DRDS
- Name
No info yet
- About Me
No info yet
- My Favorite Names
- No favorite names yet.
- My Recent Blog Comments
Baby Name Wizard Store
Celebrate with personalized baby name products! Custom birth announcements, invitations, bibs, onesies & more.
Start Shopping
Along the same stylistic lines as Falcon, my local hospital boards recently listed a baby boy named Warrior.
Alr - congratulations! You've picked a delightful name. hyz - I think we have a lot in common in terms of our naming styles and sentiments. :) Chimu - re: Linden - even on Namipedia on this site, Linden is only listed as a girl name, and doesn't have a boy name entry. Thanks for sharing your impressions of the name. It's always nice to get feedback!
Anna - I was expressing a personal preference, not a general concern.
p.s. daisy_kay, AmyElizabeth, and zoerhenne - thanks for your insights! I want to clarify that I'm not troubled by using a "softer" (for lack of a better word) boy name because I'm worried my son will be perceived as weak -- in fact, as I tried to explain in my earlier post, I'm really attracted to that style of male names precisely because I value sensitivity (among other traits) and want any future son to not feel constrained to follow uber-masculine stereotypes. So where does my hesitation in using some of those names come from? Well, it seems that deep down, I'm not quite ready to commit to complete androgyny. :)
Anna - on further reflection, I think the issue for me is not that a name (like Linden) will be perceived as a "girl name" in 20 years when my son would be an adult with similarly-named peers; for me, it's the classification of the name right now. In fact, to share a little back story on the name Linden, I first liked the name for a little girl after reading it on a girl name list somewhere. When I mentioned it to my husband, he thought it was a better name for a boy. I pondered on this for a minute and moved it to my boy name list, agreeing that it could easily be a nice boy name. I really like the name and the tree association, but what gives me pause is that on baby name websites, it is usually listed as a girl name. So when a teacher (or future employer) reads this name on a list, would they assume Linden was female?
I think we are each attracted to a certain style of names, but what I find interesting is a deeper examination of why that style appeals to each us individually. Personally, I like female names that are tailored, non-frilly, but still have (what I perceive to be) a crisp, beautiful sound. Maren/Marin, Linnea, Adele, Delayne, Iris . . . Interestingly, from the time I was a little girl, I have refused to wear anything with pink, lace, I still don't really feel comfortable in dresses, but have never been a complete tom-boy. I think these are personal, style choices that reflect how I perceive myself, but are also values that influence what I see my future daughter looking/acting like (so Annabella and Frilliana are just so not going to work for me on multiple levels). Now, for boys, the traditional (Matthew, Michael, John) and the uber-masculine (Rocky, Rex) just are not appealing to me. But why? I think some of it is a reaction to not wanting my future little boy to be uber-masculine (and if I'm being honest, some of it is a push-back against my church upbringing.) I value sensitivity, intelligence, independence, and I find myself drawn to boys' names that do have some androgynous cross-over potential. Milo, Arlo, Julian, Rowan, Linden, Elliott . . . I want to be careful to say that it's not that I don't think a John can be intelligent and sensitive -- quite the opposite -- but just that my personal perception of a style of a name signifies certain values to me. If I name my son John, I'd still expect him to be the same as if I had named him Linden, but if I conjure up an imaginary "Rex" in my mind, he looks different than a "Linden." But for all of my feminist tendencies, I do admit that I fall into the camp that worries about certain of my favorite boy names "going to the girl side." I often post on here my queries - what about Marlow? Arden? Linden? too feminine? Will everyone assume this is a female name in 20 years? I recognize the troubling feminist contradictions this raises, but I'm still not to the point of being able to shake the worry (and this admittedly bothers me). So I'm curious about your style preferences and if you think they accord with the values and traits you'd like your children to have (and if this makes it easier or harder to understand why some people are drawn to particular styles of names). Or is it all about the sound of the name? Or pop culture references?
h
hyz - you took Korean as an elective in law school? Wow - that's vastly different than my law school experience!
emilyrae - my thoughts on Huckleberry, too. I certainly don't have the guts to use it, but was delighted to see one. I do have a hard time picturing a grown man named Huckleberry or Huck, though. Linnaeus - also intrigued by Aeris and its origins. The similarity in pronunciation to "heiress" (assuming they are pronounced similarly) is one thing that would give me pause. And @byss (especially with that middle name) really threw me for a loop!
