Do you like your name?

[diamondfan]

Snow, I love Tory or Tori and would not likely use anything else for a nickname, I think it is so cute.

 

[arjunajane]

Date: 7/8/2008 11:49:38 AM
Author: Independent Gal
Thanks for sharing your thoughts everyone. So if I can sum up, it sounds like lots of people were teased and / or hated their name as a child, no matter how ''normal'' or unusual it was. Kids will find a way to tease. So I think I''ll stop worrying about that part unless it''s a really obvious one. It''s amazing that even an Alice or a Sarah would get teased.

It also sounds like most of you grew to like your names as you got older and teasing became a thing of the past.

It''s interesting that Pricesss says her name isn''t feminine enough, because that''s my thing about girl''s names. They are all so damn girly! I want to give my little one a name that kicks a$$ and doesn''t make her sound too delicate. I liked what Margaret''s mom said: a name you could be president with.

Would most of you agree that having a name that ties you to something meaningful - family, a role model, something important - makes you love your name more?

We''ll have the extra challenge that this baby, being born to parents with different passports but in the USA, would eventually have access to a choice of three citizenships, with a LOT of languages, and so the name will have to be pronounceable in different languages. There is no telling where the Cub might decide to live someday!

Wow! Independent, sounds like your lil one is in for an exciting life!

I am completely on the same page as you about girls'' names that have a little bit of "oomph", or are unique (but not in an over-the-top celebrity way, lol).
I know its silly, but I''m trying to decide on a name for my new diamond right now, and thats exactly what I''m thinking - tough but still feminine.
So far I''ve come up with Lenni, Frankie, Alex, Perry, Evie - things like that.
I know, I''m sad - I don''t have any pets or children to name yet, so its gonna be my pet rock for now!

This may sound strange, but I find I like alot of catwalk models'' names from foreign countries. They always have kick ass names, you could look there for inspiration?

I definately think having a name with some kind of significance makes for a great story and makes it more special - I have always been jealous of my Fi''s middle name, which is Arjuna (yep, from my avatar

). Arjuna is a strong figure that is present in a number of religions, but I especially like the Hindu story.
To my knowledge, my name doesn''t have any significance

(Its'' not Jane)..for privacy sake, I may not say, but it means Christmas in another language - blah

 

[spike13]

i don''t like my first name and even after 36 years when I hear it it never sounds like "me."

My full name sounds very good together, except my last name I constantly have to spell out. WHen I get married one of my motivators for changing my surname is because I''m so tired of spelling it.

I''m actually considering also changing my first name at the same time. Or changing my middle name and just going by that, keeping the first so there''s not a total disconnect with work things and banks and such.

I really like the name Violet because it captures (at least to me) a good balance of toughness and femininity. A Violet could fix her own motorcycle, then get home in time to dress formally for the opera.

 

[snowflakeluvr]

thanks df,
tori spelling is really the only tori i (don''t) know-was watching her show late last night and i can'' believe how she has grown on me. i love to see moms who adore ther kids!
we named our last girl gemma(pronounced soft g) and our 4yr old is joram(old testament) which together(joram and gemma) i think sounds kind of hansel and gretel-ish but after reading your name list made me realize how truly difficult it is to find a name that we "believe" will suit that little person who''s just burst into our lives. so our parents had the same issues, with far fewer exotic name choices than we have had.
ps our jacob was almost a daniel. and of course everyone and their brother has a jacob/jake now(ours just turned 18 and i thought i was being original then!)
pss when are you going to do a photo shoot and share all

of your gorgeous gems with us???

 

[Independent Gal]

Date: 7/9/2008 1:40:07 AM
Author: matildawong
It didn''t matter too much because I have only ever been known as Molly. It''s funny, I went all through school with ''Molly'' on my records. It wasn''t until the 1990s and college and SSN identification and stuff that the legal name really became an issue. Now everything legal says Mary E.

Matilda/Mary/Molly... did you ever get teased with being called "Molly"? It''s one of the English language nicknames for one of the names we are thinking of for a girl. Did you like it, growing up?

 

[Independent Gal]

Date: 7/9/2008 2:37:08 AM
Author: trillionaire


Anyway, I love ... Jael


Boys: ..., Adonis (yes, I said Adonis),...

I think Yael/Jael is a great name too, but do you know the bible story associated with her? If i recall correctly, she lures the enemy into her tent, gets him drunk (and who knows what else) and when he falls asleep she takes a tent peg and hammers it into him, nailing him to the ground.

Something like that.

Anyway, I feel like that's a lot of namesake to stick on a little girl!

Although it definitely kicks @$$.

As for Adonis, oh lord, please, don't do it. That is just wrong. A lifetime of horrible teasing awaits. And I mean horrible. He will HATE you!

