Sainimere?

[timba]

Good evening Nameberry! My husband and I are expecting (gender a surprise!) and he has fallen completely in love with the name Sainimere for a girl. It is pronounced sigh-nih-meer-ay. My husband is Fijan (as is this name) but doesn't want to follow any Fijan naming traditions and doesn't really like any other Fijan names. While I find Sainimere to be very beautiful, I do have a few concerns that I would love some thoughts on!

First off, we don't live in an area with a large Fijan community, so I'm afraid Sainimere will be too confusing/unfamiliar to pronounce and spell, and will eventually end up causing our daughter a large headache. There is the more accesible nickname Sai/Sy though, but she will still have to deal with her full name from time to time. Thoughts?

Also, since my husband doesn't want to use other Fijan names for potential future children, I'm worried that Sainimere can't be paired easily with other names we are considering, such as Isis for a girl and Julius or Leander (Leo) for boys? I'm worried that their different origins and styles just won't match up well together as siblings.

I do love the name Sainimere and I recognize how important the name is to my husband, but I'm scared of the cons outweighing the pros on this one. Any feedback would be great!

-Tianna

[nat108]

That name is not going to work unless it's a middle name. It's difficult to pronounce and it'll be very unfair if her sibs have such easy, familiar names

At first sight, I read it as "sain (as in insane)- ni- meer"

[timba]

That name is not going to work unless it's a middle name. It's difficult to pronounce and it'll be very unfair if her sibs have such easy, familiar names

At first sight, I read it as "sain (as in insane)- ni- meer"

That's the reaction I was expecting. Thanks for your input!

-Timba

[whit32]

I like the name, but I also mispronounced it at first. I think using it as a middle name and family pet name may be the best option for you. We may be doing the same thing. We have a name we love, but will likely be mispronounced a lot. Our plan at the moment is to use a more familiar first name, and then use the middle name as a nn. Good luck! It's a hard decision.

[r_j]

I pronounced it sane -ih -mere as well. The true pronunciation is very, very pretty, but it won't come naturally. I know I am repeating the previous posters, but I would keep it for the middle spot.

[kala_way]

Wow, it's a beautiful name, but I wouldn't know where to begin with pronouncing it cold. I'd probably say Sane-ih-meer and with just the pronunciation would spell Synamira. I've never even heard of Fijan (is that like Fiji?), much less the name.

I think it would be fine as long as she matches her name--I mean it's actually her culture, she speaks the language and understand the culture--so it doesn't just seem like an out of the blue name.

It's definitely going to be a struggle sometimes with spelling and pronunciation, but if you live in a multi-cultural environment it might be just fine.

[claireelise]

When I saw the title of this post, I tried to figure out the pronunciation, and came up with Sane-ih-meer. I think a lot of people would be very confused, including teachers, peers, daycares, coaches etc...I think she'd be spelling it out her whole life!

However, I think it would make for a lovely middle name choice, since you both love it, and it would connect her to her father's background.

I think Isis Sainimere would be very beautiful.

[emiliaj]

I agree it would be challenging for people to prn it right first go- which is bound to be frustrating for your daughter.
The sound is very pretty though. I really like the idea of a Fijian name being a FN, or at least a MN.
I know two gorgeous Fijian girls- one is named Jannali (Jan-ah-li) and the other is called Talei (Tar-lay).
I think Sainimere should be a MN if you can't agree on another Fijian First Name. Isis is awesome.

[mandarene]

Beautiful name, but just crosses over into the land of too unfamiliar. It would work well as a middle name for sure. Maybe you could convince him to consider shorter, easier Fijian names. But hey, in the end... You're the one giving birth ;-) . If he doesn't budge, I would just go for Isis Sainimere!