Bear James

[nkkclmmr.livejournal.com]

 Husband wants to name future son, if we ever have kids, Bear James.  It is starting to grow on me, but everyone in our family thinks that we should rethink it.  WDYT?

Comments

[politicking.livejournal.com]

i agree completely.

[miss-tee.livejournal.com]

bear isn't a term for a gay or bisexual man but rather a specific subculture of gay or bisexual men (big and hairy, yum).

[imyourrapunzel.livejournal.com]

I agree. Especially your last point. When I saw the name I immediately thought of "bears."

[happysaid.livejournal.com]

I have to agree with the family; I think it's pretty bad. =/
Any reason why he wants to use it?

[ladyartemisa.livejournal.com]

it is more than awful.
that is a guaranteed asskicking every day of its life.

[areawoman.livejournal.com]

seriously.

[freezemyazaleas.livejournal.com]

iawtc

[title-track-1.livejournal.com]

reason one not to tell family a hypothetical name:
there's always going to be opinions thrown at you.unless you're completely open to them i say don't mention it.

i test out names here for 'real world' effect but family is way too judgemental. i have been telling my family the same 3 names for the past 4 months even though they are not being considered anymore.

as for Bear, i don't mind it. i've known 2 people with the name.
granted i know for sure that they were nicknames but its all i ever knew them as so its the same as a real first to me. if the kid grows up and doesn't care for it then he always has James to fall back on.

[roseofjuly.livejournal.com]

Actually, I disagree. I think family is one of the best people to test names out with; they're the ones who are going to see the child the most (besides school) and often they can come up with the bad points for a name. Then again, it may be because I have a very close-knit and sensible family, but I don't want my mom to make a face when I tell her my child's name (and not a happy face).

[schexyschteve.livejournal.com]

I agree with your family. James is lovely though. :)

[morphinae.livejournal.com]

I have to agree, I'd certainly rethink it. It might sound fun, but keep in mind you don't have to walk around a playground with the name Bear. It's gonna be on an actual human :)

[sandtree.livejournal.com]

No. Just, no. It's horrible. There's literally nothing good about the 'name' Bear. It's a large, violent, smelly animal. It's also a subculture of large, hairy gay men.

[ex-bluebonn.livejournal.com]

I like James Bear better than Bear James - I'd feel better if, say, I went to the clinic and was treated by Dr. James ____ instead of Dr. Bear ____.

[alexandria-skye.livejournal.com]

i agree.
when i hear bear being used as a name, i think of that obnoxious show on discovery channel... >.<
and james is a great name :)

[solagirl.livejournal.com]

Pick some other name that starts with B - Brian, Bradley, Bart, Bennett, Brent, etc... and use Bear as a permanet nickname. You and your husband can always call him that, and he can go by that if he wants to, but he will always have a real name to put on job applications. My first choice would be Barrett, which has "Bear" in it and also means "bear strength". There are many other names that mean bear too:

Ardal ... "High or bear-like valor."

Arthur ... the Celtic word for "bear" ...

Auberon ... "Noble or royal bear." ...

Barend ... "Hard bear."

Barrett ... (Old German) "bear-strength" ...

Beirne ... "Bear." ...

Bern ... "Bear." ...

Bernal ... "Strength of a bear." ...

Bernard ... "Strong, brave bear." ...

Berwyn ... "Bear friend; bright friend."

Bjorn ... "Bear." ...

Dov ... "Bear."

Esbjorn ... "Godly bear." ...

Macmahon ... "Son of the bear." ...

Oberon ... "Royal bear." ...

Orson ... "Bear." ... a child named Orson is reared in the forest by a bear ...

Osborn ... "Bear god." ...

Sigbjorn ... "Victory bear."

Theodore ... and the teddy bear is named for him ...

Thorburn ... "Thor's bear."

Urso ... "Bear."

Yosemite ... The name may be a Native American term for "grizzly bear".

[solagirl.livejournal.com]

That is nice a nice combo. I really liked Barrett James and Ardal James. I will admit I chose Barrett because of the bear sound in it before I looked it up and found it had a bear meaning as well!

