Koenraad?

Boy Names
1

So, my husband and I are expecting our first baby. A boy due in [name_u]December[/name_u]. My husband heritage is Dutch (his dad was born there) and we wanted a dutch name to go with the dutch last name.

He likes the nickname “[name_m]Koen[/name_m]” (pronounced the american way). As you know, [name_m]Koen[/name_m] is the diminutive of “[name_m]Koenraad[/name_m]”.

I actually like [name_m]Koenraad[/name_m], but I wonder if it is hard to figure out that it will be pronounced “[name_m]Conrad[/name_m]”. And/or if i’m being cruel by subjecting my poor son to having to spend his life correcting people on the spelling of his name, (because when he’ll pronounce it, everybody will assume it is spelled [name_m]Conrad[/name_m]).

By the way, I was born in South [name_u]America[/name_u], and I have to constantly spell my name to other people. But it’s no biggie, because my name is not too complicated and it doesn’t get easily confused with other names. As a native speaker of a foreign language, though, I’m unsure about how easily the [name_m]Koenraad[/name_m]/[name_m]Koen[/name_m] pronunciations come to the regular american folk!

By the way, we settled on “[name_m]Alexander[/name_m]” as the middle name.
Could you guys share your thoughts on this? - Am I being silly?

Thanks a bunch for your kind insights!

1 Like
2

Well, I think if your SOs heritage is important to him, then it is important to find ways to honor that in the kid. But what if you switched them? [name_m]Alexander[/name_m] [name_m]Koenraad[/name_m]? Tons of folks go by their middle names, so you could still call him [name_m]Koen[/name_m] without him having to deal with it constantly being misspelt and mispronounced… Also, [name_m]Koenraad[/name_m] isn’t going to be fun for him to learn to spell as a little kid – esp. if his primary and/or first language is English and not Dutch.

But that’s just my two cents! And you two should do what feels right, regardless if it is easy to spell/pronounce!

3

I love the name [name_m]Koenraad[/name_m] [name_m]Alexander[/name_m]! I’ve never heard of it, but it’s a wonderful name. My only problem is pronunciation . Most people in the USA will pronounce [name_m]Koenraad[/name_m] [name_m]COHEN[/name_m]-rad. This kills the name. I also very much like [name_m]Conrad[/name_m] [name_m]Alexander[/name_m]. Same sound, different spelling. Would you consider that? Congratulations on your pregnancy and best wishes choosing a name. : )

4

I think [name_m]Koenraad[/name_m] is fine. I don’t think people will have that much trouble pronouncing it when they see it written down. [name_m]Even[/name_m] if they do mispronounce it, it’ll be close and you can correct them and they’ll remember next time. They will misspell it, but lots of people have to spell their names for others. I don’t think it’s a big deal. Plus, if he goes by [name_m]Koen[/name_m] most of the time, saying “[name_m]Coen[/name_m] with a K” is simple.

5

[name_m]Koenraad[/name_m] [name_m]Alexander[/name_m] is fab! I adore it. I love the very Dutch feeling of the name, but I was always under the impression that [name_m]Koenraad[/name_m] was pronounced KOON-rahdt?

I think [name_m]Koenraad[/name_m] might be a lot to deal with, but it is a really cool name, and I’d rather have a name nobody can spell that has a lot of meaning to my parents than a super popular name that means nothing. (For what it’s worth, I liked having a popular name, but I always wanted to have a name that actually meant something to my parents!) I also like the option of [name_m]Koen[/name_m] pronounced like [name_m]Cohen[/name_m]–the cool sound, without the offending ties of [name_m]Cohen[/name_m]. :slight_smile:

I think [name_m]Alexander[/name_m] [name_m]Koenraad[/name_m] nn [name_m]Koen[/name_m] could be a nice alternative, too, but it just seems so much easier to use up front what you’re actually going to call him.

Good luck!

6

NO! I pronounce [name_m]Koen[/name_m] like [name_m]Cohen[/name_m]. I don’t think anyone will know that it’s [name_m]Conrad[/name_m].

