Contribute your knowledge to the name Unai

Comments and insights on the name Unai

TIME magazine recently suggested the babynamewizard.com as one of its top site for 2009. I was shocked that my name, Unai, did not appear anywhere on this site. Unai is prominently featured on Facebook and the internet in general, so I figured it was worth taking a few minutes to contribute here.

Personal experiences with the name Unai

Unai is a tough name to have in terms of avoiding teasing and unsolicited nicknames during the elementary school years. However, the name has a lot of appeal in the late teens, and into adulthood. My mother decided that she wanted to give me a Basque name in honor of her mother, who was a nurse in the Spanish Civil War, and a staunch opponent of fascism. She asked my grandmother to make a list of her favorite Basque names. My mother picked Unai right away. My father's name suggestions never stood a chance.

Nicknames for Unai

Unaimi

Meanings and history of the name Unai

Unai is a Basque name for boys. It is not a Basque version of a name like John, Matthew, Edward, etc. Unai is a name whose origin is entirely found in the Basque Country, culture, and language. It means "the good shepherd." For a list of other Basque names, please see Buber's Basque page. www.buber.net/Basque/Euskara/gizon.html

Famous real-life people named Unai

The most famous person with the name Unai is a DJ from Sweden whose real name is Erik Möller.

Unai Etxebarria, the Venezuelan road racing cyclist.

Unai Pascual, the Professor at the University of Cambridge.

Unai Casillas, brother to Iker Casillas and a Footballer.

Unai in song, story & screen

In addition to appearing in various Basque songs, stories, plays, and films, the name Unai appears in the song title and Hindi lyrics of an South Asian film, "Parakkum Paavai," Unai is also an important landmark in Gujarat, India with hot springs, as well as a city and a municipality in Minas Gerais, Brazil.