[name]Say[/name] it a few times, and think of the sounds involved–pretty, right?
Backstory: my husband and I are both teachers of English language and literature. I’m not actually at the point of proposing it as a name for our daughter (yet!) but I just wonder what you Berries would think of a girl named English?
What would she look like? What would she enjoy doing for a hobby? Is she artistic, sensible, clumsy, adorable?
[name]How[/name] would you describe a little English.
I don’t think I’d go there. English is just as strange as naming a child Spanish or French.
Honestly, I think it’s silly. You wouldn’t name a kid Spanish, Chinese, Latin, etc., so why would you name a child English? And naming your child after your profession just comes off as really cheesy to me. My husband works with computers but we’re not going to name our kid [name]Java[/name].
I would imagine a girl who doesn’t live in an English speaking country and comes from a culture that names creatively & uses appealing words like that. In those terms, on that girl I think it is sweet sounding.
Aside from that I think it’s strange.
I generally don’t like names like [name]China[/name] or [name]Ireland[/name] and I think they only work when you’re a bit removed from the country/state/culture/language therefore making it “exotic”.
So as for an English English or an English speaking English I am not into it.
Sorry, but I think its ridiculous.
I would be unimpressed if my parents named me English.
Can I suggest the name [name]England[/name] instead? Or maybe [name]London[/name]? I think they lend to being better names, while still honoring your professions.
Other names honoring your profession
FEMALE
[name]Story[/name] (maybe as a nn for [name]Astoria[/name])
[name]Novella[/name] nn [name]Nova[/name]
Poesie
[name]Fable[/name]
[name]MALE[/name]
[name]Booker[/name] nn [name]Bo[/name]
[name]Britton[/name]
xo [name]Viv[/name]
Ok, didn’t mean to offend anyone. It was more of a thought exercise. Didn’t mean to get called cheesy, low-class or ridiculous, either. A little courtesy goes a long way.
Since you mentioned that you like the combination of sounds, what about something with a similar sound like [name]Inga[/name] [name]Lucia[/name]? Or any variation on those sounds. [name]Ingrid[/name] [name]Alicia[/name]? I don’t know. But I thought since you particularly mentioned that the sound of the word was appealing to you that maybe by taking those sounds and finding names that fit them you could come up with a more usable alternative. I’m not a fan of English as a name, but there are certainly many worse options out there. I would imagine her to be dark haired, quiet, studious and crafty. Probably musical, too. 
[name]Hope[/name] that helps.
To be honest, without thinking about the fact it’s a common word, I like it. The sounds are nice, the meaning is nice. It is VERY risky, I’d say. However, if you both love your jobs and know you’ll love them (and stay with them) for a very long time (or if you just love languages!) it’s a cool name.
Think about it - similar to the revival of girls names that end in consonants, starts with the Ing- sound. You could use it as a middle name.
And for all those people saying that ‘you wouldn’t name a child Chinese or French or something silly like that’ - how do you think names like [name]Indigo[/name] evolved? Hmm? Maybe in the early 20th century a mother proposed to her friends -
“[name]How[/name] does [name]Indigo[/name] sound?”
And they said “That’s ridiculous. Would you name a child [name]Orange[/name]? [name]Red[/name]? Yellow?”
Yet she named her kid [name]Indigo[/name] anyway, and now look - it is a modern, okay name. Names are always created - through literature, typos, thoughts… and if it especially has meaning to you, I say why not?
^ I don’t think the words ‘[name]Indigo[/name]’ and ‘English’ are remotely comparable, sorry. [name]How[/name] often is the word indigo used in daily life, compared to the word English?
I think English is totally unuseable as a name (regardless of your job - I was an English teacher for years, but I wouldn’t consider it). I guess you could look at the other sounds in the word that might suggest actual names. Like:
[name]Ingrid[/name]
[name]Eilis[/name]
[name]Ines[/name]
…not sure what else, though…
I like an above-poster’s suggestion of names like [name]Poet[/name] or [name]Story[/name], or names of your favorite literary characters ([name]Eppie[/name] from [name]Silas[/name] Marner) or authors (like [name]Barrett[/name]?). I understand your liking the sound of the word English. The -lish sound is very fluid and fun to say. The only actual names I can think of with that sound would be:
[name]Alicia[/name]
Alaisha
[name]Felicia[/name]/[name]Phylicia[/name]
I think your child will be teased.
Plus, it just seems ridiculous to name your child after a language. What will her sibset be? Icelandic, Swedish, and [name]German[/name]? Lmao
I don’t think that it would be an easy name for your daughter to wear as a first name, but if you’re really attached to it and it’s really meaningful to you it could be cute as a middle name!
Umm, introducing themselves would be kind of like the [name]Monty[/name] Python comedy sketch - “[name]Hi[/name], I’m English”, “Well yes, but what is your name?”.
I prefer the suggestion of [name]England[/name], or maybe a town in [name]England[/name], or your favourite book/author.
My sister has a neighbor lady named English, and I had an uncle named English. I think it is interesting, but better for a boy.
Honestly, i think it’s pretty stupid and way too much of a common noun.
You’re an English lit teacher? You’ve got a huge wealth of interesting names that relate to your profession to choose from, which would actually be a lot more meaningful than the bald, un-namelike English. [name]Don[/name]'t you and your DH have favorite authors, characters, titles?
I know a coworker who wanted to name his child Latin (they didn’t in the end). I thought at the time that was pretty awful. And English lacks any exotic factor Latin might have had.
Honestly I despise a lot of word names like [name]Violet[/name], [name]Indigo[/name], [name]Clover[/name], etc… because there are plenty of names out there to choose from. English just is ridiculous because so many people speak it. I think a child with English as a name would get so confused when she has to take English class and everyone is talking about English. She wouldn’t know when she is being talked to!
Also, I think there is a big difference between naming your kid a color and naming your kid a language that is spoken by a lot of people! So I don’t think [name]Indigo[/name] is a good comparison, especially since it’s also a lesser known color compared to red, yellow, etc. English is a very well known language.
Take [name]Blue[/name], then - if [name]Indigo[/name] is too rare, take blue. A primary color. [name]Blue[/name] is a name - not as accepted as [name]Indigo[/name], but nevertheless a name. A lot of people say blue, almost as much as English (or more!). They are both words that sound (if you ignore the meaning for a sec) like names. Appealing combinations of letters.
My point - all names have to be created, right? There has to be that one brave, unique person who takes a step forward and uses that name. Then, next thing you know, it’s catching on.
Names like [name]Blue[/name], [name]Indigo[/name], [name]Violet[/name], [name]Hazel[/name], [name]Ruby[/name], [name]Pearl[/name], [name]Juniper[/name], [name]Sage[/name], [name]June[/name], [name]April[/name]… where do you think they started? And soon - who knows? - maybe [name]Sapphire[/name], February and [name]Cayenne[/name] will follow suit.
Word names have been created by people.
Yes, it IS a pretty word. I do this sometimes- suddenly think of how pretty a word is, and what a great name it would make. For example, I love the sounds of the word “clarity” which is one of the reasons I love the name [name]Clara[/name]. However, like that, while English does sound pretty as you say it, it’d be a bit much for a name. Like [name]Clarity[/name]/[name]Clara[/name], you could try to come up with something that has similar sounds ([name]Ingrid[/name], sort of).