(no subject)

[qtshorty1625.livejournal.com]

Poking around in nouglybabies, and I decided to post the first page of names.

Levi Oliver
Rosalind
Pandora Mere
Daina


Ella
Violet
Logan Matthew
Elliott Giles
Aubrey Elaine
Charlotte Abigail
Kitty
Aiden Jeffrey
Mary
Elena Denise
Rylan Connor
Kendall
Ambrose
Malcolm


Also, I believe I got in on this discussion on Yahoo! Answers: Is there really such a thing as a unique name? Personally I don't consider "creative" spelling as a unique name; it's simply a different spelling. And when people were giving their favorite unique names, I checked and most of them were in the top 100 most common U.S. names in the past 10 years. (Also, I have to add, someone listed Aiden, and I had to laugh because I thought of this community :)).

Thirdly, because I was kind of talking about this with my family recently: What are your takes on gender neutral names? Is there truly such a thing, or when you hear a name do you immediately assign a gender to it (intentionally or not)?

Fourthly (sorry there are so many, but it seemed better than multiple posts), what do you think about fandom names? I don't mean names like Emma, Luke, etc. which more or less are common names and therefore could be from multiple things (after all, a friend and I were discussing my liking of the name Emma, which I had gotten from Jane Austen, but which she associated with F.R.I.E.N.D.S), but names obviously from a certain fandom, such as Meriadoc or Obi-Wan? And going off of that, what about cultural names from other cultures? For example, what would you think about Hermoine on a non-British child? Or Mathieu on a child with no French (Canadian) blood? (And is it different in a situation like Mathieu Schneider's where he was born in New York but his mom is French Canadian?)

Comments

[after-the-ashes.livejournal.com]

Pandora Mere? Like mother? Weird. I love Ambrose... I think my daughter's name is unique because I've only seen a similar name twice ever (not IRL) and have never seen anyone with her name, although it is a legitimate name/word in Greek and not spelled creatively. I like gender neutral names and probably consider many to be neutral that others would assign to specific genders. Like Ashley or Sandy. I struggle with the names from different cultures. I think it does need to seem right in some way so it's not just I liked it! Right now I'm having such a hard time with that since my husband and I don't agree on boys names and a lot of cool ones are out because we're not Italian or Spanish.

[tames.livejournal.com]

Eep, I love Levi Oliver. Although I think Oliver Levi sounds better, but that's just me. And I like Ella and Rylan, and Charlotte is pretty precious.

I don't consider "creative" spelling to be a unique name. It usually ends up being some 15 syllable massacre that a child is going to have difficulty spelling and asdlkfjalsdfj most of them are just so ridiculous.

I personally think fandom names are a bit ridiculous. Emma, Luke, Harry, Ron, yeah... those aren't specifically fandom names, but I feel like anyone who has a child named Hermione, every person that meets her/hears about her is going to think Harry Potter right off the bat. And that's the same for tons of people naming their kids after the Twilight mess. I just... I wouldn't name my kids after characters.

[chadwah.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't name my kids after characters.

I know some friends-of-friends who were named Aragorn and Arwen. They were named long before the Peter Jackson movies came out (they're in their early twenties), but it was probably pretty rough for them when those movies first came out!

On the other hand, I know a sib set named Sylvan, Avalon, and Arthur which I think is pretty subtle and sweet.

[tames.livejournal.com]

Well the Lord of the Rings trilogy was written long before Peter Jackson's movies came out.

[chadwah.livejournal.com]

That's what I mean. Their parents loved the books, named them after the book characters -- and couldn't have anticipated that they would later be made into extremely popular movies. It made their names seem trendy in a way they weren't.

[tames.livejournal.com]

They're still fandom names then? I'm not really sure what you were trying to say with that.

[chadwah.livejournal.com]

I mean that they appear to be fandom names. My point was that, even if you choose something that seems less mainstream today -- something subtle and literary, rather than something best known for a popular movie character -- the name can (for the casual observer) take on that appearance later.

Depending on how you define fandom names, anyway, they are -- you don't choose Aragorn and Arwen if you're not a Tolkein fan.

[a-tergo-lupi.livejournal.com]

I agree that different spellings aren't a new name. They're just different spellings.

Some names are pretty neutral, and I kind of hate them. It's really a use thing. But, most people will assign a gender based on their familiarity.

Hermione is Greek. It's silly to say it belongs exclusively on British children.

I think the cultural restrictions are ridiculous.

[blosmbee.livejournal.com]

I was thinking that for hermione too, but it's a moot point because for me it's a fandom name and I wouldn't consider it anyway.

[duckduckcaboose.livejournal.com]

Rain is a good thing! Anyways, I like: Ella, Violet, Elliott, Charlotte, and Elena.

I don't think there is really such thing as a "unique" name in the sense that spelling Michael "Mhykael" is not unique. Now naming your kid something like Xuzufulomopanda might be unique... but you have to try pretty hard to find something that hasn't been done before by someone.

