J names...

Feb. 1st, 2011 02:22 am
[identity profile] fleckerbug.livejournal.com posting in [community profile] babynames
Are there any letters you wouldn't want to use as the first letter of your child's name? Would you let a study on a type of name keep you from using a name?

I know this sounds stupid, but there was a rumor going around at work that there had been a study done on 'problem students' and that students who acted out or misbehaved were most commonly kids with J- names. I don't even know if it's true, but in my experience it's true! My brother certainly fit the bill. But then I think of Johns, Jacks, and Janes and those seem like nice solid names. If it is true, I wonder if it has something to do with a lot of J names being 'kr8tyve' and I wonder about the parenting abilities of those parents that chose the names (those parents tend to be young or ditzy, I guess.. not that the young or the ditzy can't parent).

Anyway... I want to use a variant of my brother's name (Jeremy) for our next son's middle name (Jeremiah) and as we get further away from his death I'm wondering if I don't actually want to use it as his first name. At first my husband actually cited that study as a reason for not using it as even a middle name, but he's eventually realized how important it is to me.

Date: 2011-02-01 12:01 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] lizziey.livejournal.com
I think it has more to do with the ~jayden~ phenomenon, and the parents that go along with, than anything else. Otherwise, don't you think the Duggars would have gotten at least ONE asshole kid out of 19 J names? lol

Date: 2011-02-01 01:31 pm (UTC)
yukonsally: (Default)
From: [personal profile] yukonsally
I think that might be because J names are so common now. Everyone seems to like Jacob, Joshua, and Jayden.

Date: 2011-02-01 01:40 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] thellamaqueen.livejournal.com
I think if anything it would be due to the sheer volume of names that start with J - there are more students in general whose names start with J, so naturally there will be more troublemakers whose names start with J...

Date: 2011-02-01 01:52 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] rubytitania.livejournal.com
This post reminded me: I once read that men are more likely to cheat on their partners with women named Jennifer than any other name, haha! I agree with all the other comments though, and I honestly wouldn't read too much into these things...

Date: 2011-02-01 02:01 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] blosmbee.livejournal.com
This. And before that there were all the Jennifers and Jessicas.

Date: 2011-02-01 02:11 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] quite-rosie.livejournal.com
I immediately thought of the Duggar family! Their kids don't seem to problematic though ;-)

Date: 2011-02-01 02:18 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] lizziey.livejournal.com
Keeping in mind the Jennifers I* know, this seems totally plausible. *shudder*


*I am not saying all Jennifers are like the ones I know, but the ones *I* know are.

Date: 2011-02-01 02:32 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] waitingonsunday.livejournal.com
If I actually thought the fact that they were trouble students had anything to do with their first name beginning with J, perhaps. But I don't.

Date: 2011-02-01 02:50 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] pegasus2o5.livejournal.com
I figure it's what you said, more related to the parenting skills of folks who name their kids Jaeydonn and J'aqua'dria. For some reason J is a popular letter for that sort of thing.

If I was to choose a letter to "swear off," it would probably be X. Just because it's strange, causes a pronunciation issue, and there don't seem to be any X names I like, anyway.

Date: 2011-02-01 03:14 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] quite-rosie.livejournal.com
Wait, what? IS THEIR DUGGAR DRAMA!? What's going on?

Date: 2011-02-01 03:27 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] lizziey.livejournal.com
I'm pretty sure they have one. And a jedidiah as well...

Date: 2011-02-01 04:09 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] melly-issa.livejournal.com
I think that it's because there are so many boy names that start with J - Jason, Jonathon, Jeremy, Jack, Joey, etc. and boys are more rambunctious than girls in elementary/jr. high, and so they seem more 'troublesome'

Date: 2011-02-01 04:21 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] a-tergo-lupi.livejournal.com
This.

My best friend is a Jeff.

Date: 2011-02-01 04:45 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] http://users.livejournal.com/___heyvanity/
I'm Jennifer and I was a rather misbehaved child...

But I do love the name Josephine!

Date: 2011-02-01 05:28 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] octobre09.livejournal.com
I don't know, my sister's name is Julie and she's pretty much the most kind-hearted, honest person you'll ever meet. On the other hand my husband's name starts with a J and he was really "challenging" as a teenager.;) Like everybody else said, it's just because there's so many "J" names.

