So I am 14 weeks pregnant. My husband and I have had the name [name_f]Ani[/name_f] for a girl picked out even before I was pregnant. My husband suggested it, and I fell in love with the sound of it. After doing some searching, I have realized that there may be some pronunciation problems with it. I also have the feeling that it is too short. Can you help us to think of a longer name that would give us the nickname [name_f]Ani[/name_f]? I do like [name_f]Annika[/name_f] but notice there are many pronunciations for this name as well, and I would pronounce it ahn-ick-a. [name_m]How[/name_m] would you pronounce it?
Then there are a million combo possibilities.
You could use [name]-Anne or [name]-Anna (ie Beth-Anne or Mary-Anna)
Or, switch it around: Anna-[name](ie Anna Rose or Annabeth)
Thanks for your reply! I’m glad to see that you would pronounce [name_f]Annika[/name_f] the same way! I do like some of the names that you suggested my favorite is [name_f]Mariana[/name_f]. I don’t think that [name_f]Anne[/name_f] names will work for this nickname though. Since I am looking for the ah sound in [name_f]Ani[/name_f], I really don’t want it to get changed to [name_f]Annie[/name_f].
The thing with all the An- names is that people either pronoune it Ahn or An (as in can). I’ve know Annas that pronounce it both ways. This can give you a lot more versatility than you might have originally thought! I do like [name_f]Annika[/name_f] a lot (Ahn-ick-a), but there are other names I like a lot too, including:
Anotia
[name_f]Annalise[/name_f] or [name_f]Annaliese[/name_f]
[name_u]Andrea[/name_u] ( I think of the scene in The Devils Wears Prada where [name_f]Meryl[/name_f] Streep pronounces her name one way, and [name_f]Anne[/name_f] Hathaway another)
[name_f]Annabel[/name_f]/ [name_f]Annabella[/name_f]
[name_f]Anastasia[/name_f]
There are plenty more too if you choose to look further than [name_f]Annika[/name_f] (though [name_f]Annika[/name_f] is very pretty)
Thanks cmhinken that’s an interesting point. I like [name_f]Annalise[/name_f] and [name_f]Anastasia[/name_f] best, and I think could be pronounced with the Ahn sound easily. I’m still not sure if I can talk my husband into a longer name but I will try! What do you think of [name_f]Ani[/name_f] (Ahni) on its own?
Having my name as a nickname for a linger one, [name_u]Casey[/name_u] for [name_f]Catherine[/name_f], I really like having a long formal name. In certain situations its been great. I think you could do [name_f]Ani[/name_f] on its own, but I think people would pronounce it [name_f]Annie[/name_f] or think it was a typo for [name_f]Ami[/name_f].
Another name I like that could be a long form:
[name_f]Antonia[/name_f] or [name_f]Antoinette[/name_f]
The first thing that came to mind was a lovely Hindi name I discovered recently: [name_f]Avani[/name_f] (ah-vah-nee). You’d probably have an easier time find a name that ended in the “ahn” sound.
[name_f]Ailani[/name_f], [name_u]Alani[/name_u], [name_f]Albani[/name_f], [name_f]Amani[/name_f], [name_f]Dyani[/name_f], [name_f]Elani[/name_f], [name_f]Evani_[/name_f], [name_f]Imani[/name_f], [name_f]Iolani[/name_f], [name_f]Kalani[/name_f], [name_f]Kimani[/name_f], [name_f]Makani[/name_f], [name_f]Meilani[/name_f], [name_f]Nalani[/name_f], [name_f]Noelani[/name_f], [name_f]Rajani[/name_f], [name_f]Shivani[/name_f]
What if you spelled it [name_f]Anika[/name_f]? It’s legit, and while you might end up having to correct people, the pronunciation you want is at least a little more intuitive that way. I [name_f]LOVE[/name_f] [name_f]Annika[/name_f]/[name_f]Anika[/name_f] and [name_f]Ani[/name_f] as a nn is fabulous!
Otherwise, i like the suggestions of [name_f]Milana[/name_f] or [name_f]Alana[/name_f], since they’ll definitely get the right vowel sound. [name_f]Melania[/name_f] is pretty too.
I was thinking something along the lines of [name_f]Adriana[/name_f], [name_f]Juliana[/name_f], [name_f]Christiana[/name_f], or any other name ending in -ana.
[name_f]Imani[/name_f], [name_f]Leilani[/name_f], [name_f]Makani[/name_f] are a few lovely names ending in -ani.
I like [name_f]Annika[/name_f], but I would pronounce it “[name_f]Ann[/name_f]-nik-uh.” [name_f]Anika[/name_f] looks more like [name_m]Ah[/name_m]-nick-uh or uh-nee-kuh.
[name_f]Ani[/name_f] DiFranco is an [name_f]Angela[/name_f] [name_f]Marie[/name_f]. [name_m]Just[/name_m] sayin’, you can always give a kid a nickname that’s a bit of a stretch.
I am really loving [name_f]Evangeline[/name_f] with the nickname [name_f]Ani[/name_f]! I think it’s beautiful.
As for your question regarding [name_f]Ani[/name_f] (Ahni) as a full name, I’m not sure [name_f]Ani[/name_f] has made the transition from purely nickname to a suitable full name, in my opinion.
I think some nicknames have [name_m]Jim[/name_m], [name_m]Bob[/name_m], [name_f]Sadie[/name_f], [name_f]Betsy[/name_f], etc. With that said, I usually prefer a longer, more “formal” name to pull a nickname from.
Its pretty hard to mispronounce [name_f]Annika[/name_f], and even if its pronounced ah-ni-ka or anne-i-ka, is it really a big deal? She can always choose how she wants it pronounced and it wouldn’t be a big deal to correct anyone.
Other suggestions are [name_f]Anais[/name_f] and [name_f]Anina[/name_f].
I pronounce [name_f]Annika[/name_f] [name_m]AH[/name_m]-nik-uh, and think it is a great option. I also really like the suggestion of [name_f]Anais[/name_f], which used to be one of my favorite names, but it seems pretty hard for Americans to pronounce correctly even after being coached . I have experience with this, lol. [name_f]Anabel[/name_f] or any [name_f]Ana[/name_f]- name like [name_f]Ana[/name_f] [name_f]Sophia[/name_f] or [name_f]Ana[/name_f] [name_f]Maria[/name_f] would work as well.
The only suggestion I have that hasn’t already been mentioned is [name_f]Anya[/name_f]. I know it seems nickname-y, but I think it can stand on its own, is drop-dead gorgeous, and everyone knows to pronounce it “Ahn” instead of “[name_f]Ann[/name_f].”