7

I never understood this argument. Kids learn to spell/write their name well before they know letter sounds and phonics. You could spell it K0nnrrr4dd and he’d still learn to spell it. He might be confused why you chose to spell it that way when he’s older, but in this case [name_m]Koenraad[/name_m] has significance behind it.

8

I would not have guessed that [name_m]Koenraad[/name_m] was [name_m]Conrad[/name_m], and I am a little perplexed by [name_m]Koen[/name_m] in [name_m]Koenraad[/name_m] being one syllable while [name_m]Koen[/name_m] the nickname is two syllables.

I love [name_m]Conrad[/name_m] [name_m]Alexander[/name_m], and if [name_m]Koenraad[/name_m] means the world to you then go for it. I’m not sure I could do it, unless it were a family name and not just a nod to family heritage.

1 Like
9

Wow, thanks for your quick replies, and all the honest opinions.

Indeed, [name_m]Koenraad[/name_m] is pronounced (in Dutch) something like Koon-radt, but I prefer the anglicized pronunciation. In fact, [name_m]Koen[/name_m] is pronounce “Koon”, but I’m sure nobody will call him that outside of [name_u]Holland[/name_u] :slight_smile:

Problem with going for the “[name_m]Conrad[/name_m]” version, is that then the nn would have to be [name_m]Coen[/name_m], with “C” instead of “K” and I worry about it being too close to [name_m]Cohen[/name_m]. Unfortunately, there is another [name_m]Alexander[/name_m] on my side of the family and we prefer it as a middle name.

I’d wait for a few more opinions/suggestions it but sounds like I may be pushing it with [name_m]Koenraad[/name_m].

[name_m]Man[/name_m], picking names for kids is hard! - Too bad I’m not a celebrity, I would’ve been able to name my kid the first weird name that came to mind! - Ha!

thanks again for all the ideas. I really appreciate it!

10

Hmm, I’m torn. From looking at the title i assumed it was pronounced [name_m]Conrad[/name_m]. But i also assumed it was a yewnique, kree8ive sperling rather than a legitimate name and I’ll admit i pre-judged it based on that.

Having said that, if it has familial or cultural significance, i wouldn’t hesitate to use it.

1 Like
11

I may go with the more familiar form of the name [name_m]Conrad[/name_m] and use [name_m]Coen[/name_m] as a nickname.
[name_m]Koenraad[/name_m] may be a little difficult with the spelling for the average person.

I think your experience may be a little different from this as you yourself said your name isn’t easily confused with another.

1 Like
12

[name_m]Hi[/name_m],

I completely understand the delima that you are in - my dad is [name_m]German[/name_m] and they spell everything with a K as well, infact, the german spelling of [name_m]Conrad[/name_m] is [name_m]Konrad[/name_m] (a little easier to spell and pronounce than the dutch) however I can’t see your husband being excited about giving your child a german name!

I know from my own experience, no matter how you spell your child’s name, your husband will still pronounce the name the dutch way. My own name - [name_f]Nicole[/name_f] is pronounced Ne-[name_m]Kole[/name_m] by my dad and [name_f]Nicole[/name_f] by everyone else. But he picked my name so he can pronounce it any way he wants!

I am all for interesting names but in this case I think i would go with [name_m]Conrad[/name_m] to save your son a lifetime of explaining his name and how to spell it. I am assuming that your son will have your husband’s dutch last name??? It is a sadly proven statistic that a resume of someone with a very foreign name will cause an employer to pause or even pass over that resume in favour of an english language name because they will wonder if the person’s english will be good enough. [name_m]Just[/name_m] something to ponder.

You both have to love the name and not have regrets either way, good luck. [name_m]Viel[/name_m] Gluck!

13

This was my first thought too (though I am [name_m]German[/name_m]/American) so [name_m]Konrad[/name_m] doesn’t look weird to me. If you plan on pronouncing it the anglicized way, I’d suggest spelling it a more anglicized way as well. I tend to think choosing the spelling for the pronunciation you want, makes most sense and causes the least confusion.

I think its cool to honor your husbands heritage - does [name_m]Alexander[/name_m] honor yours?

