Not really sure what to title this, so “Japanese fusion” was the best I could come up with. LOL.
Anyway, my husband and I are considering having a third child and for heritage reasons, I would want the baby to have a Japanese name somewhere in the combo. We’re on the same page when it comes to boy names but girl names are so much harder for us to agree on. I’ve come up with a handful of combos that my husband has tentatively agreed to but none of them really stands out to me as “the one” so I wanted to get some outside thoughts and opinions. So far I have:
[name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] [name_m]Rei[/name_m]
[name_f]Georgina[/name_f] [name_f]Emi[/name_f]
[name_f]Aya[/name_f] [name_f]Summer[/name_f]/[name_f]Victoria[/name_f]
[name_f]Ivy[/name_f] Rumiko
[name_f]Katherine[/name_f] Ai/[name_f]Aiko[/name_f]
Yumi (don’t have anything paired with this yet, just like the name)
[name_m]General[/name_m] thoughts on the combos? [name_m]Favorite[/name_m]? Least favorite? Any feedback would be appreciated.
I don’t know many Japanese names, but I had a little girl in my class a few years ago who was both Japanese and Jewish. They named her [name_f]Shoshanna[/name_f], which is a Jewish name but called her Soshi which is a Japanese name. I thought it was the best of both worlds!
Other suggestions:
Emiko (similar to [name_f]Emily[/name_f]/[name_f]Emma[/name_f]/[name_f]Emilia[/name_f] - would easily be recognized)
[name_u]Mika[/name_u] (similar to [name_u]Micah[/name_u]/[name_f]Mila[/name_f]…easily pronounced.)
[name_f]Keiko[/name_f] (easily pronounced)
From your list, I really like
[name_f]Katherine[/name_f] [name_f]Aiko[/name_f]
Yumi (Yumi [name_f]Victoria[/name_f] is adorable!)
[name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] Yumi would also be nice!
[name_f]Aya[/name_f]/Aia is one of my all time favorites, and it is especially lovely with [name_f]Summer[/name_f]! I also like Rumiko and Yumi from your list. I humbly prefer the meaning of [name_f]Kei[/name_f] over [name_m]Rei[/name_m].
I’ll try my hand at some combos for you:
[name_f]Elinor[/name_f] Suzume- seems similar to [name_f]Suzanna[/name_f]
Illaria Kanai - I really like the flow of this one
[name_f]Katherine[/name_f] Umiko - pure ocean child
[name_f]Juliet[/name_f] Nastumi
[name_f]Kiara[/name_f] Anzuko
[name_f]Georgina[/name_f] [name_f]Mei[/name_f]
@lissylou - We actually had [name_u]Mika[/name_u] on our list when I was pregnant with our daughter five years ago! It’s cute but I think it’s kind of lost its luster for us. Thank you for the suggestion of Yumi [name_f]Victoria[/name_f]! For some reason, that combo hadn’t occurred to me but I really like it!
@ruolan - I have considered using [name_f]Kei[/name_f] as a middle name as well. [name_m]Just[/name_m] haven’t found a first name that I really like for it. Out of the two we’re more likely to use [name_m]Rei[/name_m] though, partly because it’s a name I’ve liked for a long time but also because [name_u]Ray[/name_u] is a male family name on my husband’s side and this would be a nice little nod to that. [name_f]Georgina[/name_f] [name_f]Mei[/name_f] is quite cute!
[name_m]Just[/name_m] dropping by to say how beautiful [name_f]Katherine[/name_f] [name_f]Aiko[/name_f] is. The Japanese and English elements blend so well together and make the other sound both more exotic and more familiar. [name_f]Lovely[/name_f] ‘fusion’!
I lived in Japan several years ago and it surprised me how many English names actually are either Japanese names, or translate well both ways. Have you considered giving the baby a name that would work in either culture?
[name_f]Erika[/name_f]
[name_f]Emi[/name_f]
[name_f]Mari[/name_f]
[name_f]Marni[/name_f]
[name_f]Tia[/name_f]
[name_f]Lara[/name_f]
[name_f]Mina[/name_f]
[name_f]Sara[/name_f]
I had to make an account to comment on this because these are exactly the thoughts I had when naming my daughter!
I have an E.mi so I can vouch for how well it works as a multicultural name! I also love [name_f]Aya[/name_f]
[name_f]Summer[/name_f] and actually have been considering [name_f]Aya[/name_f] [name_u]Winter[/name_u] for a while!!!
Other Japanese names that can work in English and vice versa that you might like:
I have no Japanese heritage and my exposure/understanding of Japanese names is extremely limited. That said, I really like your list and don’t know if I could pick a favorite! I used to nanny for a set of twins whose moms (one was half Japanese, one wasn’t) wanted the same feel you’re looking for, and their names were [name_f]Emi[/name_f] [name_f]Grace[/name_f] and [name_m]Ronan[/name_m] [name_u]Kai[/name_u]. I have loved the name [name_f]Emi[/name_f] ever since. My only other real exposure came from a period when my aunt and uncle lived in Japan and I got to know some of the people they worked with. I’ve included some of my favorite names from that time in my suggestions. I wish you the best of luck!
[name_f]Ivy[/name_f] Rumiko is adorable, I love it, as is [name_f]Katherine[/name_f] [name_f]Aiko[/name_f].
I love the name Yumi, but it does remind me of yummy a lot. That’s fine, and actually quite sweet for a little girl, and as an adult its absolutely acceptable, but I’d worry about it on a teenager. For that reason I’d use it as a middle name. [name_f]Georgina[/name_f] Yumi would be very pretty.
