I posted months ago about this and got some wonderful feedback…
Here’s a bit of a recap - I am of English and Portuguese origin. My hubby is English, [name_m]German[/name_m] and American [name_f]Indian[/name_f]. I would like a name that will be accessible to both sides of my heritage as well as his.
The name that stood out to me most was [name_f]Nina[/name_f] [name_f]Anneliese[/name_f]. [name_f]Nina[/name_f] obviously honoring my side and [name_f]Anneliese[/name_f] honoring hubby’s [name_m]German[/name_m] side. Also I like that it somewhat honors my mother’s name, [name_f]Anabela[/name_f].
Seems like the perfect combo, right? Well welcome to my indecisiveness lol. It is still a top contender, however I’d like some other suggestions. [name_f]Ines[/name_f]/[name_f]Inez[/name_f] was on my list, however hubby doesn’t like it so unfortunately it’s off the list. I also considered using [name_f]Anna[/name_f] or [name_f]Marie[/name_f] in the middle spot to honor my mother/grandmother.
Please include both Portuguese and [name_m]German[/name_m] names. Nothing too old lady like please and would like it to be easy to pronounce, especially on my side as I have a lot of family that only speaks Portuguese.
Thanks a lot for all your responses. Look forward to them
I do really like [name_f]Nina[/name_f] [name_f]Anneliese[/name_f]. But if you are still looking for ideas, here are some suggestions. I have no idea what is an “old lady” name in Portuguese or [name_m]German[/name_m]; I just used behindthename.com to generate this names.
Portuguese / [name_m]German[/name_m] (At least they are spelled the same in both cultures)
[name_f]Adelina[/name_f]
[name_f]Amalia[/name_f]
[name_f]Clara[/name_f]
[name_f]Claudia[/name_f]
[name_f]Daniela[/name_f]
[name_f]Elisa[/name_f]
[name_f]Eva[/name_f]
[name_f]Gabriela[/name_f]
[name_f]Gloria[/name_f]
[name_f]Helena[/name_f]
[name_f]Ida[/name_f]
[name_f]Irene[/name_f]
[name_f]Isabel[/name_f]
[name_f]Juliana[/name_f]
[name_f]Lara[/name_f] / [name_f]Laura[/name_f]
[name_f]Lena[/name_f]
[name_f]Luzia[/name_f]
[name_f]Magda[/name_f]
[name_f]Manuela[/name_f]
[name_f]Marina[/name_f]
[name_f]Martina[/name_f]
[name_f]Paula[/name_f]
[name_f]Renata[/name_f]
[name_f]Silvia[/name_f]
[name_f]Teresa[/name_f]
[name_m]German[/name_m]
[name_f]Adela[/name_f]
Aleida
[name_f]Alina[/name_f]
[name_f]Amalia[/name_f]
[name_f]Anika[/name_f]
[name_f]Anina[/name_f] nn [name_f]Nina[/name_f] * This is probably my #1 alternative to [name_f]Nina[/name_f], as it gets [name_f]Ann[/name_f] in there too.
[name_f]Carina[/name_f] / [name_f]Karina[/name_f]
[name_f]Christiane[/name_f] / [name_f]Kristiane[/name_f]
[name_f]Franziska[/name_f] / [name_f]Ziska[/name_f]
[name_f]Gisela[/name_f]
[name_f]Ilsa[/name_f]
[name_f]Lea[/name_f]
[name_f]Leona[/name_f] / [name_f]Leonie[/name_f]
[name_f]Leonore[/name_f] / [name_f]Leonie[/name_f]
[name_f]Mariele[/name_f]
[name_f]Petra[/name_f]
[name_f]Raffaela[/name_f]
[name_f]Regina[/name_f]
[name_f]Valeria[/name_f]
[name_f]Verena[/name_f]
I can only help you with the [name_m]German[/name_m] names (live in Germany but know nothing about Portuguese). I am pretty sure the names I have listed have [name_m]German[/name_m] roots but it is possible that some of them are just names that are popular or used here without actual [name_m]German[/name_m] roots.
