When someone says their name, do you immediately know how to spell it?
Latvians do. Because we force everyone to latvianize their names.
What we do is take your name, listen to how you say it and then write it down using our alphabet and add an -s, -a or -e at the end.
For more background read this fantastic article: Why You Will Almost Definitely Have to Change Your Name When Speaking Latvian
Here is a list of some common names and how they are latvianized.
| English | Latvian |
|---|---|
| Peter | Pēteris, Pīters |
| John | Jānis, Džons |
| Alice | Alise |
| Olivia | Olīvija |
| Sophia | Sofija |
| Emily | Emīlija |
| Charlotte | Šarlote |
| William | Viljams |
| Ethan | Ītans |
| James | Džeimss |
| Alexander | Aleksandrs |
| Michael | Maikls, Mihaels |
| Benjamin | Bendžamins |
| Oliver | Olivers |
| Jack | Džeks |
| Ryan | Raijans |
| Matthew | Metjū |
| Daniel | Daniels |
| Anthony | Antonijs |
| Jacob | Džeikobs |
| Joshua | Džošua |
| Tyler | Tailers |
| Christopher | Kristofers |
| Samantha | Samanta |
| Ashley | Ešlija |
| Natalie | Natālija |
| Lily | Lilija |
| Hannah | Hanna |
Can’t find your name? Not sure how it’s latvianized? Contact me and I will tell you!