View Message

I think Mia is too common, and rather diminutive. Maia is better, and more elegant (I also think Maia is better than Maya). Also:

---

Amy
Anya
Daisy
Elise
Iris
Jane (it sounds like Xuan a little)
Lena
Lila
Mara
Nelia
Sophie
Tamsin
Zoe
Zoya

---

Hope this helped you. I always like doing this.

---

What about one of these Shakespearean names?
Celia
Miranda
Rosalind
Or:
Ava
Delphine
Eva
Eve
Evie
Genevieve
Louise
Madeleine
Marguerite (means "pearl" but also a kind of daisy)
Pearl
Saffron
Yvette
Zoe

If you want a name which sound similar to Xuan how about Sean or Shaun? They are pronounced "shawn". It's actually an irish name but very acceptable in English.

I love your name Xuan I think it is lovely! However if you feel a strong need to have an 'english' name then I think Mia is lovely. It is sweet and sometimes suits children more than adults but I think it can work perfectly on the right adult :)

First of all, I just want to say that your name is so cool. My first instinct was to pronounce it zhoo-an so I wasn't that off the mark, yay!

---

How about Xanthia? It still starts off with X, but I think it's more familiar and easier for English-speakers to pronounce. It's also very pretty!

What about
Joy
Rae
Zoe
Faith
Grace
Eve
June
Lola
Ruby
Nora
Lily
Liv
Leah
Becca
Cora
Belle
Bree
Molly
Josie
Elle or Ellie
Fay
Lynn
May
Val
Vicki
Ada
Lucy
Mari (pronounced MAH-ree)
Anna
Rose
Ellen
Vera

---

Let me know if you like any of these. :)

Xuan is a great name! But I can definately see how it would cause problems.

---

I like the idea of using Jade.

---

Other ideas:
Susannah nickname Suzie - has some of the same sounds.
Quinn - has some of the same letters but is more recognizable and easier to spell
Xanna

---

Good luck!

I heard Susan pronounced "sue-SAWN" the other day, which kind of has a similar sound to Xuan.
Or maybe Dawn? Or Fawn? Joan or Johana?
I don't tnink Mia sounds like a kid's name, but a couple alternatives: Maya/Maia, or Leah.
I think Xuan is refreshing :o) but I can definitely understand the frustration if nobody can pronounce it right.

Xuan is a cool name, but I can see why you'd want an English name--so people would know your gender and how to pronounce your name by just reading it. I think Jade would be cool, since it has the same meaning as Xuan. It's definitely sweet and refreshing.

Really? I've always loved the Vietnamese name Xuan, which is pronounced exactly like the English word "swan." If it is the same name, then why not use Swan? Or just directly translate Xuan into Spring. Neither name is very common here, but I find them both fresh and sweet.

---

But perhaps your Xuan is from a different language with a different meaning. Please let me know and I'll try again.

---

But my hope is that you keep Xuan as is. Let people learn something. It won't harm them. Names beginning with an "x" are very cool. :-)

---

ETA: I now see from your comment below that Xuan is pronounced "shoo-an" and it means jade. Again, I still think it's fine to use your real name. Your ESL teacher is being overly cautious. But if you really want a more Western name, then why not Jade or Jada?

This message was edited 7/11/2011, 3:41 PM

hi....i dont know if your a girl or a boy so i cant realy help but here is some nice names; girl names: Sarah, Maddy, Mandy, Suzanne, Anne, Lola
boy names: Mike, Ted, Benny/ben, Brad, jason, cody

sorry for the gender complication!!!!
hope you find a nice name

Don't change your name! :( It's so much prettier than any common English names. I looked up your name in the database and it lists it as Vietnamese right? Is it pronounce shoo-an? Maybe you can find a name that sounds close to your name now, based on the pronunciation. This way you won't have a completely different new name and it will be easier to read, yet still contain similar sounds.