Advice

[hotchpot.livejournal.com]

What are some things that you wish you could tell people to keep in mind when naming their children?

I would tell everyone to remember that kids will only be kids for a short time, and to give them a name that works well in all stages of life. (Josephine instead of Joey, Grace instead of Gracie, etc).

I would also tell them to try to make the name something meaningful, and dignified, instead of "OMG I SAW LOTR and what do you think abotu ARWEN or maybe ARWYNNE?"

Edit: My mom likes to say to picture the name on a wedding invitation, a college diploma, and a gravestone. And to use the Supreme Court Justice test: say out loud, "All rise for [your child's name]." All rise for Eleanor Jane So and So sounds way more elegant and classy than All rise for Baylee Jayde So and So."

Discuss.

Comments

[crzydimond.livejournal.com]

I'd just tell them to make sure it actually is a legitimate name.

And to not insist that names are pronounced some other way than they are intended to be.

Adding random Ys and double letters does not necessarily give the same pronunciation.

[cinderlily.livejournal.com]

As a teacher at a preschool , I think it also necessary to remind people that kids are cruel. Naming your kid Carys gives the kids full reign to call her Carrots for the rest of her life. Brandon James and calling him BJ=not fun in high school years. Regina (pronounced, I kid you not, like the re J-EYE-NA) is just plain mean. Patricia Isabel G____ is PIG.

Think about the name, the WHOLE name, and that it is theirs forever.

[bluekoala.livejournal.com]

oh my god the mispronunciation of Regina...I cracked up, but still, noooo

[sailorneptune.livejournal.com]

The name we have picked out for our son would have the initials H.O.E.S. ... so we're thinking of switching the two middle initials around :P

[tryyingtoevolve.livejournal.com]

1. Kids are only going to be kids for a little while; what might be a cute name on a 5-year-old might not be so cute when s/he is 30, or 60.

2. Nicknames are just that -- NICKNAMES. When your kid is suddenly an adult and applying for a job, Jake-not-Jacob is going to have some confusion when those looking at his resume think that he doesn't know enough to use his formal name. If you name your kid a name with a common nickname (ex: Jacob, Lucas, Charles, etc., people ARE going to call your kid Jake or Luke or Charlie, so why not just name them the formal name?)

3. No matter how you spell Michael, it's still pronounced the same way. And when you're saying it outloud, it doesn't make it any more unique. You don't HEAR the extra y's and h's, so why even put them in? Plus, it looks tacky.

4. If you must INSIST on giving your kid a "unique" name, or (this mostly just applies to girls, since most people don't use girls names on boys) if you insist on giving your daughter a boy's name, PLEASE use something semi-traditional as a middle name so that the kid has other options if they hate their name.

[hotchpot.livejournal.com]

WORD WORD WORD WORD WORD

[tryyingtoevolve.livejournal.com]

Hahahahahahaha. I don't know why, but this comment at 1:15am totally made my night:)

[hotchpot.livejournal.com]

Glad to be of service. Preach on, sister! You speak the truth!

[sandtree.livejournal.com]

AMEN.

I know, not as exciting as WORD WORD WORD WORD WORD. But, I agree with you. XD

[hotchpot.livejournal.com]

I totally agree with the popularity thing. Some family friends chose the name Olivia back in 2000 because they thought it was relatively uncommon and lovely; a month later Ian Falconer published his book Olivia, about the little pig, and now EVERYONE and their mother has that name.

They made up for it, though: they named their next daughter Electra.

[sandtree.livejournal.com]

Basically, everything you said.

Also, to check the popularity... because a lot of people think that Aidan, or Ava, or some other name is really unique, only to be shocked a year or two after their kid is born, when everyone is telling them how popular it is, and there are five other Aidans in their play group.

And, kids are human beings. Individuals. Not accesories or fashion statements. If I could get away with naming my kid Eugenides after my favourite literary character, I totally would. But I know that it would never fly as a name. Respect the fact that your children are not objects for you to express yourself with.

