Polish Names?

My husband and I are learning Polish, and when we have kids we are going to be raising them in a bilingual household. Therefore, we would like to have names that sound good in both Polish and English. Names we already love… [name]Merrick[/name] [name]Liam[/name], and [name]Konrad[/name] [name]Dominic[/name]. These arent Polish, but do you think theyd sound ok with the Polish language?

In addition to your opinion.on that wed also love some suggestions for Polish names, or names that woukd sound good in both Polish and English :slight_smile: Thanks!!!

[name]Konrad[/name] should work well in Polish. I’m not sure about [name]Liam[/name]-- are there two vowels adjacent to each other like that? Also, Polish stresses the penultimate syllable in each word, so while KON-rad would work, [name]Dominic[/name] would be attempted as dom-I-nic.

There was a period when the Slavic countries had a love affair with [name]France[/name] and thought it very sophisticated; there were many loan-words from French into Polish & Russian and some French names were given.

Latin was for centuries the only official language of the Polish state so again, Latin words will be somewhat familiar.

Thoughts:

[name]Adrien[/name]
Agnieszka (favorite Polish name)
[name]Alphonse[/name]
[name]Antonia[/name]
[name]Basia[/name]
[name]Benedicta[/name] / [name]Benedikta[/name]
[name]Celina[/name]
[name]Damian[/name]
[name]Daria[/name]
[name]Elias[/name]
[name]Felix[/name]
[name]Ilona[/name]
[name]Irena[/name]
[name]Jan[/name]
Jaromir
[name]Joanna[/name]
[name]Julia[/name]
[name]Karolina[/name]
[name]Ksenia[/name]
[name]Liliana[/name]
Lucija
[name]Maja[/name]
[name]Marcela[/name]
[name]Marika[/name]
[name]Milena[/name]
[name]Miran[/name]
[name]Natalia[/name]
[name]Paula[/name]
Radomir
[name]Renata[/name]
[name]Sebastien[/name]
[name]Stefan[/name]
[name]Tatianna[/name]
[name]Tymon[/name]
[name]Urban[/name]
[name]Waldemar[/name]
[name]Zosia[/name]

I know three Polish girls, and they speak Polish mostly at home, and their parents do too.
They’re names are: [name]Claudia[/name], [name]Natalia[/name], and [name]Sylvia[/name]. Mom’s Ewelina, and dad’s [name]Luke[/name].

Czesc!

With the Polish pronunciation of foreign words you have to be really careful with 'c’s. For instance Merrick would be pronounced “Mehr-eets-k” and Dominic would be pronounced “Dom-ee-nyee-ts” or “Dom-ee-nyee-ch”. In English Merrick and Dominic sound almost identical to their Polish counterparts Marek (though Marc is a better translation) and Dominik but in Polish they’re completely different.
My parents have family friend named Konrad so I’ve always considered Konrad a Polish name. Plus Joseph Conrad’s real name features a Konrad in the middle. Liam on the other hand is very un-Polish but it’s Polish pronunciation doesn’t sound unlike it’s English one. The “ee” is “Lee-am” is just more stretched, as if it were “Lyee-am”.

And now for a comprehensive list:

Christian
Rafal (Raphael)
Arkadiusz (Ar-ka-di-oosh)
Kacper (Karts-pehr)
Zygmunt (my grandfather’s name, Polish variant of Sigmund)
Sebastian
Roman (popularly shortened to Romek)
Jakub (popularly shortened to Kuba)
Henryk (I’ve heard of a Cy Henryk)
Max
Aleksander (nm Olek)
Vitkor
Kamil
Piotr
Marcin (Mahr-cheen)
Pavel (Paul Wesley’s real name)
Robert
Patryk
Daniel
Adrian
Kajetan (Kai-etan, Polish variant of Gaetan)
Ludwik
Vincenty
Ignacy
Lukasz/Lukas
Filip
Artur
Mikolaj
Tadeusz
Kazimierz (Kasimir, Casimir - either way it’s very Polish)
Baltazar
Fryderyk/Frederik (after Frederic Chopin, an icon of French-Polish relations)

