How to Choose a Bilingual Baby Name for Your Multicultural Family
There are seven important things to consider when choosing a bilingual name for your child. Do you know them? They can help you know how to choose a bilingual baby name for your multicultural family and make the process so much easier.
“What’s his name?” It’s one of the first questions to greet a newborn. After months and months of expectant waiting, parents finally get to share the carefully chosen Jack or Sofia or Alexander.
And the sound of it is like music.
But maybe the process of getting to that name was more like a tornado.
The Unique Challenges of Choosing a Baby Name in Two Languages
Choosing a name for your child is an amazing experience. It can be one of the most exciting parts of preparing for your baby…and it can also one of the most headache-inducing, especially if there are two or more languages muddling up the decision.
If you find yourself in this predicament, caught between two languages and finding that all the names you used to like don’t fit with your spouse’s language, then I understand. Believe me.
Whether it’s because the name is “too old-fashioned” or is already in the family or has an odd nickname attached to it, there might be multiple reasons why your spouse objects to your favorite name choice.
When I brought the name Judah Alexander that I had written on my “list of baby names” when I was in my teens to my husband, he flat-out rejected it. Why? Because it just didn’t sound good in Portuguese. I was shocked. After all, I felt that it had a strong ring to it. (Am I right?)
With our second son on the way and due to arrive any day as I write this, we have been through the rigmarole of name selection twice now…but it has sometimes felt like hundreds of times. The conversations have needed frequent rehashing. Thankfully, however, we have ended up agreeing strongly on the names when we have finally reached a decision.
We found a few principles helpful along the way, and I want to share those with you.
In this post, we will discuss some important things to consider when you are choosing a bilingual baby name. Consider it your “how-to” guide for choosing a bilingual name for your multicultural family (or not-so-multicultural family).
7 Important Factors to Consider When Choosing a Bilingual Baby Name
1. Pronunciation of Bilingual names
Is the name difficult to pronounce in any of your family’s languages? Are some of the phonetic sounds nearly impossible for non-native speakers to make? While unique names hold charm, make sure that you are totally sold on a really difficult name before choosing it.
2. Spelling
The way you choose to spell the name could have a great effect on how easy it is for people to pronounce.
For example, the name Sophia could be spelled either as “Sofia” or “Sophia” in Portuguese and English, respectively. For non-English speakers, the “ph” might be a bit confusing and might lead to mispronunciation, so choosing to spell it with an “f” instead could help.
While the spelling is finally your decision, not others’ choice, do take into account the potential future issues your child might experience with a unique name spelling.
3. Connotation(s)
Sometimes the sounds within a word (or the word itself) can be totally fine and beautiful in one language but then awful in another.
My middle name, for example, is Beth. In English, it’s pretty and sweet. Pronounced in Portuguese, it is uncomfortably similar to an English cuss word. To solve the issue, I simply choose never to give anyone my full name in Brazil.
So how to choose a bilingual name that avoids dreadful associations? Think about the cultural and linguistic implications of any name that you choose for your child. Is the name already associated with a famous personage? Is it historically tied with a tyrant?
Sad as it might be to skip a name because of how it sounds or has been used, you do want to be careful not to unwittingly give your child an association that he or she will have to play down for an entire lifetime.
4. Implied Age/Era
While old-fashioned names are on the rise in popularity in the USA, not all countries embrace reviving these names. My husband has told me–not a few times–that a name shouldn’t be on our list because it is way too old.
Think about the age group in which the name was originally (or most recently) popular. If both you and your spouse are comfortable naming your child after grandpa’s generation, then go for it.
5. Naming Traditions
Names not only vary pronunciation and meaning according to language, but the way that names are chosen and formed can be vastly different, as well.
I always admired my South Korean college friends and the significance tied to their names. They were often named, they told me, by their grandmother or grandfather.
Discuss as a couple how names are usually chosen in each of your cultures: Is the name a matter independent of family, or is it really important for others to give input? Do people usually include a family member’s name in the child’s name? Are there some family names that are passed from generation to generation (for example, John III)?
(P.S. Did you know that the famous Pablo Picasso had an incredibly long name? For a fun rundown of extra-long names in recent history, check out https://www.historyrundown.com/top-5-people-with-the-longest-names)
6. Number of Names in a multicultural family
In some countries, parents do not give middle names to their children. In others, it is customary to include the mother’s maiden name in the child’s name.
Choose as a couple how many names you will give your child. Will you include a middle name? A middle name and a maiden name? Two middle names?
As you choose the number of names, also consider government paperwork. If you choose to give your child three middle names each ten letters long, for example, it might be difficult (although not impossible) for him or her to fill out documents in the future.
7. Nicknames
“How to Choose a Bilingual Name for Your Multicultural Family” would be dreadfully incomplete without mentioning this point. Nicknames are extremely culturally based. Some cultures have them in abundance, while others would not even dream of them.
As a parent, it is important to note that nicknames can follow a child all throughout his life and be dreadful or cute or anything in-between.
In Brazil, practically everyone has a nickname. It’s just one way that people show affection. If a name doesn’t naturally lead to a nickname, people can create one based on physical features (sometimes leading to somewhat offensive nicknames) or character traits.
Do you like the nicknames associated with your name choice in both languages? If a nickname is important to you, does your child’s name have an easy nickname in both languages?
If you want to avoid some nicknames, go ahead and give your child a nickname that you do like as early as possible.
8. Sharing Your Child’s Name
How to choose a bilingual name for your baby is the major part of the process. But the timing of sharing a baby’s name can be either a non-matter or a big deal, too.
In Brazil, almost as soon as a mom finds out she is pregnant, everyone knows the due date and name of the baby. (Blood tests for gender are common.) In my part of the USA, couples typically wait until 3 months to make an announcement and typically do not tell the baby’s name until after the birth. Could two ways of handling baby naming be more different?
Discuss this topic as a couple and be willing to make accommodations for each other’s preferences. My husband and I decided to follow the Brazilian way with our first baby and then agreed to go the American route with the second. The key was talking through what we each valued and wanted.
Final Thoughts
Congratulations! Parabéns! I’m so happy for you. It’s a wonderful journey you’re beginning with your child.
This “How to Choose a Bilingual Name for Your Multicultural Family” guide hopefully encourages you that selecting a bilingual name can be complicated but it doesn’t have to be frustrating.
I hope you and your spouse enjoy this step in preparing for the arrival of your baby.
All the best,
Sarah
How did your parents decide on your name? Share your naming story or thoughts about choosing a baby name in the comments below.