Again, sorry if some of these don’t have actual [name_m]German[/name_m] roots. I just tried to think of names of people I know and names that I know are [name_m]German[/name_m]. Most of the top girl names in Germany now are very similar to the top names in English speaking countries ([name_f]Olivia[/name_f], [name_f]Sophia[/name_f], [name_f]Emma[/name_f] etc) and there is also a lot of [name_m]French[/name_m] influences.
Well your husband clearly doesn’t get how AWESOME [name_f]Inez[/name_f] is. (My fiancé doesn’t either. Stupid, stupid…)
I think you should be able to find ways to honor your English and his [name_m]German[/name_m] roots with a single name. Many English names have Germanic roots and therefore [name_m]German[/name_m] counterparts that are often incredibly similar. You should also consider if you are interested in names that have traditionally been used in [name_m]German[/name_m] - many of which will be [name_m]French[/name_m], Greek or [name_m]Roman[/name_m] in origin - or if you prefer names with Germanic language roots. (I * the Germanic ones below). Unfortunately Germany doesn’t keep a yearly list (or maybe they do and they don’t publish it) like the US and [name_f]England[/name_f] do. So finding something that is fresh and potentially popular can be a little more difficult.
My family in Germany have been choosing very old fashioned/classic names for their kids names (just FYI: there’s aren’t their names but are in the same style) like [name_f]Katharina[/name_f], Nikolaus, [name_f]Theodora[/name_f], and [name_m]Leopold[/name_m].
Have you considered:
[name_f]Annemarie[/name_f] (ahn-nə-mah-[name_f]REE[/name_f]) - it would honor both your mother and grandmother in one fell swoop. I know it might feel a little lazy as a choice but it’s a very legit name - I grew up going to school with one and to church with another. So not just an old lady name. (PS: I’m in my late 20s). [name_f]Beata[/name_f] (be-[name_m]AH[/name_m]-tah) [name_f]Elke[/name_f] ([name_f]EL[/name_f]-kə) [name_f]Elsa[/name_f] ([name_f]EL[/name_f]-sah) - short forms of [name_f]Elisabeth[/name_f] (There is also [name_f]Else[/name_f] which I personally would avoid as it’s the name of the little girl who is abducted and murdered at the beginning of the iconic film M. If you haven’t seen it you absolutely must but it has made this variant an non-option for me). [name_f]Felicitas[/name_f] (e-[name_u]LEE[/name_u]-tsee-tahs)
[u][name_f]Hannah[/name_f] /u - could also honor both. Sort of. Biblical like [name_f]Maria[/name_f] and [name_f]Anna[/name_f] right in the middle. Plus one of my favorite things it that it usually translates well to most languages and it’s a Palindrome. (dork-glee). [name_f]Hannelore[/name_f] (HAH-ne-lo-rə) [name_f]Hedwig[/name_f](HED-vikh)/ Heilwig (HIEL-vig) [name_f]Hilda[/name_f]* ([name_m]HIL[/name_m]-dah) [name_u]Inge[/name_u]* (ING-gə) [name_f]Janina[/name_f] (yah-NEE-nah) [name_f]Katja[/name_f] (KAHT-yah) /[name_f]Katherina[/name_f] (kah-te-[name_f]REE[/name_f]-nah)/[name_f]Katinka[/name_f] (kah-TING-kah) [name_f]Leona[/name_f] ([name_m]LE[/name_m]-o-nah) [name_f]Marianne[/name_f] (mah-ree-[name_m]AH[/name_m]-nə) - see [name_f]Annemarie[/name_f] [name_f]Marlene[/name_f] (mahr-[name_m]LE[/name_m]-nə)- Could be a cool way to honor a [name_f]Maria[/name_f]
[name_m]Both[/name_m] used Portuguese and [name_m]German[/name_m]:
[name_f]Clara[/name_f], [name_f]Elisa[/name_f], [name_f]Gloria[/name_f], [name_f]Helena[/name_f], [name_f]Ida[/name_f] (I know one who is 2), [name_f]Zita[/name_f], [name_f]Alexandra[/name_f], [name_u]Andrea[/name_u], [name_f]Antonia[/name_f]
@lexiem
we don’t have an official list but here is one that is pretty accurate (the owner of the site puts a lot of hours and hard work into creating one).
I don’t think I have many names to add, maybe Frida / Frieda and Mathilda.
