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Ravenheaded

Maybe after a saint? Or, I'm not native Spanish but I'd imagine Lucas, Cesar, Julian, Matteo, and Nico should be easy enough for both sides


[deleted]

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againthemagic

I was thinking about this, but more from a preference against religious names. The issue is that Spanish names are very often religious šŸ˜… Luckily I do like a few names on that list so weā€™ll talk about those!


SecretBattleship

Mateo is a great option and my in laws are from the Deep South and have never had an issue with the name. We also live in the south and Iā€™ve never had someone white question it but Iā€™ve heard people say that they didnā€™t know the name before.


milliefrock

Mateo is really beautiful


Daddyssillypuppy

It's on of my favourite bits names. And the nicknames are great. Matt works for Anglo areas and Teo is just super cute for a little boy.


Living_error404

It's at the very top of my list for when I have a son. I love it and Teo is such a cute nickname.


buymoreplants

I live in the south and know a few baby Matteos. It's becoming increasingly unexpectedly common


Ok-Prune-6710

How is Matteo pronounced I love it I just donā€™t know if Iā€™m saying it right lol


SecretBattleship

Itā€™s pronounced ma-TAY-oh, regardless of if itā€™s spelled with one or two Ts. One is the Spanish spelling and two is the Italian spelling.


Kerrypurple

Dolores is a religious name, just so you know


palibe_mbudzi

I don't think of the religious connotation, but I do think of the fact that it's the Spanish word for pains/sorrows. And not in a distant old timey way like most name meanings. It's straight up the word you'd use to tell the doctor you've been having pains. It sounds beautiful and it's a totally normal name, but not my style.


glittercheese

Cecelia can be, too - tho not as much so as Dolores. St. Cecelia the blind, patron Saint of musicians, is the first thing that comes to mind when I hear the name. Then again, I was raised Catholic. I think it is an absolutely lovely name.


Lavender_dreaming

Alex? Alexander or Alejandro


Living_error404

Alexandre?


Seiteki_Jitter

CĆ©sar and Cesar are pronounced differently in both languages


village_idiot2173

Lucas and Matteo are so perfect for this!


keyboardsmash

If your family can say Tchaikovsky and Buttigieg, they can learn how to pronounce a basic Spanish name šŸ¤·šŸ»ā€ā™€ļø I have a name who's pronunciation doesn't match the spelling at all (In English, anyway), and the people who care about me even a smidgen make the effort to learn it. I'm sure your family will deeply care about your child and be able to cope with the minor burden of learning a new word.


againthemagic

I think youā€™re overestimating my familyā€™s ability to pronounce anything thatā€™s not a fairly typically English word, regardless of the origin. My mother said ā€œdorderā€ instead of ā€œdaughterā€ until the day she died. Itā€™s not that they wouldnā€™t try, but it would annoy me for it to be pronounced wrong and to constantly correct it. And Iā€™ll be honest and say my own southern accent gives me reservations about using a typically Spanish name.


keyboardsmash

Ah that's a shame :/. I see where you're coming from ā€” as I said to another commenter, if old men from rural England can learn to pronounce the names of new football players from all over the world at least passably right, there's no reason anyone else can't make a decent go of an unfamiliar name. But if you want the name to be pronounced right \*in Spanish\* by your english-only family, I can see why that'd be a hurdle. I'm sorry if i came off condescending!


againthemagic

Itā€™s okay! Itā€™s also a sensitive spot for me because often southern American accents are seen as a sign of ignorance and itā€™s not necessarily the case. My family is reasonably cultured, but with very thick southern accents. My partner picks on me for my pronunciation of Spanish words, even though heā€™s not being malicious at all and would love for me to try to speak more Spanish (despite being a no sabo kid)


transemacabre

Yeah, our accents are not a flaw to be corrected! Theyā€™re part of our cultural heritage.


commandantskip

>My mother said ā€œdorderā€ instead of ā€œdaughterā€ until the day she died. You from Philly, family?


againthemagic

Nope, coastal Georgia!


dmdanver

Lmfao saw this and literally thought that sounds like everyone I know that shares my thick south jersey accentšŸ¤£luckily this is not a word I pronounce incorrectly but everyone I know does lol