Emilia
Leokadia
Renata
Jadwiga (Yad-vee-ga, the Polish form of Hedwig nm Jadzia)
Matylda
Maja
Halina
Teresa
Zofia (nm Zosia)
Ania
Alicja (Alits-ya)
Elzbieta (Elj-byeta)
Arleta
Malgosia (Mao-gosha, nm for Malgorzata which is Margaret)
Izabela
Elvira
Eva
Kinga
Dominika (my name!)
Agata
Zuzanna (Zuzu would be a really cute nm)
Vitkoria
Evelina
Grazyna (Polish variant of Grace0
Adelajda
Aleksandra
Adela
Karolina
Kasia (Ka-sha, Polish form of Kate and nickname for Katarzyna)
Asia (Asha, nm for Joanna)
Daria
Valeria
Aurelia
Otylia
Magdalena
Sylvia
Violetta (nm Viola)
Sonja
Mirka (short for Miroslava, but I know someone who’s full name is Mirka)
Marcelina (great-aunt of mine, prn Marts-elle-ina)
Kora

Save for Adelajda, Otylia, Aurelia, Valeria and Adela, these are all people I know so they’ve all got authentic Polish guarantees. Plus many of these names belong to family friends in Australia so they work just fine in an English setting. The names containing a “v” in Polish would originally have a “w”, but having a “v” in place doesn’t neccessarily de-Polish the name.

Also, if you’re in the dark about pronunciation the speaker button on google translate can give you a good idea. Another tip with finding names is to look at historical royal and noble families on wikipedia. These names would have had to fair well on both a Polish and Trans-European scale so it’s a good starting point. It’s also good to look at Polish saints because when I was choosing a confirmation name I came across many interesting ones - both Polish and Polonised .

Also, and I hope it’s not a rude question, but I’m just curious as to why you and your husband are learning Polish? It’s not everyday that someone decides to learn it haha! :slight_smile:

Some Polish boys’ names that look similar to English names (My mother’s family is Polish, but I don’t speak it, so I’m not that positive if the pronounciation is similar):

Aleksander
[name]Dawid[/name]
[name]Dominik[/name]
[name]Fryderyk[/name]
[name]Henryk[/name]
[name]Jakub[/name]
[name]Jozef[/name]
Wiktor

Same for the girls:

[name]Agata[/name]
[name]Alicja[/name]
[name]Anastazja[/name]
[name]Angelika[/name]
[name]Cecylia[/name]
[name]Ewa[/name]
[name]Izabela[/name]
[name]Katarzyna[/name]
[name]Krystyna[/name]
Oliwia
[name]Roza[/name]/[name]Rozalia[/name]
Weronika
Wiktoria
[name]Zofia[/name]
[name]Zuzanna[/name]

You might also want to check out the blog Legitimate Baby Names. The blogger’s recent entries cover trends in Polish baby names and pronounciations are provided.

Wow, that’s a great site mega_muffin!
The suggested pronunciation of [name]Konrad[/name] as “kone-rot” is a little questionable haha, but otherwise pretty good :slight_smile:

QUOTE=minisia;1645148]Czesc!

With the Polish pronunciation of foreign words you have to be really careful with 'c’s. For instance [name]Merrick[/name] would be pronounced “Mehr-eets-k” and [name]Dominic[/name] would be pronounced “[name]Dom[/name]-ee-nyee-ts” or “[name]Dom[/name]-ee-nyee-ch”. In English [name]Merrick[/name] and [name]Dominic[/name] sound almost identical to their Polish counterparts [name]Marek[/name] (though [name]Marc[/name] is a better translation) and [name]Dominik[/name] but in Polish they’re completely different.
My parents have family friend named [name]Konrad[/name] so I’ve always considered [name]Konrad[/name] a Polish name. Plus [name]Joseph[/name] [name]Conrad[/name]'s real name features a [name]Konrad[/name] in the middle. [name]Liam[/name] on the other hand is very un-Polish but it’s Polish pronunciation doesn’t sound unlike it’s English one. The “ee” is “[name]Lee[/name]-am” is just more stretched, as if it were “Lyee-am”.

