The Baby Name Wizard

Laurie, I find myself doing the same thing. We named our daughter Scout. When people ask why, I tell them when I was looking around on baby name sites it just stood out to me and my husband and I just couldn't get it out of our minds. And they look at me like I'm nuts. BUT if I tell them that it's from the classic novel To Kill A Mockingbird, then it's like they "forgive" me for giving my child such an odd name.

Just as a side note, I had never read that book and had no idea that the main character's name was Scout until I was about 7 months pregnant. Scout was already on my short list of names for girls and I just happened to pick To Kill A Mockingbird up in the airport when I was flying home from the babyshower my family had for me in my hometown. I was excited that the little girl in the book was a really endearing character, and I suddenly realized that the name Scout was listed on baby name sites for its literary reference. THEN shortly after that, I found out that Scout

(cont)
is one of Bruce Willis and Demi Moore's daughters. Suddenly, I was turned off by the name and didn't want people to think that we named our child after a celebrity couple's offspring. Both my husband and I were disappointed and sad that we wouldn't be able to use the name that we loved. But then we decided it didn't matter because WE knew that we weren't naming her after Bruce and Demi's kid OR the book.....it's JUST A NAME WE LIKE.

But yeah...I almost always cop out and say it's from the book because it's just easier to tell people what they want to hear.

I just wanted to lend some support to the "tabula rasa" approach to baby naming. To me, lovely names like Katherine, Emma and Charlotte evoke images of generations of woman of European descent. I see fair skin, colored eyes, and chestnut, flaxen or auburn hair. What I don't imagine are women of Asian descent.

There is something freeing about choosing a name that wasn't worn by a former Queen of England or a protagonist in a Jane Austen novel, especially when your child has no historical ties to those figures and lacks the physical qualities associated with those persons.

It's not that I distain European culture, it's just that I need to be able to visualize my child with that name. I love the name Annika, but knowing its Scandinavian roots, I only can imagine it on a blonde. A new name carries none of the history, but also none of the burdens.

P.S. I am not representative of most Asian Americans. They often give their kids established American names from the last generation. (I've seen a lot of baby Ashleys, Tiffanys and Jessicas.)

As someone who generally doesn't like kre8tive spellings or "made up" names that are composed of presumably appealing sounds, I feel I should explain myself.
I'm not entirely sure that I can, but here's a start:

I love words, and I feel that there is a complicated and nuanced symbolic world of meanings (not simply literal meanings, but also the contextual meaning, accrued meaning, etc.) that is being ignored or simply sidestepped for pretty sounds. It's as though a choice like "Layken" or "Grayclyn" refuses to enter the ongoing conversation. I'm reminded of something I read once, which argued that limits are what allow for real creativity. Because it's only within context that we can really communicate.

Maybe that's why people seem comforted by explanations (giving them the benefit of the doubt here and assuming they're not snobs), especially when a name sounds like random sounds. We need to make meaning - that's what people do - to interpret and appreciate a name. That's my working hypothesis.

Eleni- I fully agree with what you are saying. Names to me are more than just pretty sounds. They have to have a meaning to them. Whether it is having a history, or a lovely story to go with it, or a vision that you have for your child's future. There are plenty of nice names out there but unless it has a deeper meaning, it just doesn't take root with me.
That is why I am compelled to explain that my daughter's name, Eliora, isn't just pretty, it has meaning to us and hopefully to her someday. And that is why we chose it.

And I do have to confess, I am a bit of a snob when it comes to names. I am ashamed, but I can't help it. I am unsure of how it evolved but unfortunately it has. Does anyone else have this issue?

Also, does anyone else have the problem of boring people with the latest name news or facts. I catch myself rambling on about a statistic of their child's name or the latest trend in naming. I get people staring at me with a blank look on their face or that I must be crazy to care so much!

Double post apology - I just want to be clear!

I'm definitely not saying that only European names - or Biblical names, or literary names- have any authenticity (I hate that kind of talk!) and I don't think anyone on this board would make that kind of inane claim. Elizabeth is no more steeped in history than Fatima, and historical weight isn't the measure of a name, anyway.

