Portuguese/Anglo Baby Girl

Girl Names
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I just discovered this site and I love it! We have two boys and are pregnant with a [name]LITTLE[/name] GIRL. We are all really excited. We live in the US, I’m American, and my husband is Portuguese. In honoring my husband’s culture we have named our kids Portuguese names for their first names and middle names after grandparents. Our first son is [name]Diogo[/name] [name]Victor[/name] ([name]Victor[/name] after my grandfather), and our second son [name]Cruz[/name] [name]Augusto[/name] (after dh’s grandfather). We live in a very multicultural area where unique names are common.

We are looking for a name for our little girl, and having a tough time. We are looking for a Portuguese name that isn’t too challenging for Americans/my parents. No popular names on the US list ([name]Sofia[/name] and [name]Isabel[/name]), and steering away from names that are easily made into nicknames ([name]Kimberly[/name] becomes [name]Kim[/name]). The big question for me is whether the name should be a popular Portuguese name, or whether anything off the Portuguese gov’t list would do…

Top tier:
[name]Floriana[/name] - love, and was my my dh’s grandmothers name
[name]Fiona[/name] - love, love this, but not sure if it really seems Portuguese…
[name]Mara[/name] - this would have been my ds if a girl, but my love is fading
[name]Beatriz[/name] - current favorite

Also of interest:
[name]Leonor[/name]
Avelina
[name]Eliana[/name]
[name]Marta[/name] - [name]Martha[/name] was my grandmother, love this version
[name]Eloisa[/name]
[name]Aitana[/name]
[name]Acacia[/name]
Gra”a

Would love feedback, and whether or not you have any suggestions.

[name]Debra[/name]

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[name]Beatriz[/name] is my favorite on your list, I love it.

Some other options…
[name]Lorena[/name]
[name]Fernanda[/name]
[name]Helena[/name]
[name]Amelia[/name]
[name]Valeria[/name]
[name]Adriana[/name]
[name]Anabela[/name]
[name]Cecilia[/name]
[name]Estela[/name]
[name]Gabriela[/name]
[name]Liliana[/name]
[name]Mariana[/name]
[name]Susana[/name]

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Thanks! I love [name]Beatriz[/name] too. Not sure if my husband does or not, but it is growing on me more day-by-day.

Can you think of any middle names for [name]Beatriz[/name]?

Grandmother names are [name]Martha[/name] (I could go with [name]Marta[/name]), [name]Frances[/name], [name]Floriana[/name], and [name]Maria[/name]. Not sure if any of them work!

I would be open to other names as well, any suggestions?

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[name]Beatriz[/name] [name]Floriana[/name] or [name]Beatriz[/name] [name]Flora[/name].

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From your list, my favorites are [name]Fiona[/name], [name]Beatriz[/name], and [name]Eloisa[/name]. I also really like [name]Leonor[/name] and [name]Marta[/name]. For middles, what about:

[name]Eloisa[/name] [name]Frances[/name]
[name]Eloisa[/name] [name]Aitana[/name]
[name]Eloisa[/name] [name]Leonor[/name]
[name]Beatriz[/name] [name]Marta[/name]
[name]Beatriz[/name] [name]Francesca[/name]
[name]Beatriz[/name] [name]Mariana[/name]
[name]Fiona[/name] [name]Frances[/name]
[name]Fiona[/name] [name]Beatriz[/name]
[name]Fiona[/name] [name]Leonor[/name]

Other names you might like:

[name]Serafina[/name]
[name]Viviana[/name]
[name]Mina[/name]
[name]Adriana[/name]
[name]Amalia[/name]
[name]Livia[/name]
[name]Adelina[/name]
[name]Rosalia[/name]
[name]Luisa[/name]
[name]Rafaela[/name]
[name]Silvia[/name]
[name]Vera[/name]
[name]Salome[/name]
[name]Noemi[/name]
[name]Marisa[/name]
Madalena
[name]Liana[/name]
[name]Ines[/name]
Gracilia
[name]Gisela[/name]
[name]Emilia[/name]
[name]Fabiana[/name]
[name]Clara[/name]
[name]Eva[/name]
[name]Camila[/name]
[name]Estela[/name]
[name]Leticia[/name]
[name]Helena[/name]
[name]Ofelia[/name]
[name]Natalia[/name]

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Here’s the link to a post on You Can’t Call It “It” about Portuguese names: youcantcallitit.com - youcantcallitit Resources and Information.

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These are all lovely… I do think if you don’t want a nickname, you should avoid [name]Beatriz[/name]. My daughter is [name]Beatrice[/name] and gets [name]Bea[/name] automatically (and once they’re out in the world you really CAN’T control it…) I like that nickname for my daughter, but just a heads up that it seems to be what people will use by default. She is pretty much called this exclusively at school. Kids seem to like saying it…she also gets called [name]Bee[/name]-tree. [name]Just[/name] saying…

I love [name]Fiona[/name] and [name]Leonor[/name]. [name]Leonor[/name] is particularly beautiful and classy I think—and I really don’t think either of these names lend themselves to automatic nicknames. I think [name]Fiona[/name] is pretty international at this point, but [name]Leonor[/name] may be a bit more Portuguese.

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Hello, I love your first two kids’ names, they are common to the Portuguese ear (mine :slight_smile: ), but also slightly offbeat. I live in Portugal, so I thought you might like some feedback from the other side of the Atlantic!