There are such a thing as gender-neutral names, and we have had several posts on the matter. What are masculine names to some are feminine to others (and of course vice-versa), and there are some names like Casey and Rowan that I can never truly decide what gender I think they belong to.

I think fandom names are silly. I think one thing parents don't consider is how the child and his or her peers would react to the name. I love Dr. Who but I'm not going to name my kid Dr. Who Ten Smith or something. I might name him David with a little nod to David Tennant, but David is also my dad's middle name.

As far as using names from other cultures, I don't see anything wrong with it. I tend to like names from my own ethnic background (Irish/Italian) but I don't see anything wrong with giving a child a name from another culture. I like several Finnish names, like Hanna and Brita. Again, though, it depends on how the child and his or her peers would react. I'm not going to name my child a Japanese name even if I think it sounds nice because I know nothing about Japanese culture or heritage. Naming my kid Kenji would be silly for me.

[qtshorty1625.livejournal.com]

I have to tell you I just read the first line of your comment, and "Rain is a Good Thing" just came on CMT. Too weird!

[blosmbee.livejournal.com]

In general, I'm not a fan of gender neutral names. My 1 exception is Avery, which I like equally for boys and girls and I used for my younger daughter.
I think beyond being gender neutral, most of those names just sound old, dated, and boring to me.

I don't like fandom names unless they are already names outside of the fandom context. I don't feel the need to advertise my nerditude with my kid's name.

I personally wouldn't use a name from outside of my or my husband's culture or heritage. It just feels weird to me. I don't care what other parents do- there seems to be a trend for Italian inspired names for girls lately.

[gipro2003.livejournal.com]

The whole idea of not using a name because it is 'too Italian, too Irish,etc.' is unfathomable to me. Sure Matthieu may be a French name but why can it only be used by French parents or those with French heritage? My mother chose an Italian name (Giulia) for me but my family is 100% German. I have a passion for different cultures and will name my kids names I like (whether it be Alessio or Mattea, or Pilar.) no matter the ethnic connection may be.

[chadwah.livejournal.com]

One thing to think about is that some names will hardly ever be pronounced correctly in English-speaking countries (depending, of course, on the community where you live). "Mattieu" sounds much nicer in French, where the sounds are more subtle, than when it's Anglicized to "Matt-oo" or "Matt-oh." Some Anglicizations aren't so bad -- Simcha to "Simka," for example -- but some become weird, and that's definitely an important consideration.

[twitchywoman.livejournal.com]

I like the name Temperance and I am a huge fan of Bones. I wouldn't use it, except on a cat, but I still like it.

I love the name Luisa/Louisa pronounced the Spanish way but there is no Spanish blood in my family. I would use it too. I don't think certain names have to be reserved for the kids with the same heritage.

[lind-saay.livejournal.com]

I think there are definitely unique names, but no, misspellings are not unique to me. If your daughter's name is Ahlyzabeth, it's still Elizabeth, you know? But I know a lot of kids with names I've never heard before, except on them. For instance, I know a kid named Van, which, when he was born, wasn't even in the top 1000 names. Two of my favorites for girls are Harriet and Louisa, neither of which is in the top 1000, nor have they been in the last 10 years. So those, to me, are unique names. The chance of a child named something like that -- a real, actual name (not made up) that is spelled correctly but isn't in the top 1000 -- has almost no chance of ever meeting someone with the same name. So that's unique, to me.

I actually think any name that isn't in the top 500 is probably pretty "unique." Not that there is NO OTHER CHILD EVER with that name, but according to the Social Security Admin's records, the 500th most popular names in 2009 (Cory for a boy and Zariah for a girl) were only given to 533 and 598 babies, respectively. That's a little over 10 kids per state. So, unless all 598 Zariahs born in 2009 live in Montana (unlikely), there's no way one Zariah is going to end up in the same Kindergarten class with another. I think any kid with a name in the bottom 500 (and possibly even the bottom 800 or so) is pretty safe from being "Zariah H." for the rest of their K-12 educations, you know?

I do think there are gender neutral names -- Alex, Casey, and Morgan come to mind for me -- that really could go either way. I do think, though, that most people have an idea in their mind that a certain name belongs to a certain gender. For instance, my friends and I were talking about baby names last night and I said that Jordan is a boy's name and my friend INSISTED that it was a girl's name. So even though people tend to list Jordan as a unisex name, if we both heard the name but didn't know anything about the person, I'd assume it was a boy and she'd assume it was a girl. I think that's true for most of the "unisex" names people list. Although they might, in theory, be unisex names, everyone comes at them with their own biases.

I think fandom names are a little ridiculous. If they are legit names in their own right, that's one thing, but seriously, naming a kid Obi-Wan is just...ugh. That's just asking for your child to HATE Star Wars when he's older, and also you for naming him that, you know?

