(no subject)

[ga-the-impaler.livejournal.com]

Hi, I'm new. I was wondering if anyone had any, shall we say, *unusual* names they'd like to share? I've run across my share of them over the years. I find them fascinating.

My first and middle names are Danielle Michelle (middle name pronounced MEE-shell). Yep, that's right - I have a rhyming first and middle name. But I have a tradition of odd family names.

My father's step-grandfather was named Magnus John. Everyone called him Pete. Go figure.
My father's middle name is Magnus, after his step-grandfather. My father loved the man, but hates the name.
My mother's father was named Zenas. He was the 25th person in his family to be named Zenas, non-consecutively.
My niece is named Althea Melea (mel-LEE). She's named after the Grateful Dead song of the same name, and her middle name is made up.
My father's grandmother was named Valeda. I love the name, but people always ask me what my problem is when I say that.
My mother has an uncle named A.G. That's it. It's not an abbreviation for anything. People called him Al.
EDIT: I just remembered, one of my grandmother's sisters is named Idola. Now there's a name you hardly ever hear anymore.

Okay, here's a random list of unusual names from outside of my family:

Male names:
Proctor Coffin
Huckle
Coco
Sudro (my brain immediately wondered if he was called Su for short. And, no, he's not called Su)

Female names:
Probably Jane (we just called her Jane)
Kjellander (common in Sweden, I'm sure, but most people around here look at it and can't even fathom how to pronounce it - it's shell-AN-da, if you're curious)
Kaijsa
Alpha
September (not the most common of the "month names")
Carnegie Clatterbaugh
Tammis (her mother made it up, I liked it)

So, some of these may not seem too unusual, but they took me by surprise the first time I saw them, especially Coco, since I made the assumption that Coco was a girl - like Coco Chanel. Oops!

I'm sure there are more, but I can't remember them right now.

I have a question for everyone as well - what do you think about naming someone one thing, and calling her/him by their middle name? Also, how do you feel about naming children after a living parent?

Comments

[zorianna.livejournal.com]

what do you think about naming someone one thing, and calling her/him by their middle name?

I know a lot of people who do that. One of my good friends did that recently when she had a baby boy in August and named him John Vincent, but he goes by Vincent because John is a family name. Now, there's really not much of a problem with it, and Vincent fits him better than John, in my opinion. But while she was pregnant, I know she got tired of people asking what she was naming him and having to say, "John Vincent but we'll call him Vincent." LoL

[ga-the-impaler.livejournal.com]

I know an entire family whose names are Lee (something) and they all go by their middle names. My friend is fed up with it. He despises having a name that 1) no one calls him and 2) isn't is "own" name. I don't think I could do that to a kid. Personally, I'd just name my kid the name that they're to be called, and leave the other name as a middle name (or skip it). I just wanted to see what others think.

[zorianna.livejournal.com]

Well, that's an entirely different thing. I don't think there's anything wrong with calling a child by their middle name, but I think it's silly to give all of your kids the same first name. It just causes way more confusion.

Personally, I agree with you on naming a kid what you want to call them. I don't particularly like nicknames, and I would probably never name my child something and call them by their middle name. But you asked what people think, and I don't think there's anything wrong with it.

[ga-the-impaler.livejournal.com]

Nope, nothing wrong with it, I was wondering what people's thoughts were on it (ie: Would you do it?).

My parents are very much into not naming thier children after anyone else (except maybe sharing middle names and whatnot). My sister and my mother share a middle name, as does my father and my brother.

I was just noticing that there seem to be a lot of people who are named one name and caled by their middle names. I wondered how comon this is, and why people would do that. I guess it's a logic question, in a way. :)

[squirkey.livejournal.com]

I agree...I think there is nothing wrong with calling a child by their middle name, especially if their first name is a family name. Sometimes you really like a name, but it doesn't flow very well unless it's the middle name. For instance I really like Nicholas Dalton for a little boy, but I don't want to call him Nicholas. However, Dalton Nicholas just doesn't flow as nice. So yes...I dont think there is anything wrong with it.

[ga-the-impaler.livejournal.com]

Oh, I agree. Nicholas Dalton is much nicer than Dalton Nicholas, but here's a question for you: Why use the name Nicholas at all? Is there some significance to it that makes you unable to just name your child Dalton James (or whatever) or Dalron James-Nicholas? Just curious.

