My husband and I have a great challenge set before us. Not only do we not know what we’re having (boy or girl), but we have a few obstacles to navigate in naming our baby (due in [name]August[/name]). My husband is originally from Pakistan and I am Caucasian with a celtic/uk background. The baby will have his last name: [name]Mahmood[/name]. Our kids will likely look somewhere in between the two of us and could be pegged to be ‘exotic’ or Mediterranean looking. I’m a fan of more European/Western names, but I’m also drawn to names you wouldn’t find in the top 100 because I’m looking for a name that would be unique and stand out (but also be stunning at the same time). I’m personally fond of my list, but convincing the hubs has been a challenge. I’m hesitant to give it an Arabic or Pakistani name (not that he’s pushing for it) because I want the baby to have a nice mix of cultures in it’s name. Any help in name suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
What kinds of names do you and your husband like? I think you have lots of options and you’ll get more help if you can give some more guidance as to what you’re considering (or not). Here are some suggestions:
Girls:
[name]Akilah[/name]
[name]Aminta[/name]
[name]Aurora[/name]
[name]Azalea[/name]
[name]Bridget[/name]
[name]Camille[/name]
[name]Caroline[/name]
[name]Celeste[/name]
[name]Daphne[/name]
[name]Delia[/name]
[name]Ingrid[/name]
[name]Irene[/name]
[name]Jane[/name]
[name]Layla[/name]
[name]Lila[/name]
[name]Liza[/name]
[name]Louisa[/name]
[name]Margaret[/name]
Rihana
Sabirah
[name]Tabitha[/name]
[name]Talia[/name]
[name]Thalia[/name]
[name]Xanthe[/name]
[name]Zaida[/name]
[name]Zara[/name]
[name]Zaria[/name]
[name]Zoe[/name]
Boys:
[name]Abel[/name]
[name]Abraham[/name]
[name]Alexander[/name]
[name]Caspar[/name]
[name]Cassius[/name]
Coman
[name]David[/name]
Ferran
[name]Gabriel[/name]
[name]Gideon[/name]
Ginton
[name]Jedidiah[/name]
[name]Laith[/name]
Leron
[name]Marcus[/name]
[name]Nuri[/name]
[name]Onslow[/name]
[name]Philip[/name]
[name]Ramy[/name]
Rimon
[name]Tariq[/name]
[name]Xavier[/name]
[name]How[/name] about Savvy? It’s pronounced Saw-Vee, to me it sounds nice. Or you could use a name from your backround, because he/ she has his last name, you want the baby to honor both backrounds!
If you want a slightly less ethnic but still Arabic name:
[name]Adara[/name]
[name]Alaia[/name]
[name]Amira[/name]
[name]Layla[/name]
[name]Lina[/name]
[name]Lyla[/name]
[name]Mahala[/name]
[name]Zara[/name]
BOYS:
[name]Ari[/name]
[name]Ara[/name]
Faris
[name]Isaac[/name]
[name]Hanan[/name]
[name]Jasper[/name]
[name]Salem[/name]
[name]Saleem[/name]
[name]Xavier[/name]
[name]Zane[/name]
If you want a slightly less ethnic but still Arabic name:
[name]Adara[/name]
[name]Alaia[/name]
[name]Amira[/name]
[name]Layla[/name]
[name]Lina[/name]
[name]Lyla[/name]
[name]Mahala[/name]
[name]Zara[/name]
BOYS:
[name]Ari[/name]
[name]Ara[/name]
Faris
[name]Isaac[/name]
[name]Hanan[/name]
[name]Jasper[/name]
[name]Salem[/name]
[name]Saleem[/name]
[name]Xavier[/name]
[name]Zane[/name]
Here are some Arabic names that are often used in the Western World:
[name]Alina[/name]
[name]Anisa[/name]
[name]Dalia[/name]
[name]Farrah[/name]
[name]Hala[/name]
[name]Leila[/name]
[name]Miriam[/name]
[name]Zain[/name]/Zayn/[name]Zane[/name] for a boy would fit splendidly well, imo.
[name]Dalia[/name] is another good one for a girl.
[name]Selena[/name], [name]Serena[/name], [name]Jasmine[/name] but that’s such overkill imo, [name]Yasmin[/name], [name]Larisa[/name].
I have a little girl in my class from Pakistan, and her name is Arisha. I think that’s really pretty, really transferrable to English, and really easy to pronounce.
