WDYT?

[how-obscure.livejournal.com]

Short version: Paige and Del, both for boys. Not having kids anytime soon.


PAIGE: Okay, when I was in 9th grade, the idea of using Page for a boy occurred to me. I really didn't like Paige for a girl (still don't), but the thought of using a spelling that harkens back to the medieval job title was cool to me. Eight years later, (time flies) Page still is kind of neat to me, but probably not something I would really use. I have no particular tie to the era from which the idea was inspired and it seems too...nouny? made up? I don't know. It hasn't always been on the radar. I forget about it for awhile and then it crosses my mind again and I'm intrigued anew. However, one of the more recent times it crossed my mind, it occurred to me that Paige seemed like it probably really had been a masculine name at some point, that I must have read that somewhere when looking at masc-turned-femme names without really registering it. Well, I looked it up a couple of months ago to confirm because it's been on my mind again, and sure enough, Paige was originally a male name. I felt really satisfied that the male Page/Paige concept wasn't something I made up and that I actually could use Paige if I wanted. I'm a bit enamored with it. I really like the idea of it being used on males, which is status quo for me. I love the "girl" names back on guys, even if I don't like all of them well enough to use myself.

DELL: I love the show due South. I used to watch it everyday after school in 6th grade. There was one episode, a favorite of mine, that featured a boy (age 15? 16?) named Del. At the time, I thought he was quite cute and I really liked his character and the episode and everything, and it kind of made me fall in love with the name Del. (Just looked it up--it was a young Ryan Phillipe, ha!) The only thing is, I don't think I actually liked the name then or like it now all that much; I just like the association and the sort of earthy quality I feel it has. Every time I watch that episode, even now (yay DVDs), I still end up being temporarily in love with the name on some level. My great-grandfather's middle name was actually Dell and I definitely think I like it enough for a middle. I would probably use Dell because it is the spelling with family connections, although it has computer connections as well.

Anyway, I was just wondering what opinions fellow name people had on them.

Comments

[penguiny7.livejournal.com]

I like Page for a boy, but I'd spell it that way. People would assume Paige was a female. Dell isn't bad, but it seems too nicknamey. And is a computer brand.

[how-obscure.livejournal.com]

I don't mind the people-assuming-female-at-first thing, although any future Paige might, I suppose. Heh.
I think the nicknamey thing might be part of my problem with Dell. I think it makes a fine middle though and that placement would also make the computer association less of an issue.

[forthemorrow.livejournal.com]

Page reminds me of my love affair with Friar currently. Course, I did name my male bunny Monk so I am not all too surprised by my job-noun choices. Haha. I love Del too.

[how-obscure.livejournal.com]

Heh. I went through a brief phases of liking Thatcher, Cooper, and Tanner. Really not at all like my usual taste. I also like some of the non-job-but-still-noun names--for example, River or Juniper, but they tend to fall to the girls. ...and now, I have the sibset of Willow, Hazel, and Del(l) swirlng around since I'm thinking about it. Ooh.

[mrssubee.livejournal.com]

Del is fine- to me, Paige/Page will always be a girl's name

[bandnerd88.livejournal.com]

I think Paige is just too firmly entrenched in female camp to fly, but Page would be cool (though obviously it's going to be indistinguishable from Paige when said aloud. I really like Paige on a girl though, so I may be biased.

I think, though, that Paige would be fine as a mn. Same with Dell. But I pretty much think anything goes as far as middle names, so....

[how-obscure.livejournal.com]

See, I love seeing names like Kelly, Dana, or Mackenzie on boys--name entrenchment be damned! :P But then, I'm not counting on finding a guy who would agree to that philosophy so...guess it's probably all moot.

[kilobites.livejournal.com]

I think that Paige is always going to be assumed to be female. To some extent, Page would too, because it sounds the same when said aloud, but at least written down there isn't that issue. I wouldn't name a boy Paige, but I think Page could almost work out.

Del seems a little too nickname-y but I think it could work just fine as a middle name.

[velkoria.livejournal.com]

I don't mind the name Paige for a boy too much but I am a girl that'd name a daughter Damien because in my head it has such a femenine sound. I like Dell for a middle name because the computer company assosiation is too much.

[how-obscure.livejournal.com]

Damienne? ;)

Yeah, I don't think I'll ever like Dell well enough to use it as a first.

[velkoria.livejournal.com]

hah hah oh no! I would actually only spell it Damien for a girl though... Damian is male in my head and Damion is just icky! I think Paige/Page is fine and valid and better than like... Caeden ANY day.

[how-obscure.livejournal.com]

Damien isn't really my thing, but I do think that's the best spelling and I can totally see what you mean about that particular spelling seeming feminine. I agree completely with Damian being male and Damion's ickiness.

Haha, thanks. I mean, Paige IS legit at least!

[pegasus2o5.livejournal.com]

Paige is just way, way too feminine, whatever it may once have been. As you said yourself, even if you don't mind your son being mistaken for a girl, *he's* likely to mind quite a bit. Page is better, but not by much. For a middle name it would be okay.

Dell isn't something that particularly appeals to me, but it's not particularly awful, either, if that makes sense. I wouldn't sneer at you for using it. :) I do think it would work better as a middle name, but it would be okay in first place, too.

If you want to reclaim male names that are "going girl," I think there's better places to start than Page. Rowan, Morgan, and Avery are nice ones.

[how-obscure.livejournal.com]

Paige has just never struck me as being overly feminine sounding. It sounds, to me, like it belongs on either a tomboy or a snotty prep when it is used for a girl but great if it's on a boy! Funny that, eh?

