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Thank you for warning me about Heidi and Engel in case we ever move there. Heidi is occasionally used as a full name by here Americans and is pronounced the same way. Angel is actually rarely given as an English name too and does seem a bit feminine. The name you see on the charts is usually given by hispanic parents, in which I think it's charming. I was tempted by it because it has a musical connection for us and I thought it was a legitimate German name.

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I do see how Analise is a wierd spelling to German people. It may actually be Analiese, but I think this was changed for three main reasons: So that her nickname Ana would be more apparent to Americans, so that she and Americans would have an easier time spelling it, and possibly because her last name was just so long. (I know from experience that it can be tiring having to write out a long full name.) The first reason was probably biggest. I personally think I would have used Anneliese had I named my daughter that, but I also considered Analise as I was inspired by the Spanish Analisa.

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The thing about Falk is interesting. I usually try to stay away from hippie names, but it is unheard of in America, so I'm not too worried about that. To my ears it actually sounds kind of dark and punkish.

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Reading over your pronunciations, it looks like I'm in good shape. I'm just starting out learning German, though X is nearly fluent. Thanks for all your help! It was really interesting and greatly appreciated.