 

[Delster]

Date: 7/8/2008 9:19:21 PM
Author: ZoeBartlett
Gwen,

It's funny, but to me, you look more like a Gwen than a Kristen. I've read on here before what your name is, so it's not a surprise, but I still think you're a Gwen.

My first name is very Irish...or so I thought. I just looked it up and apparently, it's Greek, Welsh, and/or Irish. I never would have guessed Greek in a million years. There are so many ways to spell my name and even numerous ways to pronounce it. It seems pretty straight-forward to me, but I've heard people say the first syllable with a long a or with a short e. I never knew why there was such confusion with a common name. My name was very popular in the early 70s -- I grew up with 5 other girls who had my name. I like my name. I think I look like my name. I can't think of a different one that would suit me.

My sister's name is the same way -- a thousand and one ways to spell it and pronounce it. Her name is the same as a very popular county in Ireland. She likes her name, too.

Zoe I am 1000% certain I have guessed your sister's name, and I'm pretty sure I've guessed yours too. But don't worry, I won't put the guesses out here

I agree that a girl will appreciate a unique name more than a boy will. I think boys prefer to have the classic 'strong' or 'old' names whereas girls are more likely to appreciate something a little unusual. That's my impression from chatting with my male and female friends about names anyway!

 

[jas]

I have always loved my name...although I go by Jackie most of the time, I never blanched at Jacqueline. My folks named me after my grandmother (her middle name) but also Jacqueline Kennedy, who was one of my mom''s heroines when she was a young adult.

Presidential? Possibly not (not that I would ever run...I would never survive the vetting process

) but it doesn''t feel dated.

However, while I don''t think this country is ready for a "Fifi" or "Muffy" or "Skeletor" for president, I think we need to consider that parents attach a lot more "meaning" to our names than we do (kids just tend to attach a cringe factor to it.)

Would a name prevent a president? I don''t think Obama fans think so.
And Oprah seems to have survived having an unusual name (which, as I recall, was an incorrect spelling of Orpah from the bible.

So maybe the question is indeed "What''s in a name"?

Honestly, I''m not trying to be a stinker.

 

[Independent Gal]

Jas, I think Jackie is a great name for a President! You don''t mess with a Jackie! Which is why I''m confident your boys will stay grounded.

But then again, I also think that Barack is a great name for a President. In the bible, Barak was a brave and wise warrior, and it stems from ''Baruch'', blessed. It''s a good solid biblical name with good associations, even though it''s a little unusual!

Just my 2 cts!

 

[Independent Gal]

Correction! Yael hammers the tent peg WITH a hammer mind you! into the guy''s temple. I mean, come on, that''s just gross.

 

[Cind11]

My name is Cynthis but about the time I hit school age, I became Cindy to everyone but my parents. My mom stubbornly refused to shorten my name. I never really disliked "Cindy" but always wished I had more of an exotic name. I actually like Cynthia (although no one calls me that still) and wish that was the name I went by. But it might be hard now to to tell everyone that and have them actually do it, so I figure I am probably stuck with Cindy.

I think I like more of the classic names, not necessarily old but I get tired of all my kids friend''s names who all seem to be "Taylor", "Courtney", "Paige" etc. I guess names run in cycles but I wouldn''t want to have a name EVERYONE else has. My girls are Jennifer and Kathleen. Kathleen is the only "Kathleen" in her grade, and there aren''t many Jennifers.

 

[bee*]

Date: 7/8/2008 6:33:25 PM
Author: Independent Gal
Rebecca is one of my most favourite names. But sadly, it''s off limits for our cub!


Rebecca is a name that a President could have for sure. It''s feminine, but you can still see a Rebecca kicking some @$$.

I can definitely confirm that a Rebecca can kick some @ss

 

[robbie3982]

Date: 7/9/2008 8:24:55 AM
Author: Independent Gal

Date: 7/9/2008 2:37:08 AM
Author: trillionaire


Anyway, I love ... Jael


Boys: ..., Adonis (yes, I said Adonis),...

I think Yael/Jael is a great name too, but do you know the bible story associated with her? If i recall correctly, she lures the enemy into her tent, gets him drunk (and who knows what else) and when he falls asleep she takes a tent peg and hammers it into him, nailing him to the ground.

Something like that.

Anyway, I feel like that''s a lot of namesake to stick on a little girl!

Although it definitely kicks @$$.

As for Adonis, oh lord, please, don''t do it. That is just wrong. A lifetime of horrible teasing awaits. And I mean horrible. He will HATE you!

HAHAHAHAH! That''s my cousin''s name! You know the one I''m talking about

.

