I’m from Scandinavia and my husband is Mexican. We love to talk about names even though we aren’t planning having children yet. We want to give our future child two names - one Scandinavian and one Spanish - since we want our child to fit in both countries and cultures.
As for the Scandinavian GIRL name, my favorite name is Lavendel (which means lavender and is pronounced Lavennel) and although my husband likes the name, he refuses to use it since it includes the words Lavende - in Spanish La vende means she sells it (which he feels could be interpreted as referencing a prostitute). He argues that I don’t understand Mexican culture, where he feels that any subtle reference to something sexual will be taken advantage of - meaning that the child will be teased in school etc.
On the other hand, I have a hard time seeing the problem since the child will have a Spanish name as well, so she doesn’t even have to use Lavendel in Mexico (where it is common that people go by either first name or the second name or even just by a nickname.) Basically she would only be forced to use it in school when teachers would read the full name. The name Lavendel would be a beautiful reference to my home country and she would be able to use it there. I also feel that since the name doesn’t have a bad signification in itself, it shouldn’t be a problem, but since I am not a native Spanish speaker (although I do speak Spanish - I did not grow up in Mexico ), I would love other Spanish speakers’ perspective on our naming difficulty. Is it a problem to give a girl the name Lavendel - as well as a Spanish name - in Mexico?
Thank you in advance
I can see how the name would/could cause a problem, I think maybe it’s better to avoid it as a first name and put it in the middle spot.
You could still call Lavendel, even as a nickname (non-popular flower names work well as nick- and petnames), but the awkwardness of her name being read out loud in Spanish would be avoided.
Also, at this point, your husband, one of the most important people in the childs’ life, already thinks of “la vende” when hearing the name, something negative in his mind which could lead him to feeling embarrassed when having to introduce her in Spanish, even trying to avoid using her name which nobody want when it comes to their own kid.
Why not make the Spanish name the first name and Lavendel the middle name? Then you both win- you get to use the name you love and call her by it if you want, but she would never have to worry about a teacher calling it out or something, since it wouldn’t be her first name.
My husband is also from Mexico. I would pronounce it as La-[name_m]Ven[/name_m]-dell, which sounds pretty to me. Most people will not know how her name is spelled, and it does not sound like anything bad. If he is really concerned, I would just use it as her middle name.
I support what the others say about making Lavendel the middle name, provided you both like it enough. My DH is also a Spanish speaker (not from Mexico, though) and I am Scandinavian, so I asked him what he thought about this situation for reference. He immediately noticed the same thing your DH did, unfortunately. I am also fluent in Spanish, but haven’t been raised in a Spanish-speaking country and probably wouldn’t have made the connection.
Generally speaking, though, I would never name my child something DH was uncomfortable with. I think both parents should have an equal say, so if he does not want to use it you should at least consider looking for a different name. Good luck 
Thank you so much for your suggestions