It makes perfect sense. I think that's how I feel about it half of the time! Family is a big thing for me, but I have very few family names I would ever consider using and part of me does want to be able to use something, you know?

I used to LOVE Morgan, but these days, all three have negative associations.

[pegasus2o5.livejournal.com]

Hmm... What about Ashton, Bailey, Cameron, Casey, Christian, Dallas, Jordan, Lane, Paris, Quinn, Regan, Reese, Sage, Shea/Shay, Skylar, or Taylor?


As for Dell, if you've had good feelings about it for years, and want to use a family name, I'd say go for it. Why not?

[how-obscure.livejournal.com]

Lane and Quinn are on my list.

Anway, as I said in the post, I'm not having kids anytime soon so this was mostly just curiosity.

[pegasus2o5.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I'm in the same boat. Doesn't keep me from speculating like mad, though. :) By the way,
I adore your icon.

[how-obscure.livejournal.com]

Hehe, yeah. I've been planning kids' names since 2nd grade and naming every stuffed animal I ever acquired. It seems I've always had a thing for names.
Thank you! I'm mad about Firefly. :)

[pegasus2o5.livejournal.com]

From the time I could read I was fascinated by this baby-name book my grandmother had lying around. I started collecting books myself as soon as I had money. I have eight or ten of them now, lol. I name my stuffed animals, too--and my cars, other people's cars, my own body parts (my stomach is Brunhilda)... Yeah, I'm maybe a little bit odd... Speaking of names and Firefly, that show has some of the greatest names. River, Simon, Mal, Inara... and of course there's The Man They Call Jayne...

[how-obscure.livejournal.com]

Oh, Jayne.
I like the names River, Simon, and I want to like Malcolm, but Malcolm in the Middle kind of ruined that name for me.

We didn't have any name books. In fact, I still don't own one, but my friend and I used to always go to the corner of the bookstore with them and just sit and read. As an out of work recent college grad, I mostly stick to the internet for name stuff. I do have one friend, that I know of, with named body parts. Eddie and Liza. She has a shirt with these cartoon people on it and she decided to name them; someone thought she was naming something else. ;P So she jokes about that. Brunhilda is a wicked name for a stomach. lol. I don't have many of my stuffed animals left but recently, I've acquired some more. We keep going to a restaurant that we frequented in my childhood. They have a skill crane, and well...old habits, you know. So now I have Ethel, Belinda, Beatrice, Rodney, and Horatio.

[misstherestofme.livejournal.com]

I like Page. It has the benefit of being distinctive without setting off the Zappa (http://www.chacha.com/question/what-are-the-names-of-frank-zappa's-kids/) Meter. However, you will have to invest a lot of energy into raising that kid to be a real boss; unless he is the second coming of Danny Zuko, his name alone will probably make him a dodgeball target. Paige would only make it worse. You know, 'cause it's girly.

I can appreciate that Dell is in the family, but I think that it's an unwise choice considering that you only ever temporarily fall in love with it.

[how-obscure.livejournal.com]

"Zappa Meter" brings the lolz.

It's interesting to me that so many people here seem to prefer Page since it is a word name and it is also less established. Of course, views tend to change when the name falls outside of the current gender norm.

Yeah, I mostly just wanted to see what others thought of Del(l) since I don't know if I've ever seen anyone else mention it. Although, I do like it sometimes so it was also kind of with the idea that it's possible it will grow on me with time. I didn't really explain in the original post that there were about seven years between when I first saw the episode and when I finally saw it a second time. Then, four more years before I saw it again so it hasn't exactly been something I've thought about a lot over the years. I have virtually no family names that I would use so it's just something I want to keep in mind for some nebulous future discussion with my equally nebulous future spouse. :)

[monkey-fruit.livejournal.com]

Page is alright for a boy, but I don't like Del at all.

[calamitysxchild.livejournal.com]

I'd definitely spell Page without the i. My Mom wanted to call me Paige, but my Dad said no, because he thought it was a boy's name. I have never once, since hearing that story, met a boy named Page or Paige, but I always associate it when it has an i with being a girl's name.

I also agree with others that Del is too nickname-y. Take it from a girl that is known mostly by her nickname; sometimes it's nice to have a more "proper" name to revert to. (for school, etc)

[how-obscure.livejournal.com]

Well, at least someone agrees with me. :P I know it isn't really used on boys these days, which is part of why it probably should be more of a guilty pleasure name. I don't know if I would, realistically, have the gumption to use it because I do know that the kid would be somewhat stuck with it and it may be problematic, but if I ever were to use it, I would definitely pick a suitably masculine middle name for him to fall back on if he so chose.

Oh, I know. Most of the names I like are more formal. I really think the nicknamey-ness of this name is part of why I can't ever settle on how I feel about it. If I ever used it, it is most probable that it would have middle name status.

[ifancylust.livejournal.com]

paige seems very feminine to me. if i were to use it, i'd go with 'page'.

as for del, it also seems feminine to me, but i think it's only because i once met a girl named dell.

[ghetto-lonetto.livejournal.com]

Totally off topic, just wanted to drive-by comment to say that I also love Due South. A lot. :)

Also, I like the name Del/Dell on a boy, and while Page is not really my style, i can definitely see the right kid rockin it.

[how-obscure.livejournal.com]

Not a problem. I love it when I hear that other people share the love. :)

That's just the thing--there's no guarantee that I'll produce a kid that can rock it! lol.