And now for a comprehensive list:

[name]Christian[/name]
[name]Rafal[/name] ([name]Raphael[/name])
Arkadiusz (Ar-ka-di-oosh)
Kacper (Karts-pehr)
[name]Zygmunt[/name] (my grandfather’s name, Polish variant of [name]Sigmund[/name])
[name]Sebastian[/name]
[name]Roman[/name] (popularly shortened to Romek)
[name]Jakub[/name] (popularly shortened to [name]Kuba[/name])
[name]Henryk[/name] (I’ve heard of a [name]Cy[/name] [name]Henryk[/name])
[name]Max[/name]
Aleksander (nm [name]Olek[/name])
Vitkor
[name]Kamil[/name]
[name]Piotr[/name]
Marcin (Mahr-cheen)
[name]Pavel[/name] ([name]Paul[/name] [name]Wesley[/name]'s real name)
[name]Robert[/name]
[name]Patryk[/name]
[name]Daniel[/name]
[name]Adrian[/name]
Kajetan ([name]Kai[/name]-etan, Polish variant of [name]Gaetan[/name])
[name]Ludwik[/name]
Vincenty
[name]Ignacy[/name]
Lukasz/[name]Lukas[/name]
[name]Filip[/name]
[name]Artur[/name]
Mikolaj
Tadeusz
Kazimierz ([name]Kasimir[/name], [name]Casimir[/name] - either way it’s very Polish)
Baltazar
[name]Fryderyk[/name]/[name]Frederik[/name] (after [name]Frederic[/name] Chopin, an icon of French-Polish relations)

[name]Emilia[/name]
[name]Leokadia[/name]
[name]Renata[/name]
[name]Jadwiga[/name] (Yad-vee-ga, the Polish form of [name]Hedwig[/name] nm Jadzia)
[name]Matylda[/name]
[name]Maja[/name]
[name]Halina[/name]
[name]Teresa[/name]
[name]Zofia[/name] (nm [name]Zosia[/name])
[name]Ania[/name]
[name]Alicja[/name] (Alits-ya)
[name]Elzbieta[/name] (Elj-byeta)
[name]Arleta[/name]
[name]Malgosia[/name] (Mao-gosha, nm for Malgorzata which is [name]Margaret[/name])
[name]Izabela[/name]
[name]Elvira[/name]
[name]Eva[/name]
[name]Kinga[/name]
[name]Dominika[/name] (my name!)
[name]Agata[/name]
[name]Zuzanna[/name] ([name]Zuzu[/name] would be a really cute nm)
Vitkoria
[name]Evelina[/name]
[name]Grazyna[/name] (Polish variant of Grace0
Adelajda
[name]Aleksandra[/name]
[name]Adela[/name]
[name]Karolina[/name]
[name]Kasia[/name] (Ka-sha, Polish form of [name]Kate[/name] and nickname for [name]Katarzyna[/name])
[name]Asia[/name] ([name]Asha[/name], nm for [name]Joanna[/name])
[name]Daria[/name]
[name]Valeria[/name]
[name]Aurelia[/name]
[name]Otylia[/name]
[name]Magdalena[/name]
[name]Sylvia[/name]
[name]Violetta[/name] (nm [name]Viola[/name])
[name]Sonja[/name]
[name]Mirka[/name] (short for Miroslava, but I know someone who’s full name is [name]Mirka[/name])
[name]Marcelina[/name] (great-aunt of mine, prn Marts-elle-ina)
[name]Kora[/name]

Save for Adelajda, [name]Otylia[/name], [name]Aurelia[/name], [name]Valeria[/name] and [name]Adela[/name], these are all people I know so they’ve all got authentic Polish guarantees. Plus many of these names belong to family friends in Australia so they work just fine in an English setting. The names containing a “v” in Polish would originally have a “w”, but having a “v” in place doesn’t neccessarily de-Polish the name.

