A bunch of polls, because I can.

[ouronlylight.livejournal.com]

Kids are a long way off for me. I'm just obsessive about names. I also like making polls, which are behind the cuts. So.

I mentioned a while back that I like the name Jack, short for John, and many people seemed to not realize that Jack is a nickname for John, or considered Jack a full first name of it's own right. I think that I'd be reluctant to name a boy Jack because I'd hate for him to have to constantly explain that Jack is not short for John, but I'm curious to see if I'm just being old fashioned.

[Poll #808351]

Within the past few days, I've really come to like the name Madeline, nickname Maddie/Maddy. It's also my grandmother's name, and I think that using the name would be an awesome way to honor her. However (and I think she's had this issue before, too), her name is pronounced MAD-uh-lin, and I'm afraid that people would end up pronouncing it MAD-uh-line, like the book series. What do y'all think?

[Poll #808352]

I like the name Sophia, but the Sop makes me think of soap, which completely turns me off. I like Sofia much better, but I kind of feel like a) that spelling could only work on someone of Spanish descent, of which I am not, and b) she'd go through her entire life with her name misspelled. So...

[Poll #808353]

Comments

[ginky.livejournal.com]

I have a Jack, who is just Jack. He is named after a Jack who is just Jack, my grandfather. Pappy has a brother who is Joe, just Joe. Which strikes me as way more odd than Jack, just Jack.

As far as nicknames go, unless you call them something like Bubba or Turniphead or something that is OBVIOUSLY not their real name, people don't ever think about it. I have an Evie/Evelynn and I was signing her up for ballet lessons this weekend and I remarked to the friend I was with that it's odd for me to think of her as Evelynn, and she said that she'd never realized her name wasn't Evie. So I wouldn't put much thought into it.

[thorabrighid.livejournal.com]

I lovelovelove the spelling Sofia, but hate Sophie. I think Sofia looks grown-up, all most, and Sophia reminds me of a little girl. that's all in my head, though. ahha

[solyma.livejournal.com]

madeline is one of my favorite names, pronounced MAD-uh-lin :)

[miss-tee.livejournal.com]

For the Madeline poll, when it asked if I came across the name Madeline how would I read it I picked MAD-ah-line because that's the pronunciation I personally prefer. However, I have known two young Madeline's lately and both pronounced it MAD-ah-lin

[mrsduryee.livejournal.com]

ditton. I also don't think it's a big deal to correct people who choose Mad-uh-LINE as the pronunciation if they are just reading it. She just has to say, "it's MAD-uh-lin."

[pregosaurus.livejournal.com]

When I hear of someone with that name, I always assume that it is spelled Sofia. To me, it is the right way!

I think Just Jack is fine today. I work at a preschool and I have 3 Jacks who aren't Johns.

[sarahrose.livejournal.com]

I like Jack, but not John, but I wouldn't name a boy Jack on his own for the same reason you mentioned. I always assume Jack is a John. It surprises me to think that people don't know it's a nickname for John. It just seems like the world is getting more and more ignorant of "normal" names and name traditions/spellings.

Madeline is all right to me. I like the spelling Madeleine.

Sofia looks odd to me. I don't like the name at all though (nor do I like Sophia).

[julieannie.livejournal.com]

I think Jack as the name itself or short for Jackson are okay.

For the pronounciation you are going for, I always think Madelyn is how I would spell it but I don't think it's a huge deal if it is spelled Madeline and just make sure to correct anyone who says it wrong. The name in general is one that can be used either way.

For Sofia I think more Sofia Coppola than Spanish so while I prefer Sophia, Sofia still works. But she's Italian so really any romance language could use that spelling.

[turabiannights.livejournal.com]

I believe that, traditionally, Madeline is pronounced with "line" and Madeleine is pronounced with "lynn." I'd go with one or the other of those, as I feel the outright "lyn" spellings (e.g. Madalyn) are kind of coarse.

I think Sophia and Sofia are really interchangeable as spellings, though she'll probably get it spelled with the "ph" a lot.

It used to be I'd assume Jack was short for John, but I've now encountered so many plain Jacks, Jack-short-for-Jackson, Jack-on-a-girls that I really don't know who I am anymore, much less what Jack is short for now.

[kindofquixotic.livejournal.com]

Sofia and Sophia are both correct spellings. I don't think it'd be an issue.

I pronounce Madeline mad-uh-line because I prefer it that way, but I believe mad-uh-lynn is the more popular pronounciation these days. Madalyn looks a bit trashy to me.

Jack by itself is so common these days that I don't think you'd have anything to worry about.

[mrsduryee.livejournal.com]

I know Jack is short for John but a lot of people choose Jack as a name or short for Jackson that it doesn't matter.

I prefer the spelling Madeleine, and I always thought the correct pronunciation of that was LINE, because of the children's book name pronounced that way for rhyming purposes.

Madeline can be pronounced either way--I think you'll get a mix of responses. Def. don't go with Madalyn.

I LOOOOVE Sofia. Do it. It's gorgeous.

[ashadelic.livejournal.com]

I actually know brothers who are named John and Jack (the other brother is Jody). They've been friends of the family as long as I can remember, and are my dad's age-- late 40's early 50's.. so I'd say Jack, just Jack, has been around for a while..

[arbus.livejournal.com]

every jack i know is actually named john (my uncle is john francis - he is 60ish, and my friend is john stephen - and he is early 30s, i also have a co-worker named john who goes by jack, he is also 30ish), so i automatically think jack is a nickname for john, because thats always just been the way it is in my family. but i know things are changing, and i wouldnt get all bent out of shape if i met a jack who was just a jack.

i like madeline, and i naturally pronounce it mad-uh-lin, although i do see the point of mad-uh-line, i dont feel passionate that one way is correct and the other is not.

i like sofia a lot, prefer it to sophia actually. i also love sophie though i dont like sofie one bit.

[thejoysofjess.livejournal.com]

I would read it as Mad-ih-LINE, but referring to the person, I'd say mad-ih-LYNN. I don't know why I do that.

[x-lostinyou.livejournal.com]

I meant to pick the second option on the re-spelling question, but I voted for the first instead. I see nothing wrong with correcting a spelling of a loved one's name... if nothing else but for the sake of the child having to correct it all the time. Some people find it disrespectful, but I see no harm in it.

[x-lostinyou.livejournal.com]

Ugh, and I also picked the wrong one for the Madeline prn. I meant to choose the one with the 'line' ending, because of the books/show/movie about Madeline the orphan. I loved her when I was young, heh.