babynames | (no subject)

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Does your last name/your SO's last name make a difference when picking a name for your kid? I don't mean making sure it has a nice ring to it.

Like, I was dating a guy who had a fairly uncommon last name, and I thought it we ever had a baby girl, I'd call her something plain, like Emily. But now that I'm talking to a guy with a common last name (Jones), I think "if we ever had a baby, Emily Jones would be too plain." I'd never give a kid an off-the-wall made-up name, but I'd probably make it something a little less common.

Am I nuts?! LOL

And randomly, I'm currently digging these names (all for girls):
Lauren Brooke
Emily
Harper (better for a girl or boy?)
Gwen (but not sure if I like Gwendolyn enough to use that)
Ava (but hate that it is so common)
Nadia (but I know someone with this name who I really can't stand, so that would probably make it a no-go)
Lillian (but niece is Lilliana, so it's kind of off-limits)

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I actually JUST posted this in

topicless! Our last name definitely has to be considered. I love the names Asher, Max, and Jack. However, our last name is Schlaack. Not as complicated as it looks. Rhymes with slack. shh-lack.

However, Asher Schlaack = Ash Schlaack = Ass Crack and Aflac. Max Schlaack sounds awful, Jack Schlaack sounds worse.

It's not that I want a simple name with our odd last name... I'm not really into "fake" or way out there names anyway. We've decided on Paula and/or Julian for our firsts. It's just easy to pick a name that clashes horribly with our last. ha.

But anyway, my name is Emily! I think Emily Jones sounds absolutely gorgeous and very classy.

Asher Schlaack is really hard to say!

Growing up, I hated my last name (its basically prn "hush"). Swore I'd never make my kids go through the stupid jokes. However, now that I'm grown, I'm digging it - don't know that I'd give it up if I got married. In fact, if I had kids, I'd prolly through it in as a second middle name or a joint last name. That being said - its short, one syllable, and kind of a silly word, so yeah, it makes me give extra thought to combos. I mean, I like the name Hugh, but Hugh "hush" doesn't work...just turns into a weird exhale sound LOL.

PS, I adore Harper and prefer it on girls.

Yeah, I kinda sorta have this philosophy, too. We have a very uncommon last name so I don't want very unusual names for the kids. But then, my taste in names is pretty classic anyway.

Our last name is Greybiehl. I'll say the name all the way through to make sure it doesn't tongue tie you or anything like that, but with a last name like that, I think it'd be just about impossible to find something that flowed nicely. And even though it's a long name, I still follow the trend of two middle names. My third and final baby has the longest name...Esme Genevieve Colette Greybiehl. Did I consider the last name when naming her? Nope, hahaha, it would just eliminate too much.

Also, I like all of your girl names:D

I definitely think people with common last names should avoid very popular names, or at the very least, avoid the common filler middle names.

Naming your kid Emma Justine Johnson could save her a huge headache at the bank one day that she might have had as Emma Grace Johnson, since 10 other clients there have the exact same name.

And people with unusual or complicated last names are probably more or less fine with a common first name. They still might end up as Emma S. in grade school though.

I definitely consider it. Harper is actually one of my favorite girl names, but I always forget about it when thinking about my favorite names because my last name is Fraser and my boyfriend's is Palmer... Harper with either of those is far too sing-songy.

I have a pretty common last name as well, so I also think about this when I'm picking out names. Emily Jones sounds really good together though.. you could always give her a unique middle.

Edited 2010-04-30 03:39 (UTC)

Yes. His last name, which I'll be taking when we get married, sounds like song, so names ending in -son are out. Plus the last name is a little out there, so I'd probably stick to a more traditional, common name (which I prefer anyway).

Yes. My fiance's last name is Morovic and he likes Victor. Victor Morovic.. Vic Vic. I don't like it.

I also am afraid of using too many v's but I love v names.

I only think about it when considering initials.

My top girl's name right now is Adele Serenity, but the guy I'm pursuing has a last name that starts with an S. Ummm... yeah that's not gonna work.

