just one...

[carafbaby.livejournal.com]

I've been a part of this community for a while now, we are working on starting our family so I write down names that might have potential for when I actually am pregnant but I don't want to put my list up just yet. 

I have one customer at work that i see every 2 weeks and every time i think what a unique name, its 

Dawna, i don't care for the name Donna it makes me think of someone's mom but if your mom was named donna i think its a cute twist because i like dawn.  Its not a name i want to use but just something unique yet not tacky or ridiculous. 

Another question i have for the community to see if other people feel this way for if its just me about names that have a very obvious meaning.  I almost have a native american type view.  for example i wouldn't use the name autum if the baby wasn't born in fall, or names like january, may, april if the babies aren't born that month.  WDYT?

Comments

[babyxdoll.livejournal.com]

I like Dawna, mostly because I haven't seen it spelled that way before and I'm big on different spellings of names.

As to you last question, I agree with you- but in the same sense (maybe it's just me) I personally don't like the idea of naming kids after months, days of the week, seasons or holidays. It's just not my thing. What you are saying though does make sense, if you are going to name your kid something like that- at least have it make sense. :)

[carafbaby.livejournal.com]

No not at all, i just see it more and more in the media (isn't there an actress named January?) and know a few Aprils. I've never asked when their birthday was even though I've been curious.

[babyxdoll.livejournal.com]

I actually have no idea as to an actress named January, there could be though. It would be funny sometime to ask them when their birthday is though. :)

[pap3r-heart.livejournal.com]

The actress January Jones was, in fact, born in January.

[qtshorty1625.livejournal.com]

It's funny, but I almost expect Dawna to sound different than Donna, though I know it wouldn't. It's like mentally there's a difference in sound between Dawn and Don even though I know if I were to say them out loud there would be no difference.

I guess that's my rambling of saying I agree that Dawna is a cute twist.

I have a cousin named April May and I'm pretty sure she was born in June. Personally I'm not a huge fan of word names like that (with a couple of exceptions, such as May which I associate more with the grandmother on Wind at My Back than the month my dad was born in). I can understand your way of thinking, but at the same time, I don't really like the matching like that, because it seems to me like the parent might have thought about the name less like a name and more using something about the birthday to inspire the name. But really in the grand scheme, I just tend not to be attracted to those names, and let it be for others to decide how they want to view the name.

[carafbaby.livejournal.com]

April May is funny to me, my niece is Ella Mae which I like that spelling much better. It makes you associate less with the month. She was born in October btw.

I just thought of another example, my cousin's name is Austin... he was born and lives in Tampa. Somehow that doesn't bother me as much even though it is the same idea.

[qtshorty1625.livejournal.com]

I like the Mae spelling better too, for the same reason you mentioned.

I think the longer we know a name, the less we associate it. Like, I've known at least 3 people named Holly since I was in middle school, so I don't associate it with the plant or Christmas.

[goldopals.livejournal.com]

In Australia, there is a dramatic difference between the pronounciation of Dawn and Don. I pronounce Dawn as "dorn" and Don with a hard o sound. I am sorry I am not better at spelling things phonetically.

[qtshorty1625.livejournal.com]

That I did not know; thanks for sharing! No worries; I'm not very good at phonetic spellings either :).

[eveyalecia.livejournal.com]

I'm sort of the opposite-- I think that naming someone after the month, season, day of the week they were born is sort of tacky and unimaginative. So if a parent is going to give their child a month or season name then it should be because they genuinely like it as a kid's name. For example, I would like to have a daughter named Sarah November, and I'd actually be less likely to name her that if she were born in November. I just like the way the name sounds, I think it's pretty, but if that were her birth month, I'd feel like people would always think I named her just because of that.

Just my two cents :)

[carafbaby.livejournal.com]

I hadn't looked at it that way but its a really good point. there are a lot of words that would make beautiful names and if a parent likes the sound of the name they should use it regardles. I have never heard of November used in a name so its unique and actually very pretty.

[how-obscure.livejournal.com]

I don't like Dawna. I want to say it daww-nuh, with an exaggerated aw sound. I don't care for the way it looks either. Donna is my mom's name, but I don't like that either.

I always waiver on month/day names, with the exceptions of April, May, and June because they've been used as names often enough that they've sort of lost some of their monthiness (made up word is made up). On one hand, it seems kind of tacky to name a kid for the month/day they were born in/on, but on the other hand, it doesn't make much sense the other way. Still, I like the names Winter and Snow (middle only). Those would involve the same conundrum. Summer is kind of nice too, although I don't like the season very much, heh. I'm fine with some other types of noun names though, like Verity, Willow, Rain, or Lane.

[carafbaby.livejournal.com]

I like willow and rain oh and snow thats pretty too, besides months and seasons i like names... i dunno based on nature. I already have my boy name picked out but I also have the name Reed on the list. besides it making me think of a tall strong plant next to water it was my mothers maiden name also.

[cremepuff.livejournal.com]

Not sure what I think of Dawna. With my Great Lakes accent, I would pronounce Dawna differently than Donna.

[cremepuff.livejournal.com]

But I do love the name Dawn! It's underrated!

[carafbaby.livejournal.com]

I like Dawn because it means sunrise, and i think thats a very pretty thing to be named after. Without the meaning behind it I don't know if i would care for it much or not. Also its kind of old fashion and all of those kinds of names are becoming popular again.

[earn-my-wings.livejournal.com]

Because I'm originally from New York, my accent would totally would pronounce it "Daw-nuh" instead of "Donna."

It's funny how just changing the spelling of a name can make it appealing even if it sounds the same as a common name, so if you don't have an accent like me and you do pronounce it "Donna" then I think it's kind of cute. Because I don't like the name Donna, either, but for some reason just by changing the spelling, I like it even if it sounds the same.


In regards to your other question: For me, if I hear a name like Summer, I don't wonder whether they were born in the summer, instead I immediately assume that they have a bright, warm, and fun personality. I guess I'm more drawn to the way a name makes me feel rather than the way a name sounds. I also, like many of the previous commenters, I would find it weird and literal to name their kid after the month/day/season they were born in. I tend to think like native or ancient cultures; that a name should describe someone's personality or character.