 

[RxTechRN2b]

When I was a kid I hated my name. My dad wanted a boy and that''s why I received a name that could be for a boy OR a girl, but the Y instead of an I at the end of Terry is usually how it is spelled for boys. When I went to summer camp I was always assigned to the boys cabin (until I showed up on the first day, of course) and even in school I was often assigned to boys gym class that first day. Oh how I wished for a feminine, pretty name like Tiffany.

But now I love my name not only because it is rare for girls, but even more so with that Y on the end. I love being set apart from the crowd -- why else would I be so obsessed with canary diamonds?? And there are some actresses with the name, even some characters are given that name such as the Terri in Threes Company with John Ritter.

 

[Irishgrrrl]

Terry, I think your name is great! I think Terry with a Y works just as well for a girl as it does for a guy. Speaking of the name Terry, how's this for funny: my dad and DH's dad both have the exact same first and middle names ~ Terry Lee. DH's dad is Terry Lee R. and my dad is Terry Lee W. What are the odds?!?! LOL!

 

[matildawong]

Hi Independent Gal,

No. I''m a sensitive sort and I cannot think of one name-calling incident using Molly. I had a fifth-grade teacher who called me "Good Golly" and I adored him. Mostly people come up to me and tell me they love the name. I always liked it growing up and never wanted to change it.

It''s cool because I don''t meet a lot of Mollys -- so it''s sort of unique. It''s never on the personalized stuff (mugs, etc.) and I kind of liked that growing up. Funnily enough, I am a nanny to a toddler named Molly who shares the same middle name as me!

And then there''s the "Unsinkable Molly Brown" and a couple of cool songs and stuff. So if people ever used my name to gently tease, it was always a good-natured "Miss Molly" sort of thing.

 

[smiles]

I definately like that I was named after someone. My first name and middle name are after my moms parents who both died right before I was born and I also have 2 names in another language which are taken from a grandfather and a great grandfather and I am definitely a fan of family names - not that they have to be the exact same name but similar...if that made any sense!

 

[aliciagirl]

I can''t think of one time that we teased anyone growing up over a name. Maybe I went to a very tame school?

But I''ve always hated my name. Not so much the spelling, just the pronunciation. My family is from WV, so I ended up with the drawn out "A-lisssh-ah" instead of the more common "A-leesh-ah." And I feel like it''s just too country/southern for me/my personality. I also feel like it''s a young name. Like I can''t imagine a grandma named Alicia. I also feel like it needs a long last name instead of my measly one syllable one. I once dated a guy with a very Italian exotic last name and I still to this day wish I could take his last name as my own (without him, of course) because it sounded so... romantic and sexy with my first name. But alas, I end up talking marriage with another one syllable last name guy.

I think Molly is perfect and adorable! I also think that if my name had any meaning, like a family name or something, that I would like it more than I do.

 

[galeteia]

I was brutally and incessantly teased about my name, and the children I went to school with used it to declare me "Other". All kinds of atrocities were appropriate to heap on the Other. To this day, I am quick to correct people when they mangle it.

Now, I love my name. It''s as Scottish as Ewan MacGregor''s name in it''s spelling, but easy to pronounce. It''s a strong woman''s name, and I was almost named Skye until my mother saw me and determined I was going to be a fiercely independent headstrong woman and needed a strong name to match.

 

[musey]

My name''s fine, though apparently no one can pronounce it. I''ve considered changing the spelling.

Sometimes I''d like something a little more grown-up sounding... everyone always asks if it''s short for something. I plan to give my kids grown-up sounding names that can be nicknamed cutely

 

[julabean]

I''ve always liked my first name - Julia. It''s classically old-fashioned, but not mainstream enough that everyone has it. I only really got teased starting a few years back when The Wedding Singer came out and everyone called me Julia Gulia. Funny thing was, I didn''t see that movie until YEARS after everyone teased me about it. I recently changed my last name and now my entire name sounds very English and formal. I don''t think it''s a name I could be president with, but definitely a Duchess!

 

[Selkie]

Date: 7/9/2008 10:03:06 AM
Author: bee*

Date: 7/8/2008 6:33:25 PM

Author: Independent Gal

Rebecca is one of my most favourite names. But sadly, it''s off limits for our cub!

Rebecca is a name that a President could have for sure. It''s feminine, but you can still see a Rebecca kicking some @$$.

I can definitely confirm that a Rebecca can kick some @ss

Yes, we can indeed!

I love it, but I go by the common nickname out of long habit. My last name is a nine-letter Germanic mouthful that always gets misspelled and mispronounced, but I still like it, and the combination.

Lorelei, you are probably long gone, but is that your actual name? I like it very much.

 

[Selkie]

Warning-serious timewaster ahead!

Check out the Baby Name Voyager. You type in a name and it shows you the popularity of that name over the past century.

 

[Skippy123]

Date: 7/9/2008 6:51:27 PM
Author: Selkie
Warning-serious timewaster ahead!