I'm also not saying that "invented" names are lame. I've come to like some newer names, some place names, some nature names, etc.

My point is that people need to make meaning and to contextualize - to "place" the name. I think that's understandable.

Names are powerful symbols; I suppose it's natural that a likely response to an unfamiliar name is a quizzical look. It's not necessarily an insult.

BETH, I agree with every last word. I can't imagine coming to this site and not hearing some strong opinions. I don't like every name and have other criteria for names, and I enjoy discussing them. If we all just go, "Oh, who cares?" this board would not exist.
Secondly, to answer the charges of SNOBBERY from numerous posters, it is not being snobbish to acknowledge simple socio-economic facts about some names.
I challenge you to find two parents who are a) married (to each other), b) both holders of university degrees, c) possess household income of $90K+, who then d) name their daughter the #37 name in the land, DESTINY. (And that's before we get into the variants on the Top 1000, like Destinee.) Might it happen? Sure. But all the Destinies I've met have lower middle class parents without degrees and with moms who are more likely than most to light up a cigarette on the playground.
Is that snobbery? To be able to accurately predict something about the parents because of the child's name?

I'm a teacher and come across some interesting names over the years, but have learnt better than to comment... However a mother (possibly regretting her naming decision) of a student, upon meeting me, proceeded to apologise for the spelling of her son's name- I laughed when blamed the drugs from his birth!
It is a bit sad when the first thing parents do is apologise or justify...

The boy's name was Makz in case anyone wondered.

(con't) I also have had success in predicting that little Maya/Maia has a mom who is at least somewhat crunchy, who is more likely to buy some organic food, eschew Wal-Mart, and buy a Putamayo CD. You're less likely to call this "snobbery," because you are not as quick to assume that calling someone "crunchy" means I disdain them or look down on them as you are when I say they are "lower middle class." Yet both are sociologically verifiable and, in basic usage, *neutral* terms.
So, names can convey a lot about from where a child is coming. And I can't say that the UK Telegraph editorial someone posted last week is wrong when the writer surmises that little girls named Armani are probably not the most likely to end up wearing the designer's clothes.
But parents have lots of reasons, admitted and otherwise, for giving a name, and they are free to do so. But no one should kid themselves that the name, even a made-up one free of history, does not convey or mean anything to others, snobbish or otherwise.

One of the most offensive parts of the egregious claims in the "Freakonomics" naming work was that he kept asking why, oh WHY, would a black person give their child a "black" name when "people," meaning of course non-blacks, would react so negatively to it, be less likely to call the person for a job interview, etc.? He never once thought that African-Americans might know this and think hey, racism is WRONG and still want to proudly proclaim their child's heritage, deftly discussed and defended in the Rosenkrantz and Redmond Sartran name books. (Their discussion of Af-Am names alone makes their "Beyond Jennifer and Jason" books worthy of recommendation.)
But I knew he was spot on when he showed how a name, Jasmine, popular from rich to poor in the Af-Am community, could still track class and education by its spelling. "Jasmine's" mom went to college; "Jazzmyn's" probably did not (unless she was a music major?).

TARA, I laughed reading your tale b/c I also love a name for sound, strength, unusual starting initial, even its original meaning in a foreign language, but find it easy as an African-American to drop that it's the name of a historically famous black author and, later, the name of a main character in another black author's book. ;-)
TIRZAH, I take your point. :-) But classic names have different associations. For example, Olivia is to me a black-associated name, made popular in the 90's by the #1 rated daytime soap, which was the one with the strongest, biggest, most ingrained to the general story black family: "Young & the Restless," where a character gave her daughter that name. I've always thought its rise was a typical name case where Af-Ams start the trends and then they spread to the rest of America.
NINA, yes, "Days" had a fine classic naming history, but since the latest little girl baby born trendily was named Ciara (so outside the Bradys or Hortons traditions!), I now fear for Sami's b/g twins. ;-)

Last post for now! I completely agree with the observation that, while a name popular a century ago might be a "family name," (after all, those Violets can easily have racked up quite a few great-granddaughters), people are being disingenuous when they pretend that current trends and preferences played no part in their liking the name. Where are all of Gertrude's namesakes? Or Mildred's (#10 in the 1900s!)?
And that's why some of us are reacting with rolled eyes to the Jayden's parents' "Jadon" claims. Some of them lack the ring of 100% honesty.
A name I like, but has become wildly popular, esp in Britain, happens to be in the family tree, courtesy of my in-laws. Yes, I would tell people that my husband's grandmother has the name (now demoted to mere middle status b/c of the popularity), but I would also say that I liked it for years before I could claim it as a family name.