14

I think most people would pronounce it [name_m]Cohen[/name_m]-rad. Is using the spelling [name_m]Conrad[/name_m] an option for you? If not, I would just go with [name_m]Koen[/name_m].

1 Like
15

So, just a quick update, cause I know you were all waiting for my decision with bated breath (Ha!)

After what felt like so many “nays” in this forum, we decided to “settle” for “[name_m]Conrad[/name_m]” and also started looking for an alternative name, just in case.

But then, I had another one of my brilliant ideas! I searched Facebook for other “Koenraads” living in the US, and found a guy in his 20’s who spelt his name Koenrad. I sent him a message, explaining our predicament and asked him about his experience, and if he wished his parents had named him something different.

Well, he was most generous with his response, and shared his story with us (where his name came from and his parents’ reasons for choosing it, etc).

He said some people do have trouble pronouncing his name, but mostly they elongate the o, as in Kooooooorad. He definitely has had to correct people, but he doesn’t feel burdened by it. In fact he loves telling the story of where his name comes from and what it means, and the fact that his unusual name allows him to easily get usernames when signing up somewhere (though I suspect his luck will run out in 15-20 years). He even shared a folk tale his grandmother used to tell him, about a kid named [name_m]Konrad[/name_m] (the german spelling of the name) who sucked his thumb and a tailor who showed up with giant shears to snip his thumb off when he wouldn’t stop (can’t wait to traumatize my son with this story)

Anyway, he put our minds at ease. The name has not been much of a problem for him, nor has it prevented him from landing jobs, etc

We are encouraged now to go for it, knowing we are not screwing our kid’s life (at least not with the name :slight_smile:

I lean toward killing one of the “a” (Koenrad) but my husband wants to be true to the Dutch spelling “[name_m]Koenraad[/name_m]”. I suspect he’ll win.

Thanks again for all the comments here and all the good wishes.

Many blessing to you all!

2 Likes
16

Aww, thank you for sharing! I’m very excited that you’ll be going for Koenra(a)d, and that was great of the Koenrad to share his experience with you. I was a bit worried about [name_m]Koenraad[/name_m] in [name_u]America[/name_u], but you obviously loved it, and I wanted you to be able to use it, so I’m so glad you’re going for it! Congratulations on your little boy, and all the best!

17

Thank you for the feedback!
When he puts it like that it makes perfect sense and quite honestly, all the girls I knew with uniquely spelt names seemed to love their names.

Honestly, if you are going the [name_m]Koenraad[/name_m] route I would go all the way with the double 'a’s. Why stop halfway?
Now you get the best of both worlds [name_m]Koen[/name_m] and [name_m]Koenraad[/name_m].

I love the story with the tailor and the boy who wouldn’t stop sucking his thumb. My mom went through so much to try to get me to stop sucking it!

Best of luck

18

I’m a bit late, but I’m glad you’re going with [name_m]Koenraad[/name_m]. If your son finds it too much trouble, he can always choose to simplify when he’s older. I live in a very multicultural area, and am used to all kinds of foreign names so [name_m]Koenraad[/name_m] doesn’t look that difficult.

For those interested, the story of [name_m]Konrad[/name_m] and the [name_u]Tailor[/name_u] is from an old [name_m]German[/name_m] children’s book called Der Struwwelpeter, written to teach children good habits. You can find a link about [name_m]Konrad[/name_m]'s story in translation here. I’m glad pedagogical methods have changed since those days… :slight_smile:

19

I am half Spanish & have a VERY traditional Spanish name. Let’s say it’s something like Maite de Unamuno. People rarely know how to pronounce or spell any of it. They also get confused because “de Unamuno” is a 2 word last name. And you know, what? I don’t care! I love my name & I’m proud of my heritage. It takes 2 seconds to explain it to people & then they never forgot my name. It really doesn’t bother me! I’m glad my parents committed to something that has meaningful & historical roots rather than trying to change it to make other people more comfortable. Good luck!

20

I rewrote some of the Struwwelpeter stories so that the children learn their lessons and become role models rather than dying gruesome deaths.

So I think their names are quite lovely, and I would be happy to name my son [name_m]Konrad[/name_m] (if I had a son).