Check out the Baby Name Voyager. You type in a name and it shows you the popularity of that name over the past century.

OM gosh, that is soo fun!!! My name was popular 70-80''s my sister has a not so pretty name and it was popular in the 40''s and 50''s. haha

 

[blinkydoll]

I used to Hate my name bec when I was little--they never made barrettes with my name on them--lol

But now as I got older I reallly liked my name more! It''s not an average name and it is also spelled different than the norm.
It''s Lea ---pronounced (Lee-AH)

some people spell it with an H on the end--- but i don''t

My Mom all gave us (my 2 bro''s and I) all names that she thought would be good for writers--hehe My middle name is strong... as well as my last.
my Bro''s are Nathan Oliver mylastname. & David Curtis mylastname

none of us are writers..officiallly---- mostly computer geniuses.. and artsy types.

I have gotten the star wars reference..etccc.... but I was named Lea before the movie came out... and and i think she is spelled differently--and pronounced Lay-ah--
lol--- I was princess Liah for Halloween once (cinnibuns and all) and my Fi was Chewbacca-- lol bec he is tall! and has brown curly hair.

Fun Thread!

 

[zoebartlett]

Date: 7/9/2008 8:42:46 AM
Author: Delster

Date: 7/8/2008 9:19:21 PM
Author: ZoeBartlett
Gwen,

It''s funny, but to me, you look more like a Gwen than a Kristen. I''ve read on here before what your name is, so it''s not a surprise, but I still think you''re a Gwen.

My first name is very Irish...or so I thought. I just looked it up and apparently, it''s Greek, Welsh, and/or Irish. I never would have guessed Greek in a million years. There are so many ways to spell my name and even numerous ways to pronounce it. It seems pretty straight-forward to me, but I''ve heard people say the first syllable with a long a or with a short e. I never knew why there was such confusion with a common name. My name was very popular in the early 70s -- I grew up with 5 other girls who had my name. I like my name. I think I look like my name. I can''t think of a different one that would suit me.

My sister''s name is the same way -- a thousand and one ways to spell it and pronounce it. Her name is the same as a very popular county in Ireland. She likes her name, too.

Zoe I am 1000% certain I have guessed your sister''s name, and I''m pretty sure I''ve guessed yours too. But don''t worry, I won''t put the guesses out here

I agree that a girl will appreciate a unique name more than a boy will. I think boys prefer to have the classic ''strong'' or ''old'' names whereas girls are more likely to appreciate something a little unusual. That''s my impression from chatting with my male and female friends about names anyway!

Yeah, our names aren''t too hard to figure out, but I didn''t want to post them. First initials are M (mine) and K (sis), if that helps. I know you know them. You have to! So, is my first name Irish or not? I''ve always been told it is and then one day I read that it''s not.

I think boys'' names in general are harder to choose. My FI and I really like the name Kieran (or Ciaran, but that''s harder for people to spell) for a boy.

 

[Independent Gal]

Wow, that babyname thing is pretty interesting. It''s neat how the names I plunked in seem to peak once a generation.

My name, on the other hand, wasn''t even on the radar.

I mean, at all.

The other thing that was interesting was, after a discussion I recently had with DH about dictator names, sparked by someone we know who recently called their baby Franco, I plunked in "Adolph".

OK, people, as predicted, precipitous drop circa 1939. But who? WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE who kept calling their babies Adolph well into the mid 60''s... ?!

I mean, it''s not a huge number, but it tracks.

Geez.

 

[Independent Gal]

Date: 7/9/2008 8:27:50 PM

I think boys'' names in general are harder to choose. My FI and I really like the name Kieran (or Ciaran, but that''s harder for people to spell) for a boy.

It''s funny, because so many people say that, but I have about 10 boys names I love, and so far... no girls names. I mean, at all.

I think Kieran is a great name.

I have a Persian friend whose son is called Kian ("Kee-AHN") which I think is quite nice too.

 

[Independent Gal]

And speaking of names from other corners of the world, I have a Turkish friend whose son is called Sinan (pronounced SI-non) which I think is wonderful. Particularly because he is named for the Great Architect of Istanbul, Mimar Sinan. That''s a good namesake to have!

 

[LtlFirecracker]

To answer you question about significance. My name has a male/female version. The two names translate to the same meaning. My parents basically named me after my father, but still managed to give me a feminine version of it. I think it is interesting now because even though my father and I have different degrees and professions, we are both spending our careers serving the same poplulation in our own ways. And my parents never pushed me into my profession.

Me, my mother, and grandmother all have the same middle name, which was the first name of my great-grandmother. The three of us are also the first born in our family. So I guess there is a 3 generation tradation that all the first born daughters are given that middle name. I plan to do the same if I have a daughter.