Date: 2011-02-01 05:47 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] melly-issa.livejournal.com
There is a cousin who is more modern/fun. Maybe you're thinking of her? http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5D_UDVtWpzk/SlQX-zPqaRI/AAAAAAAAAQI/ELefNCYYstU/s1600-h/Amy-Jordyn-photo-2.jpg She's an Amy though, so the J thing doesn't apply.

Date: 2011-02-01 05:58 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] jordle.livejournal.com
Hmmm. Both my first and middle names start with J. Guess I never had a chance!

Date: 2011-02-01 06:09 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] spaceandclouds.livejournal.com
Yes, I think you're right!

Date: 2011-02-01 06:11 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] spaceandclouds.livejournal.com
To answer your first question...I wouldn't rule any names out beforehand, but I do hate the letters K, Q and U. Also not a big fan of V, W and D.

Date: 2011-02-01 06:56 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] b-gum.livejournal.com
two J's cancel each other out.

1 J name you have a "challenging" child.
2 J names and you have an angel. :D

right?

Date: 2011-02-01 08:06 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] laminy.livejournal.com
I would say X, because people pronounce X names differently, and I wouldn't want to correct people all the time, "it's zay-vier, not X-zay-vier."

Date: 2011-02-01 08:07 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] so-there.livejournal.com
I have cousins who are brothers, one has a J name, the other a C name, and let's just say... one of them was definitely a trouble maker in school, but it wasn't the one whose name started with J.

I know, anecdotal... but I bet if they did a study on the ids that did the most well in school they'd be mainly kids with J names. it is the most popular. in my family alone (counting my first cousins on my mom's side, where I have a lot of cousins) we have 7 with J names out of the 23 of us. that's almost a third.

Date: 2011-02-01 08:57 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] mrsduryee.livejournal.com
Eldest daughter Jana is interested in midwifery or a harpist. Everyone seems pretty happy with her career choices. She is just out of the picture a lot because she's been teaching.

Date: 2011-02-01 09:03 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] mrsduryee.livejournal.com
I'll never use an X or a Y, but not for any of the reasons suggested here. I just don't like any names that start with either of those letters, or the initials they result in.

Date: 2011-02-02 12:38 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] twitchywoman.livejournal.com
THis is what I thought too.

Date: 2011-02-02 01:37 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] pleasure-past.livejournal.com
I can't imagine any psychologically credible reason for the first letter of one's name to make one act out in a society where that letter is not at all stigmatized.

While I'd believe that children with unusually spelled or generally unusual names tend to act out more than children with common names, I'm more inclined to blame the teachers. Studies show that teachers judge kids based on their names. Studies also show that children pick up on the teacher's perception of them and respond to that. If the teacher expects from the very first day that you will be lazy and a trouble maker, which is precisely the expectation most teacher are going to have for little Jaidan, odds are good that that's just what you'll become.

Name your son Jeremiah if you want. I highly doubt that it'll make any difference.

Date: 2011-02-02 02:49 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] sandtree.livejournal.com
lol The Duggars don't have an 'outcast daughter' unless they've hidden her really well... I'm pretty sure you're thinking of 'cousin Amy', but she's definitely not 'shunned' either, so I have no idea where that idea came from.

Date: 2011-02-02 02:55 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] amyeliz.livejournal.com
Absolutely!

Date: 2011-02-02 11:32 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] http://users.livejournal.com/__sail_awayx/
My boss swears that any name named Jeff is a cheater and a liar. We were talking about baby names. lol

Date: 2011-02-03 01:22 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] nandy-pandy.livejournal.com
With so many Johns, Jacks, Joshs, etc. I think it'd make sense that more J-kids would get into trouble than others!

To answer your question, I have no problem with any boys' names, but for girls' names, I would like to avoid names that start or end with "A". It's more important that the name doesn't start with "A", but if I could ever learn to like a name that neither starts nor ends with "A", I'd be satisfied. The name also can't start with "Ma-". My first name has been handed down through the generations, and it's mighty tough to figure out a coordinating name. Good thing I'm not expecting a girl!

Date: 2011-02-06 10:45 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] krosp.livejournal.com
I know a lot of people who have worked with kids and have that association with J names (for boys). But I love J names and will still use one.

I only avoid T because it would be alliterative with our last name... and M because there are a lot of people in our family with that initial although I wouldn't avoid it altogether.

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