meganromer
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I don't know any Dreamas, but it doesn't surprise me that it's popular in a working-class state... whoever drew the comparison to Nevaeh is spot-on. I dropped in, though, to announce the arrival of our little boy, M@lcolm Frederick W!mmer, who was born on May 15. We named him as we were wheeling me in for an emergency Cesarean, after agonizing over our list for the entire pregnancy. It suits him well!
We're still agonizing over baby names over here, for little boy W!mmer, who's due in May. At the moment, we're leaning toward Frederick. We've got a good family namesake (a really wonderful grandfather), I like that the meaning is peace-related (as opposed to so many Germanic names, which are warrior-centric), and it nicknames nicely into both charming Freddie and youthful Fritz, or even Teddy, if we make an effort. But is it TOO old-dude-ish? Can "Frederick" (which I would prefer over any nicknames, frankly) be a young name, or is it too musty? I go back and forth, and I'd love to hear what you all think.
Qwen, Marcail's a form of Margaret, right? Thus, I'd think that any of the Margaret nicknames or diminutives would work in your case... Maggie, Meg, Megs, Meggie, Megan, Peggy, Peg, Maisie, Madge, May... you could even draw a reasonable line to Greta or Gretel, I think, or even the improbable and lovely Daisy. Maviris, I think that Alise is a perfectly valid alternate spelling of Alice/Elise/Alisa. I have a cousin Alyse, who is in her '50s, who pronounces it as you're looking to. Both of these variants do show up in various naming dictionaries, so I think you're safe. Have you considered Lisette? I like it a lot -- it's punchy, but still has some French elegance, and the pronunciation (lee-S/ZETTE) has a quicker, kickier sound that seems easier to work with as a middle name than the longer-vowelled sounds in Alise.
I'm from a highly intellectual town surrounded by fairly impoverished areas in upstate NY (Ithaca), so we tend to have a fairly equal mix of "smarty-pants-non-regional" speakers and "fleeeyat-as-a-peeeyancake-upstaters" dwelling in reasonable harmony with each other (FWIW, I'm one of the hill-folk, though I studied at the schmancy university, so I'm "bilingual," I s'pose). Though I can certainly hear the difference between "MEG-un" and "MAY-gun" (especially since I was a linguistics major and frequently obsess over those sorts of details), I just hear them as two legitimate ways of pronouncing the "e" (a close-mid front unrounded vowel in the former case, or an open-mid front unrounded vowel in the latter, if we're up for letting our geek flags fly). The "ee" sound is just a totally different one. Now I live in Louisiana, where EVERYBODY says "MAY-gun" -- they also say "aygs" for "eggs," so I think it's just the standard pronunciation of that "e." And for a particularly interesting spelling of Megan, I met a young one whose parents spelled it "with the Irish alphabet" - Medhgh@inn (gotta change the "a" to protect the poor darling). Of course, that is, as far as I could tell, completely invented on many levels, as Megan isn't even an Irish name to begin with. I'm not even sure if the pronunciation really works out - is PPP around to confirm or deny?
I'm a Megan, and like Linnaeus, with my accent, "MAY-gun" and "MEG-un" are smoothly interchangeable (not entirely identical, but that vowel sound swings both ways, as it were). "MEE-gun" is definitely nonstandard, though I've gotten it many times, and it certainly doesn't bother me. Weirder was the girl who said, "Oh, your name is MEG-un? Well, I'm MAY-gun." I couldn't help but think "Hmm... is that different?" When I visited Wales, I noticed that they tend to say a very clipped "MEG-un" - almost "MEG'n" - so I suppose that would be the most traditional pronunciation. Can an Australian back me up, though, that "MEE-gun" is the standard pronunciation there?