Great topic to put out there to a large audience.
People who want to make up a name or pick something trendy but meaningless should be prepared to just admit they liked it. What's wrong with choosing a name just because you like it? When people asked my mom about my name, that's what she told them if they asked, and it was plenty.
If one is so concerned about authenticity in naming, one should pick something authentic in the first place.

Eo mentioned soap opera names being used by young parents. I'm not sure about this. I had a college course once where 3-4 (out of only about 15 total students) said they were named after soap opera characters. And you know, this was college, so if their parents were young (which I think means TOO young, the kids have done very well with that!). Also their names were not unusual ones; one was Amber, for example.

Melanie: I like your point--that there is something important in looking at why we have chosen the name and considering the different influences.

I like hearing all your stories about how hearing the background DOES change people's reactions too.

Arlo's Mama: I think folks also sometimes ask if something is a family name (at least I do) if it seems out of sync with the time. Like a Gordon born in 1993 or a Frank born in the 1980s. Just trying to ease your mind (and others') about people's judgment I guess...

Tirzah: I feel somewhat cautious about giving my hypothetical mixed race children names with European baggage. (I don't necessarily mean baggage negatively here... more like... history I guess... but that doesn't seem quite right either.) (Oh and my children will be mixed race; that part is not hypothetical.) Like you mentioned, I think this is a reason for me sticking to names of the previous one or two generations though. I know Asian Americans with these names even if they are technically European names. I know Asian American kids named Emma, Bennett, Hannah--names that are popular now I think and they originally struck me as "white" names. Of course this is changing as I interact with these kids.

Eleni: I like your explanation, but aren't all names part of the conversation simply because they exist? Don't they change the meanings too?

phew! I'm breathing a deep sigh of relief... yesterday when I read the latest on this blog I felt a little deflated, it seemed that every time some one said anything remotely contensious they were promptly shot down in flames with accusations of snobbery. I am in absolute agreement with you Beth - if I cannot air my opinions regarding names on a blog dedicated to just that (as long as I do so in an articulate, impersonal and unoffensive manner) where can I?

AJ: I chickened out of saying yesterday what you have put so eloquently - that names do convey meaning to other people and it would be a fallacy to suggest that they don't. (ps. some people might be 'saddened' by it but your assessment of the names Destiny and Maia was bang on)...

I agree with the observation that other folks sometimes want a context for why a baby is named such and such. Yes, most often it is the parents offering an explanation -when none was asked for, but the opposite is common as well. Yesterday, an old friend and wordsmith/gourmet emailed me on reading the name of my new grandaughter. He wondered if her middle name Clementine- was after Clementine Paddleford-a food writer of the last century. I responded that it was not, nor was it after Churchill's wife-but possibly, it was inspired by the happy winter fruit..And , in fact, I think it was just because they liked it. They weren't even thinking she would be forever merciful, I'll bet. But thinking about context, meaning and sound adds to the fun of names. I loved his rather odd question.

Oh, I'm certainly not saying that people shouldn't have strong opinions about names. What would be the point of this site if we all agreed? I love the wide range of tastes and the knowledge and sheer love of names here. And I'm not saying it's wrong to notice socioeconomic factors. I guess what bothers me is disparaging names simply BECAUSE of those socioeconomic factors. It seems like names are getting put down simply because they are used by poorer people and/or people of color, and that bothers me.

I still say, UNLESS someone asks directly ("The Face" is not a question), don't explain a kid's name in introductions. Your effort to be understood will very likely come off as needy--and do you really want your kid to see you asking for the approval from strangers?

