Pet Peeves

[daydream11.livejournal.com]

I think we all have one when it comes to names. My two biggest ones are (1) when authors give their characters names that weren't popular at the time* or aren't appropriate in the character's context and (2) when parents bestow upon their children official names (nouns, adjectives, countries, etc.) and don't bother to spell the name correctly. IMO, both show ignorance and (in case number two) a kind of disrespect (particularly in the case of proper names).

What are your naming pet peeves?

*Okay, so names can always be ahead of the game. I've heard of -aydens born in the 80s and the like, but in general, I think authors ought to stick to the trends of the day and traditional "everybody has these names" monikers. For example, I hate picking up YA novels and having the main characters being named something like Ava or Trinity or Omarion, because all of my classmates are Ashleys and Jessicas and Treys, with the few exceptions.

Comments

[la-jolie-vie.livejournal.com]

Hm... I dislike sequential names in general (junior, third, fourth, etc). I think it shows a lack of creativity to be honest.

I also dislike name themes, such as when all the people in the family have names that start with the same letter. I'm in one of those families (Joyce, James, Jr.(Jim), James III, Justin and Jenna). I mean, it's okay to branch out a little...It doesn't all have to be so cutesy.

In general, I dislike virtual names (Grace, Hope, Charity) and any variation of "Heaven" (i.e. Nevaeh, Heaven Lee, Heaven Leigh, etc).

[lind-saay.livejournal.com]

I totally agree with you on both of these, especially #1. I'm a writer and a creative writing major in college and one of my biggest pet peeves is when the characters don't seem believable. And sorry, but a female Ryley born in 1983 just seems unbelievable to me. Sure, there was probably a girl named Ryley born in 1983, but a girl named ASHLEY or LISA born in 1983 would be much more believable to me. You don't necessarily have to use a name that was in the top 10 in that year, but AT LEAST pick something that made it into the top 1000.

[lind-saay.livejournal.com]

I also despise boys names on girls. And by this, I DO mean Riley, Morgan, Logan, etc. and not just names like Charlie and James. I think it may be the feminist in me, but I hate the idea that girls need to have a masculine name to be strong, which is the #1 reason I hear from parents who name their child something like this. And it just seems tacky and eww and a little mean to the kid, who has to live their life explaining that they are not a boy.

[kitchen-poet.livejournal.com]

I agree on both points, especially #2. Sorry, naming your daughter Brookelyn or Bostann isn't cute. I always just cringe when I see misspelled place names. Plus, uniformly they don't age past 6 years old.

I guess my pet peeves are unisex names that seem to be overly unisex on purpose, like the parents were trying to make a point on gender or that it's hip to have masculine names on girls. (Like, at my work, co worker named her daughter Rylan Sackett Lastname.) I also really abhor trendy boy names on girls. Rylee, Masen, Logan, Hunter, Harley, Carson, etc. It annoys me even more when the middle name is Rose or Marie and the names are said together. Not sure why, just irks the heck out of me.

Lastly, I really hate "theme names" if that makes any sense. Like, sisters named Hope, Faith, and Destiny or Rose, Lilly, and Daisy, etc. I used to babysit for a family with sons named Rock, Silver, and Sterling. I always find it really cheesy and sad for the kids.

[slow-bullet.livejournal.com]

AT LEAST pick something that made it into the top 1000

...why?

[autophoblamb.livejournal.com]

I agree, I love the name Vera but it hasn't been in the top 1000 since the 60's. to me as long as it doesn't sound totally stupid I'm fine with giving them an unusual name. Unless it's an older person who was born before the name was invented or what ever.

[falls2climb.livejournal.com]

I recently read a few YA books by the same author, and all of her protagonists had the weirdest names. I can see having one oddly-named main character, maybe, but after reading about a girl named Winter in one book, then Rio in another, then Echo in the third... I was longing for a Mary or an Ashley or something a little more common. I don't mind something a little trendy, but it makes me crazy when it's obvious that the author REALLY REALLY wants something completely off-the-wall in all of her books.

[0o-faerie.livejournal.com]

I completely agree when it comes to #2...but I'm not sure about #1. I have no problem with characters named Ava or Aidan, but I do have a problem with character-names I can't picture on a real person. When I wrote stories as an 8 year-old, I used to give my characters the craziest names because I thought that was cool. I guess that's why it seems kind of childish to me to read a story with a character called Rose-Anaelle or whatever.

Another pet peeve of mine is spelling foreign names wrong. Reading about the quintuplets (a recent post in this community) apparently one of the children is called Allesia, while the official Italian spelling is Alessia.

[sageharper.livejournal.com]

I totally agree on #1.
It goes the other way too, characters with names that sound too old for them. E.g. in Law & Order SVU a character has teenage kids named Maureen, Cathleen and Dick. It's really jarring considering the father and colleagues generally have younger sounding names (Elliot, Olivia, Finn).

I really dislike the trend for mc- and -son names for girls. Those mean 'son of X', as in male child. It's illogical.

And on the flipside people who dislike/are scared to use unisex names for boys, it's an absurd sexist double standard. Besides names will only 'go to the girls' if you let them by not using them for boys.

