I am looking for girls names with an international feel and can be used in different cultures and backgrounds.
Some of the names I have in mind:
[name_f]Anna[/name_f]
[name_f]Julia[/name_f]
[name_f]Maria[/name_f]
[name_f]Isabella[/name_f]
[name_f]Georgina[/name_f]
[name_f]Serena[/name_f]
[name_f]Jane[/name_f]
[name_f]Sara[/name_f]
[name_f]Sophia[/name_f]
My favorite is [name_f]Eva[/name_f]
[name_f]Mira[/name_f]
[name_f]Mila[/name_f]
[name_f]Emma[/name_f]
[name_f]Clara[/name_f]
[name_f]Claudia[/name_f]
[name_f]Louisa[/name_f]/[name_f]Luisa[/name_f]
[name_f]Alexandra[/name_f]
[name_f]Agnes[/name_f]
[name_f]Alexandra[/name_f]
[name_f]Amelia[/name_f]
[name_f]Anna[/name_f]
[name_f]Aurora[/name_f]
[name_f]Clara[/name_f]
[name_f]Elisa[/name_f]
[name_f]Emilia[/name_f]
[name_f]Emily[/name_f]
[name_f]Emma[/name_f]
[name_f]Esme[/name_f]
[name_f]Gianna[/name_f]
[name_f]Hannah[/name_f]
[name_u]Harmony[/name_u]
[name_f]Hayley[/name_f]
[name_f]Ines[/name_f]
[name_f]Isabella[/name_f]
[name_f]Jessica[/name_f]
[name_f]Joy[/name_f]
[name_f]Lara[/name_f]
[name_f]Layla[/name_f]
[name_f]Lena[/name_f]
[name_f]Lily[/name_f]
[name_f]Lola[/name_f]
[name_f]Louisa[/name_f]
[name_f]Lucia[/name_f]
[name_f]Lucy[/name_f]
[name_f]Maia[/name_f]
[name_f]Mia[/name_f]
[name_f]Myra[/name_f]
[name_f]Natalie[/name_f]
[name_f]Olivia[/name_f]
[name_f]Poppy[/name_f]
[name_f]Sabrina[/name_f]
[name_f]Sara[/name_f]
[name_f]Scarlett[/name_f]
[name_f]Sophia[/name_f]
[name_f]Tess[/name_f]
[name_u]Mikko[/name_u]
[name_u]Janne[/name_u]
Lupa
Cati
[name_m]Lalo[/name_m]
[name_f]Oona[/name_f]
[name_f]Marya[/name_f]
I would add [name_u]Dana[/name_u] and [name_f]Victoria[/name_f].
To me a name like you’re referring to either has multiple international versions/spellings/pronunciations, or is so simply and phonetically spelled that it works almost everywhere, ie [name_f]Sofia[/name_f] rather than [name_f]Sophia[/name_f]. [name_f]Eva[/name_f], [name_f]Clara[/name_f], [name_f]Lena[/name_f] and [name_f]Lucia[/name_f] are great suggestions.
[name_f]Amalia[/name_f]/[name_f]Amalie[/name_f]
[name_f]Amara[/name_f]
[name_f]Amaya[/name_f]
[name_f]Aya[/name_f]
[name_f]Carolina[/name_f]/[name_f]Karolina[/name_f]
[name_f]Celia[/name_f]
[name_f]Kira[/name_f]
[name_f]Leela[/name_f]
[name_f]Luna[/name_f]
Madalena/[name_f]Magdalena[/name_f]
[name_f]Maya[/name_f]/[name_f]Maja[/name_f]
[name_f]Nadia[/name_f]
[name_f]Paola[/name_f]
[name_f]Sofia[/name_f]
[name_f]Tatiana[/name_f]
I currently live in two European countries, and have friends from all over Europe (and a bit the rest of the world), so I feel like this a topic I know well, although Eurocentrically.
For me the ultimate international name is [name_f]Eva[/name_f], as it seems to work well in almost every European language. [name_f]Clara[/name_f], [name_f]Emma[/name_f] and [name_f]Sofia[/name_f] also work well, and I have met Emilys from about 8 different countries (though I think it sometimes is [name_f]Emilie[/name_f]).