Hi All! Your help when I first queried you was tremendous, and last week, we found out that it's a boy. This is unfortunate, not because I don't actually think boys are awesome little creatures, but because they're really just much harder to name. Again, here's our requirement: a name that everyone knows but isn't HUGELY common (this is *slightly* less important with boys, as there seem to simply be fewer boys names). Notes: -We tend to lean towards England-circa-1930 names (did anyone read 'The Guernsey Literary...'? Loved almost every single name in the book!) -We're both half-Jewish with smatterings of Irish, Welsh, and Dutch/German. We're Yankees who live deep in the heart of Cajun Country in Louisiana. -The last name is W!mmer, and I've yet to find a name that ends in -er that I find attractive. -I'm a linguist by training, and the meaning of names matters to me a great deal. At the very least, it can't mean something violent or repulsive. And it has to mean something -- kre8ivity destroys perfectly lovely linguistic roots, and I have almost zero tolerance for it. So here's what we've come up with, along with commentary: Henry - Love it, but have concerns about the newfound popularity among WASPy yuppies. *Sigh.* Maybe I should just go for it anyway. *Sigh.* Malcolm - Love it, but the meaning (which is Catholicism-based - "Follower/servant of St. Columba") doesn't do much for me. I can mess with the meaning and rationalize that St. Columba's name comes from the Latin for "Dove" - so I can tweak it to mean "Birdwatcher," but boy, that is one stupid linguist trick that took entirely too much time to explain and probably still doesn't make any sense, right? Grant - Not DH's favorite. I like it - it's a little more '50s Hollywood than '30s London to me, but I think it would suffice. Still, we work in the non-profit performing arts, and the word "grant" comes up in noun context too often, maybe. Hugo - Great-grandpa's name. We like it, but there's a reasonable chance that the child will be huge (Dad is 6'4" - is Huge-o too much of a risky nickname? I suppose it could be worse!) Also, may not fly with some of my down-home relatives. Hewes - My Grandmother's maiden name. A good Welsh surname that tips the hat to both my side of the family and Opapa Hugo, but sort of floats together with W!mmer into "Hugh Zwimmer/Swimmer." Frederick - Other great-grandpa's name. I was thinking it would be cute for him to be a little Fritz, but that sort of blasts apart my pre-WWII London (no pun intended), doesn't it? Simon - I love it, DH just keeps saying "Simple Simon." Clark - DH really seems not to like these one-syllable names, but I just love it. Everett - Just popped out of the name book yesterday, has a ring to it, so it's being rolled around on tongues and isn't ready for commentary quite yet. Giles - I love it, but it might be TOO Britishy British. For various reasons (mostly the names of friends' children, also a couple of ex-boyfriends), I've vetoed Miles, Thomas, Vincent, Dominic, Mitchell, Gilbert, Graham, Patrick, Gideon, Elliott, Kevin, Lucas, Preston, Benjamin, Harry, Warren, Douglas, Geoffrey. We're not going to touch nicknames until we pick a first - I want to think mostly about how the first and last names will sound together, and use the middle slot as an honorarium or something... too many people use it to slur together a mismatched first and last, I think, and I don't want to fall into that trap.
Well, in the spirit of things, if this baby happens to be a girl, I could name her Surley (after Susan and Shirley). Maybe MN Joy or Felice, to cancel it out? ;-) As for my own name? Grandma is Ruth and Nana is Esther... it should've been Rusther (pronounced Rooster), obviously! (This thread is cracking me up!)
Thanks, guys! These are great! As you can see, we're a bit paltry on the gents side, so these boys ideas are really helpful. Lana, I did think of the "S" thing, and that's why my one good Grandpa name, Silas, got swiped from the list. I can't quite bring myself to ix-nay Beatri(ce/x), though, because it's one of my all-time favorites -- I tried to convince my Mom to name my sister Beatrix (after Potter, naturally) when I was 5. I do have some nervousness about naming too close to the trend curve -- I'm a Megan-five-years-too-soon, my sister is a Hannah-five-years-too-soon, and there are downsides to having the majority of your name-buddies be 5-10 years younger than you are. Juliet and Lillian might both be on that edge, eh?
I agree that the brief Stephanie dip seems statistically insignificant, and probably more likely because of a leap in popularity of a couple of other trendy names that "stole" a few Stephanies for a short period of time. OT - After obsessing over character names for many years, DH and I are suddenly faced with the task of naming an actual human! We've scraped the bottom of the barrel when it comes to family names, and we're not interested in using any of them as first names (my country-Quaker family is fraught with Mildreds and Clovises, his straight-outta-Austria family sounds like a galloping Visigothic horde) -- we promise that we'll use something entertaining in the middle, though. Further complicating things are the fact that we're highly educated, richer-than-locally-average, artsy half-Jewish Yankees living smack in the middle of Cajun French Louisiana. Basically, we don't have an actual or honorary claim to any one culture enough to use "extreme" names from that culture, nor do we want names that come off as overtly "snooty." Plus, as a linguist, I have no tolerance for "kre8ivitee" or meaningless names. Oh, and I don't want the name to be too common, mostly because I'm difficult. And... it can't start with "W" or end in "-er," because the last name does (W!mmer). We seem to be able to agree on the "English names," especially those that seem to come straight out of 1930s London -- or, at least, the literature of the time. They translate well into other languages, are generally well-recognized but not terribly common, are fairly pronounceable, etc. The female "maybe" list at the moment: Juliet Beatrice/Beatrix Elsa Lillian Camille Adelaide Cecilia/Cecile Louisa/Louise Rosalind And for the boys: Malcolm Henry Grant On the "definitely-won't-work" list (in the genre we've chosen), based on living relatives, ex-boyfriends and girlfriends, or friends' kids names: Amelia, Lydia, Sophie, Sophia, Emma, Emily, Sylvia, Beth, Bethany, Elizabeth, Katherine, Margaret, Penelope, Laura, Dorothy, Elliott, Kevin, Lucas, Preston, Benjamin, Harry, Warren, Douglas, Geoffrey. Nothing yet is really standing out to us yet as *the* name, so any thoughts you might have would be most welcome!
