Question

[lilacmermaid.livejournal.com]

Does anyone else here have trouble letting go of names you used to love, even after you stop liking them so much?

Alexandra has been my 3rd or 4th favourite girl's name for a LONG time, and I still like it, but my favourite nickname for it (Allie/Alley) has begun to lose its appeal. But in the file that I keep with lists of my favourite names and combinations, I'm reluctant to let the name go.

I guess what I'm asking is ... what do you do when you like a name "because I've always liked it", not "because I like it now"?

Comments

[so-there.livejournal.com]

think good and hard about whether or not you'd actually name a kid that. if not, let it go.

my top boy and girl names for the longest time were replaced by the time I had kids. it happens.

[satunian.livejournal.com]

well honestly, unless you intend to pop out loads of babies or become a crazy cat lady and give them all "people names" - it's kind of a moot point if it's only your third or fourth favorite. If you plan to stop after 2 kids and they get your first two favorite names, then the 4th one becomes... erroneous or something.
It's also a hard question to answer because I myself love tons of names but of course will never be able to use them all, so they will just always be names that I like but never use. If you're still hanging on to a name even after it's lost it's flair, then you probably still like it at least a little, because if you just lost interest in it all together you'd probably just stop thinking about it.
What else would you use it for, anyway? Are you creative/do you write at all? Perhaps then just file the name somewhere in the back of your mind and if you, say, create a character that the name would just be really fitting on, then save it for that

[coendou.livejournal.com]

Then again, your partner might hate your first couple choices, or once the baby is born they might just not fit... I went into labor having not chosen a boy name yet from our short list of six (including my favorite boy name), and then named him something not in the list at all!

[satunian.livejournal.com]

that's true too. but that could go for any name - when the baby pops out he or she might just scream a name that might not have even considered. Either way though, even if the name has lost it's shine for you, unless you hate it now, I'm sure it'll just float around in your mind on it's own. I guess there really isn't anything for you TO do about it, as it'll all just happen itself in your mind.

[jordle.livejournal.com]

Grace.

[how-obscure.livejournal.com]

I'm kind of that way with Persephone. It was my top name for about 4 years and I just don't like it as much anymore. I think I've gotten to the point where I can say "I like it, but I probably wouldn't use it." It doesn't go with the style of names I like, in general, which is another point in the negative column for it. I like it; I just don't like it enough, you know? That doesn't mean I'm not thrilled to see other people use it.

[arrien.livejournal.com]

I know what you mean! I'd always loved the name Emma (we're talking in the time before it got super, super popular). It was always my Girl Name and I planned on using it for my first girl. But since it got super popular and suddenly every new baby was named Emma I just couldn't do it and it was more of an "in theory" name (for my hypothetical children) than an actual name I would use for my real children. So I understand your hesitation of letting it go, but really.. it's ok ;) I have a Jovi and an Aven now and couldn't be happier!

[duck-deluxe.livejournal.com]

Emma was my "girl name" too way before it was popular. Sophia, Logan, Owen, and Madeline were also high on my lists as well, but popularity killed them too. Ultimately, I've used none of them, even though I still like them (mostly because I've always liked them).

I guess what I'm saying is that it's okay to like a name just because you've always liked it...but you don't necessarily have to use it in real life.

[stormqueen280.livejournal.com]

Well, you can like a name and not use it. For example, two years ago, Sophia was my number one name, and now it doesn't even go in the top five. I just got bored of it. It's still a beautiful name, but not something I'd consider if I had a baby now.

Years ago, my favorite name was Laura (still do), but I cannot use it anymore as it's the name of one of my cousins. I've also met some unpleasant people who ruined perfectly good names...