I have a rather unpopular opinion of using cultural names when you don't belong to that culture. That is, I don't think it's okay to do it. I mean, there are definitely gray areas, and I don't mean that if you're Atheist you can't use a name that appears in the Bible, because that's stupid, and honestly, most of those names (Mary, Joseph, John, etc.) are also just common names in English-speaking countries regardless of religious connotations. I guess what I mean is, names you choose should probably be EITHER (a) from a culture with which you have strong ties through your own or your partner's heritage, OR (b) from the culture where you currently live, or at least another place that speaks the same language. For example, I'm from the United States and I am Danish and German. I think I could use a name that is from most English-speaking countries (England, Ireland [though Gaelic spellings would be weird], parts of Canada, etc.) without it being weird. I think I could also use a name that is common in Germany or Scandinavia, like Otto for example, without it being weird. But if I named my kid Giuseppe, or a Japanese name, or an Indian name, it would be really really weird. To use another example, let's say a Japanese family living IN Japan has a child. If they named him Joseph, I'd probably think, "wtf?" But if that same family lived in the United States, or the UK, or Canada, I wouldn't think anything of it if they named him Joseph, or a Japanese name, but I'd like "wtf?" if they chose, like, Giuseppe or Mathieu.

Does that make sense?

I mean, I wouldn't say to somebody, "You can't name your child Mathieu! You're not French/French-Canadian!" But that's the rule I'd follow for myself, and I'd probably think (silently), "wtf?" when you told me your child's name.

[sandtree.livejournal.com]

1. No, I don't think there are really any unique names. Even if you completely make up a name that no one's ever had before, it will still fit into a certain theme or category.

2. I don't really mind gender neutral names, though I'd probably avoid them myself. What I really dislike is giving girls obviously masculine names like James or Evan.

3. One of my favourite names is Elanor, which is from Lord of the Rings. But it's a name that looks and sounds very similar/identical to a name in common English usage. I doubt I would use a name that was VERY obviously from a certain story or movie... not as a first name, anyway.

4. Well, Hermione is not a 'British' name... it's Greek. I think it's up to the discretion of the parents, honestly. I don't think I would give my child a name that hadn't at least been in use in my language or culture for many years, or that I had some other cultural connection to.

[skittles22088.livejournal.com]

I like:
Levi
Oliver
Logan
Elliott
Aubrey
Charlotte
Kendall

Aiden is NOT unique lol.

I seem to be seeing Logan on girls lately, and I really, really, really don't think Logan is a girls name. I also can NOT see Taylor on a boy. I hate it. But I love it on a girl.

Yes, when I hear a name, I automatically assign a gender.

I used to have a flop-eared bunny named Obi-Wan. I actually like the name Arwen from Lord of the Rings. I also like a bunch of Spanish, Irish, Maori, Welsh, and Native American names and I'm not from any of those cultures.

[apathykisses.livejournal.com]

A unique name to me is something like Renna or Rockland; even though there's people out there with these names, the majority of people will go through life without ever meeting or hearing about them. Creative spellings are far from being unique.

Some neutral names I assign a gender to, such as Quinn or Rowan, I immediately think of a girl. But Hunter and Jordan are a boy. I think it has alot to do with how you first encountered the name. Seems like the less common it is, the more neutral it is.

I would never use a name that is distinctively associated with something, such as Hermione or Obi-Wan. But the name Scarlett for example was at one time strongely connected to the book Gone With The Wind, though now it has become more accepted as a common name. So for me it all depends on how strong the association is.

As for the cultural thing, I agree with alot of what lind_saay said. I think it's better if the parents have some sort of connection to the culture they're picking the name from. I'm not saying you have to be French in order to name you're kid a French name, but it would make more sense if you studied French in college, or maybe you've been to France a few times and you just genuinely love the culture. Something to that degree.

[chadwah.livejournal.com]

I am HUGELY attracted to Hebrew names -- I love Devorah, Elisheva, Menachem, Simcha, Chaya, etc -- but I'm only half Jewish (the wrong half), and my husband isn't Jewish at all, so I think it's a little strange to have a little Elisheva walking around who's only 1/4 Jewish and has an Irish last name. We did name our first daughter Ezra, though, and are considering Josiah for a boy.

The pronunciation of non-English names in America is also a hurdle -- Chaya becomes "Haya" and so on. Husband knew a French exchange student in high school named "Biche" -- pronounced "beesh" in French, and it means "doe," but there are obvious problems with it in English!

I think explicit fandom names are a little crazy -- the thought of a little Obi-Wan walking around is pretty sad -- but I think subtler things are acceptable. Some friends of ours have kids named Elijah Ransom (goes by Ransom) and Hava Luthien, and unless they told me I wouldn't have known those were literary names.

I do personally know of some names that are truly unusual -- totally invented, and not just "cre8tive" spellings -- but I think it's hard to do that and do it well.