[name_f]My[/name_f] husband and I are expecting our first baby. I’m American and he is Mexican. We don’t know the gender yet and are looking for names that work in Spanish and [name_f]English[/name_f], are unique, and not too difficult to pronounce in either language. We both agree that we like the name [name_f]Eiza[/name_f] (Ay-za) for a girl. It is the name of a popular Mexican actress so it is well known in Mexico, but will it work in the US? [name_u]Will[/name_u] everyone end up pronunciating it eye-za? What are your thoughts when you hear this name?
We are stumped on boy names. We are looking for the same criteria. Any ideas or suggestions would be much appreciated!
I pronounced it eye-za on first glance. What if you spelled it [name_f]Aiza[/name_f] or Ayza instead? It wouldn’t necessarily match the original Mexican spelling but it would add to the uniqueness of the name and make it easier for [name_f]English[/name_f] speakers to pronounce.
For a boy’s name, the name [name_m]Aurelio[/name_m] has been on my radar lately. [name_m]Elio[/name_m] could be the nickname!
I would’ve said eye-zuh or ay-ee-zuh. But if you don’t mind correcting people I do think ay-zuh is adorable.
Some other suggestions… (idk popularity in mexico so forgive me if these are too popular)
Irais- ee-dye-ees another that might require some correction but I love it.
[name_f]Araceli[/name_f]
[name_f]Belen[/name_f]
Azaroa
[name_f]Beata[/name_f]
[name_f]Berezi[/name_f]
[name_f]Dayana[/name_f]
[name_f]Esti[/name_f]
For boys the only one I can think of off the top of my head is [name_m]Esai[/name_m] (ee-sigh)
On first glance I would have pronounced it eye-za, but I think that it would be easy to correct and I don’t think it would cause much of a problem. If you love the name and it’s special to you, I would definitely use it, it’s lovely!
[name_f]Eiza[/name_f] is lovely - people might guess the pronunciation wrong but once you know it’s Ay-za that’s easy to remember. To me it sounds familiar (thanks to other names it shares sounds with) yet unexpected and refreshing. All around a beautiful name.
Its very close to [name_f]Eliza[/name_f] in spelling and yeah it would be pronounced and spelled wrong but a lot of names are. It wouldnt be a big deal.
Thank you everyone! This was super helpful. I think by going with the alternative spelling [name_f]Aiza[/name_f], we will clear up the pronunciation issue and the similarity to [name_f]Eliza[/name_f].