Having a baby brings such excitement and joy but with it also comes the dilemma of choosing a name. It's such a big, important decision and cannot be taken lightly. At almost 30 weeks pregnant, I am in the middle of this challenging, decision-making process myself. It would be easy if it was just my decision to make, but it isn't. Obviously my husband will be joint decision-maker and this is where the challenge of being part of a multicultural family can really materialise.
Growing up in England, I always had some names I liked stored in the back of my mind ready for when the time came for me to start a family. Then, I converted to Islam and married a Kurdish man and suddenly I realised my name choices had to change. And they changed in a big way. My main criterion was that the name should be an Islamic name with a good meaning. My husband wanted to Turkish or Kurdish name and this fit in well with my requirement of an Islamic name as many Turkish and Kurdish names have Islamic origins.
So, we had established this but then more challenges arose. Should we chose a name that is similar in Turkish/Kurdish and English? Would a foreign name prove difficult for people to pronounce? Would it sound odd? How should we spell the name? You see, there are some letters which are pronounced differently in Turkish and English, 'c' for example is pronounced as 'j' in Turkish. Should we use the English spelling or the Turkish or the Kurdish spelling? So many things to think about!
I know many people worry about choosing a name that is foreign to the place where they live. They want to choose an English-sounding name. But, I can honestly speak from experience of this as my name has an unusual spelling (it's Polish and the 'w' is pronounced as a 'v'), I really haven't found it a problem. Yes people may say my name wrong the first time they see it written down, but I tell them how it's pronounced and then it's fine after that. It's not an issue at all. I really wonder why some parents worry about this so much, but I guess it is a parent's job to worry, isn't it?
Another difficulty is the challenge of trying to keep both sets of parents happy. If you give your child a name that is not familiar to your parents, this can sometimes cause issues. I have had the issue of family members Englishifying my children's names. They normally stop after a while, as they get used to the name. However, if they do not, you may like to give them a gentle reminder that that is not actually your child's name! One thing I would recommend though, is to pick a name that both sets of parents and families can actually pronounce!
I do think people in multicultural families should worry less about others people's opinions when choosing a name for their child. As long as you like the name and it's not offensive in either culture then it isn't a problem. That is my opinion anyway.
What kind of challenges have you faced when choosing a name for your baby?
So, we had established this but then more challenges arose. Should we chose a name that is similar in Turkish/Kurdish and English? Would a foreign name prove difficult for people to pronounce? Would it sound odd? How should we spell the name? You see, there are some letters which are pronounced differently in Turkish and English, 'c' for example is pronounced as 'j' in Turkish. Should we use the English spelling or the Turkish or the Kurdish spelling? So many things to think about!
I know many people worry about choosing a name that is foreign to the place where they live. They want to choose an English-sounding name. But, I can honestly speak from experience of this as my name has an unusual spelling (it's Polish and the 'w' is pronounced as a 'v'), I really haven't found it a problem. Yes people may say my name wrong the first time they see it written down, but I tell them how it's pronounced and then it's fine after that. It's not an issue at all. I really wonder why some parents worry about this so much, but I guess it is a parent's job to worry, isn't it?
Another difficulty is the challenge of trying to keep both sets of parents happy. If you give your child a name that is not familiar to your parents, this can sometimes cause issues. I have had the issue of family members Englishifying my children's names. They normally stop after a while, as they get used to the name. However, if they do not, you may like to give them a gentle reminder that that is not actually your child's name! One thing I would recommend though, is to pick a name that both sets of parents and families can actually pronounce!
I do think people in multicultural families should worry less about others people's opinions when choosing a name for their child. As long as you like the name and it's not offensive in either culture then it isn't a problem. That is my opinion anyway.
What kind of challenges have you faced when choosing a name for your baby?