I probably wouldn't. My maiden name is super plain, Mary Smith. Couldn't be any plainer than that! I go by my middle name Madalyn though and I'm married now so my last name is different anyways. I would probably take the last name into consideration for a boy but not really a girl because it could always change once she got married.

I don't have a boyfriend or anything at the moment to consider, but my last name is Fost. I don't think I want to change my last name when I'm married, but I'm not sure yet, and I don't know what names any potential children would have.

But some one syllable names sound really funny with it - like Finn. I'm not a big fan of Finn anyway, but Finn Fost makes me giggle. Also, thinking on it, Jack would be out; Jack Fost is WAY too close to Jack Frost! :p

No, you should definitely consider your surname when picking a baby's name. Like make sure it doesn't rhyme or end the same. For us the issue is no names beginning with the same letter as our last name. I like alliteration, but not with R. Sounds too piratey. :P

The only name I like out of those is Emily. It's been super common for a long time, but I think of it in more of an old-fashioned, pioneer-girl sense and it's quite pleasant.

Oh it makes a huge difference for us. I always loved the name Quinten for a boy. Well I married a Mr. Quinton so that's not going to work. If our baby is a boy the middle name will be my father's last name, Nelson. We like the name Grayson but when you put it all together Grayson Nelson Quinton it's like attack of the ON's. Needless to say any name that ends in an, en, in and on are automatically off the list. We also had one name on the list that we realized had initials of FAQ.

Hahaha, I think it would be sort of cool to have the initials FAQ. Especially when he's a little kid in the "frequently asking questions" phase.

I would definitely consider the last name. I like a lot of (British) English names. I used to have this thing with this guy who had an Italian last name and I've always thought since then that a lot of my names wouldn't go well with something strongly Italian.

In so far as common vs. uncommon last names, I would say I would probably do something less common with a common last name. I can't be sure on that though. Emily Jones is plain but really pretty. If I really loved a name and it sounded good, I may just go for it. With an uncommon last name, I wouldn't worry about whether a name was unusual or not. It would all be about what I liked. I don't mind common-uncommon or uncommon-uncommon combos.

On your names, I kind of like Emily and Nadia...maybe Ava. My name is Lauren and I've never liked it. Lauren Brooke sounds fine though, if a little dated to my ears. Harper I would put on a boy, but I think I'm in the minority there.

For me, it has to be a consideration. My married name is Farmer, so floral first names are out (sigh, and I love Lily so much, too!). But it's not like my maiden name, Rice, was any better - ha!

No, not really. I'm one of 500 Jessica Mylastnames that come up on facebook when you search for me. I was only one of 100 Jessica MaidenNames. People change their names as adults, after all.

Personally, I like having a name this common. You can't find me! lol.

I don't think I've ever personally thought that much about the last name, just because I'm not married or even dating anyone so there's no telling what the last name will be. But no, I absolutely don't think you're weird for considering it.

Lauren Brooke-- screamingly 90s, but the name itself isn't bad
Emily-- I know it's supposed to be SO POPULAR, I actually don't know any little Emilys, and I think it's lovely.
Harper (better for a girl or boy?)-- better on a girl. Not awful, not my style.
Gwen (but not sure if I like Gwendolyn enough to use that)--You don't have to use Gwendolyn at all. Gwyneth or Guinevere would work, or Gwen works fine on its own.
Ava (but hate that it is so common)-- see my comment on Emily.
Nadia (but I know someone with this name who I really can't stand, so that would probably make it a no-go)-- I like Nadia, but at the same time it's very similar to the Spanish words nada (nothing) and nadie (nobody), so that always makes me feel weird.
Lillian (but niece is Lilliana, so it's kind of off-limits)-- I live in a family with two Christophers and it hasn't been a problem. But if there's others you like just as much, I would pick one of them.

yes, definitely. my SO has an extremely unusual, armenian last name that ends in the "in" sound. i like more common names anyway, so that isn't really an issue, i'm just sad because i feel like i can't use a lot of my favorite names, like benjamin and corinne

If my boyfriend & I stay together, it will - his last name is Wild, so I don't want any girls names that are going to make them sound like a porn star! :P

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