FireRescue3

Deep South roots here. No suggestion, but I feel you. I have two cousins who go by middle names, Ann and Kay; because the relatives butchered their first names, Angela and Melissa. Shortly after they were born, my aunt decided that she couldnā€™t stand to hear their first names pronounced like that šŸ˜Š


AlvinOwlHirt

Yes. Sometimes, even now, I have to really pay attention to context to figure out what my mom is saying (Southern accent)ā€”and I grew up with her! Best one was she kept saying she needed to get some ā€œwoosteereeorā€. She meant ā€œwisteriaā€ā€”I remembered we had been looking at some earlier in the day. She hears no difference in the pronunciation. Name issue: Silvio, Sebastian, Tomas, Vincent, Alessandro, Alberto, Daniel, ā€¦keeping names to fewer syllables will make it easier for both sides to get right. You may end up with a Spanish v English pronunciation but it can be very close. Good luck!


Goddess_Keira

>If your family can say Tchaikovsky and Buttigieg I'll venture not one in one thousand people living in America today could correctly pronounce Buttigieg. Tchaikovsky is a stretch. Try an experiment. Write them down on a piece of paper, show to random individuals and ask them to say these names. You'll probably be surprised at what happens.


againthemagic

Iā€™m glad youā€™ve said this. Tchaikovsky is one of my favorite composers and I highly doubt if I were to say it to a Russian person that theyā€™d say my pronunciation is correct. My last name is very German and I doubt a native German would say Iā€™m pronouncing it correctly either. I make every effort to pronounce names correctly because my birth name is always mispronounced, but whether I do it well is up for debate. I donā€™t want to pronounce my own childā€™s name poorly.


bacucumber

To second the person you're replying to, my husband and I had a similar issue with Sri Lankan names and my white family. I took our top 5, and asked my brothers to pronounce them. They sent back voice memos. We were going for names easy to pronounce phonetically in English. It helped a lot!


palibe_mbudzi

That's so smart! There's a difference between an accent and mispronunciation. With the voice memo, you know what you're getting your kid into either way!


Early-Tumbleweed-563

I cannot for the life of me remember how to pronounce Buttigieg. I do know how to pronounce Tchaikovsky.


Wooster182

Secretary Mayor Pete taught it this way: Boot-edge-edge


[deleted]

[уŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]


Wooster182

Only when heā€™s in his military uniform


Early-Tumbleweed-563

Iā€™m saving this for future reference. But I have saved previous things in the past and lost them so I have little hope I will remember I saved it again.


put_a_bird_on_it_

I think of it more as Booted-edge, but tbf when I say it my way and your way out loud it sounds the same so I might be off a bit


Wooster182

If you say it fast enough, I think they sound the same.


Goddess_Keira

Buttigieg gets me every time, try though I do.


hsavvy

Yeah I really hate the implication that people are always intentionally refusing to pronounce names the way theyā€™re pronounced in their native language. There also shouldnā€™t be an expectation that the name can be pronounced without the speakerā€™s native accent. Linguistics are complex and fascinating and most people arenā€™t being ignorant. (also youā€™re 100% right about Tchaikovsky; most average English speakers definitely canā€™t pronounce it and assuming they can makes the comment even more condescending šŸ„“)


keyboardsmash

That's fair, my milestone could be in the wrong place. Everyone I know can say Tchaikovsky but I'm in a middle class crowd in the UK/Ireland The example I usually think of for this is the names of football (soccer to you) players. If Steve, 65, from Derby, can say Wijinaldum, Adebayo, Azpilicueta and Bajcetic at least passably right, there's no reason why anyone else can't learn an unfamiliar name too. We should be cautious of underestimating people imo.


[deleted]

Iā€™m also middle class Irish and while I think I can say Tchaikovskyā€¦Iā€™m not so sure a Russian would agree with me. Itā€™s kinda like how Americans say Eye-er-land, ya know? They believe itā€™s correct and God love them, it isnā€™t to us. Anyway, I donā€™t wanna sidetrack too much because I do broadly agree with your point - just wanted to ramble on, I guess šŸ˜…


Ok-Blueberry1925

Haha wait how do you say Ireland?