Most people (away from this board, of course!) aren't really that interested in your naming story, any more than they want to hear details of your labor, or how you chose the wall color for the nursery. Make your decisions, be at peace with them, and don't expect everyone to agree. Keep the story of WHY for the folks who can appreciate it.

Oh, and about being named for soap characters: I'm more like young Kylun, named for a science fiction character--my mother denies it, but the 1966 TV schedule speaks for itself.... ;)

Robyn T: definitely, once they're out there, even made up names enter into the conversation. But it takes a while for them to really take on any particular color, you know? I mean, if insert a word or phrase into conversation that has meaning only to me, I won't be surprised if I get "the face."

No one can argue that Jayden hasn't entered the conversation or accrued any meaning yet!

Rachel G., I have to say that I understand your feelings and recognize my own tendency to be dismissive of names that also just happen to be favorites of the lower middle classes. It is snobbery of a sort, and easy to fall into when you're as avid a name lover (meaning hours spent researching and reading about names) as we on this board tend to be.

However disparaging of certain naming styles I may be on this board, I want to make clear that in practice, I'm just as nice and open to a mother of a Casen (I know one - she's nice) as to the mother of Octavia or Suki or Dashiell or Aisha. I just prefer the latters' name choices.

Phew, thanks! I was beginning to think I should just bow out. Eleni, I like your explanation of names as part of a conversation (ongoing and yes, as RobynT said, changing). I'd go one further though in trying to articulate my naming tastes without being a snob (and RachelG, I have never seen anyone on this board say "I don't like this name because poorer people or people of color use it." Name preferences may *correlate* with class and ethnicity, but the mere act of belonging to a dominant class or ethnicity and sharing its tastes does not automatically put the other ones down).

So with that said: to me, names are an expression of belonging to something with a history-- a family, a culture, a country, a language. They are a way of knitting the child into a world. That is very different than seeing names as an expression of uniqueness, like a brand name. Amid all the pressure to stand out from others in this capitalist country, I want my daughter to feel she is connected to something bigger than she is.

New thought, so it's not a double post? Sorry! But a) thanks for the correction about hard-G Gillian, and b) I was moved by Tirzah's suggestion that new names come with "none of the burden" of history. This is also a country of fresh starts, for better or for worse, so that makes some sense to me. I myself would be more likely to choose a name connected to Asian or Asian-American family or history (my niece has an Anglicized Korean name, for instance), but I can see wanting something that enables new possibilities. Maybe that's what "Destinee" is about, too. Aspirational names, we could call them.

I appreciate how much thought everyone has put into this discussion. Love it!

I'd venture that while most parents want the best for their children, they have different ideas (based on age, ethnicity, education and yes, socio-economic background - among other more random taste-shapers) about what sort of name will accomplish their objective, what name will best convey how special and beloved is their child. Most probably want a name that will be, as they hope their child will be, embraced by the world. And true, Beth, some are likely looking to be unique (I feel kind of bad for people who have some misguided notion about the inherent value of uniqueness. I once knew a girl called Unique - no kidding).

Some choices are bound to sound a little more naive, less sophisticated, than others. I think that what I may take to be a lack of critical judgment may be, in some cases, more a reflection of the different context in which those judgments are made (A.J.'s comments really brought that home to me).

Oh and Beth, I love what you wrote about "knitting the child into the world." That expresses exactly what I was trying to accomplish in my own naming venture.

There are so many things to consider with a name: literal meaning, cultural predecessors, ancestry, current name prominence, sound combinations, personal associations - I could go on and on!

Artful knitting . . . that's a nice way to describe the process of name selection.

Beth, Eleni, AJ, Tizrah,- I've loved reading your insightful posts! I say no need to apoligise for double posts. When you have something interesting to say, please, please double post.
As far as snobishness goes, this particular post has been fairly tame. (There's been so much mud-slinging going on over on the "Sam and Leslie" post in recent weeks that I've had to wipe my computer screen off after reading.) I personally like a healthy debate full of strong opionions. I really value the opinions of everyone here, even when I don't agree with them.
Has anyone liked a name that just happened to be a family name, except that the name is way nicer than the person? I was so tempted to consider Lila, but my great-aunt Lila was such a scary b*#@%. And if someone asked "Is that a family name?", I would have HAD to say, "Well, actually, yes, but..." There are a couple other names that I really like, and wish that I could just erase off the family tree. I just wouldn't want my child to share a name with a random relative.