Also, if you’re in the dark about pronunciation the speaker button on google translate can give you a good idea. Another tip with finding names is to look at historical royal and noble families on wikipedia. These names would have had to fair well on both a Polish and Trans-European scale so it’s a good starting point. It’s also good to look at Polish saints because when I was choosing a confirmation name I came across many interesting ones - both Polish and Polonised .

Also, and I hope it’s not a rude question, but I’m just curious as to why you and your husband are learning Polish? It’s not everyday that someone decides to learn it haha! :)[/QUOTE]

Thanks so much for all the suggestions! I am going to go through them all and look at that suggested website, run them by my husband and then Ill post back with names we both like :slight_smile:

To answer your question, we are learning Polish as part of a volunteer program. We will be helping native speaking Polish people in.the community to study the Bible.

Also, had to edit my post… looking for nameas that work in Polish and English, not Polish and French! lol :slight_smile:

We have some winners! :slight_smile:

Of the names I picked out, my husband narrowed it down and we [name]LOVE[/name] [name]Lew[/name] (lev) and Oliwier (oh-lee,vyare) I am a little concerned about the way people will pronounce it here, because the w is supposed to sound like a v. [name]Do[/name] you think it will be such a big issue that we shouldnt use it?

I [name]LOVE[/name] Gracjan (graht-syan). Myhusband likes it but not as much as the others. We also like Romek, but Im not sure if its a real name. The site said it was a short form of [name]Roman[/name].

We also love [name]Liev[/name], which I dont think is Polish but I think woukd sound good in both languages. What do you think of these options? Opinions please? :slight_smile:

Judging by your screenname, I’m guessing you live in [name]Boston[/name]? I do think the “w/v” thing would cause quite a bit of confusion. [name]Lew[/name] would probably be read as “[name]Lou[/name]” by most English speakers, and neither would ever be spelled correctly on a first try. They’re both great names, though, so why not just make it easier for teachers/classmates/etc. and spell them [name]Lev[/name] and [name]Olivier[/name]? They’d still work in Polish, even if the spelling isn’t as authentic. Or maybe use them as middle names with the correct Polish spelling and use those names when you’re speaking to them in Polish.

BTW, if you still like [name]Merrick[/name] and [name]Konrad[/name], I think [name]Olivier[/name] would be a nice brother name because they’re all kind of surname-y.

I don’t think these are bilingual names at all. They work in Polish but not really in English, due to the transcription of the associated sounds. [name]Liev[/name] is the best option of your shortlist. I would pick something like your original [name]Konrad[/name], or [name]Karolina[/name]-- unambiguous in [name]Boston[/name] or Gdansk. :slight_smile:

Wow this is harder than I thought! We liked Oliwier and [name]Lew[/name] because of how Polish it soundeed! I think [name]Lev[/name] would work better than [name]Lew[/name] here in the US. but I dont know how well [name]Olivier[/name] would work. I think it without the w it would just get mistakn for [name]Oliver[/name]. I,really like [name]Liev[/name]. And I still like [name]Merrick[/name] a lot better than [name]Marek[/name]. i think we will just stick to the [name]Merrick[/name] spelling, and correct the Polish speakers as to its pronunciation. Since [name]Marek[/name] iss sobsimilar, they shouldnt have troubke pronouncing it.

There is an actor in the U.S. named [name]Liev[/name] Schreiber, so I think most people would know how to pronounce [name]Liev[/name].

I am totally going back and forth now!

[name]Konrad[/name]- my husband loves it. its not my favorite. It sounds so harsh and military-like!
[name]Lew[/name]-Cute short sweet and to the point! maybe too short though? [name]Anda[/name] [name]Lev[/name] spelling would probably be a mmust.
[name]Liev[/name]- competing with [name]Lev[/name]. Not sure which I like better.
Oliwier- My husband and I both [name]LOVE[/name] it!! problem is the spelling. spelled Oliwier, no one here will be able to pronounce it. Spelled [name]Olivier[/name], people wiljust call him [name]Oliver[/name]! Suggestions please??
Romek-is this even a real polish name?!

