I don’t have a child, but I’m looking for names for myself. My name is four letters long currently, but people still have misspelled it in the past. So choosing a harder to remember spelling won’t matter.
My options are:
Marica
Marika
Marieke
The nicknames would be Marie or Rika/Rica.
I’m thinking Marica would look the cutest, but it means “f*ggot” in Spanish. It could be pronounced as Marika (for me) or Marisa (I’ve heard others say).
Marika is and phonetic/easy to remember. There’s only one way to pronounce, while Marieke is the hardest to remember to spell. It’s said as the same as Marika but the intonation is different:
Marika— mah-REE-kah
Marieke— MAH-ree-kuh
In your opinion, which looks the most appealing? What would be a good middle name?
Edit: I want to say, it doesn’t matter if someone is a certain nationality or not, if they want a name they like, they should use it.
I don’t know where you live/frequently travel to but if [name_f]Marica[/name_f] could cause issues with a meaning in another language I’d avoid if it’s going to be a common issue. I really like the northern European feel of [name_f]Marieke[/name_f] but I think it would be the hardest for people to ‘get’ the pronunciation of if you’re not from a part of the world where it’s common - mah-reek may be more the go-to. So all things considered, I’d suggest going with [name_f]Marika[/name_f], though all are nice.
I live in Croatia, where the name originates from, so I’d always say MAH-ree-tsa. I wouldn’t use that spelling because it would probably lead to confusion regarding pronounciation if you live in an English-speaking country. For that reason, I think Marika is the easiest to wear on a daily basis.
I definitely prefer Marika and Marieke! I pronounce them all the same; mar-EE-kah. It’s a very pretty name. I’m personally partial to the Marieke spelling, but unless you have Dutch heritage then Marika might make more sense (nameberry states it as Dutch, but it’s multicultural. I’m Greek and I know a few Marikas).
[name_f]My[/name_f] favourite is [name_f]Marieke[/name_f]. It’s the least straightforward but feels fresher and spunkier to me.
As mentioned above [name_f]Marica[/name_f] is pronounced mah-ree-tsa in its native language, so I personally wouldn’t opt for that spelling if you want mah-ree-kah. It’s up to you though – if spelling is more important to you than pronunciation as you mentioned, you could still use [name_f]Marica[/name_f] if that’s your favourite.
I agree that [name_f]Marika[/name_f] is a great option. It’s versatile, international and easy to spell and pronounce too.
[name_f]My[/name_f] favourite is [name_f]Marieke[/name_f], I really like the look of the spelling, I’ve pronounced it in the past Mah-reek-eh, but I know that’s probably incorrect. Based on what you and others have said, I’d go with [name_f]Marika[/name_f].
I would pronounce [name_f]Marica[/name_f] as Ma-RIC-ka.
I would pronounce [name_f]Marika[/name_f] as Ma-REEK-ah.
I would pronounce [name_f]Marieke[/name_f] as MA-ree-ek. With regards to spain, I would say if you do not live in a spanish speaking country or a place that has lots of spanish speaking peopl, you should use it! I looked it up and it is polish.
Marieke-only because one of my coworkers has this name. When they first started they sent an email saying “ it’s pronounced [name_f]Eureka[/name_f] but with an M” and no one ever mispronounced her name after !
When I saw [name_f]Marica[/name_f] I thought the pronunciation was closer to [name_f]Merica[/name_f] (Mur-ah-Ka) or thought it was [name_f]Marcia[/name_f] misspelled
I’d caution you about this name. It sounds very close to when people say [name_u]America[/name_u] but leave off the A and just say 'Merica. Maybe you’re ok with that, but just want to make sure you’re aware!
I would avoid the [name_f]Marica[/name_f] spelling because of the bad meaning. If you switch to [name_f]Marika[/name_f], does the meaning get better?
I’ve known a [name_f]Marica[/name_f] and 2 Marikas, all pronounced muh-REE-kuh. [name_f]Marica[/name_f] definitely had trouble with her name’s meaning in Spanish (she was Caucasian and her parents just liked the sound). I like [name_f]Marika[/name_f]! Spunky and easy to spell/pronounce. I do like [name_f]Marieke[/name_f] too but if you’re not in Europe it could be a headache.
I also read [name_f]Marica[/name_f] as being pronounced like part of “America” (MAIR-ih-ka) and agree that the [name_f]Marieke[/name_f] spelling could be difficult, so count me as another vote for [name_f]Marika[/name_f].
I would avoid [name_f]Marica[/name_f] is actively a slur. It would be different if merely had a negative meaning, but slurs actively cause pain and are used to hurt people.
I find [name_f]Marieke[/name_f] to be darling, in a giving a diminutive kind of way, while [name_f]Marika[/name_f] has a bit more spunk. I personally prefer [name_f]Marieke[/name_f], but I’ve also been on a [name_m]Dutch[/name_m] diminutive kick lately so take what I say with a grain of salt.
[name_f]My[/name_f] first thought was 'murica… not the greatest association and with the slur and the pronunciation being different in its native language Id go with one of the other spellings. I think [name_f]Marika[/name_f] or [name_f]Marieke[/name_f] are both great options.
I like Marieke best but for simplicity recommend Marika.
The only person I ever knew with this name (she spelled it Marika) pronounced it muh-RICK-uh, but I think the pronounciation you shared is more intuitive.
I’d definitely avoid Marica because of that meaning, especially if you’re in a Spanish-speaking country, or anywhere in the Americas (North or South). I regularly warn people against using Viola for a similar reason.
This is a thing, but in Colombia and Venezuela, not necessarily Spain.