HEATHER A, that's an interesting prob to have. ;-) As always, your love of the name, if great enough, should override such things. At an appropriate age, it can even be a little joke to tell her.
BETH, you've hit some of what I don't like about Destiny. Don't we ALL have one? And there is nothing necessarily good or bad about it. I mean, Hitler and Stalin had destinies as much as Churchill and FDR. I am more understanding of the idea that Mom felt this particular baby was her destiny to have.
ELENI, yes, some do sound less...in the know. Of all the kre8ive takes on Michaela, the fem form of the name of an archangel and thus solidly placed in Western history, is "McKayla," a faux Irish surname that actually means "son of Kayla." I do not apologize for any snobbish snort I emit when I see that. ;-P
Speaking of the "sons" in names given to girls, do you think the Emercyn, Madisyn kind of deals are an effort, conscious or not, to get the word "son" out of name you're giving your daughter?

I loved hearing from those of you who have gotten "the face" (great descriptor!) upon telling other people your children's names. Thanks for the insights. As a true lover of names, I didn't shoot little Chambers's mother any looks (I was in fact bent over the baby admiring her when her mom told me her name) and was actually hoping for the story of how she got her name, but was taken aback by what I perceived to be the defensive tone to her "it's a family name" explanation. (For the record, I don't love the name Chambers, but think it has a kind of cool vibe about it. It did crack me up later when I realized that both her parents are lawyers, though.) Her tone made me feel sad for her, because she and her husband chose the name presumably because they love it and it has great meaning to them, but they've obviously gotten a lot of negative feedback about it. I wonder if they discussed that beforehand. I guess it's just one of the many things you can't predict your emotions about before the kid is born.

This topic is definitely inspiring long-winded posts!

Laura, I am fascinated by the idea that many people get their name inspirations from soap operas. Do you have any data to support this? It sounds like something that should be true, since soap characters are generally more insidiously influential than characters from other TV shows (sorry, I don't mean the word "insidious" to give off a negative connotation, but I can't think of the word I mean) since they're in the living room every day. If this is true, it makes me want to be a soap opera writer, or better yet, the best friend of such a writer. Think of the possibilities--you could slip some really cool names into your friend's ear and then watch five years later as they popped up in the birth announcements. Ah, the power!!! :),

One last thought before I disappear for a while! I think that the idea that the name you give a kid should give them an "edge" or put them above others, because it's unique, androgynous (see: Sam and Leslie thread), or associated with statusy objects/class positions, is kind of tragic. Not wanting new beginnings, but wanting to run the rat race and win. The way we are told to brand or "package" ourselves, and now our kids, really upsets me. Naming trends are part of that. Even wanting to use a "trend-proof" name is a way of wanting your kid to stand out. So for me, names connected to other ways of being in the world (communal, religious, familial, historical, literary--hell, even soap-operatic) feel like better choices, ways of side-stepping the trend issue altogether by being neither trendy nor anti-trendy but just, you know, committed to something in a genuine way.

OK, really, enough from me because the rest of my life starts on Monday. But I have loved a lot of what people have said and learned from it.

Rebekah-I am totally with you when it comes to talking naming trends and meanings to friends and family. They just don't get it. Thanks to every one here in sharing this quirky and sometime obsessive interest.

New thought-Don't you think that when people are considering names, they weigh so many options that the smallest factor may tip the scale so to say.

What I mean is, if debating between names like Violet and Hazel, liking them both equally the smallest difference, such as a great great aunt, may tip the scale in favor of one. Then that smallest reason becomes THE reason. It is no longer "a name we like the sound" but, rather "it is a family name." I don't find this disingenuois at all.

