Respondents: 60 (This poll is closed)
Foreign names are now quite common, and [name]Saskia[/name] isn’t mind-bendingly strange. It’s quite phonetic in spelling and pronunciation and sounds a lot like more common names like [name]Sasha[/name], [name]Nadia[/name], and [name]Kia[/name]. I think it’s totally fine, and Sia and [name]Kia[/name] are perfectly “normal” nicknames if anyone finds it too strange.
Actually I think [name]Saskia[/name] may have even fewer problems than [name]Eva[/name]. [name]Eva[/name] is relatively common in the EE-va pronunciation and top 10 in the [name]Ava[/name] spelling, so confusion there is probably more related to people THINKING they know what they’re doing with the name. With [name]Saskia[/name], I think more people will ask and there will actually be fewer problems because people will ask more often than they’ll assume.
When I went to high school, there was a middle schooler named [name]Saskia[/name], who was normal American girl. She was doing just fine. I don’t think [name]Saskia[/name] is too tough to spell or say.
When I was completing my teacher training, I had a [name]Saskia[/name] in class. I think some kids may have called her [name]Kiki[/name] as a nickname, but no one seemed to make it out to be too strange.
I will answer your question this way: It’s always difficult and frightening to step outside of our comfort zone but someone has to be a “trailblazer” and overcome the fear of picking something “different” than the norm. The frequency of parents choosing more “exotic” names for their children will be better for everyone because this will mean that having an “exotic” name will be no longer seem like big deal in the future. [name]Eva[/name] and [name]Saskia[/name] would be lovely together. If you love the name, I would encourage you to step outside the mainstream box and go for it!
Where in the US are you talking about? There are SO many regional differences. Are you in [name]Missouri[/name]? [name]Florida[/name]? Idaho? Rural environment, Suburban, [name]Urban[/name]?
I’m assuming most people you associate with have extremely normal names, but is this the case with just the people you know well, or are there other people in your town with off-beat names?
The children in [name]Eva[/name]'s preschool (i’m assuming here)- what are their names like?
love [name]Saskia[/name] btw! i think it’s a good compromise between normal and GP.
I’d say it highly depends on which part of the USA you live in and whether or not it’s a rural area or a city. I take it as a bad sign if the people in your area can’t even get the name [name]Eva[/name] right. If they’d mess up that name, they will probably mess up [name]Saskia[/name] too.
That being said, I do like the name. I do not think it is too extreme.
My first instinct would be the say no, [name]Saskia[/name] is perfect and just unusual enough. I grew up in a suburb of NYC and knew a [name]Saskia[/name]. And I live in the SF [name]Bay[/name] area now and a [name]Saskia[/name] would fit right in. But I’m hesitant because you’re saying the people are having trouble with [name]Eva[/name] - I can’t imagine anyone having trouble with such a lovely name. Go with your gut - if you think that [name]Saskia[/name] is going to be a problem then maybe shift it to the middle name spot? Personally I think it is beautiful.
[name]Saskia[/name] is one of those say-it-as-you-see-it names, the only problems you might get are Saaarskia (long intial ‘a’ sound rather than the short one) or -ky-uh rather than kee-uh for the [name]Kia[/name] bit. Neither are too awful that you wouldn’t know what was being said, and once you correct people they’ll know it. I think it will go brilliantly with [name]Eva[/name] though I can’t comment on how [name]Saskia[/name] will be perceived as I’m in the UK where it’s relatively well known. It’s pretty, feminine and (to US people) unusual but with a hint of familiarity to it.
I should clarify that nobody gets confused by [name]Eva[/name], they just don’t understand the accent over the e. Everyone pronounces her name correctly. [name]Every[/name] once in a while we get ee-va but that’s expected.
I went to college (in the U.S.) with a [name]Saskia[/name] (also American) and nobody thought her name was strange, that I knew of. This was back in the late 1990s, too.
I found this thread when I was looking up the name saskia after seeing it in the credits of a british tv show, and was just wondering what name you picked? was saskia something you were considering for your son? or for a daughter down the line. I’ve never heard it for a boy so I was just curious. It is a great name and I think it goes well with [name]Eva[/name] …
I like [name]Mischa[/name]'s response. She is right. That is kind of how I feel about my son’s name. [name]Luther[/name] isn’t commonly used and hasn’t been for a long time, but I love the name and would love to see it used more frequently. [name]Saskia[/name], for a foreign name, is easy enough to spell and pronounce. I don’t think it would be a problem. You will have to repeat the name to people before they get it, and you will have to spell it out, but that isn’t a big deal.
Lol, just realized this was an old thread…