO bc kids can be weird and mean and I didn't want him to get picked on over a name that's not common in the US. So we went w/ a more main stream, yet still European name

But it's all just personal preference! The reality is that "foreigners" still get treated differently today! I can tell you my Linked In profile got a lot more views when I got married and my "weird" Serbian name changed to more common "American" name. The world might be a different place in 20 years though

QT3.14 · June 2014

From someone who's name has two different pronunciations, mine being the less common, PLEASE do not do that to your child. I gave up correcting people many years ago and just answer to anything. My daughter's name will be easy to spell and easy to pronounce.

babygabe614 · June 2014

Selena is the only one I'm familiar with, so it gets my vote.

jenlynne0624 · June 2014

Temurlang1 said:

@jmar2011‌ and @ricecakes1216‌ if your LO had a classmate with a name you were completely unfamiliar with and/or found difficult, how would you react? Do you think you would get used to it or would you kind of always think it was odd? We want LO's name to reflect her heritage but we don't want her life to be overly difficult!

I have a few students whose family is from Kenya and they have traditional names. The kids, and granted they're middle schoolers, are cool with the names and actually talk to the students about the names and are curious what their siblings names are and are pretty interested in the culture and background. I'd so go for it and if you're concerned about teachers butchering the name or something, meet with them or send an email with a phonetic spelling so the kid doesn't get embarrassed the first day of school. Lord knows I have butchered a bunch of students' names over the years.

temursgirl · June 2014

@nelleebelle‌ I love those names! Suriya and Aygul were on my original list, but DH really didn't like them. Actually, he just found out that Selena Gomez exists, so he may not go for that one either.

temursgirl · June 2014

Thank you all so much for your opinions! Very much appreciated!

ElTrain5 · June 2014

I'm one of the odd ducks who voted for Purnima. I have two dogs and didn't associate it with the food brand.

I think it's very pretty and easy to spell/pronounce.

lifeisbetteronthered · June 2014

I have a good friend named Purnima. I think it's a lovely name.

mschware · June 2014

I'm not quite sure how to pronounce most of them so I don't know which I like, but from how I think it's pronounced, I love the name Alyona:) also, if you are open to other suggestion, one of my good friends is Indian and her name is Sharmila. I looove her name! Just an idea

temursgirl · June 2014

@mschware‌ I like that name a lot! There's a very beautiful Indian actress with that name and it is also close to MIL's name. DH doesn't like it (I think he doesn't want something already in the family), but maybe it should reintroduce the name.

jwarnerb · June 2014

MollySm said:

I think Nuriya is beautiful! I'm not a fan of names that are terribly uncommon if they are made up names, but I love actual names that are uncommon and from another culture.

WSS

Nuriya is a beautiful name.

Want a personalized experience?

Down to the wire... Help with our girl's names please!

Down to the wire... Help with our girl's names please! 233 votes

Re: Down to the wire... Help with our girl's names please!

Married DH 7/30/11

CSC arrived 5/7/12

CHC arrived 6/2/14

Married DH 7/30/11

CSC arrived 5/7/12

CHC arrived 6/2/14

Choose Another Board

Search Boards