Most of your list would work internationally, but I would hesitate with [name_f]Jane[/name_f], which would be pronounced very differently in several languages, and possibly [name_f]Georgina[/name_f] and [name_f]Serena[/name_f] as well. I think short names that end in -a tend to be the most usable internationally.
However, if you are also open to translatable names you create many more options. I know several multilingual families who have given their children names that can be translated, and the children use different variants depending on what language they’re speaking or where they are living. Most classic and/or saints’ names will fit in this category, but I’ve put some examples below. These names will likely have many different pronunciations, but there will be recognised variants in most European languages.
[name_f]Agnes[/name_f]: [name_f]Ines[/name_f], [name_f]Agnese[/name_f], Inés, [name_f]Agnesa[/name_f] etc
[name_f]Beatrix[/name_f]: [name_f]Beatrice[/name_f], Béatrice, [name_f]Beatriz[/name_f] etc
[name_f]Hannah[/name_f]: [name_f]Hanne[/name_f], [name_f]Hanna[/name_f], [name_f]Anna[/name_f], [name_f]Ann[/name_f], [name_f]Ana[/name_f], [name_f]Ona[/name_f], [name_f]Jana[/name_f] etc
[name_f]Rose[/name_f]: [name_f]Rosa[/name_f], Róza, [name_f]Roos[/name_f] etc
[name_f]Josephine[/name_f]: [name_m]Jos[/name_m]éphine, Jozefina, [name_f]Josefina[/name_f] etc
One of my favorites is [name_f]Marta[/name_f].
I’m fluent in Japanese and can think of a few that work in both Japanese and English/most European languages:
[name_f]Anna[/name_f]/[name_f]Anne[/name_f]
[name_f]Maria[/name_f]
[name_f]Erica[/name_f]/[name_f]Erika[/name_f]
[name_f]Hannah[/name_f]/[name_f]Hana[/name_f]
[name_f]Serena[/name_f]/[name_f]Selena[/name_f]
[name_f]Emily[/name_f] (though this would be pronounced “Emiri” in Japanese)
[name_f]Erin[/name_f]
[name_f]Rayna[/name_f]/[name_f]Raina[/name_f]/[name_f]Reina[/name_f]
[name_u]Kay[/name_u]/[name_f]Kei[/name_f]
[name_f]May[/name_f]/[name_f]Mei[/name_f]
[name_f]Rina[/name_f]/[name_f]Lina[/name_f]
And Japanese names that are relatively easy for speakers of European languages:
Yumi
[name_f]Yuna[/name_f]
[name_u]Mika[/name_u]
[name_f]Emi[/name_f]
Yuka
Hinata/Hina
Some of my favorite multicultural names:
[name_f]Eliana[/name_f]
[name_f]Sylvia[/name_f] or [name_f]Silvia[/name_f]
[name_f]Emilia[/name_f]
[name_f]Lucia[/name_f]
[name_f]Marina[/name_f]
[name_f]Lana[/name_f]
[name_f]Mae[/name_f]/[name_f]May[/name_f]
By the way, I love [name_f]Serena[/name_f] from your list!
I think these work across a few cultures:
[name_f]Sylvie[/name_f]
[name_f]Ingrid[/name_f]
[name_f]Leah[/name_f]/[name_f]Lea[/name_f]/[name_f]Lia[/name_f]
[name_f]Adriana[/name_f], [name_f]Adrienne[/name_f]
[name_f]Alina[/name_f]
[name_f]Annika[/name_f]
[name_f]Valentina[/name_f]
[name_f]Zelie[/name_f]
[name_f]Pia[/name_f]
[name_f]Mila[/name_f]
[name_f]Paloma[/name_f]
[name_f]Linnea[/name_f]
[name_f]Livia[/name_f]
[name_f]Estella[/name_f]
[name_f]Margot[/name_f]/[name_f]Margaux[/name_f]
[name_f]Mariana[/name_f]
[name_f]Caterina[/name_f]
I love [name_f]Nina[/name_f] and [name_f]Lena[/name_f] – they’re the ultimate shapeshifters!
Thank you all for your suggestions. I’m really liking [name_f]Erika[/name_f], [name_f]Emily[/name_f], [name_f]Nina[/name_f], and [name_f]Hannah[/name_f]. 