I just have to say I admire you all for the even-handed and articulate way you compose your thoughts. I wish I'd skipped my last post and just said, "Ditto."
BTW, The "name as blank slate," idea comes up in the book The Time Traveler's Wife. I know not everyone liked it, but I just loved it-and how many novels feature baby name discussions? I believe they settled on Alba.
My sister's primary concern with naming her sons was that their names would be unique. I honestly found this completely aggravating. I can understand not wanting a name to be too popular, but to me it seemed like she was stringing together random groups of sounds solely so her sons wouldn't have to use their last initials.
She ended up choosing quite old, traditional names, but it reminded me that not everyone shares my "naming values." For the record, I would have learned to love whatever she picked!

Hi guys,

I'm looking for feedback on the name Johanna, with the last name Amann (rhymes with salmon). And do people have ideas about number of syllables for middle name? We were thinking Johanna Jane.

And, to keep with the discussion, both of our fathers are named John, and three out of the four grandfathers! So it's "symbolic".

Rebekah, I *love* the name Eliora!!! We almost used it for our last baby. Dh just didn't want an "Ellie". :-\

Rebekah, you said: "Also, does anyone else have the problem of boring people with the latest name news or facts. I catch myself rambling on about a statistic of their child's name or the latest trend in naming. I get people staring at me with a blank look on their face or that I must be crazy to care so much!" That happens to me too. I have to watch myself so that I don't totally 'geek out' on name trivia with people who aren't equal name nerds...

In regards to "Destiny" being named by a lower-middle-class mom with a cigarette hanging out of her mouth (paraphrasing), I recently found out that Miley Cyrus, of "Hannah Montana" fame- well, her real name is Destiny Hope. They call her Miley because it's short for Smiley, which is apparently how she was as a baby.

And the Cyruses are filthy rich.

Forgot- I love the name Johanna Amann! I think it goes together beautifully. I wouldn't like the sound combo nearly as well if it were Joanna, though. Funny how that H makes all the difference to me.

Expecting, so her name would be Johanna Jane Amann. Johanna -is that Jo-HANN-uh or Jo-HAH-nna? Because if it's Jo-HAH-nna then it almost rhymes with the ln, right?
Personally, I think it's too much. The final 'a' in Johanna runs together with the 'a' in the last name, plus you have some many of the same sounds. johAnnA jAne AmAnn. johaNNa jaNe amaNN. I like the name Johanna and I love the connection with your family. But I don't love it with the ln.

Also, you know that Jane is a feminine form of John? So if you name her Johanna Jane it's like giving her the same name twice. "A name so nice they named her twice" is a joke between hubby and I when we come across names like Holly Holland (a dear friend) and Andy Anderson (dh's childhood friend). :)

Thanks, Joni and Anne. It would be JoHANNa, and pronounced that way, it would rhyme with the last name, not if pronounced JoHAHnna.

I am uncertain as to the running-toether. I understand it may, but it doesn't to my ear. Anna Amann would, but not that. WTH?

Joni, thank you for the Jane feedback. Maybe not the best choice- but do people like the flow of a one-syllable middle name? We are also thinking of May as a mn.

expecting in December - i, too think that Johanna Amann would be too much. try repeatedly saying it at fast speed.
i like the "rhythm" you chose though - daDAda DA DAda - maybe you can think of another name that you like and which sounds similar?

expecting in December- I think your choice is lovely, and the alliteration is very pleasant. Pick what you love.

On the subject of naming babies after someone in the family: My hubby's family has been doing it for generations(his middle name, Nejaa, has been used for 7 generations at last count, always as a mn) so when I started to hear of other people doing it, I was pleasantly suprised. I like the idea of passing down names, it shows pride in your history IMHO.

But I do understand "the face". I wouldn't tell people where my daughter's name came from on purpose, just to see "the face". Most people would wait about 10 seconds, then just ask, "Is that, like, foreign or something?" Then I would explain it was her grandma's name. They would still look confused though.

And also, I am breaking tradition: we decided on Rukayyah Naomi for the new baby. She won't be named after anyone on either side. We're keeping it a secret, just so we can see the shocked expressions when his family realises it's a name not used before (insert evil laughter here).

On a totally different topic... I am feeling a deep fondness for "old man" names lately, and yesterday I came across the name Mortimer. I love it, and so does hubby. It reminds us of "Arsenic and Old Lace," Morty sounds cute for a baby/little kid, and Mort sounds like the kind of guy you can have a beer with.

