Some names that have been on my mind lately...

[how-obscure.livejournal.com]

First off, I'm not pregnant or TTC, just daydreaming about possibilities. :)

I'm really starting to like the name Benedict. I will admit that it kind of came back onto my radar due to a certain actor, BUT I've always thought that it has a neat sound. However, in the past, I used to always think of Benedict Arnold. There's also eggs benedict. Now, I don't really care about the associations so I've added it to my list. Of course, my new nephew is Benjamin so I probably wouldn't use it just because I don't want to step on any toes and it would probably be best to avoid having cousins both named Ben. Still, I really, really love it right now.

I also like variations of James besides the name itself. Seamus has been on my list for five or so years now, but it's not one I feel like I would actually use unless I happened to marry someone for whom it was a family name and he wanted to use it. Still, it would probably be a middle name at best. The one that I have been thinking about lately is Hamish. I adore Hamish and have for years when I think about it, but I don't always remember about it because I never got around to physically putting it on my list until just the other week. Hamish is a name I would love to use whether it be a first or middle.

Finally, someone posted on here semi-recently about the name Zachariah or Zechariah. I can't remember which one it was. It sparked my interest in Zechariah again. It's a name I have liked on and off since middle school or early high school.

*** So tl;dr, Benedict, Hamish, and Zechariah: Usable in general? Usable by someone in the US? And on the topic of Zechariah, usable by someone who is not Jewish?

Comments

[http://users.livejournal.com/___heyvanity/]

I like Benedict, but I have a much younger brother-in-law named Benjamin and that's too close for comfort--and on that note, I freaking LOVE LOVE Everett nn Rhett and my other younger brother-in-law is named Brett so THAT'S too close. Hrumph.

I'm not huge on Hamish or Zechariah, but I think they are usable.

I do however love Seamus and nothing is really stopping me other than the fact that it would be constantly mispronounced. I'm Irish and James is a family name on my husband's side so I think it fits. But, I grew up with a last name that no one could pronounce right and it annoyed the crap out of me! I can't imagine having my first name be something difficult to pronounce. :-/

[opalgirl28.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure that Seamus would be really easily mispronounced; the pronunciation I've always heard is Shay-mus, unless that's incorrect?

[http://users.livejournal.com/___heyvanity/]

It is! But a lot of people don't get the Shay from Sea. They say "see-mus."

[eveyalecia.livejournal.com]

I'm one of those that thought it was "see-mus" while reading the Harry Potter books, and didn't discover my mistake until seeing the movies. -__- However, I thought the same with Sean (thought is was "seen" at first) because I knew a Shawn growing up and so was never exposed to the other spelling... Maybe if I had been more familiar with Sean, then Seamus would have clicked sooner? All that said, I think there will be some mispronunciation issues, but perhaps not as much as before because of the HP movies.

[eveyalecia.livejournal.com]

I really like Benedict, although I prefer Benjamin or Bennett. It's definitely usable, although it'll always have the Benedict Arnold reference.

Not a fan of Hamish personally, but it's totally usable.

I LOVE Zechariah! I don't think it being used by someone who isn't Jewish is an issue at all-- I mean, a great number of Jewish names are SO common! It might be mistaken for Zachariah often, but that's the only issue I can see.

[dustthouart.livejournal.com]

Benedict is on our list for a boy. We are big Catholics (I even have a "fangirling the pope" tag on my blog) so it would be in honor of him for us, plus I just like it better than Benjamin.

Hamish I always parse as ham-ish. Like, spam isn't real ham, but it's kind of hamish.

I'm a classic detective novel fan, and Seamus/shamus is a slang for a detective, so that's my first thought there.

I like Zechariah but you will probably need to clarify that it's not the more common Zach frequently. If that doesn't bother you, go for it.

[how-obscure.livejournal.com]

See, some names from the Hebrwe Bible/Old Testament are commonplace enough that I wouldn't worry about it--like Adam, Jacob, or Caleb. Although, back in high school, when Jacob was a favorite of mine, my Grandma still thought of it as a Jewish name. Zechariah is less common and therefore, I feel like it still has stronger ties to its origins than others if that makes sense. Malachi is another example of this. That's just where I'm coming from on this. It's good to hear that others don't think that is necessarily the case. :)

[how-obscure.livejournal.com]

The "ham" thing is a slight concern, but the Zech/Zach confusion doesn't bother me. Of course, it may well when I actually get around to having children.

[solitudete.livejournal.com]

I think we'll see more and more of Benedict, thanks to that actor, so I believe you would be fine using it. Hamish is NMS but would make a good middle name. I like Zachariah but the "Zech" variant makes me think "blech."

[how-obscure.livejournal.com]

My only concern now, with Benedict, is that it will really jump in popularity and everyone will think I used the name, if I ever do use it, because of him. While he brought it back to the forefront of my mind, as I said above, I've always liked the sound of it. I've just finally decided I don't care about the associations.

I can see where you're coming from with the "blech" thing. I've just always liked the Zech version better for some reason.

[roxtarrr.livejournal.com]

I like Benedict - but it's on my list for my future english bulldog. =/

Seamus is one of my favourite names but I have a feeling I would have a tough time trying to convince anyone to let me use it.

[laminy.livejournal.com]

I adore both Hamish and Seamus. They're both on my list (though obviously I would only ever use one).

[sictransitsuzy.livejournal.com]

This is the first time I'm hearing of Hamish. How is it pronounced? I immediately think of the word "amish" :\

[how-obscure.livejournal.com]

Hay-mish.