Hi everyone,
I’m posting today because my husband and I are expecting our second soon and are struggling to come up with girl names! Our daughter’s name is August Clara, which holds so much meaning to us and feels so special. She often goes by Auggie if that effects anything. Anyway, my husband and I were struggling to find a name that made us feel the same way. I stumbled across the Turkish name Esmeray when I was pregnant with August, and although I was in love with the sound and meaning of it, I wasn’t sure how usable it was. My major concern centered around cultural appropriation. Is it ok to give your child a Turkish name when we aren’t Turkish? I know that many names did not originate in the countries that they’re currently popular in, but it feels different with a less common name. Also, I wouldn’t want to give my daughter a name that has negative associations or appears dated in the country it comes from. I don’t know much about how the Esmeray is viewed in Turkey so I’d love to hear some opinions from an Turkish berries! I look forward to hearing your thoughts!
Thanks in advance
I’d also love to hear what you think of Esmeray as a name and also a sister to August!
i’m not from turkey but it seems like the general consensus around appropriation is that, if the name doesn’t hold significance in the culture (like Cohen, for example), then it’s fine to use
so as long as Esmeray doesn’t have cultural significance in turkey, you should be fine
that said, Esmeray does seem a bit out of place next to August. i think they sound nice together, but they definitely have polar opposite vibes & popularities that puts me of a bit
however! if you love Esmeray (and there’s no issue with appropriation), then you should go for it :))
I think all names are usable so I wouldn’t worry. [name_f]My[/name_f] name is Latin and I’m not, which has never bothered me or concerned anyone. [name_f]Esmeray[/name_f] is a pretty name! But it is stylistically different from [name_u]August[/name_u]. It’s longer and more feminine. I’d pair [name_u]August[/name_u] with another unisex name. Some ideas are [name_u]Gray[/name_u], [name_u]Jules[/name_u], [name_u]Lark[/name_u], [name_u]Lux[/name_u], [name_u]Pax[/name_u], [name_u]Sage[/name_u], or [name_u]Wren[/name_u]. Out of those options [name_u]Lux[/name_u], [name_u]Pax[/name_u], and [name_u]Sage[/name_u] have good meaning behind them
I agree with other posters on two things 1. I don’t think you have to worry as long as the name isn’t a hotspot so to speak 2 Esmeray does not stylistically go with August. Next to August it comes off as Maybe a little too much.
My suggestion would be Esme. I don’t agree with an above suggestion of needing to be unisex. You have Clara as a middle so as long as you balance things out at some point in the combo it works.
You mentioned you like the meaning of Esmeray which is dark moon. So Infeel you could make up for the meaning with the middle name. Which would be interesting since it’s middle name Clara that has the “bright and clear” meaning.
Names with a dark” meaning
Blake
Carey
Darcy
Kiernan
Phoenix
Sullivan
Names with a “moon” meaning
Kamari
Ayla
Names with a “night” meaning
Amaya / Amiyah - “night rain”
Leila
Lila
Lyla
Sariyah
Samara
[name_m]Can[/name_m] I just say [name_u]August[/name_u] [name_f]Clara[/name_f] is absolutely beautiful…
Go with whatever name feels just as special to you
Esmeray’s 100% usable imo. I agree that it’s fine to use if it’s not culturally significant. It isn’t a perfect stylistic fit with [name_u]August[/name_u], but I really don’t think it matters. As long as you love both names, and they’re not too similar sounding, they’re fantastic together.
Thanks so much for all of your thoughts! I’m not too concerned with the names fitting well as long as it doesn’t stand out as odd. We’re also considering using [name_f]Esmeray[/name_f] a middle name instead.
Here are some other names we’re thinking about:
[name_f]Mavis[/name_f], [name_f]Inez[/name_f], [name_f]Tallulah[/name_f], [name_f]Eliza[/name_f], [name_f]Thea[/name_f], [name_f]Eleni[/name_f], [name_f]Marigold[/name_f], [name_f]Anouk[/name_f], [name_f]Nina[/name_f], [name_f]Rosemary[/name_f]
Stylistically, the names we like seem to be a little all over the place haha! [name_f]Do[/name_f] you prefer any of these over [name_f]Esmeray[/name_f]?
I think [name_u]August[/name_u] [name_f]Clara[/name_f] & [name_f]Mavis[/name_f] [name_f]Esmeray[/name_f] would be really lovely together. [name_f]Mavis[/name_f] is more obviously feminine to me but only in association, sound-wise it’s a really good fit. Also, the idea of light and dark as middle names is really sweet
Many of us would be nameless if we had to get rid of our names which come from cultures different than our own.
I love [name_f]Esme[/name_f] and [name_f]Ismene[/name_f], so [name_f]Esmeray[/name_f] is similar. I wouldn’t hesitate to use it if I loved it like you do. Much more exciting than another [name_f]Emma[/name_f] or [name_f]Ava[/name_f].
Although I love it as a first and think that if you love it then style matching doesn’t matter at all, I definitely second using [name_f]Esmeray[/name_f] as a middle if you’re not confident that it works well with [name_u]August[/name_u].
Along with [name_f]Mavis[/name_f] [name_f]Esmeray[/name_f] (lovely sister with [name_u]August[/name_u] Clara), I’d also suggest that [name_f]Anouk[/name_f] [name_f]Esmeray[/name_f] flows pretty well from your list.
More suggestions with [name_f]Esmeray[/name_f] as a middle…
I wouldn’t worry about [name_u]August[/name_u] and [name_f]Esmeray[/name_f] together. Children are not meant to match one another and neither are their names. They are not a boxed set.
Now if you wanted to name your kids [name_m]Jake[/name_m] and [name_m]Cadwallader[/name_m] or [name_f]Ann[/name_f] and [name_f]Nefertiti[/name_f], maybe then it’s worth thinking about, but [name_u]August[/name_u] and [name_f]Esmeray[/name_f] are fine together. Better to get two names you adore than two “Matchy” names you don’t.
Firstly I have never seen [name_u]August[/name_u] used for girls and find [name_u]August[/name_u] [name_f]Clara[/name_f] delightful such a quirky unexpected choice.
I just wanted to say that I share the same thoughts as @venezio in relation to cultural appropriation if the name is not significant to that particular culture like [name_m]Cohen[/name_m] or [name_m]Mohammed[/name_m] it’s fine to use. [name_f]Esmeray[/name_f] as confirmed by @ethelmary doesn’t hold any cultural significance then using the name wouldn’t be classed as cultural appropriation and fine to use.
Personally I think [name_f]Esmeray[/name_f] and [name_u]August[/name_u] stylistically clash. I don’t think they work well as sisters. [name_f]Esmeray[/name_f] feels overtly feminine, striking and unusual to [name_f]English[/name_f] speaking countries. Whereas [name_u]August[/name_u] feels friendly, incredibly unisex leaning towards boyish (in my opinion) and of course very familiar. I would use [name_f]Esmeray[/name_f] as a middle name and think she sounds gorgeous (as well as working brilliantly as a sister name for August) with [name_f]Eliza[/name_f] & [name_f]Thea[/name_f]. [name_f]Eliza[/name_f] and [name_f]Thea[/name_f] would definitely be my top 2 with [name_f]Thea[/name_f] [name_f]Esmeray[/name_f] being my favourite!
You’ve had a few suggestions so count any repeats as me being in agreement
