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This post is titled "Odd/Different Names you are naming your baby!" Thought you guys might get a kick out of it. http://community.babycenter.com/post/a12421815?scid=ddigest_body_20090724
I have a LONG list (over 400) of first names for 9 and 10 years olds in Texas from some work I did. I deleted duplications without counting them and deleted alternative spellings - although that is very interesting, too. It's definitely skewed towards Hispanic names because of the area, if that matters. This list is obviously too long to put in a post. If anyone is interested in any part of it, though, or even the whole thing, and knows of a place to put it, please let me know. I'd be happy to share. (Could I just post it at the end of an old thread?)
Kristin- Since both of your girls have L nns do you care to go with an L nn for your boy or to stay away - or doesn't it matter? Congratulations on #3
dh and I watched Stardust earlier this week. I think the star's name is Aoibheann - said sort of like Even but not (and without dialect/accent, so who knows how hard they were trying with pronunctation). I was thinking of you guys when they'd say her name. Do any of you know if this really was her intended name?
Qwen- My ds is Lincoln Douglas (mn after dh). We've gotten some funny comments like "you named him after a debate" but nothing about Lincoln. We thought a nn might be Link and were ok with it. Just in the last week, however, I have been wanting a more endearing (probably take this as "ie/y") nn for him and Linky just hasn't done much for me so far. (Btw, you will be amazed at how many ppl will ask how to spell it!)
Nora- I like Miles and Leo, but I'm not as sold on Leon or the others. I know you said you struggled getting here, but I do want to throw out three names that your lists (including the ones that were vetoed) made me think of. Chase Lincoln Weston They're all a little different, but might match. We named my ds (now 1.5 yrs old) Lincoln and are happy with it, but it's definitely not everyone's style. I can tell you that there aren't any other Lincoln's in his day care but that no one acts like it's a shocking or funny name.
While reading the last few hours of postings I recalled the great frustration I have had time and time again with some friends names - all with Laura/Lara names. I do know some Lauras who pronouced their name in what I would call the traditional way (LORE-A). But then, there are the Lara's who seem to have one of three pronuncitations (LORE-A, LAIR-A, and LAR-A). Maybe I'm "spoiled" with Kim or maybe not a true NE at heart, but having these multiple pronuncitations that people are offended by really gets me frustrated. Here I am upset with the idea of naming a boy David because ppl will interchangeably call him David and Dave and I want a more distinct way to discern which is appropriate - and there are ppl who purposely choose these alternate pronunications (or live in a grammar-free, alternate reality)! I, too, feel particular about grammar. I attribute it to 8 years of Catholic-school and sentence diagramming. But now I'm wondering if it wouldn't have come out anyway. I'm wondering now if it isn't somehow tied to my fascination with names and naming. The strong grammar, or at least grammar-consciousness seems to be prevalent here.
I just heard a story that fits exactly the ongoing discussion of ln's. I was excited to get back to my computer to share since I rarely hear anything worth sharing like this. We're in South TX, fwiw. A colleague of mine (probably late 20s) got divorced a couple years ago and changed her name to her grandmother's maiden name. She didn't like her maiden name, liked the way her grandmother's sounded and liked the family connection. She's had a boyfriend for years but doesn't know if she'll get married. If they do she will certainly keep her new ln because she doesn't like the sound of his. He would keep his ln because that's the way the world works to him. She doesn't know what might happen with kids because she doesn't like his ln but he's tied to it for traditional reasons and not likely to just let it fall by the wayside within his family. (I'm not sure if it would die out - didn't get that many details.) I don't think I've ever met anyone else that changed their ln let alone in a way that we had just been talking about. It makes me happy to have my own example now.
Leafy- fwiw I like Elodie best, but I do go from Elodie to the nn Ellie possibly to another nn LeeLee (what I hear when I say Ellie Leaf). I think it's really cute but definitely distinct so it might not fit what you want. I find a similar cadence and almost sing-songy-ness to Delilah Leaf - Lye-La-Lee. It feels good to say, I like the repetitive Ls but my opinions are not always mainstream.
Elizabeth T's comment made me think back about being a newlywed. My family has always been strong about their characteristics and I heard "you're being such an X" or "well that's the Y in you" my whole life - good and bad - interchangeably for each "side". I have very strong ties to both parts of my heritage. I think that by taking my dh's ln it gave me another family tie instantly, one that I could grow into. Maybe, too, it's that I'm an only child and now I have siblings. I know it's silly, I would have the same siblings I "married into" regardless of whichever ln I had, but now I somehow feel a part of my new family even more - while not feeling like I lost any of the X and Y parts that have shaped my life. (Of course, you could ask me what I think of changing my name on a different day and I might have a different opinion, too. So take this all with a grain of sand.)
I believe the deaf/signing ppl I know would choose a name for the flow of it just like hearing ppl do - but their flow would be in the language that they sign. I know one "joke" with some signers is that Shakespeare is signed like shaking a spear (over the head) and that this is actually beneficial so that signers don't have to fingerspell the whole thing. But, to novice signers, to ppl who aren't familiar with Shakespeare, or to ppl learning a new language, this is quite confusing. I can see this translating into naming issues/considerations.