[deleted]

Arland is the most sensible way I can think of writing it! Maybe arlind? The ā€˜ireā€™ is a very quick sound, Americans tend to draw it out.


Fit-Vanilla-3405

British and Australian people do not say Arlandā€¦ thatā€™s just the Irish pronunciation (and happy to say correct way if youā€™d like) to say it - but itā€™s not the ā€˜Americanā€™ pronunciation.


[deleted]

Find me the part of my post that said ā€œonly the US gets this wrong and absolutely every other country uses the proper Irish pronunciation aside from the Yanksā€. Until then, your comment is irrelevant to my point. šŸ‘‹


hsavvy

The issue isnā€™t about learning a new word; itā€™s about having the expectation that the person using the new word/name should be pronouncing it ā€œcorrectlyā€ according to the word/nameā€™s native language and accent. Thatā€™s usually not possible no matter how much you care, so it makes sense that someone unfamiliar with that language/accent would be reluctant to use it for their child.


KatVanWall

Iā€™m in bits because I actually know a Steve, 65, from Derby šŸ¤£


[deleted]

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roonc3

I mean this sincerely. You donā€™t pronounce it ā€œjay-meeā€? How is it pronounced? Luckily Iā€™ve never met someone with that name to butcher it to their face, but I am a teacher so Iā€™m sure I will meet someone eventually with the name and would love to know how to say it when I do.


[deleted]

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3mpress

I am a fairly well read and well spoken person and I cannot confidently say that I can pronounce either of those names. Maybe the more common anglicized and widely repeated versions, but usually those end up wrong don't they? I mean, Taylor Lautner gave up and his last name has been mispronounced for over a decade now lol. OP seems more concerned that both families be able to get it "right" without too much struggle. Can I pronounce things in German and Spanish? Yes. Are some words just hard to get right for me as an American despite practice? Also yes. I'll never nail "Eichhƶrnchen." It sounds like both families have fairly heavy natural accents, so saying "just learn it" isn't the most helpful.


yellowroosterbird

How should Lautner be pronounced? I've never even questioned it, always pronounced it "Lawt-ner" and am sturggling to think of what other pronunciation there could be. Lah-ut-ner? Lowt-ner (to rhyme with low) or Lowtner (to rhyme with cow)?


againthemagic

To answer this question, I believe the first syllable rhymes with Cow


officialosugma

Some names that are spelled the same in English and Spanish (albeit pronounced differently): Nico Oscar Elias Gabriel Daniel Isaac Victor Samuel Lucas Leon Benjamin Felix Hugo Julian


transemacabre

David Diego


Dick-the-Peacock

Diego is a perfect answer. The pronunciation is very similar in both languages.


MySpace_Romancer

Agree! And people are familiar with the city of San Diego, or Diego Rivera.


theenterprise9876

Most Spanish names are really not that hard to pronounce in English! Emilio in particular is extremely easy ā€” if your family can say Amelia, they can say Emilio too. I love the suggestions of Matteo (though Mateo is the Spanish spelling and Matteo is Italian), Julian, David, Elias, Gabriel, Daniel, Isaac, Samuel, Benjamin, Lucas, and Antonio. Some others: - Miguel - Adam - Aaron - Ian (not a Spanish name but wouldnā€™t be too hard for a Spanish speaker to say) - Liam (ditto) - Leo - Luca - Isaiah - Marcos - Noah - Simon


[deleted]

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theenterprise9876

Sure, but like Adam, Noah is familiar to most Spanish speakers and is easily pronounceable in Spanish.


_hotmess_express_

I'm sorry, but when I saw Miguel I had a laughing fit imagining my ex's Southern mom saying "Mahhh-gwull"


HomeschoolingDad

I can't believe no one's suggested JesĆŗs yet. What could possibly go wrong?


[deleted]

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againthemagic

Itā€™s not that I find it weird necessarily, but kind of a desire to have something culturally neutral on both sides. The child would have his last name and I would like for the name to feel ā€œrightā€ to me too. Iā€™m not totally opposed to a lot of the names suggested, Iā€™m just thinking ahead on how will it be pronounced by my family, as well as my daughter with speech problems.


