I swear people really can't accept the fact that words mean different things in different languages. My native language is German and I call my dad Papa too, but this is a Polynesian name. The word means something entirely different in that language. No one's forcing y'all to use this name in a country where they use this word for something else.
Yes, some people do call their father this, but this is also Polynesian, and I'm sure that they have a different word for father, so that's real mature, guys! I think this is cool, especially because it is a mother earth goddess.
Y'all saying this name should be masculine because of "Papa" spelling, really needs to reread the meaning of this name a few times. This name is a Polynesian name with a completely unrelated meaning to the term used in many languages for a male parental figure or the Pope. Sometimes foreign names coincide in spelling with unrelated words in completely different languages, it happens.
I called my grandfather "Papa." However in Spanish, depending on context, it can mean "potato," "father," or the "Pope." The Arabic name "Abu" also means "father" as does "Abram" and "Abraham" though, so it wouldn't be THAT weird. I know this carries a different meaning, but in the United States, where Spanish is quite common, the name would be seen as silly. "Pope" would be an odd name, and I don't think titles should be names in general.
Okay okay, I'm not trying to be mean or anything but... Papa? Some kids call their dad Papa. And this is a feminine name? I honestly don't get it. Unless it means something else in its own language.
It’s silly to say that you can’t name your kid this because it’s a term for father. It’s a Polynesian Mythological name. It’s Pa and Pa. So many things in the world are called that. Personally it sounds quite cute but I live in America, not Polynesia.
It’s kinda silly to name your kids Papa as it’s slang for dad.
― Anonymous User 12/31/2018
-5
This is what children refer to their father's as :)
― Anonymous User 2/14/2016
-5
I apologize for my comment above, as I posted that a year ago and was immature. I still personally don't like this name, but I've come to respect it as a Maōri name and not just the English/Spanish word.
― Anonymous User 3/24/2017
21
This is not a name. This is what you would call your father or grandfather.
It's like with the name "Kiefer" which means "jaw" in German. This will probably prevent most Germans from ever using the name Kiefer for their child - but does it mean that the name itself is bad, that it is a don't-use-it!-name? No, it doesn't. However, "Papa" does mean "dad" in more than just one language, and this makes it - of course - for many people more unusable than, for example, the name Kiefer, as you should also always consider where you live and if your daughter might have trouble with her name growing up in a country where Papa isn't a common first name. It is, because of everything the name implicates, very difficult for me to look at it objectively in order to say "I like this name" or "I don't find it appealing".
I see nothing wrong with the name, but seeing that I call my father "Papa" (and many languages use this as a familiar form of "father"), it seems somewhat odd.
The full name for this deity is Papatuanuku, not just Papa. The word 'Papa' is also used to address ones father in Maori, although the sounds of the a's are elongated as with a macron over them. [noted -ed]