[dustkitty.livejournal.com]

I vote for Barret or Bernard, with Bear as a nickname. Barret James sounds great.

Heck, my husband's nickname is Bear, and his name is John Michael--nothing to do with bears at all.

[roseofjuly.livejournal.com]

I don't think I would do Yosemite :D

[rubytitania.livejournal.com]

Sorry, gotta go with your family on this one. I think Bear is too much.

[mizsfrankie.livejournal.com]

I have to agree that "Bear" is just not a great name for a child.
what about Baron or Barry, something like that, and If you'd like you could still call him Bear as a nickname? If he wants to when hes older, he could go by "Bear"

[waitingonsunday.livejournal.com]

Definitely not a given name I can see on anyone, ever. A nickname, though, sure.

[miss-tee.livejournal.com]

I like Bear.
Don't know about the combo though

[http://users.livejournal.com/--fourinchesx/]

I like it, but wouldn't use it.
Reminds me too much of the host of "Man vs. Wild", Bear Grylls.
:)

[bohemianvegan.livejournal.com]

I don't like Bear. I knew of someone with a dog named Bear.

[mountain-nest.livejournal.com]

B.J.?

[usoccergurl.livejournal.com]

I love it

[in-the-starlite.livejournal.com]

I like the idea of going with a full name like Barrett or Baron and using Bear as a nickname. My ex's best friend named his son Barrett, but they always call him Bear. That way, he has the option to change it if he wants. To me, Bear alone seems more like a name for a pet. =\

[missmaxattax.livejournal.com]

I would agree with not using it as a first name.

Use another name with Bear as a nickname...
use "Barry"..
or go with James(or something else) as a first name and Bear as a middle name.

[crazy-surf.livejournal.com]

i havent posted here in a long time, just lurked but i HAD to post on this one because i absolutley love Bear Grylls from Discovery Channel's Man vs. Wild. he is the manliest man (in my opinion) out there, and it would be awesome to name a kid after him, i think. however, his real name is Edward which is more acceptable than Bear in the real world, i think.

[tryyingtoevolve.livejournal.com]

James is great, but Bear is ridiculous. Compromise with him: James Bear. He can call him Bear as a nickname, but you shouldn't give that to your child as a given name; I truly cannot see this name on an adult.

[dustkitty.livejournal.com]

I truly cannot see this name on an adult.

I can, because my 30-something former-hell's-angel tattoo artist was called Bear. I assume it was a nickname, but it's what he put on his business cards. But then, the tattoo industry is a little different that way, so who knows.

[tryyingtoevolve.livejournal.com]

Okay, so it works on a tattoo artist and former biker, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but what if he'd rather be a doctor? Or a lawyer? Or hell, even President. I don't know about everyone else, but I think if my doctor walked in the room and said, "Hi, I'm Dr. Bear Jones," I'd be too busy thinking, "What the...?" to believe in his abilities as a doctor.

[samaside.livejournal.com]

I like Bear as a nickname but I don't know so much about a first name.

Bear Bryant was really important to my parents and to my aunt and uncle because they are all from Alabama and went to the University of Alabama. When my cousin whose name is Ames Bryant started playing football in school they started calling him "Bear" after the famouse football coach.

Then again, Bear McCreary does the soundtrack for Battlestar Galactica and it's my favorite OST ever. So, you never know. Lol.

[norwegianeyes.livejournal.com]

omg no!

[http://users.livejournal.com/-----citylight/]

lol. bear is cute, but pretty out there. maybe use it as a nn? or a middle name.
my bf wanted to name our baby Roar if it was a boy. so not happening. maybe number two will get Rory tho. as a compromise.

[sarahness.livejournal.com]

I think Bear would be a cute nickname, but I don't agree on it being an actual name.

But if it happened, I've seen worse names.

[searlait.livejournal.com]

Please use Theodore James, 'Bear' as a nickname.

[unbakedbrownie.livejournal.com]

It makes me LOL because two of my teachers in middle school and high school were a Bear and a James.

That aside, I like it very much!

[biancasablancas.livejournal.com]

You could name him something else and call him "bear" when he's little, which is cute.
Regina Spektor (an amazing singer/songwriter) has a little brother that's called Bear.