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HelpRe: English opinion on German names
in reply to a message by tibby
Willy etc - better to go with Will or William
Fritz - not great ("on the fritz" means something isn't working consistently), but not awful. I think it's pretty associated with German-speakers
Bent, Bente - Bent just doesn't sound very name-y. It could be viewed as slang, but not slang that young people would use in the US. I can't speak for other countries. People wouldn't know how to pronounce Bente at all.
Fanny - I'd avoid it, especially in the UK or areas that use more UK slang. In the US it still isn't great.
Lion - people will assume it is pronounced like the animal, so if you want it pronounced right I'd spell it Leon
Arian - too close to Aryan to work well in the US and probably Canada (again I can't speak for other areas), but if you can spell it in a way to get the first A to sound like "ah/aw" it would be ok.
Christian - fine, just likely to be pronounced the same way we pronounce the word in our countries.
Fritz - not great ("on the fritz" means something isn't working consistently), but not awful. I think it's pretty associated with German-speakers
Bent, Bente - Bent just doesn't sound very name-y. It could be viewed as slang, but not slang that young people would use in the US. I can't speak for other countries. People wouldn't know how to pronounce Bente at all.
Fanny - I'd avoid it, especially in the UK or areas that use more UK slang. In the US it still isn't great.
Lion - people will assume it is pronounced like the animal, so if you want it pronounced right I'd spell it Leon
Arian - too close to Aryan to work well in the US and probably Canada (again I can't speak for other areas), but if you can spell it in a way to get the first A to sound like "ah/aw" it would be ok.
Christian - fine, just likely to be pronounced the same way we pronounce the word in our countries.
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Thanks a lot.
I never heard "on the fritz" before. I only hear Germans say, Fritz is not a good name 'cause it's an english slang word for "Germans".
Lion is the German spelling of the english pronunciation of Leon. Germans would pronounce Leon as "LEH-awn".
I never heard "on the fritz" before. I only hear Germans say, Fritz is not a good name 'cause it's an english slang word for "Germans".
Lion is the German spelling of the english pronunciation of Leon. Germans would pronounce Leon as "LEH-awn".
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Yeah, I've not heard it's slang for Germans (maybe that is a British thing? and it doesn't change my opinion), only the "on the fritz" (comparable to "out of order" or "it's fried") phrase which I think I've mainly heard in old American movies.
This message was edited 2/12/2023, 5:53 PM
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As a slang word for Germans, it is pretty old (and also has a negative connotation). People my age (early 30s) would recognize it, but would be very unlikely to use it. Younger people might not recognize it. If you named a baby this now, it is unlikely that their peers would think of it as an epithet.
I understand that re: Lion. Fine in Germany, mispronounced in the Anglosphere.
Also, since I have seen your concerns about Willy in some other comments, yes "willy" can mean penis. I think it is more common in the UK and possible the other Commonwealth countries than in the US. Here it comes across as very childish slang. An adult wouldn't use it unless they are joking around by intentionally being childish or something, but they might wonder why you would use Willy rather than Will or the full name because of the slang. It would sound a little funny to me if someone introduced themself as "Willy."
I understand that re: Lion. Fine in Germany, mispronounced in the Anglosphere.
Also, since I have seen your concerns about Willy in some other comments, yes "willy" can mean penis. I think it is more common in the UK and possible the other Commonwealth countries than in the US. Here it comes across as very childish slang. An adult wouldn't use it unless they are joking around by intentionally being childish or something, but they might wonder why you would use Willy rather than Will or the full name because of the slang. It would sound a little funny to me if someone introduced themself as "Willy."
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