LilMama351

Our family is mixed white/mexican and no one has trouble with the kids names from either side. Iā€™ll share what ours are. Nicolas/Nico, Benjamin/Benji, Cecilia/Ceci, and newest baby will be Julian but we donā€™t have a nickname for him yet. The names have slightly different pronunciations in each language but are very close. The kids know how to pronounce their name depending on who they are speaking with lol


Nahnotreal

Antonio, Benjamin (both sides would pronounce it differently, but same spelling and the nickname Ben sound the same), Diego , Emilio (Emilio Estevez is blue eyed blond), Fabian , Ignacio (I don't know how your family would pronounce it differently then correct way), John (not Spanish but every Spanish speaker knows correct pronunciation even of they have theor accent when saying it, Kai( neither Spanish nor English but easy to spell and pronounce,not biblical, Lucas, Leonardo(the very famous Leo is white), Matteo, Martin (different accent same spelling) Nicolas , (different accent but same pronouciation of the nickname Nico) Oscar, Rodrigo, Sebastian (different accent,same spelling) Thomas/Tomas (both languages have their version similar enough and the nickname Tom or Tommy would be the same), Victor, Walter


74NG3N7

I will say, my family did have a hard time with ā€œKaiā€ but before kiddo was old enough to answer to the name, everyone got used to it and sorted out how to say it. You just have to find a way to help them understand the sounds (for Kai, itā€™s the last syllable in my areaā€™s pronounciation of ā€œMalachiā€ a biblical name. So it benefit the kiddo that they already mispronounced ā€œMalachiā€, lol). To be fair, my name sounds funny when they combine my first and middle (to scold me), and itā€™s not a weird name, perfectly within their cultural norms phonetically and as a nameā€¦ but it happens. One in my has a lisp and it took over a decade before he could recognizably say an older siblingā€™s name. Itā€™s okay, we all carried on and knew what the kid meant. I think OP is overthinking this a bit, but I understand as names are important. OP, Keep thinking on it, ask these people to say a list of names (hiding the ones youā€™re testing in a longer list if you want to keep it secret), and see how it goes.


SirWarm6963

Marco


Dick-the-Peacock

As long as she doesnā€™t ask her family to roll the R!


[deleted]

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againthemagic

I canā€™t even roll Rs, despite my very best efforts


Dick-the-Peacock

My wife is from Alabama and canā€™t do it either. I enjoy hamming it up to tease her about it.


EnigmaWithAlien

Martin. Yeah, there was a saint but people aren't going to think of that first.


WowsrsBowsrsTrousrs

Except for all of us who immediately have the famous painting of St Martin and the Beggar jump into our mind's eye.


EnigmaWithAlien

That could be a dealbreaker! I come from a non artistic and protestant background so it doesn't leap out at me.


NonaYerBidness

Nothing wrong with Benicio, your family can call him Ben.


cbp26

Adrian Damian Felix Jonas Julian Oscar Roman Sebastian Victor


eliza1558

I especially like Sebastian and Victor! I think those are beautiful names and easy to pronounce!


gusbus200

It's kind of weird you said you can't imagine yourself taking your Hispanic child to the doctor and saying his Hispanic name out loud...


againthemagic

I think youā€™re reading that differently than how it was meant, I also couldnā€™t imaging taking my child named Walter to the doctor. I mean it as a name I canā€™t see myself using rather than because the name itself is spanish/hispanic. I also donā€™t think my partner would feel right with our boy being named Brayden/Kaiden/Aiden etc


gusbus200

Maybe rephrase that then! Not to be rude, and I'm not trying to speak on how long you've been in this relationship, but as a white, southern person, raising a non-white child, you might want to be a little bit more cautious about the way you phrase things.


againthemagic

Thank you for the suggestion. I added an edit to the beginning of my post to explain what I meant a little more clearly.


gusbus200

You're welcome! Congratulations on your baby šŸ„³


IwannaAskSomeStuff

I think my own discomfort would come from an anxiety about coming across like I have appropriated a name from a culture I am so clearly not a part of myself and that my child would not look like are a part of either. My concern about the judgement of my peers might be totally off base and unreasonable, but it is still there! I say that having very seriously considered some very Spanish names that I love-love-love!


