How I Met Your Mother’s Alyson Hannigan and her husband, Alexis Denisof, have welcomed a daughter named Satyana.

This one has me stumped! It reminds me of Japanese names – like Satomi – as well as Russian appellations like Tatiana. (And Denisof’s bio indicates that he is of Russian descent, and has a family name himself.) But a Google search turned up the Satyana Institute, which claims the name is Sanskrit – sat means truth and yana means vehicle; together, it means “a vehicle for action infused with the grace of spirit.” Or so sayeth the site.

What do you think of Satyana?

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What do you think?

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  1. I don’t think so…I don’t think Alyson Hannigan has that much influence on people (though my cousin is considering Alyson or Willow for her daughter, hmm…)

  2. Satyana is pretty! It sounds, from what Lola has said, that it’s a legitimate Indian name. Even if it weren’t, I think foreign words make appealing names (as long as they have a good meaning and sound “name-like” in English).

    It’s an excellent choice for a celebrity, since it’s unusual without being laughable, weird, or overly complex.

    1. So now I guess the question is this: will we be meeting a bunch of small Satyanas in the next few years? Sisters called Satyana and Seraphina, maybe?

      Hmmm ….

  3. I have no idea. The few Indians I still am friends with don’t honor living relatives and I’m not sure about their naming customs overall. Maybe I should ask the next time we’re together!

  4. I don’t know, I like it! I think it has an exotic beauty and elegance. I think it’s pretty! Good job Alyson and Alexis!

  5. LOL, Allison – *love* that link!

    And yeah, I do trip on the name’s similarity to Satan. But then, I’ve heard some parents are considering Lucifer …

    Lola, so it IS in use! I wonder if they’re honoring someone?

  6. I think it’s a pretty sound, but the look of it reminds me of Santana. Or Satan. Or Santeria. lol

  7. I don’t mind it, it feels similar tone as the surname and while it’s a bit unusual, I’ve seen it before a half dozen times (on a few Indian kids I used to know), so it doesn’t strike me as too unusual (like Suri, anyone?)

    So Satyana doesn’t flip me out or bother me the slightest bit. Any chance they might call her Yana for short? I can almost get Tanya out of it too, almost! 🙂

  8. Oh, whoops. I just emailed you about this. Nevermind.

    I don’t like the name that much. It feels very reach-y. Like they were trying very hard to find a new and different name. But the sound is odd, almost like Santa, almost like Satan…

    Of course, this is from AlYson – whose parents dared to be different by giving her a Y in her name (how unique! :P) and Alexis, who wears his classic male name in a world full of women Alexises. So what were we to expect?

    I think it fits nicely with Denisof and is a good choice for them. As starbaby names go, it’s certainly no Moxie Crimefighter, and I think the little girl will be thankful for that. Maybe.

    (Couldn’t they just go with the more familiar Tatiana?)