I took my husband's ln after some discussion. My ln with my short fn sounded very abrupt and much colder than I think my personality is. Plus, my maiden ln was always misspelled and mispronounced and I was looking forward to the days that that might be gone. Of course, my new ln still has the same trouble (who knew?!) but I don't regret it. Both my maiden and my new ln are German and so I still feel that they represent me culturally. (Plus, I did want all of our immediate family to have the same ln and I had always assumed, until a few years before I met my husband when I was in grad school, that I would change my name. I think that helped.) I must say, however, that I struggled with how to "use" my maiden name, the name on my PhD and the one that ppl would have to know if they wanted to check out my degree. I just make sure it's listed like a mn (although I kept my original mn) on my resume/vita and that's it. For a long time after I got married I kept both ln's on my signature at work, to help ease the confusion. I also want to add that the whole name change process, legally, emotionally, and just daily living-wise was not easy. I remember many times telling my husband that I was glad he recognized the amount of effort it took to become his wife - or other such somewhat sarcastic and somewhat realistic comments. We laughed about it knowing that we/I did make the choice that fit us individually and together best. k8sky - I really like Miles Dixon and Miles nn Milo! I don't ahve any strong reactions (+ or -) for the girls mns.
Leafy- even though I had just read PPP's comment I didn't realize I was reiterating her sentiments until I paged up after posting. I'm going to claim pregnancy brain, but it could just be distraction today! sorry PPP!
zoerhenne - I do like Rhett and Rhys but my dh says "no way" to both. I don't know that either would have had staying power on my list with our ln, but I still really wanted them there for a bit. Oh well. Leafy- I think you said you can't do Juliet, would Julietta be an option. A colleague named her daughter this and I really like the sound of it and the slightly different possibilities from Juliet/Juliette. Also, what about Hannah or Savannah or something like that that sounds soft/gentle and might be a nice contrast to your ln with its harder sounds. I also want to say that I had a 1 syllable maiden name with a hard sound beginning. I always thought that Kim X sounded harsh and not very feminine. But then when I got my PhD and felt like I had accomplished something in a M-dominated area, I liked how crisp my name sounded. So, to use linneaus' point from earlier, (great posts, by the way - loved the perspective), you might think about what kind of name/feeling you want from the name and go from there. A 1 syllable name or nn might be perfect or awful for you. I see that ppl put when they're not logged in. For a while I just used a screen name. After I saw these notes about being logged in I went and logged in but I still don't understand what kind of benefits I'm missing when I'm not logged in. I'd really appreciate some feedback on this.
My answer is mostly C. I did tons of lists. But, to my dh's credit, he was a good sport and even seemed to pccasionally like incessant talking about how to narrow the list down, doing the name bracket, and such. In fact, it was one of our "collaboration" sessions (where I sit and look up name after name choosing different combinations for Nymbler) that my husband latched onto Lincoln, which became our first sons name.
Thanks to all for continuing to humor me with ideas for boys names! I'm still calling the baby Ben to see if it will grow on me. It fits much more with my dh and family's styles, so it might work out. I just want to feel good about the choice. Evie- very interesting train of thought and some names I hadn't considered... Rhanda-Taylor is out since dh thinks it's too girly now - funny how we come back to that even with plenty of ppl openminded about names that used to be one gender crossing back and forth. bianca-Lenox seems to Jolie for me but I do like it. Maybe I'm just falling prey to the trendiness of the x! (I wish I could say I didn't like trendy names, but I also like Aiden, athough won't consider it now!) Jessica-congrats on your new son!
Ayaka - I saw the meaning of senex but I din't make the senile connection because I went straight for the sage/wise connection. Good thing I wasn't all excited about this name! knp - really like Lexington! Steph P - I really like Phillipa (new a sweet, pretty girl with this name who's probably 20 now). For a boy - Axel?
Bue- yes, I meant Senex. I like all of the ideas coming my way, but none have jumped out at me so far. (To give you more of an idea on what I like - slightly unusual but not kr8tiv, I find myself returning/wondering about Axel. Of course, my dh has said it immediatly reminds him of Axel Rose. I've since asked him if this is something he could get over...) Eo- Great story, thanks for sharing. My problem is somewhat opposite of yours - I like the sound of Ben, alone, and with our ln. But I really am not crazy about Benjamin. However, we are on the same page about really not wanting our ds to be 1/3 or 1/5 in the same class. I did a couple quick google searches but haven't had a chance to check out the legitimacy or tone/character of these. With that caveat, here are some aviation ideas (a couple were already mentioned, but I don't have time right now to check, so please pardon the redundancy). Also, I think some of these are probably too obscure - but you never know, so I'm including them. Also, some would probably be better as a mn than as afn. Quimby Markham Dumont Lexington Saratoga Vixen Cheyenne Cessna O'Hare Delta Jet(t) Radar Wright
Thanks for the suggestions - please keep them coming. August is a family name and has always been a contender for the mn. But, my dh and I aren't crazy about Gus or Auggie for the nn and I don't know what else - Tussie for Augustus, I suppose, but that's a little "casual" (not sure how else to explain my hesitation). I'm not sure the "us" Roman names will work, but maybe that's just because I'm not crazy about most of them that I've heard. I think that's why Sennex stood out - a word that could be tied to history but was obscure as a name (although Sennex itself is nms...)