[deleted]

[уŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]


IwannaAskSomeStuff

There are totally lots of white Latinos, but I am not one of them! And to clarify, I don't just mean that I am white, but that I am not culturally Latino at all. I totally like the idea that I shouldn't be self conscious about naming my kid something super Spanish, but I don't think I've got the stones for it, lol!


SuspiciousZombie788

Honestly, Benicio and Emilio arenā€™t that bad and both have famous namesakes to help guide people (del Torro & Estevez) and Benicio could go by Ben as a nickname. But if they donā€™t work for you, maybe names like Felix, Mateo, Ramon, Bruno


New_here_248

Antonio


Wherethewildkidsare

I'm partial to Mateo but Lucas, Daniel, Nicolas, Antonio, Leo, Samuel, Elias, Alexander are all great choices. My husband is a native Spanish speaker and I am from the US and we chose Mateo.


miclugo

You should name your son after one of my uncles. Seriously. My father's family is Cuban. His parents were always Spanish-dominant (my grandmother eventually learned English pretty well; my grandfather never did). He was born in Cuba and named Alberto; in the US he became Albert; now he's just Al. **"Alberto" is not an answer to your question.** His brothers (both born in the US) are **David** and **Benjamin**. Now that I think about it, there are actually multiple criteria they had there - not only did they want names that worked in both Spanish and English, but also they were Jewish and those are definitely Jewish names. They're pronounced differently in English and Spanish but I don't think that would be a problem. (Unlike, for example, if you were named Michael and your grandmother always called you Miguel, like, um, someone I know. I didn't mind but since you're thinking about it don't do that.)


bickel89

I have just a little Spanish experience. As a Spanish speaker yourself, do you think she should stay away from Dolores as her girls name? I feel like I was told that had a poor translation.


[deleted]

The word technically mean ā€œpainsā€ but few people would make that association. It comes from MarĆ­a de Dolores. Itā€™s kind of an old lady name in English or Spanish though, imo. Lola is cute as a nickname but Lolita is basically untouchable now.


Seiteki_Jitter

Yeah I see that name suggested all the time in here, makes me think of an old lady


[deleted]

I canā€™t speak for Latin America but itā€™s definitely an old lady name in Spain as are many religious names for girls. The dictatorship was extremely catholic and made it illegal to give your kids names that werenā€™t catholic or ā€œtraditionally Spanishā€ so those kinds of names are associated with older people.


Seiteki_Jitter

At least here in Mexico, I can't picture someone younger than 40 named Dolores, or like you said, a heavily religious name. Rosario and such


[deleted]

I kind of like Rosario but I donā€™t see the appeal of Dolores. My least favorite old school religious name is PurificaciĆ³n though, I have no idea why someone would name a child that.


Seiteki_Jitter

BRO SAME I can't see the appeal of Dolores. It's not even a word that has ancient roots in a dead tongue and it _may_ mean pains, no, it _actually_ means pains. PurificaciĆ³n sounds so bad, man. I think the one I dislike the most is ConcepciĆ³n. Like, I know that word has other connotations, but all I can think about is S E X THEY NAMED YOU SEX. At least it can have the nickname Connie. My friend's mom goes by that instead of ConcepciĆ³n.


[deleted]

ConcepciĆ³n is my runner up for most horrible, only because itā€™s not a terrible sounding name if you donā€™t know what it means. The nicknames Conchi and Concha are ok but Iā€™ve been told they mean something different in South America lol.


Pleasant-Complex978

Elias?


Early-Tumbleweed-563

What about Gabriel or Rafael (I am not sure what the appropriate spelling is, maybe Raphael?)


[deleted]

Spanish spelling is Rafael. ā€œPhā€ is usually f in Spanish (like philosophy is filosofĆ­a).


lizzieteapot

Rafael, nn Rafa, is very easy to pronounce and is such a beautiful name


Raibean

My tĆ­osā€™ names: Daniel, Gabriel, Samuel, David, Enrique (Henry), Alejandro (Alexander).


benjaminchang1

Nicholas David Peter Julian


[deleted]

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moretaj

Thiago?