I still love [name]Merrick[/name] [name]Liam[/name]. Works in both languages and is adorable. I wouldld love [name]Liam[/name].[name]Merrick[/name] even more, but cant.get my husband.on.board![name]Love[/name] how the legitimate baby name.blog brought out the polish way to pronounce [name]Liam[/name]… lyee-em. So adorable!

>

Also pondering the idea of using a Polish middle name to call them.when speaking Polish, and an american first name to use while speaking english. Maybe a bit confusing though, and not sure how I feel about that idea yet!

Ahhh! Polish names are my total GP, I love them! I had to research Polish names for a story I wrote back in college a year or two ago, names I ended up using were [name]Ariadna[/name], [name]Alexander[/name], [name]Daniel[/name], [name]Sabina[/name], Lilija (said like [name]Lily[/name]-ah), Gracja (said like GRAHS-ya, from what I understand), [name]Eliasz[/name], Jonasz, [name]Ziven[/name], [name]Cecylia[/name], those are the ones I can remember. Of the ones I researched, those seemed the most usable in English as well as Polish, although I really love [name]Klara[/name] and [name]Magdalena[/name] and [name]Walentyna[/name]/[name]Valentina[/name], and think those are pretty usable, too. As far as boys’ Polish names, though, [name]Ziven[/name] is by far my favorite, it’s so unexpected yet so usable thanks to the -n ending, and has multiple meanings of “alive” and “shining”, both of which are fabulous, imo. :slight_smile: I think [name]Ziven[/name] would go fabulously with [name]Merrick[/name] and [name]Konrad[/name]!

Good luck!

It’s more of a nickname for [name]Roman[/name] rather than a name in it’s own right - sort of like how [name]Bartek[/name] and Maciek are nms for [name]Bartosz[/name] and [name]Maciej[/name]. I’m not sure about Romek because I only know one i.e. my uncle, but some nicknames are becoming more acceptable for primary address. There are many Poles in Australia for example (and I’m sure it’s the same in the US) who almost only go by the pet forms of their name, either because they prefer it or because it’s more easy for English-speakers to pronounce. On many of my family friends business cards for example, you will see [name]Asia[/name] or [name]Kasia[/name] rather than [name]Joanna[/name] or [name]Katarzyna[/name].

I think [name]Liev[/name] is just as fine of a Polish-y name as [name]Lev[/name]/[name]Lew[/name]. Because of proximity, Russian and [name]German[/name] names are not that exotic in Poland, and if you look at “legitimate baby names” many [name]German[/name] names like [name]Wilhelm[/name] have made their way into Polish nomenclature.
I think you should definitely replace w’s with v’s if you’re plannning to raise your child in an English-speaking country. Though Oliwier and [name]Lew[/name] would be okay in the middle spot, [name]Olivier[/name] and [name]Lev[/name] should be reserved for the first name. Besides, it’s a common practice among Polish immigrants to swap w’s for v’s. I know a little [name]Veronika[/name] who in class photos is listed as [name]Veronika[/name], but either on her birth certificate or at home is Weronika. It’s a similar story with her mother [name]Violetta[/name] (Wioletta).
I like [name]Roman[/name] Oliwier (though I have a feeling you don’t like [name]Roman[/name]), [name]Liev[/name] [name]Merrick[/name] and [name]Liam[/name] [name]Merrick[/name]. I agree with the cuteness of the [name]Liam[/name] pronunciation! Despite what I said earlier I think you can possibly get away with Oliwier because [name]Olivier[/name]/[name]Oliver[/name] is such a common name and English-speakers would assume the “w” is sounded as “v”, as it is with many [name]German[/name] names. I not quite sure, but I have a feeling a Polish Oliwia went to my primary school.

If you’re still stuck, another good starting point Name days in Poland - Wikipedia

Anyway, good luck!