Are there any names that you already particularly like or that you’ve already discussed with your husband so that we could get an idea of what “style” you like?
You have a lot of lovely Arabic suggestions. It seemed to me from your post that you were open to either but leaning slightly toward a more Western name, so maybe …
[name]Anya[/name]
[name]Iris[/name]
[name]Livia[/name]
[name]Genevieve[/name]
[name]Elena[/name]
[name]Calla[/name]
[name]Jessa[/name]
[name]Eloise[/name]
[name]Ivy[/name]
[name]Nina[/name]
[name]Saffron[/name]
[name]Emilia[/name]
[name]Laurel[/name]
[name]Siri[/name]
[name]Nora[/name]
[name]Lyra[/name] / Lira
[name]Sasha[/name]
[name]Mila[/name] / [name]Milla[/name]
[name]Rose[/name]
[name]Zana[/name] / [name]Zanna[/name]
[name]Mona[/name]
[name]Nola[/name]
[name]Seren[/name]
[name]Greer[/name] / [name]Grier[/name]
[name]Leo[/name]
[name]Oliver[/name]
[name]Penn[/name]
[name]Damon[/name]
[name]Robin[/name]
[name]Brennan[/name]
[name]Kieran[/name]
[name]Lachlan[/name]
[name]Ferris[/name]
[name]Emmett[/name]
[name]Owen[/name]
[name]Finn[/name]
[name]Rowan[/name]
[name]Damien[/name] / [name]Damian[/name]
[name]Oscar[/name]
[name]Colin[/name]
[name]Hayden[/name]
[name]Ronan[/name]
[name]Emil[/name] / [name]Emile[/name]
[name]Wesley[/name]
[name]Evan[/name]
[name]Rory[/name]
[name]Sayer[/name]
[name]Maxwell[/name]
[name]Calum[/name] / [name]Callum[/name]
[name]Palmer[/name]
[name]Henry[/name]
[name]Kian[/name]
Thanks, everyone, for your suggestions. Yes, nono, I am leaning more towards more ‘western’ names. I hesitated giving my names because I’m curious, based on the baby’s ethnic mix and the last name, what people would come up with. Plus the fact that what I have come up with has been met with the opposite of enthusiasm by my hubby. Which is exactly why I was hoping for expert help! I don’t necessarily have a style, per se. Some names I love which have been vetoed are:
Girls:
[name]Ocean[/name] (our two first names combine to sound like this: O and [name]Shan[/name])
Brynley
[name]Beryl[/name]
[name]Ellette[/name]
Everley
Grainne (grawn-ya)
Milene (mih-lehn)
Boys:
Adonis
[name]Aris[/name]
Bayar
[name]Ellis[/name]
[name]Ellington[/name]
Emrys
[name]Shepherd[/name]
(I love Emmett and Finn but they are too common now for me)
Girls:
[name]Estelle[/name]
[name]Collette[/name]
[name]Salem[/name]
[name]Marion[/name]
[name]Diandra[/name]
[name]Leora[/name]
[name]Jillian[/name]
[name]Justine[/name]
Boys:
[name]Lawrence[/name]
[name]Ross[/name]
[name]Jared[/name]
[name]Garrett[/name]
[name]Shaw[/name]
[name]Navarre[/name]
[name]Clayton[/name]
[name]Flynn[/name]
[name]Vincent[/name]
I love a lot of the names on your vetoed list, especially [name]Beryl[/name], [name]Ellington[/name], and [name]Shepherd[/name]. It’s a shame that they got vetoed!
What about …
[name]Berit[/name]
Merit / [name]Merritt[/name]
[name]Emery[/name] (This could work on a boy as well. I probably prefer it on a boy, but it’s currently more commonly used for girls and I think it’s fine for a girl.)
[name]Briallen[/name] (Too weird?)
[name]Vera[/name]
[name]Perry[/name]
[name]Arden[/name]
[name]Lilia[/name]
[name]Thayer[/name]
[name]Baylor[/name]
[name]Asa[/name]
[name]Achilles[/name] (Too much? I thought it might be viable as an alternative to [name]Adonis[/name]. I found this name in my family tree and ever since I’ve thought that it was surprisingly wearable. [name]Atticus[/name] is another great, somewhat less out there option.)
[name]Alden[/name]
[name]Hollis[/name] (This one could also work for a girl.)
[name]Arlo[/name]
Thanks, Everyone, for your suggestions. I’m going to pass these by the hubby!