[squirkey.livejournal.com]

Well...the possible father of my one day children is named Nicholas...and its a family tradition for the first born son to have his father's first name as the middle name...and we both really like Dalton but he still would like to keep up with the family tradition...so yeah...i'll probably have all girls anyway...but that's why I would probably do it like that

[pooshminky.livejournal.com]

I really like the name Aloysius (All-o-wish-us). I heard it somewhere when I was a kid, and I would always name my stuffed animals Aloysius. I also liked the name Herb (you pronounce the H when it's a name) and I'm guessing it's short from Herbert. When my sister was looking for names for her baby, she looked on the social security's website. There's a place where you can look at popularity by decade, and she went back into the 20s and 30s. I guess a lot of those are coming back, but there are names like Pearl, Phyllis, Irene, Jeanie, Charlotte, etc.

[ga-the-impaler.livejournal.com]

That was a great idea that your sister had.

Personally, I've always like Amadeus (drop the Wolfgang part). I have no idea what a nickname would be for it. :) There's always a nickname, you know. If you don't give your kid one, someone else will, so you need to think ahead.

[snh0911.livejournal.com]

Idola is Idol in malay.that's so cool!

[ga-the-impaler.livejournal.com]

That's awesome! I had no idea! I used to tell my father that it sounded like some old southern lady's name (they were all French, from Fall River, MA, home of Lizze Borden), and no one knew why her mother chose it. Her Twin sister's name is Rita. Just Rita. Rita and Idola. :)

[mercuryisme.livejournal.com]

My ex boyfriend was Christopher Max but they call him Max. *shrugs* I don't mind it.

[ga-the-impaler.livejournal.com]

Does his family not like Christopher? II'm just wondering why they didn't call him by his name.

My boyfriend and his father have the same first and last names, but different middle names. My boyfriend has never been called by his actual name by his family. Nor has he been called by his middle name, either. He's always been "Tiny," which he hates. He loves being an adult, because now he has friend who call him by his real name - Carl. He's vowed that if he ever has a son, his son will not be named after him.

[katiesthoughts.livejournal.com]

My mom is Mary Rita and everyone calls her Rita. Her brother is John Robert and everyone calls him Bob. Well, to be honest, they go by Mary and John at work/school and Rita and Bob everywhere else. My mom HATES it. When she went to school, they called her Mary. She didn't even know that was her name and wouldn't answer. The teacher called my Grandma to tell her what a rude little girl she had.

[ga-the-impaler.livejournal.com]

Is your mother's first name Mary Rita or just Mary? If her name is Mary Rita, I could see her being called Rita to distinguish herself from the many, many Marys out there.

Is Mary a family name? I'm just curious about why a child would be named something s/he would never be called.

My ex boyfriend's mother was named Maria. When she moved to the US from Portugal, she wanted to be more American, so she had her name legally changed to Maria Irene and had people call her Irene. She kept the Maria part because her mother called her Maria still.

[katiesthoughts.livejournal.com]

I really don't know. My mom and her brother were both named after their parents, Mary and John. My grandparents never intended to call them anything buy Rita and Bob. My uncle was named after my grandpa because he was born on his birthday. My mom was named after my grandma because she figured she had one named after her husband, so might as well name one after herself! They never even called their kids John and Mary. My mom didn't even know that was her name until she went to school!

I really don't know why their names as middle names and just name them Rita and Robert/Bob. Both kind of wished they did.

[lookingatastar.livejournal.com]

I go by my middle name, and on first glance it's not a big deal. However, I can say that it does get quite annoying because on every sheet you ever fill out with your legitimate first name, that's what you get called. The worst is at school. This year I actually went to the registrar and had it taken off completely because it was annoying to correct profs all the time.

[ga-the-impaler.livejournal.com]

I could see how that would be a problem. I'm wondering, though, just out of curiosity, why do you go by your middle name? Are you named after someone? Do your parents call you by your middle name or by your first name?

[somaddict.livejournal.com]

What, you know someone whose first name is Kjellander? It's a surname in Sweden... but now that I think about it, it does sound nice as a first name too. Huh. Odd.

[ga-the-impaler.livejournal.com]

I do. I graduated with a Kjellander. Her last name was a Scottish name. :)

[ladydiddymus.livejournal.com]

From other posts, it seems like a lot of people disagree with me, but I don't think it makes any sense at all to name a kid one thing and then call them by their middle name. Except for some special circumstances, hardly anyone ACTUALLY uses their middle name, think about it. All through school and work you'll go by your first and last name. I understand honoring family names, but unless its the whole exact name like a Jr. or III etc I think it's pretty silly and un unecessary hassle.

[ga-the-impaler.livejournal.com]

I agree with you, but I'm fascinated as to why it happens.

[livvilou.livejournal.com]

Dakota Fanning's real name is Hannah Dakota Fanning, and her sister Elle's real name is Mary Elle Fanning.