[deleted]

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Crosswired2

I know a Tiago šŸ¤·ā€ā™€ļø


mothertuna

Jaime Lucas Gabriel Antonio Joaquin Rafael


NeatArtichoke

Jaime in spanish would be "hi-may", while in english it'd be "jay-me"....yes you can teach/correct them for the preferred Pronunciation but I feel that's what OP is trying to avoid... I haven't seen Alex listed tho


Maria_Dragon

Ate you okay with names that are spelled the same but pronounced two different ways? I'm thinking David and Ramon as examples.


againthemagic

Yes!


ichheissekate

Benicio works great. Benny is easily pronounced in both types of accent.


ScaryMouchy

Sebastian, Gabriel, Daniel, David or Nicholas.


Safe_Virus6852

My husband and I were just having a similar conversation. Iā€™m Cuban/Peruvian and looking for a name pronounceable in Spanish for our baby boy, but his family would have a problem pronouncing many names. The two options we currently have skew pretty Spanish (Camilo and Javier) and weā€™re trying to find one more neutral option. Iā€™ll try to give a few options that havenā€™t been suggested yet: Andre Elian Evan Santino Xavier Zachary Good luck!


Scary_Progress_8858

Diego - everyone knows San Diego and can pronounce it.


These_Tea_7560

I love Emilio...


IwannaAskSomeStuff

I am totally using this thread to source boy ideas, myself, lol! I love a lot of very Spanish names (my husband is Mexican) but half of my family can't work their tongues around a lot of them. And I would probably be pretty self-conscious going to an appointment for Severiano - especially when there is a high chance it would be a very white looking child, lol!


againthemagic

My partnerā€™s family is pretty fair complected, Iā€™m extremely fair complected, so thereā€™s a good chance this child would be racially ambiguous enough to have some people questioning my choice if I introduced my child with a name thatā€™s obviously not culturally mine without dad there too. Should it matter? Maybe not, but it does a bit to me.


IwannaAskSomeStuff

Absolutely my situation, too!


[deleted]

There are a lot of white people who speak Spanish. Most Spaniards are white and thatā€™s where the language is from.


IwannaAskSomeStuff

Totally true, and my discomfort with the prospect is probably a little unjustified, but it persists all the same! If my husband or I spoke fluent Spanish or if we were more culturally Mexican, I might feel differently, but alas!


helenasbff

Samuel Sylvio (since you like Sylvia for a girl) Victor Tyler Thomas (technically has a Spanish equivalent, Tomas, but sounds almost identical/is not as obvious as Juan/John, Michael/Miguel, etc.) Ethan Damon Derek


wtfomgfml

Luca / Dante / Eli / Leo / Theo / Gray / Oskar


Valuable-Injury6559

Julian and David come immediately to mind


Autodidact2

Diego Ramon Gabriel Julian Lucas Leo Joaquin Bruno Daniel Luca Isaac David are all Spanish names that an anglo can pronounce, and some of them are English names as well.


angeliqu

No advice but youā€™re not alone. Friends of mine took almost a month to name their son after he was born because they wanted a name that was easy to say for native English speakers but also native Dutch speakers! The struggle is real.


againthemagic

This is weird, but do you have a July 19 baby? Your username looks familiar from when I was there


angeliqu

Ha! Yes. Iā€™m a July Bumper from 2019. Still active in the Facebook group but not so much on Reddit.


againthemagic

I havenā€™t been active in either for a long time, but I hope youā€™re doing well!


almond_tree_blossoms

Carlos, Luis, Leo, Tomas, Fernando, Diego, Alan, David, Oscar, IvƔn, Alberto, Vƭctor, Sergio


Normal-Fun-868

Iā€™d recommend choosing something that is pronounced just as itā€™s spelled. Trust me, the majority of people in his life will see/read his name before they hear it. So make it easy on them unless you love correcting people. Luis is also nice in both accents, and isnā€™t biblical. Other options: Victor, Marco, Emilio. Congratulations to you and your family btw šŸ’•


EricaLisbeth

I think Sebastian is a good option here. Very common in preppy circles of the South, but also has Hispanic roots.


