More than 40 million people in the United States speak Spanish, making it the second most widely spoken language in the country after English. For many families, being bilingual is a part of everyday life, as is shifting back and forth between languages depending on who they’re speaking with. But when it comes time to name a baby, it sometimes leads parents into a bit of a linguistic pickle. So, they end up searching for baby names that sound good in English and Spanish.
Why does it matter? These parents want to find a name that both native Spanish and English speakers can pronounce easily, and something that doesn’t have a strange meaning in one language or the other (like a mom on Reddit who loves the name Cameron but worries her baby will be nicknamed Camarón, or “shrimp”). These names all sound beautiful, no matter whose accent is applied.
Alma
This name has roots in languages from all around the world, but the Spanish word alma means “soul.” Names ending in -a or -ia sounds are pretty likely to sound good when said by English or Spanish speakers, but if the Olivias and Sofias are too common for you, Alma offers a unique, worldly feel.
Cruz
Cool kid alert! Cruz has big-time cool kid vibes, as many one-syllable names kind of do by default. Cruz originates from Spanish and Portuguese, and while it’s typically a surname, anyone who’s keeping up with baby name trends knows surnames as first names are having their moment right now.
Isela
As popular as Isla is in the U.S., Isela feels like a name that may become popular here sooner rather than later (it also means “island”). It’s more likely that English speakers will say this one wrong, but how often do the Islas of the world get called Iz-luh? I think this soft, musical name is totally worth the risk.
Javier
This Spanish boy name means “new house,” and is a different form of Xavier (derived from Saint Francis Xavier, the patron saint of Roman Catholic missions). Whether the religious ties have meaning to you or not, the name Javier is certainly familiar in both languages, and the nickname Javi is just too precious to pass up.
More Baby Names That Sound Good In English & Spanish
- Adriana — “from Adria”
- Amaya — “the end,” “mother city,” “heavenly valley”
- Bruno — “brown”
- Carmen — “garden,” “song”
- Diego — “supplanter”
- Daniela — “God is my judge”
- Emiliano — “rival”
- Eva — “life”
- Fernando — “bold voyager”
- Frida — “peace”
- Inez — “pure”
- Lola — “lady of sorrows”
- Lorenzo — “from Laurentium”
- Lucia — “light” or “illumination”
- Marco — “warlike”
- Marcelo — “little warrior”
- Miguel — “who is like God”
- Nadia — “hope,” “tender”
- Rafael — “God has healed”
- Ramón — “wise protector”
- Ria — “small river”
- Santana — “holy”
- Santiago — “Saint James”
- Ximena — “son”
- Yesenia — “palm tree,” “flower”
Did you find the perfect name in this list?
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