When I told my parents we were considering it, they thought we were joking. Is it really that bad? I know it's not for everyone, but is it across-the-board terrible?

Rachel - I remember getting the same reaction when I told my mom I was considering Madeline. And that name has hit the charts in a big way over the last few years. :-)

I try not to give "the face" when I hear a name that isn't to my liking, even though I'm a self-declared name snob. if it's really unusual, I ask about the story behind it, but so often it's more likely a name I've heard that just isn't my taste.

New girl at work has daughters named Delancy, Quinn and Kenna. I love them.

My BFF recently named her son Cameron, which I love and was planning to use for a girl until she used it. My DH still loves it and says we shouldn't not use it just because she did, but I'm kind of afraid of her reaction, that she'll take offense, etc. I've thought about asking her, etc. I figure I'll wait until we find out for sure if it is a girl and we need a name or not. Any thoughts on what you would do in her situation?

expecting in December - another reluctant vote against Johanna Amann. The repeated "ann" sounds are too much for me--like Bananarama or something.

Jane Amann, on the other hand, would be nice, and it has the connection to John.

Rachel G.-I'll be honest-it's too old for me. I'll bet others on this board will love it, though. I do love Martin with the nn Marty.
Expecting-The only Johanna I knew was such a wonderful, lovely girl, that I can't Not like it! Personally, it's a bit much with your ln for me, but if you like it, go for it.
Christiana-I think once a friend uses a name it's off limits. I'd be very miffed if a close friend used one of my son's names (worse yet, I'd probably tell her it was o.k., but be secretly upset). I know this is shallow and petty, but I think it's how most would feel.

Christiana, I hate to put up obstacles to a name you're excited about, but I have to admit I would be bummed if my best friend used my child's name for her own baby. Of course, Cameron is a name that's out there in circulation for anyone to use, and I guess a really generous-hearted person would just be honored that you liked their taste -- but a normal selfish person like me would probably gripe that their choice had been copied. Also, wouldn't it just be confusing to have a kid named the same thing as your best friend's? How would you deal with it in conversation ("my Cameron," "your Cameron" or when they were playing together ("Cameron, get back here!") Maybe you'll have a boy and not need to make the choice at all, but those are my thoughts.

Also: as a fellow longtime name nerd on these boards, I'm hoping you'll keep us up on your whole naming process throughout the pregnancy -- post here when you find out the sex, come back after the baby's born and tell us what you chose, etc.

I like Johanna Amann -- it has a nice flow and I think people will remember it because of that. And I think it is great that you are naming her after all the men in your family.

I am not to fond of the Jane in the middle... it puts it over the top... I think a name that adds some different sounds in would work better. Perhaps Laine? Sounds like Jane, but the L helps to break things.

Also consider:

Pearl
Sage
Faith
Skye
Hope
Lynn

ANNE, LOLOLOL, you've missed the point for Miss Destiny Hope. Her parents might be "filthy rich" today, but were they born that way? Do they fit any of the OTHER CRITERIA I posted? (Well, yes, her parents are married to each other.) ***There's a lot more to SES (socio-economic status) than one's net income.*** I think a man who goes by "Billy Ray" to the world (and was once famous for his mullet) would be the first to tell you how "country" he is (although he might quickly interject that it is not the Britney-style "country" that goes with babies riding on parents' laps). ;-) And when I see "Miley," I wonder if, like Michaela, the name's origins aren't "Maile."

expecting: I also thought of "bananarama" when saying the name to myself. I do like Johanna, but I don't think it "works" well with your name. But if you love it, use it!

Talking about the variety of reason ans styles in naming has made me think about the huge diversity in names in my own family. For fun, I thought I'd post the different sibling groups to showcase that variety, and to introduce som different names for the discussion:

Braden, Kaitlyn, and Nicole
Joseph and Joshua
Caide, Kaisha, and Isake
Naliyah and Natalya
Mackenzie
Sabrina

Sad as it is to admit, I'm not actually sure about the spelling for a couple of these. I'm not always in touch with my step-siblings.