(no subject)

[bornto-fly.livejournal.com]

One of my absolute favorite names for a girl is Scout, from the book To Kill a Mockingbird. It's been my favorite book since I was 14 and I absolutely adore the name. However, I'm well aware that it's a little "out there" for a girl and that she might not like it, which is why I plan to use it as a middle name. When she's a kid, that's what I'll call her, but I plan to give her a traditional first name that she might choose to go by if she dislikes the name Scout. These are the ones I like the best. What are your favorites?

(Please refrain from commenting to tell me that I have awful taste in books, because it's really not going to change my mind any)

[Poll #1024521]

At the moment, I think Margaret Scout is my favorite combination. Margaret is my grandmother's name, so it wouldn't be odd to my family that I named her that and called her by her middle name instead. Plus, if she dislikes being called Scout, I really like the nickname Meg.

Comments

[bornto-fly.livejournal.com]

i really like all of them, but my problem is finding a name that i like enough that i would be able to call her by it if she didn't like scout, but that i didn't like SO much that i'd want to call her that instead of scout.

the one name on this list i know i'd never be able with use with scout is louisa, which is my #1 name. i just love it too much to name her that and then call her something else.

[vacantseas.livejournal.com]

If/when I have another baby, and it's a girl, I will probably have Scout somewhere in her name for that same reason. I am currently pregnant with a little boy that will be named Sorren Atticus :)

[bornto-fly.livejournal.com]

that's awesome!! my #1 name for a boy is samuel atticus, so that's awesome :)

[rubytitania.livejournal.com]

I agree. In the book it was her nickname, not her given name.

Juliet is my favourite of those first names, but I don't think it goes so well with Scout. I think it goes with Amelia pretty well.

[bornto-fly.livejournal.com]

I agree. In the book it was her nickname, not her given name.

What does that matter? People still called her that, and I still like the name, whether it was her given name or her nickname.

[rubytitania.livejournal.com]

Sure, if you like it then it really doesn't matter. It's just my opinion on it. Some things work great as nicknames but (to me) don't work so well as given names. I know people who go by Boo, Dink, Plug, Pussycat and all sorts of other things, but I wouldn't use them as real names, y'know? Scout's not as extreme as those though, and if you like it then that's all that matters.

[monalyssasmile.livejournal.com]

I like Louisa Scout as Louisa is a favorite of mine

[bornto-fly.livejournal.com]

Louisa is my favorite name, but I don't know if I want to pair them together, because I'd end up calling her Louisa, rather than Scout. I'd probably use Louisa as my first daughter's name, and then the one of these that I pick would be the second daughter's.

I do like the sound of Louisa Scout, though :)

[straight-outta.livejournal.com]

I love Scout. Use it, for sure.

[mystickiwi.livejournal.com]

I don't really like any of them. Honestly, I'd just do like they did in the book and give her two normal names but call her Scout if it suited her

[mahalia-baby.livejournal.com]

I love Scout. And Amelia Scout is awesome. (:

[th3-unicorn.livejournal.com]

I'd only heard the name Scout on Demi Moore's daughter Scout LaRue, now I've researched the meaning and I found that it supposedly comes from the verb "to listen" in the english language. So that means I really can't figure it out lol. To me "scout" is like the boyscouts, or talent scouts or just means "to explore and find something", which actually might be a great meaning for a name.

So all of my considerations aside, I have to say my fave combo there is Eliza Scout. Second and third pick being Caroline Scout and Emily Scout.

[jordle.livejournal.com]

I know a little girl (She's 11) whose name is Scout Reagan. I think it fine for a name but I understand where you're coming from. I like Louisa :)

[dandelionwishes]

I'm rather partial to Kathryn ;), but I really like Amelia Scout, too.

[fleckerbug.livejournal.com]

Even if she doesn't dislike Scout, she might dislike going by here middle name. Why not make it her first and then she can go by her middle later on if she wants?

[bornto-fly.livejournal.com]

I've thought about it, but I think it's easier, should she want to go by her more traditional name, if THAT is first, instead of Scout.

