My dh and I were deciding between this name and another when our 1st daughter was born. We chose the other name, but I’m now pregnant with another girl, and I think I like [name_f]Reina[/name_f], Spanish for “queen”. We “discovered” that name while on a trip to Europe, and we mentally book marked it. I’m less than 3 months from delivering our girl, and last night, my husband stated that he’s now unsure of the name. I’m unsure, too, but that’s just my nature. I was unsure of our 1st dd’s name, too, but now I love it.
Possible reasons for being unsure of [name_f]Reina[/name_f] :
spelling. [name_f]Raina[/name_f], [name_f]Rayna[/name_f], [name_f]Rana[/name_f], [name_f]Reyna[/name_f], etc. although I have a very popular, easy to spell name, and people often get it wrong… Maybe there’s no winning here.)
it’s not an outlandish name, but I know we’ll get a lot of confusion and critique from our hillbilly relatives for deviating from the top 100. This happened with our 1st, too. Not a huge issue for us, but is the name too out there?
I think it is pretty, but you should go with [name_f]Rayna[/name_f] rather than the Spanish spelling, [name_f]IMO[/name_f], because of her red-headedness. Hehe
I love [name_f]Reina[/name_f]. I am not Latino/Hispanic, but I live in [name_u]California[/name_u] so I am familiar with the name and it’s origins. I have never known a [name_f]Reina[/name_f] but I would not be surprised to meet one of any ethnicity because for me it’s easy to see the attractive qualities of the name. It’s feminine, uncommon but pretty easy to pronounce and has a beautiful definition.
Naming your baby is all about finding a name that you feel honors them and that is meaningful to you. While most people are trying to find something unique, you are wondering if you are straying too far from the expected. I would disregard your concerns and go with [name_f]Reina[/name_f] or at least keep it in the running. Once she is here, she will come to fit her name and the name will fit her and in most cases you find that you can’t even picture someone with a different name.
Also, I prefer the [name_f]Reina[/name_f] spelling just because to me it does represent “queen” and the spelling variations take away from that in my mind.
I love [name_f]Reina[/name_f]. I don’t think it matters that you and your husband are not hispanic or that your daughter will likely be a redhead. I know someone named LaReina (she is not hispanic) and I think it is also a pretty name.
Because I have spent big chunks of my life speaking Spanish, [name_f]Reina[/name_f] feels like a title/word for me - it feels like calling a non-royal kid [name_f]Princess[/name_f] or [name_f]Queen[/name_f] or [name_f]Countess[/name_f]. I would probably go for the [name_f]Raina[/name_f] spelling to take away that association a bit. I’ve never met a Spanish-speaking person named [name_f]Reina[/name_f], although I do not doubt that some use it! When you think about it it’s not any different than [name_f]Regina[/name_f], Latin for queen.
It sounds lovely with [name_f]Karen[/name_f]. And it has a very pretty sound, and I say good for you for leaving the top 100. It may not be for me but I think it’s fine to use. Also as a redhead named [name_f]Molly[/name_f], sometimes it’s annoying to have a name that so fits the red hair/freckles stereotype
I know two Reynas --both Hispanic-- so I do feel it’s a bit like using ‘[name_m]Sven[/name_m]’ on an American. I don’t see why you can’t use it, though, just that some people might assume she’s Hispanic/Spanish before meeting her. That’s not necessarily negative, though.
I like [name_f]Reina[/name_f] and I definitely feel like it’s a name that can be pulled of despite not being Hispanic. A lot of popular names right now are spanish/latin in origin ([name_f]Isabella[/name_f], [name_f]Mia[/name_f]). I think [name_f]Reina[/name_f] would work just fine on a blonde or red head. I know I wouldn’t question or think twice about it.
I’ve always lived in predominately Hispanic areas and went to school with several [name_f]Reyna[/name_f]/[name_f]Reina[/name_f]'s all of who were Hispanic. It’s also a pretty popular pet name to call somebody in Hispanic culture. I would still say you should use it if you love it, but I’m also the type of person who would use [name_m]Sven[/name_m] on an American boy.
It’s okay, but it feels ‘trendy’ to me now because of [name_u]Reign[/name_u] [name_m]Aston[/name_m] Disick (and at least one other celebrity baby whose name escapes me now).
I ran [name_f]Reina[/name_f] by my husband when I was pregnant with our daughter since it’s a name in both Spanish (his side of the family) and Japanese (my side). Sadly, he vetoed it. I do love the name but if you feel weird about using it because of your heritage, then I would go with the [name_f]Raina[/name_f] spelling. Sounds the same and is just as easy to spell and pronounce but without the cultural ties.
Funny. I just heard about kourtney k’s latest baby’s name yesterday, and I had to do a massive eye roll. We had this happen with our 1st, too. We had a name picked out for 3 years for our dd. we had only ever heard it on 1 person. It was something like 800th on the popularity lists. While I was pregnant, the name went up into the 200s. Grrrr. I will not be surprised if it happens with this one, too.
I love [name_f]Reina[/name_f]! My best friend almost named her daughter that (she’s partially hispanic) but chose [name_f]Mya[/name_f] instead.
Honestly I think it’s lovely. If you want to keep the “queen” connection I would keep the [name_f]Reina[/name_f] (reign) spelling. [name_f]Raina[/name_f] (rain) gives a more nature vibe to me. Both are winners in my book. I also see no issue with cross cultural names. No one blinks when giving a name of European origin to someone who has no European ties, so I think as long as you’re respectful of the culture you should be fine
I know a [name_f]Reina[/name_f] who is half Spanish and half English, so it made sense to see her have that name. I do think you should make the spelling something like [name_f]Rayna[/name_f], or maybe [name_f]Raina[/name_f], so it suits her more. I think [name_f]Reina[/name_f] [name_f]Karen[/name_f] is sweet, however you spell the first name.
Thank you all for your input. We learned a few things from you all, and some issues we hadn’t thought of yet were put out there. All good to know before giving a child a name!
I read the responses to my dh last night, and I think they put both of us at ease a little more. If anything, it’s nice to hear that the majority of people wouldn’t look at us like we were absolutely nuts for choosing [name_f]Reina[/name_f]. I’m feeling better, but he’s still on the fence (as he was for days after we named our 1st dd). He may just have to get over that!
If anyone else sees this thread, I’m interested in continuing to hear opinions and thoughts.
I think [name_f]Reina[/name_f] is very pretty (and that spelling is the nicest) and I don’t think the cultural issue should be an obstacle for you. Look at [name_f]Layla[/name_f]/[name_f]Leila[/name_f] – it has made the transition from being a predominantly Arabic/Muslim name to being used on babies of many cultures, because it is a beautiful short name with a sweet meaning that is easily pronounced in English. I think it might be a different situation if you were considering, e.g., [name_f]Guadalupe[/name_f], [name_f]Esperanza[/name_f], or something like [name_f]Alejandra[/name_f] that really relies on a Spanish pronunciation.
