Thoughts on "Macho" Boys Names.

[hermione-vader.livejournal.com]

I found this post on Nameberry about macho/wild boys' names.  I read through the post's comments, and a lot of them do not like the idea of super-macho names for boys, claiming that these names would "own" them, among other reasons.  What do you guys think of this?

Personally, the only names on the list I could ever bestow on a kid are Fox and Thor, and even then, probably as a middle name.  I think most of these names are a little extreme, honestly.  I could not name a kid Diesel because that's the main villain of Thomas the Tank Engine (a staple of my childhood).

Which names do you like and dislike?  Do you worry about a name's masculinity when naming male children/characters/pets? 

Comments

[behindgrey-eyes.livejournal.com]

I can kinda see where this idea might be coming from. I mean what if you called a kid Thor and he turned out really scrawny and un-aggressive? XD Then again, thats just the sort of image the name Thor gives me. If you don't really care about the connotations and like the name for the name then I say go for it.

I quite like Thor and Fox too :D

[ma-ee-uh.livejournal.com]

From that list, I will admit I like Fox. Maybe this is because of having watched The X-Files for years.

[laminy.livejournal.com]

I love Jagger, it's on my list. Other than that, there are a few that I think are usable, that I personally wouldn't use:

Bear
Fox
Gunner
Talon (I have a cousin named Talon)
Thor

[kaizopp.livejournal.com]

Well I generally like unisex names.

Most of the names from that list seem more fitting for pets, to be honest. I like Fox, that's about it. And it would be second name, not first.

[jaydestarlight.livejournal.com]

Agreed on most of the names seeming more fitting for pets

[liltxangel83.livejournal.com]

Most of these seem more like nicknames to me, aside from Colt (that one seems to be popular here in TX).

[hermione-vader.livejournal.com]

I get that nickname feel, too. Colton can be a nickname for Colton, which is getting popular ( and I knew someone who went by that in school).

[http://users.livejournal.com/-dahling-/]

The only one I might consider (but probably not) is Maverick. The other ones sound like pet names to me.
Masculinity doesn't matter to me if it's a boy name. I worry about it when naming a girl (for example-Jessica Simpson's Maxwell).

[pleasure-past.livejournal.com]

Bear: I've always said that I'm going to raise my little queerspawns to be gay, but, um, I'm not going to start with their names. Idk. Maybe it's just because I'm already part of the queer community that I think of that first, but I feel like being named Bear would cause a lot of problems for a straight guy. Or for a non-bear queer guy, for that matter.

Buster: Makes me think of bunnies from children's cartoons. Also probably not going to go over well in a stereotypical machismo community.

Colt: Better, I guess, but my first thought when I hear it pronounced is going to be human sacrifices and shit, not horses. Stallion would probably be better.

Diesel: Lmfao. I know my opinion on this is kind of irrelevant anyway, but I could never ever ever ever date a guy named Diesel. "Diesel smells so sexy with that new cologne!" "So I was kissing Diesel the other night and..."

Fox: I don't really see this as a macho name at all. In fact, I think it's rather girly. On a boy, it makes me think more of nerds than of macho men.

Gunner: Destined to grow up to be a crunchy vanilla hippy who spends his time campaigning for the repeal of the second amendment.

Jagger: My friends and I barely know who Mick Jagger is. If you give a baby that name today, is anyone going to get the reference by the time the kid is grown?

Maverick: Will always make me think of John McCain. Then my old World History teacher, who named his son this. Then of some skinny "class clown" who always gets in trouble but isn't really at all macho.

Rebel: Lmfao. "Rebel Jones for President, 2052!" No. Just no. Far from being a "macho, tough guy" name, this is a name that will pretty much guarantee that your son is never taken seriously by anyone.

Talon: Meh. Whatever.

Thor: Lmfao. See "Rebel." It's not going to score your kid tough guy points, it's just going to ensure that no one ever takes him seriously, in any setting, ever.

Wilder: Meh. Whatever.

tl;dr: Buster, Talon, and Wilder will probably not catch too much grief for their names. For the rest of them, it's less an issue of their names "owning them" and more an issue of those just being ridiculous things to name your kid. If your son is meant to be macho-man, he'll become one whether you name him Winston or Snake. His name will grow to suit him (or he'll change it). He will not grow to suit his name.

[jesuslovesbono.livejournal.com]

lol, ditto on Maverick

[naturedichotomy.livejournal.com]

Buster just sounds to me like what you call a little boy whose name you don't know.

... And by "you", I mean old men.