[bopeepsheep.livejournal.com]

I agree with everything said here and will add: since you have access to Google, take a moment to check that you are not inadvertently naming your child after a notorious serial killer, neo-Nazi, whatever - anyone you would be embarrassed to be associated with yourself. You can't help later events, but you can avoid calling your child John Wayne Gacy or Fred Phelps now. While you're at it, check for porn stars too. :)

[bluekoala.livejournal.com]

Ahh, that reminds me of the Seinfeld episode where Elaine's boyfriend has the same name as some serial killer and he has no idea, so she keeps suggesting name changes for him

[idrinkacidrain.livejournal.com]

I completely agree with the wise poster a few posts above that earned "WORD WORD WORD" and "AMEN".

[waitingonsunday.livejournal.com]

The Supreme Court Justice test is a good one. I've always considered how the name would look if you sent out birth announcements to friends and how it would sound at high school graduation--both to their high school peers and the adults watching the ceremony.

Another thing I'd tell them to keep in mind is how many times they're willing to explain pronunciation, spelling, and personal meaning behind names. My sister saw Ashton Kutcher's name in the credits for "That 70's Show" and decided to name her son that. I can just imagine a conversation from the playground: "His middle name is Michael, after my father, and his first name is Ashton, after that hot guy from Dude, Where's My Car?"

[schuklins.livejournal.com]

Not only think about how willing you are to explain the pronunciation, but also how much you really want your kids to have to explain it when they get old enough. I have a long, very German last name and I have to spell and explain pronouciation all the time - I would hate to have to do the same for my first name!

Also, think about how people pronouce names where you live. Don't name your kid "Lar-ah" (Laura) when you know everyone around you is going to pronouce it "Loor-ah." Not unless it's a family name.

[hotchpot.livejournal.com]

I HATE when people are like I named my kid after a soap opera/hot actor/popular song. To me, a name is something meaningful that will stick with a person through his life and form peoples' associations of that person. Why not make it count for something?

[hotchpot.livejournal.com]

It's like you should never get a band tattoo until the band breaks up, because they might start to suck ;)

[girlsteve.livejournal.com]

I know it's rare when people do it, or at least do it blatently, but it annoys me when people make names political. Your kid may not share your values - it's part of the reason that I've never liked Kennedy and Reagan as names. But I certainly don't think you can get away with calling your kid 'Repubican' or - and yes, i did see this once and it turned my stomach for many reasons ' 'Aryan Justice'

Actually, overt racism is another no no all of it's own...

[arbus.livejournal.com]

i do something similar to the supreme court justice test. i picture yelling it through the neighborhood to come home for dinner, in school, his/her friends cheering them on during a sporting event, high school graduation, extending a hand at college interviews and job interviews and say "hi my name is..." as an adult in general, and so on through life...

this is the reason i cant stand when people name little girls things like arabella, or something else that sounds like the name of a fairy princess.

[hotchpot.livejournal.com]

I'm really big on the wedding invitation test. I think, Mr and Mrs V. request the honor of your presence at the wedding of their daughter, ______." Something like Beighly Chrystyne wouldn't look nice on a fancy engraved invitation.

I actually LOVE the name Arabella, but I would pair it with Jane. It's the exception, though, and I would never use it. In general I can't stand Isabella, Juliana, Francesca, Samantha--overly flowery names. I think it's because my name is Catherine, which is feminine but dignified at the same time.

[so-there.livejournal.com]

yeah, I tend to avoid -a names.. with the exceptions of Audra and Greta, which I don't think are overly-flowery.

[solagirl.livejournal.com]

I imagine my future children introducing themselves to potential dates, and what their reaction might be. (May sound odd, but imagine your first impression upon hear people's names.) It has to sound good. It has to look good in print. I must be spelled correctly (one letter variations don't bother me too much...). It must work for an adult, even if it sound a little too mature for a kid. Pretty much the same as the above posters, but I'll add this:

I prefer that first names include a built in nickname. Katherine = Kate, Katie, Kat etc, Elizabeth - endless!, Daniel = Danny and so on. It is really nice to have a professional name and one that your friends or family call you. This is not a "must" I just have always enjoyed having this type of name.

[sailorneptune.livejournal.com]

My fiancé wanted to use Summer Rain as a girl's name...

My mom told me to go by this rule:

When picking a girl name, where do you see the name fitting in more?

"Ladies and gentlemen, presenting the president of the United States of America, Summer Rain."

OR

"Attention, boys, please welcome to the stage at Big Boobs R' Us, the very sexy Summer Rain!"