I am of English and Portuguese origin. My hubby is English, [name]German[/name] and American [name]Indian[/name]. I would like a name that will be accessible to both sides of my heritage as well as his. I’m finding this to be a daunting task and would love some outside feedback. This is what I’ve come up with so far…
[name]Anna[/name]-The Portuguese pronunciation is UH-[name]NUH[/name] which I prefer. It’s much softer and feminine [name]IMO[/name]. Also it honors my mother whose name is [name]Anabela[/name]. I like that it is recognizable in most languages including [name]German[/name], however I’m not sure about using it as a first name. It seems a bit plain. I think I might prefer it, or a name variant as a middle name. I like [name]Anneliese[/name], which is a very old-fashioned [name]German[/name] name. Thoughts?
[name]Nina[/name]-So very sweet, simple and old fashioned. Having trouble finding a [name]German[/name] name that flows well with it. I think a 2-3 syllable name would sound best since [name]Nina[/name] is already so short. What are some of your suggestions?
[name]Ines[/name]-[name]Adore[/name] this name! Portuguese pronunciation is EEN-EHZH. I don’t mind the English pronunciation I-NEZ. Not sure which pronunciation I’d use though. Would it be more appropriate to use the English pronunciation since I live in the U.S? Or does it not make a difference? Also, having trouble finding a [name]German[/name] name that flows well with it, just like [name]Nina[/name].
[name]Catarina[/name]/[name]Catharina[/name]/[name]Katarina[/name]-[name]Catharina[/name] is the [name]German[/name] spelling which honestly I’m not very fond of. Hubby really likes this one. He actually prefers the spelling [name]Katarina[/name] which I’m also not very fond of. I prefer [name]Catarina[/name]. Which is your favorite?
[name]Bianca[/name]-I really like the idea of using the nn Bia. It’s so sweet. Have no idea what I would pair this with.
[name]Maria[/name]-[name]Every[/name] Portuguese woman has this name it seems lol. I would never use it as a first name but since it is my great-grandmothers name, I thought about maybe using it as a middle.
Ok this is what I have so far. Obviously I still have some tweeking to do lol. Would love to hear some of your suggestions. Thank you
I also agree with the above post that said [name]Nina[/name] [name]Anneliese[/name]. It is an elegant and beautiful name. I am biased though, since I’ve named my own child [name]Nina[/name] : ) I also like [name]Ines[/name] [name]Maria[/name]. I am not a fan of [name]Katarina[/name].
I agree with @desdumoulins, [name]Nina[/name] [name]Anneliese[/name] is stunning. My mother is completely Portuguese and my Dad is mostly French, so I can understand having to bridge the language barriers, lol. But I think [name]Nina[/name] [name]Anneliese[/name] is a great combination.
Keep in mind that “Inês” may look simple but sounds quite difficult to non-Portuguese ears when spoken out loud. And [name]Bianca[/name] is a little trashy in Portugal (most foreign-sounding names are, I’m afraid). The Portuguese-[name]German[/name] kids I know are called [name]Maria[/name], [name]Jano[/name], and [name]Eva[/name]. My advice is to something simple, classic and international.
Oh I love [name]Anna[/name] and [name]Inez[/name] (uh-nez not i-nez -
but if it comes down to it and you like both it doesn’t matter my name sounds very different in English and [name]German[/name]).
If you think [name]Anna[/name] is too plain how about something very similar to it like [name]Hannah[/name], [name]Johanna[/name] etc?
[name]Inez[/name] however wins to me. I just love this and would consider it for as it works for our [name]German[/name]/American/Spanish/Argentine house hold.
[name]Inez[/name] [name]Annabel[/name]
[name]Inez[/name] [name]Leonora[/name]
[name]Inez[/name] [name]Hannelore[/name]
[name]Inez[/name] [name]Marianna[/name]
I don’t think [name]Bianca[/name] is considered trashy in Portugal. [name]Astrid[/name] is amazing, but hard to pronounce in Portugal (and is another example of a non-trashy foreign name).
I haven’t noticed [name]Matilde[/name]/[name]Matilda[/name]. It would be perfect: international, not overused in the USA but completely normal in Portugal (in fact, [name]Matilde[/name] is the second most popular name in Portugal right now) and, according to Nameberry, it has [name]German[/name] roots!
[name_f]Ana[/name_f] [name_f]Catarina[/name_f] is a good combo and has two of the names you like.
[name_f]Analisa[/name_f] would be cute too.
Another name that is popular in Portugal and an actual [name_m]German[/name_m] name would be [name_f]Amelia[/name_f]. Super pretty.
I love the idea of [name_f]Ines[/name_f] [name_f]Catarina[/name_f], especially [name_f]Ines[/name_f]! I think it’s so sweet. [name_f]Ines[/name_f] [name_f]Anneliese[/name_f] is also very pretty.
I’m in the US, and if I saw [name_f]Ines[/name_f] I would pronounce it ee-NEZ. I do know a little Portuguese, but it wouldn’t be my first instinct to put the “zh” at the end. If that’s a problem for you, or you are very particular about how people pronounce it, then I’d put it in the middle. However, I think it’s great as a first name.
[name_f]Anneliese[/name_f] [name_f]Ines[/name_f] would be my second favorite combination.