I like Colt, but wouldn't use it. Same with Fox, Gunner, and Rebel.

I love Jagger, Maverick, and Wilder (Mick! Top Gun! Laura Ingalls! All things I love).

I like Thor for its mythological connection (Norse myths were always my favorite), but I'm more of a fan of Loki, Odin and Freya as names.

[ladydreamfire.livejournal.com]

A guy I went to school with just welcomed his first child and he and his wife named him Colt.

[hermione-vader.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I like Colt, but only as a nn for Colton---I had a classmate in school who had that name and nn.

[frost.livejournal.com]

Uh, I don't like any of those. At all. D:
Well...Fox is okay (but that might just be me really liking the animal), but I'd never use it...if I did, it'd be as the middle name.

[kitchen-poet.livejournal.com]

The only thing I really have a problem with is parents who specifically name daughters macho/obviously male names and claim they gave the girl a male name because they wanted a "strong" name. It just really, really bugs me because it implies that feminine names, and by association feminine women, or women in general, are the opposite of strong. Just a pet peeve.

I agree with the OP about Fox/Fawkes, but only because we were married on Guy Fawkes. ;)

[kitchen-poet.livejournal.com]

Also, I have to add that Rebel and Maverick are possibly the worst names ever. Worse than Nevaeh bad.

[autopsycorpses.livejournal.com]

I seriously disagree. They were the only names on the list i liked.

[heyskeleton.livejournal.com]

I like Wilder and maybe Fox and Jagger, but I've got to admit, Diesel is totally a guilty pleasure name of mine. I don't know what it is, It just looks and sounds badarse, hahaha. Maybe it's the petrol-head in me. I'd never actually use it, though.

As for the rest, I couldn't care less.

[smallandneedy.livejournal.com]

My grandma LOVES the name Gunnar. (She's 93)
I don't see why people like it. It's a name that reminds me and most people of people in their 40's and 50's here in Norway, and it's not very appealing in my opinion.

Buster always makes me think of a dog.

I don't mind Thor, because it's another one of those names that are really common around here...

[being-lola-star.livejournal.com]

I know a little boy called Maverick [Sibs include Amris (older sister), Kylo (older brother), Leeland (older brother) and the baby Jersey (sister)] Even before seeing on him, (and he's the cutest little thing! The whole family is full of beautiful babies) I really liked it. Even though it's got a "rough" meaning I just liked the sound of it. It actually came up on a baby names list when a coworker was trying to think of names for baby. I'm very fond of it.

I also really like the name Rebel but I think that's because of Rebel Wilson. It would take a big personality to pull it off but if my children are anything like me, that wouldn't be a problem.

I went to high school with a boy called Talon and can honestly say, the "macho-ness" of his name really didn't strike me. He was sort of a mellow guy.

Colt is a cute nickname for Colton but I don't think I'd just call my son Colt. A family friend's little boy is Colton (older brother is Rowan) and it's probably a good thing they didn't just name him Colt. He's a rough and tough boy but so are his daddy and older brother. Not sure if haivng a "tough" name and being tough come into play but maybe people that are tougher are more likely to give their children really macho names?

A lot of the other names Bear, Fox, etc. sound more like nicknames than given names. And Buster will always make me think of Buster Baxter from Arthur. Jagger isn't a "tough" name at all to me. It's just a reference name. Many of these names weren't given names, they were nicknames that people are now making given names. Gunner and Diesel sound like pet names too.

[puzleves.livejournal.com]

I'd be inclined to use Gunnar instead of Gunner, which might be influenced by being Norwegian :P
Likewise, I'd probably rather spell it Tor than Thor, just cause Tor is the more common spelling in Norway. (Inc. when talking about the god)
But odds for me using either of those two aren't really that high though, there are other traditional Norwegian names I'd rather use.

The rest all ring more like pet names or nicknames than actual names to me.

[jesuslovesbono.livejournal.com]

do i worry about a name's masculinity: yes, kind of. I like the name Riley for a boy but i don't think i would name a boy that since now it is more popular for girls. so instead i am giving that name to a fictional character.

none of those names on that list appeal to me enough to name a kid that. "Wilder" is kinda cool, but i doubt i'd name a kid that

[kerijm27.livejournal.com]

Bear is the only one I 'like'. It sounds normal to me, but then I was thinking about it and I grew up with a dude named Bear. Suuuuuper cute 90's hair band type kid, like Shannon Hoon. LOL

My sons friends brother is Gunner. Super nice kid. Looks like a farm boy.