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Foreign Baby Names - A Few Tips (eg. Chinese, Indian, Italian, French etc.) |
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by i2cute4words  (October 2006) (rank 500+) |
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Have you ever thought of giving your child a foreign name but just didn't know where to start?
I had the same problem when choosing my daughter's name/s. My boyfriend had an equal say in what her first name was (thank goodness we managed to agree on one before
she was born), we automatically agreed she should have his last name (as a sign of respect and stability since we weren't married), but I had the sole responsibility/opportunity of choosing her middle name.
I have Chinese ancestry so my choice of where to start looking was easy but actually finding any helpful advice in popular names and meanings was very hard to come by - especially since I did not speak Chinese at all.
I ended up asking a few relatives for advice and they came up with a few names, but they didn't quite click for me - but they did help me with inspiration. I sifted through a few baby name sites and came up with a few words that I liked then double checked them through the translation dictionary and relatives. I ended up choosing her a name, then anglosaxonising it (changing the spelling and making the two words one) to come up with something a little easier to pronounce.
So here are the most important factors when choosing a foreign name:
1. Check the meaning of the name in as many languages as you can, not just the language you took it from - taking extra care to check other spellings and pronunciation. I mean who calls their kid Cake or Honey - I'm sure you've heard of some pretty strange names? Nice in theory, but if it's not generally an accepted name in the main country you took it from, and you plan on visiting there... It could become quite embarrassing to say the least.
2. Make sure that other people can pronounce the name as easily as you can - if not, try to change the spelling a little to help them. And whether pronounced correctly or incorrectly, it doesn't get mistaken for a rude word or easily turned into a subject for teasing.
4. Check that your name is appropriate for the gender of your child.
5. Run your finished name through Google and see what it comes up with! There's nothing worse than choosing a name that's famous for all the wrong reasons.
6. Consider making the "unique" name the child's middle name and using a more conventional first name.
7. Remember to check that the child's initials don't spell any rude/embarrasing words or acronyms.
8. Have fun with it! Choosing or making up names for your child can be sooo much fun!
Lexi xxx
