So as I continue to think about names for my future child(ren?) and I continue to read this site (and i think part of it is also about getting older), I get more and more of an urge to use a name that has meaning and real significance and honors important people from my life - rather than one I just think sounds nice. BUT there’s a slight problem for me… 99.9% of my family members have VERY foreign names that just don’t work here in [name]America[/name]. My mom was born and raised in [name]Holland[/name] and my father was born and raised in [name]Italy[/name] so their names aren’t exactly [name]Jack[/name] and [name]Jill[/name]. So I’m wondering if anyone out there has any suggestions… i’ve been thinking about maybe anagramming the names? I don’t know… but from reading the other posts on this site, I know someone out there is going to have a great idea that i love! So as for what you are working with: my mom’s name is Madzy (pron. mot-zee) and my father’s name is [name]Mario[/name]. My goal is to find a name that works here in [name]America[/name] and in English and can work with a very American last name… Thanks so much for any ideas!
[name]Hi[/name]! Oh, I have a similar issue : D. Rearranging the letters is one option, and another one is to look to the meaning / etymology of the name to look for related names. Here are some thoughts.
I can’t find much on Madzy. [name]Do[/name] you know much about it? Anyway, to start, it looks a lot like and sounds a little like [name]Maisie[/name], which is often a nn for [name]Margaret[/name]. So [name]Margaret[/name] is an option maybe, along with variants like [name]Margo/name, [name]Marlo[/name], [name]Greta[/name], and it means [name]Pearl[/name]. [name]Margery[/name], [name]Marjorie[/name], and [name]Marjolaine[/name] seem related by a longer stretch. [name]Daisy[/name] is a traditional nn for [name]Margaret[/name] that sounds like [name]Maisie[/name], if it’s your style. It also seems to evoke [name]Magda[/name], which is doable enough if you’re brave, as is [name]Magdalen[/name]/[name]Magdalene[/name]/[name]Magdalena[/name], although [name]Madeline[/name] or [name]Madeleine[/name] are the most wearable forms. What else. I’ve also heard [name]Matty[/name] as a nn for [name]Martha[/name], [name]Matilda[/name], [name]Martina[/name]. Montsy is a nn for [name]Montserrat[/name], if you live in a Latino area and/or have any Latino heritage as well, then that is accessible, although I think it’s as unusual as Madzy if not. Also, that Z is such a great letter, and if you’re very flexible, I can see that working as an honor: [name]Zoe[/name] or [name]Zara[/name]?
[name]Mario[/name] - has etymologies meaning manly and star of the sea (like [name]Mary[/name]). Actually, with [name]Mario[/name] and Madzy, [name]Mary[/name] or maybe [name]Marie[/name] or [name]Maria[/name] and other variants of [name]Mary[/name] by a longer stretch are seeming a very honorific girls’ name if you like them. Names meaning manly or something with man include [name]Andrew[/name], [name]Charles[/name], and [name]Frank[/name], and probably others. The name also evokes [name]Mark[/name] and [name]Martin[/name], and some websites do give this as a variant of [name]Mark[/name]. By a longer stretch, I can see other o names like [name]Leo[/name], [name]Hugo[/name], [name]Otto[/name] all working. [name]Rio[/name] is kind of awesome on a boy or girl if you are brave and don’t mind the 80s song. Looking at it, I kind of sort of see [name]Raymond[/name] by shuffling the letters around.
Wow, thank you SO much! That is exactly what I was hoping to get here.
[name]Love[/name] a few of your suggestions and hadn’t even thought of your idea to find the meaning of the names and then find other names with that same meaning. That’s a brilliant - and subtle - way to honor someone!
You asked if I know anything about Madzy but I don’t - and neither does she! Lol It’s a very unique name, even in her native [name]Holland[/name]. Her mom’s name is even more unique if you can believe it, it was Jikke (with the J pron as a Y in Dutch) - that would really not go over well here!
My faves of your suggestions: [name]Maisie[/name], [name]Marlo[/name] (tho I fear that one may be going upwards in popularity over the next year or two, but with my dad’s name being [name]Mario[/name] that could really honor both of them, no?), [name]Matilda[/name] and [name]Greta[/name]…
Thanks again, I really do appreciate your ideas so much
~ [name]Christine[/name]
While I don’t have your problem of foreign names, I love honoring family in interesting ways.
[name]Cedric[/name] honors 3 different people in my family:
means “beloved”, the same meaning as my father’s name, [name]David[/name]
starts with a C, like DH, [name]Christopher[/name]
has “ed” in it, like DH’s grandmother, [name]Edna[/name]
[name]Pollock[/name] honors 2 people:
it means “little rock”
my father’s middle name means “stone”
[name]MIL[/name]'s first name means “small”
We’ve also thought about using [name]Aiden[/name], because it means “fire”. Since my father’s mn means “stone” (earth) and [name]MIL[/name]'s mn means “lake” (water) we could use an element-inspired name.
DD, [name]Grace[/name] [name]Patricia[/name], was named after my mother, whose middle name means “grace” and DH’s other grandmother, [name]Patricia[/name].
I hope I was able to give you some inspiration for your naming quest!
[name]Glad[/name] the thoughts were helpful! Jikke…hmm. This one actually shows up with a lot of Dutch women if you google it, at least, and shows up on a couple of name sites as a Dutch girls’ name, with no add’l info : D. Hmm. Somehow I sort of think it could be a Dutch take on [name]Jackie[/name]/[name]Jacqueline[/name]/[name]Johanna[/name]? Honestly, it also reminds me of the Biblical Isca/Yisca, which is supposedly where [name]Shakespeare[/name] got [name]Jessica[/name]. I know [name]Jessica[/name]'s got a 80s tired feel to it to many ears, but to me this heritage grounds it a bit (I’m biased though as it’s my name and has served me well despite the rampant popularity). Or, maybe a spin on the ending of Scandinavian -ica/eca names like [name]Danica[/name] or [name]Viveca[/name] (I know the Netherlands aren’t Scandinavian…but that part of the world’s not far away). Anyway not that you specifically asked about honoring her, but that’s where I could see that going : D!
[name]Marlo[/name]…yes it might jump some as [name]Harlow[/name] is getting some trendiness. But it’s hard for me to imagine it getting huge. I don’t think [name]Harlow[/name] will stick around all that long, and a lot of people are reluctant with -o names on girls. It’s so hard to predict this stuff though.