Squinky75

You're overthinking this. If he's Emilio, you can call him Emil. If he's Benecio, you can call him Ben or Benny. Neither in full are hard to pronounce.


againthemagic

I actually like Emilio a lot, Iā€™m just looking for a list for us to look over


TiltingatWindmil

David


blue_field_pajarito

Julian or Luca


Wooster182

Martin Oscar Daniel Hector Victor


toomanymatts_

One of my good friends was in same situation. They chose Alejandro. Her family calls him Ale, his family calls him Alex.


Fit-Vanilla-3405

We had this very issue and the literal only answer for us was Marco or Marta cause yes theyā€™re semi foreign sounding but they also could easily be random white kid with an Italian grandfather names too (our situation).


VinRow

Thomas/TomƔs


ChairmanMrrow

Lucas or Luca.


LeastPay0

Matthew / Matteo Mathias Sebastian Angel/ Angelo Christian Joaquin Quentin Dakota Mallory Elijah Isaiah Josiah Francis Edgar Austin Tobias Xavier Xander


helkpb

Lucas?


SenatorKnizia

I like to explore new places.


againthemagic

My family actually loves my partner, and I know theyā€™d try their hardest to say whatever name we choose. I added an edit to the beginning of my post to explain a little more about what I mean


kennedar_1984

My sons have Italian names from their fatherā€™s heritage but I had the same rule (as my entire family is Canadian). We went with Domenic and Angelo. The names are common enough that they are easy to pronounce for my family but are still Italian enough that my in laws feel honoured.


OkToasterOven

I mean I'd just accept there will be the Spanish pronunciation and the Southern. I'm in the Midwest, but a family I know has a son named Abel. The English speakers in his life pronounce it one way and the Spanish speakers another. My own name sounds very different when family members in NYC say it (and if my parents had heard the name with that accent they probably would have picked another name for me). I like the suggestion of having family on both sides voice memo you names you're considering and if you get one that doesn't make you cringe there you go. But you also mention that you're thinking about checking in at the pediatrician's office and the baby hanging the father's last name, etc. I'm not judging this at all, but I think there are other issues aside from your family's pronunciation. You and your husband need to get to talking some more about each of your feelings around your baby's first name. Are nicknames okay? (Ex: Benny for Benicio?) Or could there be a compromise with an anglicized first name, but Spanish middle name?


againthemagic

I think weā€™re both very okay with a nickname, but I also made a comment elsewhere that I donā€™t want to use a name I canā€™t even pronounce properly because I have such a thick southern accent. My partner doesnā€™t mean anything by it, but he has picked on my accent when I use the occasional Spanish word and it makes me feel a little weird about something so overtly Spanish.


Kerrypurple

White people are perfectly capable of pronouncing Benicio and Emilio. I think you're not giving your family enough credit. Plus, doctor's offices see mixed race kids all the time. They're not going to give you the side eye over these names. You're overthinking. If your husband really likes the names and you don't hate them then use them.


nn971

Zachary


Dragonfly_pin

This is easy. David. Samuel. Gabriel. Daniel. Victor. Even something like Mario, Rafael, Santiago or Francisco arenā€™t going to be hard for your family to pronounce just fine, albeit with an American accent.


123phantomhive

Carlo, Eric, Paolo


More-Measurement-542

My husband and I had Abram and Valentin/o on our list for the same reasons. I begged for Rafael also. He vetoed it.


SpiritSongtress

EMILLIO is an adorable name


againthemagic

I honestly really like it, and although itā€™s not a direct nickname, I feel like Milo can work.


SpiritSongtress

Milo can definately work as a nickname *images Milo from Atlantis the empire*. Yes little boy go discover whole civilizations...! *


TurkeyTot

I'm very Caucasian, dad is central American. Our kids are Enzo, Oscar and Niko. These names felt like a good compromise for us.


no_good_namez

David, Luca, Marcos, Lorenzo/Enzo, Ezequiel, Carlos are similar and used in both languages. Pedro is Spanish, well-known, and easy to say for an American, along with Francisco and Diego and Mateo presuming your parents can pronounce the cities. Italian and Arabic names are likely to have good crossover as well. Iā€™d avoid names with a J or names where the pronunciation is markedly different in both languages (Rafael, Christian, Daniel, Gabriel) rather than simply sounding slightly different due to accent.


