What do you think of the name Sahana? And what cultural or ethnic background does it bring to mind for you, if any? [name]Des[/name] it seem classy or tacky? You could also compare to Sohana or Suhana. Thanks in advance!
It looks made up to me, so I don’t associate it with any cultural background. Any made up name seems tacky to me.
Thanks for your reply. It is not a made up name but it is interesting that it looks that way.
Okay I just re-read my post and I can see how it may seem that I made up this name, but I promise you I did not! It is not an anglo name so it may be unfamiliar to many. Sahana is the most common of the 3 as far as I know, but I have also seen Sohana and Suhana. If it still seems made up despite my post then please by all means let me know! I appreciate the feedback and would love more opinions. Thank you!
To me, it looks like a misspelling of [name]Sahara[/name]
I had looked for it on several baby name sites and I couldn’t find it. Finally found it on babynamewizard.com… I think that when you use an ethnic name that is so uncommon English speaking countries, there are bound to be people who think it looks made up. I’m half Lithuanian, and there are a few Lithuanian names I love that I know look like made up names… Meile, [name]Niele[/name], Vaiva, [name]Daina[/name]. It has made me question how useable they are. It seems a shame to discount a name for that reason, and there’s no easy answer. Personally, if I did use one of those names, I’d feel I’d have to explain the name everytime I told it to someone.
I kind of like it…it does remind me of sahara but I like still… I like it spelled Sahana…
Mielle is a real name…it also means honey in french… like a cafe miel…
Yeah, welcome to my world! I have an ethnic name and get questions about it all the time. The names are not as user friendly, if you will, because most people are not that familiar with them. But I would love to give my kids names that preserve and pass on their heritage. I guess I am used to hearing different names because my social circles and my work communities have always been very multicultural. A lot of the popular naming sites are mostly focused on Anglo names, this is why you didnt see the name on them. Hopefully in the future names from other backgrounds will become more familiar or at least more accepted as usable by a wider range of people. I think this site has done a great job of including many of the common ethnic names, at least of my background, since this is what I know best. Of course it woud be too difficult to include all names from all ethnicities! That is when you need to look at websites for that particular background.
Does that mean you would probably pronounce it like [name]Sahara[/name], but with an n? [name]Just[/name] curious. The actual pronunciation would rhyme with [name]Madonna[/name].
I think its pretty. I initially would have said Sa-ha-nah but I like how you are pronouncing it better. I’m guessing it’s [name]Indian[/name], am I right?
As far as ethnic names go, I think it’s a fairly accessible one for [name]North[/name] Americans. It’s easy to spell and pronounce, all the sounds are present in English (unlike say, some Dutch or Welsh names that use sounds English just doesn’t have) and it’s obviously feminine. I think it’s definitely usable, and it’s lovely to give your child a name that connects to their heritage.
Exactly what I was thinking.
Hmm… When I see an unfamiliar name I always think it must be from another culture or ethnic background and I am just not familiar with it. It is so interesting to me that other people might see an unfamiliar name and think it must be made up! This was not even an issue I was concerned about before. I was mainly thinking that if I choose an ethnic name I would want it to be relatively easy to pronounce and spell.
Because so many people make up names and use kr8tive spellings
At first glance people will see [name]Sahara[/name] and think the n is a typo. Suhana or Sohana look like ethnic names
Honestly, I’d guess that it was Japanese. And in fact, there is a Sahana Software Foundation that’s Japanese. Also, Sahana is a character in a manga from what I found on Google. Sundome - Wikipedia
I thought the same thing
If anything, I’d maybe think of “sauna” when I read this name, but I may be just the wacko of the bunch for having this association.
I assumed a Middle [name]East[/name] or South [name]Asia[/name] origin. Appears to actually be [name]Indian[/name].
I’ve learned that if I see a name that looks vaguely like names I know but not English, it’s usually not made up. Actually, even when people make up names, I often find that they are established in some other language.
I’d say it was an Arabic or Sanskrit name. I don’t think it would sit well on a white,western child. But if it’s to a nod to your own cultural/ethnic heritage I think it would work.
My immediate reaction was to pronounced to like Sahara with an N but I have since seen your explanation re how to pronounce it. I think it’s definitely usable,and it’s pronounciation wouldn’t baffle too many people.
It does look like a mis-spelling of [name]Sahara[/name]! It also sounds like the popular [name]Hannah[/name], I actually rather Sahana because I don’t really like [name]Hannah[/name] for popularity reasons and some other reasons…
It did make me think of [name]Sahara[/name] but I assumed it was a name from a language I’m not familiar with.
I don’t get all the fuss about the ‘made-up’ names anyway. All names were made up at some point. I’m more concerned with whether a name is ugly or not.
I think Sahana is quite pretty.