[lind-saay.livejournal.com]

Unless the fact that they have an unusual name is part of the character, it makes you look like you can't do your research, and some of your readers (like me and other name geeks) are going to sit there and be like, "Really? Really? You've got to be kidding me!"

[pinkysmith.livejournal.com]

Bostann

really? good lord, glad i never saw that one before...

[laminy.livejournal.com]

I hate when sibsets match. That's probably my biggest naming pet peeve. Whether there's a theme, or they rhyme, or they all start with the same letter, it drives me up the wall.

[azelmaroark.livejournal.com]

This this this this this. Ugh, that annoys me so much. It makes the author sound like a fourteen-year-old girl who picked names they saw on Myspace that ~sound so cool leik omg~. Given, the "author" could very well be just that, but that's another story. ;)

Add to that: authors who obsess over finding the ~perfect~ name for their character, usually insisting that first and middles have deep meanings that reflect said character's personality. Yes, because the character's parents totally knew what they'd be like as an adult and named accordingly. It usually tells me that they're obsessing needlessly over small things and won't actually ever write their damn story. =P

Non-writing pet peeve: all unnecessary '-lyn' names. Madelyn is the worse. That name pisses me off insanely. And virtue names. Especially Grace. Lord, how I hate Grace.

[lovebird.livejournal.com]

On #1, for some reason it really bugs me the guy in National Treasure's name is Riley lol.

Probably the biggest name related thing that bugs me is 'nicknames' for names. Like I know a 'just' Joey and Katie. Why not Joseph and Katherine? It just seems wrong to me. I'm pregnant and plan on naming it Josephine if it's a girl (so off topic but I find out the sex tomorrow woot!). People keep telling me Josephine's too long and boring you should just use Josie if it's a girl. Definitely NOT!

[colliemommie.livejournal.com]

I'm with you on giving "real" names and not nicknames. My poor MIL's legal name is Vicki, which she probably outgrew 40 years ago. She's very distinguished and would have been suited great by "Victoria". I'd hate being stuck with a "little kid" name.

[deer-lanterns.livejournal.com]

That bugs me too. My friend named her kid Tommy. Just Tommy.

[daydream11.livejournal.com]

I think about sex specific gym class and mourn for the child. One can't even assume anymore! And IMO, though I'm not a feminist, I think it speaks more to a girl's strength for her to have a girly name like Anastasia and be some kick-ass warrior than have a female warrior named Logan.

[daydream11.livejournal.com]

"Lord, how I hate Grace."

Totally agree with you, but I had to LOL at the irony of it.

[daydream11.livejournal.com]

Oohhh, I hate that, too!

Josephine is more flexible, because you have both a professional name and a few casual names. Beautiful name, btw, and congrats!

[falls2climb.livejournal.com]

I don't remember the titles of the individual books (aside from one - "Kiss and Blog"), but the author was Alyson Noel. All of the books had really implausible plots, the characters' names were just icing on the cake.

[falls2climb.livejournal.com]

The nickname thing is one of my pet peeves, too - I cringe every time I see a list of baby names, each with the preferred nickname listed along with the name. When I was little, I hated that my own name (Lauren) didn't lend itself easily to a nickname, but now that I'm older I'm more annoyed by the names that MUST MUST MUST have a nickname attached.

[la-jolie-vie.livejournal.com]

virtue* not virtual. duh

[daydream11.livejournal.com]

#7 irks me, too. It's so unnecessary-looking.

[cremepuff.livejournal.com]

Hahaha. You read my mind, especially on the last part! Actually any letter with an apostrophe tacked onto a name is, well, tacky to me. Je'Karen, anyone?

[cremepuff.livejournal.com]

I hate nicknames as real names, too. My high school band had a new associate director come in my senior year, and his first name was Bobby. That was his real, legal first name on the birth certificate, not just a nickname. I felt bad for him.

[daydream11.livejournal.com]

There's a L'eandra in my class. Talk about messing up a perfectly good name.

[nandy-pandy.livejournal.com]

Yes re: your 2nd and 3rd ones

[nandy-pandy.livejournal.com]

I'm not a fan of names that look as though someone's cat leaped on their keyboard and strolled across it while MS Word was open. "Oh, L'als'qu-n would be a fabulous name! Thanks, Fluffy."

[crzydimond.livejournal.com]

I just hate made up or misspelled names.

And Nevaeh/Neveah. NOT A NAME!

[thejoysofjess.livejournal.com]

I'm okay with the main character having a random name, but it bothers me if they do not mention ONCE someone with a common name. I find it very hard to believe that a person born in the 80s would know NO ONE named Jessica or Jennifer or Michael.

[tiarrajanae.livejournal.com]

Agreed.

[juniorfan29.livejournal.com]

"Du'leeshabananafannafofeesha"... how about "Duh'stupid"??

I am totally using those names on my future children.

[juniorfan29.livejournal.com]

You just named off three of my cousins. One born in '84, one born in '87, and one born in '91. All siblings.

[ringsandcoffee.livejournal.com]

I subbed in a 3rd grade class once with a student named Demonica. She lived up to the first 5 letters of her name. Really, parents, think before you name your kid!