I really like teacherma’s suggestions, she listed some fantastic choices.
My favourites being Amalia, Leonor & Ida (ee-da).
It really depends on what you want I suppose.
For example: Anneliese, Amalia and Leonore are vintage german names that are still being used here while you most likely won’t meet any baby Ute’s, Angelika’s or Brigitte’s, however these might be easier to recognize as german.
I think behindthename has some great lists for german and portuguese names, too. It’s worth checking out (if you haven’t already).
I’m Portuguese and I advise you against [name_f]Nina[/name_f]. It’s not that common as a given name here, and in fact “nina” is usually a term of endearment for girls (as short for “menina”, girl).
[name_f]Ines[/name_f] would be pretty — it’s a super popular name for young women in Portugal. [name_f]Inez[/name_f] is a misspelling, though, I would advise against it.
The Portuguese-[name_m]German[/name_m] girls I know are called [name_f]Eva[/name_f], [name_f]Jessica[/name_f], [name_f]Laura[/name_f], and [name_f]Rebeca[/name_f].
Some popular, fashionable, and international popular names:
Benedita
[name_f]Carolina[/name_f]
[name_f]Catarina[/name_f]
[name_f]Clara[/name_f]
[name_f]Ema[/name_f]
[name_f]Filipa[/name_f]
[name_f]Gabriela[/name_f]
[name_f]Helena[/name_f]
[name_f]Luisa[/name_f]
[name_f]Leonor[/name_f]
[name_f]Marina[/name_f]
[name_f]Mariana[/name_f]
[name_f]Matilde[/name_f]
[name_f]Olivia[/name_f]
[name_f]Sofia[/name_f]
[name_f]Sara[/name_f]
@opheliaflora: Thank you for the link. I am familiar with it. I just wish there was a national list as well instead of one that looks at about 25% of the births each year. (Though most definitely - an awesome achievement for the author.)
[name_m]Hi[/name_m] there! I’m brazilian and I happen to speak a little german, so I think I’ll be able to help you with this! =)
[name_f]Nina[/name_f] is actually a very on-trend name here in [name_u]Brazil[/name_u], and I love how it is simple, yet distinct and international. Some names I think work well in english, portuguese AND german:
[name_f]Clara[/name_f]
[name_f]Flora[/name_f]
[name_f]Julia[/name_f]
[name_f]Amelia[/name_f]
[name_f]Amalia[/name_f]
[name_f]Alice[/name_f]
[name_f]Laura[/name_f]
[name_f]Helena[/name_f]
[name_f]Ana[/name_f]/[name_f]Anna[/name_f]
[name_f]Carolina[/name_f]
[name_f]Louisa[/name_f]/[name_f]Luisa[/name_f]
[name_f]Antonia[/name_f]
[name_f]Augusta[/name_f]
[name_f]Lara[/name_f]
[name_f]Aurora[/name_f]
[name_f]Bella[/name_f]/[name_f]Isabella[/name_f] (a way to honor your mother, [name_f]Anabela[/name_f]?)
[name_f]Betina[/name_f]
[name_f]Cleo[/name_f]
[name_f]Stella[/name_f]
[name_f]Esther[/name_f]
[name_f]Eugenia[/name_f]
[name_f]Eva[/name_f]
[name_f]Lilian[/name_f]
[name_f]Lucia[/name_f]
[name_f]Livia[/name_f]
[name_f]Miriam[/name_f]
[name_f]Michaela[/name_f]
[name_f]Sara[/name_f]
[name_f]Theodora[/name_f]
[name_f]Victoria[/name_f]
[name_f]Marina[/name_f]
[name_f]Agnes[/name_f]
[name_f]Emma[/name_f] (in Portugal it’s spelled [name_f]Ema[/name_f], but it’s the same)
[name_f]Celina[/name_f]
[name_f]Cecilia[/name_f]
[name_f]Catarina[/name_f]
[name_f]Emilia[/name_f]
[name_f]Sofia[/name_f]
I don’t know if these names are popular in [name_m]German[/name_m], though. What I know is there is no big pronunciation issues in English, [name_m]German[/name_m] and Portuguese.
Please, feel free to PM me if you need any more names!
Best of luck!