Here are some interesting names from my local baby birth listings: Beyla Aeris Cellan (girl - wonder if this is pronounced Kellen or Sellen?) @byss Cob@in(which really makes me think of Kurt Cobain and a drug-induced abyss . . . ) several Ashlynns and Ashtynns (various spellings, seems to be a new trend) Huckleberry (!!) Gauge (remembering back to a recent post) Loy@lty Just!ce (how's that for a virtue name?!) Also Iris, Elise, Eliza, and Elsa (all lovely names, I think, but I was struck by the similar sounds)
Such an interesting discussion that parallels a situation in my own life. My BIL and SIL are expecting a baby boy soon. My BIL is from Central America while my SIL grew up here in the US, and they spend most of the year in Central America. My BIL really wants to avoid names like Jorge, which he sees as over-used, but his favorite name -- which sounds fresh and interesting to him -- is actually a top 100 name in my state and is one of those extremely trendy names that I think is going to be so date-stamped in 10 years (think a male version of one of the names from emilyrae's list above). I am sooo not a fan of their current top prospect, but I've been biting my tongue since it is entirely their choice. The NE in me just wants to scream that in an effort to find something fresh in his culture, he's fallen into the opposite trap here (especially because their little boy will probably go to school here in the US!!) Thanks for letting me vent - I think it's something only a NE can relate to . . .
A friend just gave birth to a Henry this morning. Another dear friend will be giving birth shortly to another Henry. And one of them is a librarian. . . :) A few of my thoughts on the blog post . . . I do think Peyton/Payton is going to fade in the next years -- it seems to be past its peak here. I concur Rowan (as much as I like the name) seems to be slipping over to the girl's side. I'm nervous to use it, and it sounds like many others are, as well. It's still on my list, though. I would probably have added Oliver to the list - it seems similarly popular to Henry in the same crowds of people. Jack just misses the criteria at #39, but it was my first thought.
Congrats Tess! That is a wonderful name -- enjoy your new grandbaby. I am hosting a baby shower/celebration for a dear friend on Saturday, and the baby is to be named Henry, so it is a name that has been very much on my mind as of late.
Tess - the suspense!! Aargh!! I've been checking regularly to see if you had posted a name announcement. :)
Congratulations Tess! Can't wait to hear the final decision!
Hi Tess, I really like Lucian. However, I do think Lucius Lydon sounds better than Lucian Lydon or Luca Lydon. I think they could also do Luciano Lydon. Henry Lucius LYdon Fra**a Dominic Luciano LYdon Fra**a Alistair Luciano LYdon Fra**a (maybe too many l's ?) Lucian Gray LYdon Fra**a Lucian August LYdon Fra**a
Tess - Marlow and Marin are probably too close for my taste, as well, but I don't mind Milo and Marin together. Arlo is one of my favorites at the moment, and Arlo Julian is very nice. There's also Aldo and Arlen/Arlon (Arlo could be a nn for one of these). I prefer the sound of Arlo to Aldo, but Aldo Leopold is a nice association for me. Jules or Julius are less popular alternatives to Julian. Keep us posted!
Hi Tess, If you are still reading this post, I thought I'd throw out a few more ideas that may inspire. Marin is the top of my girl list, so here are some suggestions from my boy list that haven't been mentioned: Arlo Rowan Errol Julian Arden Marlow Laszlo I remember Milo was also on the list at one point, which I think is cute with Marin. A lot of these names end in an "o" sound, but that helps shake up the two end in "n" names. However, I do agree that isn't necessarily a deal-breaker. Personally, I do think Crispin sounds a little too "crispy." But maybe they like the food association??? Best wishes!
I wanted to throw in a comment on the original post re: Lander. I've heard of a couple of Landers recently - all in Western states where Landon has been popular (and is now gaining popularity as a girl name). Lander is also a place name in Wyoming, so I think this has contributed to people's familiarity and use of the name.
Telle - I think you're exactly right with Gauge/Gage getting a boost from the hunting association in western states. Great name for a bird hunting black lab!