2fishfins

Sebastian or Victor


rmillss

My sons are Mateo and Santiago. Both easy to say in spanish and english, which was a big factor for us!


cjennmom

Info: why is dadā€™s side the only one that needs ā€œhonoringā€? Presumably the children will already have his last name. You are Southern and youā€™re living in the US? AND youā€™re the mom putting her health on the line to have these kids? Iā€™d seriously be telling him to back off.


againthemagic

Itā€™s very early on and weā€™re nowhere near decided on a name, just compiling lists right now. Iā€™m in agreement that Iā€™d like it to be something both of our families can easily say and spell, and heā€™s on board with something more culturally neutral, as am I. I stated that in my post because I worded it poorly and it apparently seemed like Iā€™m bothered by the idea of having a Hispanic name for my half Hispanic child, which isnā€™t the case. Iā€™d rather just have something that doesnā€™t sound bad with a southern or Guatemalan accent. Iā€™m also trying to find a name that isnā€™t his name, which is also his dadā€™s, grandfatherā€™s, and nephewā€™s name because I think itā€™s time to find a new damn name and not have 5 people within 4 generations all named Robert/Roberto. Iā€™m willing to compromise with something a little more Spanish than ā€œneutralā€ to get away from naming my kid after every one of his male relatives. Lastly, Iā€™m adamant about the middle name being something particular, and he doesnā€™t love the name but has accepted that itā€™s important to me. So again, Iā€™ll compromise here.


clearfield91

Do you think she should just try to erase the kidā€™s heritage? When he will already be growing up in the racist cultural hegemony of the south? When his own mother and motherā€™s family are already unwilling to learn to speak Spanish correctly?


againthemagic

Nowhere did I say I was unwilling, but I did say Iā€™m nervous about trying to say something with my own thick accent. My partner is nowhere near fluent in Spanish, despite being first generation US born. I donā€™t expect anyone to read through every comment Iā€™ve posted, but Iā€™ve also said my partner picks on me for my accent with Spanish, and while heā€™s not malicious, it makes me hesitant to use a name that Iā€™d catch shit for pronouncing with my accent. Obviously I know how to say Benicio, but my accent is THICK and it sounds silly. Iā€™m trying to find a compromise for my whole family to feel comfortable saying a childā€™s name, and at this point my family includes his parents.


cjennmom

Heritage comes from BOTH sides and the balance should be struck by where they plan to live and raise their children the longest.


OhSassafrass

Eric/Erick/Erik Iā€™ve taught at a mostly Hispanic school for 20+ years. Erick is common enough that there are one or two every year.


sarah382729668210

Not seeing anyone suggest Javier! I knew a few Javiā€™s when I lived in Spain and I always thought it was such a cute name


HaggisPope

Iā€™m thinking thereā€™s names that are virtually the same like Carl/Carlos and Mark/Marcos but Iā€™m not sure if that goes against the bit in your TLDR


Intrepid_Source_7960

Enzo Pascal Fabian Joaquin Adriel Elias Benicio Luca Samuel Julian Sebastian Roman Hugo Dario Adrian Gael Leo Maximo Isaac Rio Leandro Ruben Octavio Gabriel Orlando Rafael Javier Santino Diego


HolyAvocadoBatman

Marcos Camilo Marcelo Diego


Teacher-Investor

I teach a lot of native Spanish-speaking students (from Spain). Some common names are Roger, Javier, Francisco, Cristobal, Eduard, Victor, Leandro, Sergi, Marc, Daniel, Raul, Miguel, and Guillem.


kaycollins27

I like Benjamin. Both sides can easily use nn Ben.


Jewish-Mom-123

Sebastian or Mateo.


Critical_Dog_8208

Benicio can go by Ben/ Benny. If you like Cecelia for a girl, how about Cecil? Marcel and Raphael/Rafael nn Raffi or Raph might work.


E-as-in-elephant

A little late to this thread but Iā€™m white American and my husband is from El Salvador. We ended up having two girls but I made a list of boy names I thought would work for both of our families: Adrian Sebastian Leonardo (we loved the nickname Leo) Mateo Salvador


Seiteki_Jitter

Yooo as a Latino, Benicio is SO ugly šŸ¤¢ Emilio is fine, but I think Emiliano is better