Laura Corin Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 (edited) Would you want to know? What would you do about it? I know of a teenager who is moving to the UK who's name is 'Fanny'. This is the normal word here for the female pudenda. It's not used as a name any longer. I can't imagine that she will not get a lot of teasing. ETA: this is not a new usage of the word. My older cousin is called Frances, and her innocent mother used to call her Fanny. Once she reached teenage years, she chose to be Frances and nothing else. My aunt, still innocent, then adopted a kitten and named it 'Fanny', to the embarrassment of the rest of the family. Laura Edited June 24, 2011 by Laura Corin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 Yes, I would want to know. And I would change it in that culture. I knew people whose name when said phonetically made a bad word in Japanese. They used their middle name in Japan. Why put up with snickers every time your name is said? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sputterduck Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 It might be good to point that out. We had to constantly remind my mom not to call her fanny pack a fanny pack while in England. LOL! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EthiopianFood Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 Better for me to know and help my child address the issue than for them to find out from the snickers and teasing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ester Maria Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 I would not be concerned about random connotations in other cultures I could not care less about or have less contact with, but if it were cultures that were close, that we are in touch with or that the chances are they might be in touch with, yes, I would take it into account. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mabelen Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 Yes, especially if I was moving into that culture or had a lot of contact with their members for whatever reasons. As to what I'd do, I'd probably try to find a reasonably close sounding nickname that was not objectionable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnL Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 If we were going to be in a culture where my child's name meant or sounded like something awful, I would definitely want to know. And yes, we would likely call them by their middle name or something. I worked with a very nice lady who had immigrated from Vietnam. Her first name was Bich, pronounced just like you think it is. Of course she couldn't go around having people call her that, so she went by her middle name, Loan, pronounce Loh-ahn. I think she even added an "n", so spelled it Loann for culture-adaption purposes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peela Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 Yes, in that situation. We have the same connotation in Australia :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hannah Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 Yes, in that situation. We have the same connotation in Australia :) We have the same in South Africa. I'd most definitely warn the person - particularly as they are going to be living in the UK. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted June 24, 2011 Author Share Posted June 24, 2011 I'm seeing someone today who might be in a position to warn the parents. I'll take him aside and mention the issue. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom in High Heels Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 Yes, I'd want to know. We had a friend the last time we lived in Germany who had a Mexican father and a German mother. He was fluent in English, Spanish and German (lucky guy). His first name is Jose, which is a perfectly common name in Spanish (and his father's name), but in German (spelled hose, but pronounced the same as Jose) it means "pants." When he is in Germany, he uses his middle name (Andrew) because he doesn't want people calling him "Pants." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saw Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 DS's name can sound very very rude in Dutch, so when we lived there he used his middle name and continues to use it whenever we're using Dutch. It was quite easy, he is very used to having an English name used when speaking English and a Dutch name when speaking Dutch. He even use a version of his Dutch name when speaking French because it's easier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michele B Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 I would definitely want to know!! Apparently my uncle's wife's Thai name is Rat. Here she goes by Sandra. I had no idea that "fanny" meant that! We say "fanny" to mean your rear end, bottom, hiney, etc. During homeschool, I tell dd7 about 50x per day, "Sit on your fanny!" :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orthodox6 Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 Yes, that is the meaning in the U.S. for that slang term. I neither use it nor care for it, but I never would have suspected it was a foul term in Europe! Could the girl use "Frances", which I'm guessing is her real name? I had noo idea that "fanny" meant that! We say "fanny" to mean your rear end, bottom, hiney, etc. " :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 nevermind. read the first post more carefully. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 Is this person from the US? Because the word fanny has the same meaning here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haiku Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 Would you want to know? Well sure. Of course I would. Who names their kid Fanny anymore anyway, even in the US? It means butt. Tara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keptwoman Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 Yes, that is the meaning in the U.S. for that slang term. I neither use it nor care for it, but I never would have suspected it was a foul term in Europe! Could the girl use "Frances", which I'm guessing is her real name? It's not Europe, it's the UK, Australia, NZ, South Africa and probably some other Commonwealth nations. Is this person from the US? Because the word fanny has the same meaning here. Noooo it doesn't. I the US it means butt. In the UK etc it means the private bits of a female anatomy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plaid Dad Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 Yes, I would definitely want to know. We have a friend from Nigeria whose name is Bimbo. In the US, she goes by a different name! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted June 24, 2011 Author Share Posted June 24, 2011 The young lady is from Asia. I mentioned the issue to my contact, and he said that the family was aware of it. So I've done my duty and it's out of my hands. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiana Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 Fanny is butt in the US, the other side in the UK. :P One of my friends said he had a guy in his high school named Phuc Yu. After the first day, the kid started introducing himself as something generic and American. I forgot what it was, like Steven or something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kristinannie Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 My friend Yuri had a sister named Yumi. It was pronounced Yoomy, but she got incessently teased as "Yummy". She became Jane. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 Noooo it doesn't. I the US it means butt. In the UK etc it means the private bits of a female anatomy. :lol: It would help if I were to read more than the first two sentences of a post before responding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roxanne23 Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 (edited) . Edited January 4, 2023 by roxanne23 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiguirre Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 I can't imagine that she will not get a lot of teasing. Laura Probably not teasing, but stunned silence. There's a Spanish nickname, Cuca, which means the same thing as Fanny in Venezuela. Let's just say that introducing yourself that way is horrifying for all concerned. Thankfully, it's a nickname and the lady who had this misfortune went by her full name ever after. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laundrycrisis Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 Yes I would want to know if we were going to be spending time in that culture. Yes ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Excelsior! Academy Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 We had a foreign exchange student who had a dog named b**by. You can imagine the fun the boys had with that!:glare: Yes! I would definitely tell. She could at least wear a mental coat of armor, if she didn't want to be called something else. Better you tell her than some humiliating situation causing her to find out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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