Names names...

[always-bawling.livejournal.com]

I don't like a lot of the names people people are naming their offspring as of late. To be more specific, basically anything that's on the top 20 list of names bugs me because it's...well...not original anymore.

Which sucks because I really used to love the name Madison. And Emma. But now they're totally overused and it sucks.

I'm worried that if I find a name I love, by the time my child is in school, EVERYONE will have that name. And then it will be like "Emma G., Emma W., Emma K., Emma L." and I don't want my kid to be "Emma W."

So I was looking towards Indian names because I just love the way they sound. Parminder (like the girl from ER and Bend it like Beckham) is so cute. I also like Alka, Kalindi, Trishna, Nidra, Sadhana, and Lavanya.

The questions are:

Are these TOO far out?
And are they inappropriate for someone of any race or color? Like, I might be put off if I saw a little Japanese girl named Shanequa. You know what I mean?

Comments

[mommyof-2girls.livejournal.com]

While I agree with not wanting to name a baby something that is so popular, I don't agree with the names you posted. I think that a child would have more of a problem being white with a name with Parminder then they would with a common name like Madison. There are tons of great names that aren't so common, it's really just a matter of researching and finding them! My husband and I are going through that right now as we, like you, don't want our kid to have his/her last name's initial tacked onto their name in school.

Whatever you go with though, it is your choice...I'm just voicing my opinion.

Good luck!

[x-true-love-x.livejournal.com]

agreed.

[semi-sweet.livejournal.com]

check out the site http://www.behindthename.com/top/ and if you put in a name, you can see if it is rising in popularity, and how sharp that rise is, then you can see if it is likely to rise to the top or not. there are also lots of good name ideas on that site

i agree that parminder is a lovely name. but it might be a little odd for your child. i'm white but have a latina sounding name, although usually i go by my "anglo sounding" nickname. it's always a little odd, and people sometimes think i have a hispanic roommate when they hear my name on the answering machine, they just don't make the connection.

i also wonder if it hurts my chances in job interviews - there have been recent studies that resumes with common black names (tyrone, tamika, etc) don't get as many call backs as resumes with common anglo names like jason, kristen, etc. so that might be an issue for your child as well. just something to consider.

there are plenty of uncommon names, if that is what you are going for, many names will never make it into the top 20. with some research you can find something you love that isn't popular :o)

[xopink-heartsox.livejournal.com]

yeah. i agree with the not wanting everyone in the class to have the same name as your baby. thats how it was for me. i loved the name Jayden and Makayla and now its like everywhere you look someone has them names. now that i am pregnant and expecting my first. it took me like until i was 27 weeks to decide on a good name. finally i went with Savannah Rene' not many people ...well not any that i no are naming there little girl Savannah. i like the names you have listed.

[evelet.livejournal.com]

why don't you use a British baby naming website? then you might get suggestions that are common here in the UK but uncommon in the US. The name Emma is SO common here in the UK but Jayden is really rare. Its fun to go onto the website for the british newspaper The Times classifieds and search all the birth announcements

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/section/0,,20989,00.html

[georgey629.livejournal.com]

I agree with what you said about common names, but I wouldn't give up using a common name if I really loved it.

People basically name their kids anything these days, so I wouldn't say that the Indian names are too far out. It might be a tad bit odd, though. I'd go for one that is similar sounding to a more common name so it wouldn't sound so different.

[elemmennope.livejournal.com]

I think there is probably a happy medium -- either a more familiar "American" name that isn't in the top 20, or an Indian name that isn't as way out as Parminder.

I much prefer unique names with a story and meaning behind their use than a super common bland name.

[lolacat.livejournal.com]

I guess my only problem with naming a child something from a culture other than your own is that, to me, you should have a connection to that culture to justify the name use. I mean, I have friends who are Indian and their names all have specific meanings, and I wouldn't want to just muck around in a language and culture that I didn't have a personal connection to.

Even though a lot of kids end up having the same name, I don't think it's a huge crisis. I know many Jennifers and Ashleys and they all turned out great. I am a Lauren, and there are a lot of Laurens, but it doesn't bother me. I plan to name my son Owen - hopefully it won't be in the top 50, but I wouldn't completely rule it out if it was because I love the name. There are worse things in life than having a name that everyone can spell and pronounce immediately. To me it's a trade off... on the one hand, if you pick Emma for example, your kid might go through a time where they hate the fact that there's an Emma H. and Emma P. in her class. But that will pass and later on she'll be fine with. If you name your little girl Parminder, she will probably go through a period where she hates spelling and pronouncing and explaining her name to everyone, and then later she will probably embrace its uniqueness. So to me, it shouldn't be such a big deal as it is. I think the thing to do is pick the right name for your child and family, and stick to it!

:)

Lauren

[dayblog.livejournal.com]

I completely understand your dilemma. I've had my list of baby names since I was about 10 and for some reason, now that I'm ready to get pregnant, they are ALL on the TOP 10 list! grrrrr. I mean, I've liked those names for YEARS!!!

Anyway, I really like Indian names. One of my favorites is Prajna which means wisdom or intelligence in Sanskrit.

[momentarygenius.livejournal.com]

We purposely chose something that was popular 20,25,30 years ago. Chances are it won't be popular again for a while. That's how we ended up with Kristen. If you like a name though, you should use it. :D

[queen-exene.livejournal.com]

honestly i don't disagree with naming kids something out of their 'ethnic range' if you want to say it like that.

i would much rather name my kid a traditional native american name and have her be criticized for it than have her lose her identity and have to be recognized by her last intitial rather than her first name.

[devilsadvocate.livejournal.com]

AGREED.