Think about it this way - assume your name is Mary Elizabeth, but you've been called Elizabeth your whole life. You go off to college and decide you want to be called Mary. It's not even going to be an issue, because everyone is going to assume that you go by Mary. However, if your name is Elizabeth Mary and you decide you want to go by Mary instead of Elizabeth, you have to tell everyone "I prefer Mary." See what I mean?

Besides, if she's embarrassed because of the unconventional nature of Scout, it's easier to "hide" it if it's your middle name. Most people don't know your middle name unless you tell them, and that way she can just drop it down to the initial and be, Amelia S. ______ instead of S. Amelia _______.

[fleckerbug.livejournal.com]

Well, my point was if she's not embarrassed by Scout and does want to use it as her name, she'll then still have to explain to people that it's her middle name, not her first. It sounds like you're assuming that she's not going to like the name Scout. Personally in that case, even if I loved the name, if I thought there was a strong chance my child would hate it I wouldn't use it. It would also cause some confusion once she gets to school and she may end up getting called by her first name even if she prefers Scout.

I get your point, but the opposite is true as well. With your analogy of going off to school or some such, everyone is going to assume her name is Amelia and she'll have to say "I prefer Scout".

I also kinda feel like when a person has a 'normal' first name but chooses to go by their unusual middle name that they're just trying to hard to be special whereas if they have an unusual fist name it just strikes me as unique.

It's your child, do what you want, just giving my opinion. :)

FWIW, I do like the name, if I didn't say that before.

[home-to-me.livejournal.com]

I LOVE Scout. I've recently been considering it as a first name. My 8th grade English teacher had a little girl named Scout (who'd be, wow, like 11 or so now?), and I thought it was SO COOL when I heard it. I'd just read the book (on my own, for fun), but everyone in my class is like "WHAT?! What's that a nickname for?!" And I'm like "WTF?! It's from 'To Kill a Mockingbird!'" Which is what made my 8th grade Lit teacher love me, cause I commented on it to her later, and then we became book buddies. Seriously.

I think I prefer it as like Scout Margaret, or Scout Emily, or whatever other name you choose. People can always choose to use their MN instead, right?

[bornto-fly.livejournal.com]

I really like the sound of Scout Margaret, but I feel like it'd be easier on her if it was used as her middle name and then it was HER choice whether or not to say, "but I go by Scout, my middle name." So then if she doesn't want to go, she doesn't have to worry about correcting people; they'll just assume that her name is Margaret.

I did I better job explaining it in my reply to the comment right above this one, haha.

[home-to-me.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I saw that after I posted. I see your point. Hrrm. Either way. I love Scout though, so I think it's cool however you use it, lol

[lneef.livejournal.com]

I'd give her the first name Jean and call her Scout for a nickname.

[easter.livejournal.com]

Agreed.

[bornto-fly.livejournal.com]

the point is that i like the name scout, not that i want to name her exactly like the character in the book. besides, (a) i hate the name jean, and (b) i think it's really stupid to give her the name jean louise and then call her scout just because that's how it is in the book; nobody would get it unless they've read it, and even then, there would be people who would still be like, "what the fuck??"

the nickname scout had nothing to do with her name being jean louise - it wasn't like her name was samantha and they called her sam - so i think it's dumb to give her the same given name when using the nickname scout doesn't depend on her name being jean louise, you know what i mean?

[easter.livejournal.com]

Well, then, if you really like the name, I think it's a good idea to use as a middle name, just in case she hates it and can choose to go by her first name when she's older.

I like Margaret Scout the best, I guess, because there's a lot of other potential there for her: Margaret, Meggie, Meg, Maggie, Margie...

[maniacalapricot.livejournal.com]

I chose Juliet Scout, I personally think it sounds fine. & my name is Margaret, so on the positive side you don't hear it a lot with younger people. I've never met a Margaret within 30 years of my age. On the negative side you get quite a few odd nicknames, and if you can believe it mispellings.
Oh and the place you hear Margaret a whole lot? Nursing homes. :)