Of your girls top four picks:
[name]Floriana[/name]: I agree with you, really lovely, and the significance of it is also great (the Portuguese are certainly into family values!)
[name]Fiona[/name]: It’s a lovely name, but to me, it’s not immediately Portuguese.
[name]Mara[/name]: I think is really really beautiful
[name]Beatriz[/name]: Although a lovely name, I know hundreds of little girls under ten in Portugal with that name. You did mention not wanting to go with the obvious choice, like [name]Sofia[/name] or [name]Isabel[/name], but [name]Beatriz[/name] is the third most used girls name in Portugal. [name]Just[/name] so you know.

Of you other picks,
[name]Leonor[/name]: Again, very popular, but it is beautiful and elegant
Avelina: very cute, and very Portuguese. Also the [name]Ava[/name]-craze hasn’t hit Portugal like in the U.S., or UK
[name]Eliana[/name]: Nice, not my fave.
[name]Marta[/name]: I think [name]Marta[/name] is really ladylike, but a bit spunky! Again, I like the family link
[name]Eloisa[/name]: I like it, but not typically Portuguese
[name]Aitana[/name]: hear more Caetana’s, which is also nice
[name]Acacia[/name]: Pretty and v v Portuguese
Gra”a: Hmmm, I actually prefer [name]Grace[/name]. I guess coz I think of the Spanish Grassa, which is grease…sorry

Of your picks, my faves are: [name]Floriana[/name], [name]Marta[/name], [name]Leonor[/name] and Avelina

Other Portuguese girl names that I think would go cute with your other little’uns are:
[name]Mar[/name]”lia
Madalena
[name]Carlota[/name]
[name]Jacinta[/name]
[name]Rita[/name]
Salom”
[name]Ros[/name]”lia
[name]Filipa[/name]
[name]Rafaela[/name]
In”s
[name]Matilde[/name]
Of”lia
[name]Iva[/name]
[name]Aurora[/name]
Aur”lia
[name]Francisca[/name] - Xica!
[name]Nat[/name]”rcia
Nair
Z”lia
[name]Mafalda[/name]
Benedita
[name]Luz[/name]
[name]Paz[/name]
[name]Alba[/name]

[name]Hope[/name] that helped! Good luck :smiley:

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Thanks to everyone! Some great feedback and options.

I still feel like I’m hooked on [name]Beatriz[/name] at the moment (no decisions have to be made until the end of [name]January[/name]:-). I’m ok with it being a popular name in Portugal, as long as it isn’t popular in the U.S. I still love it, even though I realize it might; 1). result in a nickname (Bia I’ve learned is the most common Portuguese nickname), and 2). it might be tricky for people in U.S. to pronounce correctly, oh, and 3). Still have to convince DH!

[name]Leonor[/name] and [name]Marta[/name] both sound classy and old fashion to me. I like them both, but I haven’t fallen in love with either of them.

Still like [name]Mara[/name] and [name]Floriana[/name]. I have a problem with [name]Mara[/name] meaning, “bitter and sour”, and I’m not sure if I’d like if [name]Floriana[/name] became “flor, or flo”.

From the suggestions I am also liking [name]Liana[/name] and [name]Zelia[/name].

[name]Debra[/name]

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My fav would have to be [name]Beatriz[/name] [name]Fiona[/name]–as you said, I don’t think [name]Beatriz[/name] is as common in the states as it may be in Portugal. If you have to stick with the Grandmothers list for a middle name, my next pick would be [name]Beatriz[/name] [name]Marta[/name]. [name]Marta[/name] is spunky and more fun than [name]Martha[/name] which is more common in the US. My two cents–Congrats on the girl–I had 2 boys first and finally #3 was a girl. I totally think [name]Beatriz[/name] is feminine but it has spunk too! She will have to have spunk to hold her own with two big brothers(speaking from experience).

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Thank you! I agree that a little girl, well any child really, in this house will have to be spunky to hold their own.

I think [name]Beatriz[/name] is my favorite as well. I really like [name]Beatriz[/name] [name]Marta[/name] and maybe I could stretch my other grandmothers name of [name]Frances[/name] to [name]Beatriz[/name] [name]Francesca[/name]?

From suggestions here, I am also really starting to like [name]Zelia[/name] and [name]Vida[/name].

[name]Mara[/name] and [name]Fiona[/name] aren’t off the table, but they just don’t feel really Portuguese to me- more generic.

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[name]Beatriz[/name] is beautiful !

I’m not sure how you would pronounce it with a Portuguese accent, but with a Spanish accent, it become [name]Bay[/name]-ah-trees, which means the nickname becomes [name]Bay[/name]-ah. Again, I’m not sure if you’re a Spanish-speaker as well as a Portuguese-speaker, but the word bella (pronounced bay-ah) in Spanish means beautiful, so that would be a wonderful nickname on so many levels.

[name]Just[/name] my two cents :smiley:

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I WISH I could speak Portuguese or Spanish - but I can’t. According to my husband (the Portuguese speaker), the nickname for [name]Beatriz[/name] in Portuguese would be Bia ([name]BEE[/name] ah). [name]Even[/name] though I have always been anti-nicknames, I like it. I like it more than the nickname for [name]Beatrice[/name] in English, which would simply be [name]Bee[/name].

I think I suffered too many years trying to move my name from [name]Debbie[/name] to [name]Debra[/name]. It was an EFFORT, but as an adult I am finally called [name]Debra[/name]:slight_smile:

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What did you end up going with?
This is late, but I would have suggested [name_f]Mia[/name_f] [name_f]Beatriz[/name_f] ([name_f]Mia[/name_f] being a more modern version of [name_f]Maria[/name_f]) or [name_f]Beatriz[/name_f] [name_f]Flor[/name_f] ([name_f]Flor[/name_f] on its own is becoming popular in Portugal).