I have negative associations with Judah because of the faux-Rastafarian connection. Emperor Haile Selassie (aka Ras Tafari) was known as the "Lion of Judah," and it's considered a sacred phrase and name to Rastafarians. That much is all well and good, and I certainly respect the Rastafarian religion. My problem is that when middle-class American white kids who were looking for an excuse to smoke pot decided to make Bob Marley their idol and become fake Rastas (which is, if you know anything about the religion, wickedly ironic), they've often taken Judah as a nickname or second name. If I meet one more 30-year-old white guy with a dreadlocked beard who drives a BMW and goes by the name "Ras Judah," I may be forced to choke him. So... though I think the name itself has a nice sound, and if it were an ancestral name in my family, I might use it, I think you might run into some funny looks later in life if you end up in certain crowds with the name Judah.
For some reason, I'm not a fan of "y" in the middle of names, even when that's the standard spelling. I think maybe the preponderance of silent and/or replacement Ys in the land of Kreatyve Spellyngs pushed me over the edge, and I maybe secretly never again want to see one where an "I" could be instead. I'm fine with them in Welsh names, where they're pronounced differently and thus serve a purpose as themselves. Hence, I find Silvia to look far more traditional (even though it's less common) than Sylvia, even though there's zero rationale to it. And the fact that probably, to normal people who aren't Shakespeare and/or linguistics dorks, it looks Kreatyve. But I actually do like Sylvia, too, et aussi la gentille Sylvie!
In defense of the spelling Silvia, it is a valid spelling in English - in fact, Shakespeare used it in "Two Gentlemen of Verona," which, of course, was set in Italy, but he Anglicized all of the names anyway. I love that spelling, if only because it reminds me of pretty much the most romantic soliloquy of all time: What light is light, if Silvia be not seen? What joy is joy, if Silvia be not by? Unless it be to think that she is by And feed upon the shadow of perfection Except I be by Silvia in the night, There is no music in the nightingale; Unless I look on Silvia in the day, There is no day for me to look upon; She is my essence, and I leave to be, If I be not by her fair influence Foster'd, illumined, cherish'd, kept alive.
@Mirnada - How about Belle, Camille, Celeste, Clotille (<-- super-Cajun!), Lucienne, Lucille, Marceline, Sylvie? I think they all flow nicely with F0nten0t (we know lots of your husband's people, here in Br3aux Bridg3, LA, btw). I would avoid names with any "ah" or "ahn" sounds, because you've got a lot of that sound with Any@ and F0nten0t already, so Pascale and Sabine would be out for me on that front. But that's just me! And apologies if I doubled on anyone else's names!
@PunkPrincessPhd - how about Saorla? Sounds like "Sarah" with an L... it's not quite as unfamiliar-seeming as Saoirse, so the older relatives likely won't see it as "too weird," but it's still unique, and it's got the old Irish name thing going for it. If you want a slightly funkier spelling, I believe Saorlagh is also traditional, and produces the same pronunciation.
@Linnaeus - I just happened to rattle off some Irish/French/Old English names because that's what came to mind first, and because there were matching examples from the '80s, and that's the time period I happened to be rocking... I think there are German/Dutch/Italian names that are hot right now, too, but they weren't as popular in the mid-'80s. I think people still had some anti-German naming tendencies as late as the '80s (many people who were children in the '50s were having babies in the '80s, right?). I think that Italian names sound very similar to Spanish names, and many people (no judgment, just trying to find some logic) may worry that they're giving their child a name that sounds too "Latin." Remember that we had no love for the Italians in the War era, either. As for Dutch names, I think Dutch-American parents tend to choose more Anglicized spellings (in order to avoid all of the wacky-looking vowel combos), which end up looking either German or English, and then you just can't really tell the difference. All that's going away now, though, but here's a few examples that I can think of, if I go pre-war for the comparisons: German Origins: 1925's Erma, Hilda, and Gertrude are 2009's Elsa, Heidi, and Gretel. Italian Origins: 1925's Sylvia, Theresa, and Loretta are 2009's Sofia, Tatiana, and Luisa. While we're at it... Spanish Origins: 1925's Dolores, Juanita, and Roberta are 2009's Dorotea, Jacinta, and Rafaela. Welsh Origins: 1925's Gladys, Enid, and Owena are 2009's Gwyneth, Efa, and Olwen.
Since we've taken to embracing the bits and pieces of ourselves that are from interesting naming cultures (no judgment, of course... don't think I won't be parading around my 1/8 French lineage when I start naming non-fictional children), we've gotten Irish-er and French-er and Old English-er, and otherwise extreme-er, when naming the kids, especially the girls. Thus, 1985's Megan, Shannon, and Erin are 2009's Maedbh, Saiorse, and Aoife. 1985's Stephanie, Michelle, and Nicole are 2009's Sophie, Manon, and Nathalie. 1985's Ashley, Kimberly, and Courtney are 2009's Abigail, Kensington, and Coraline. Want classic? 1985's Cassandra is 2009's Calliope. How about shiny? 1985's Crystal is 2009's Ruby. How about after-dinner-ish? 1985's Brandy is 2009's Bailey. Oh, and 1985's Katherine, Sarah, and Elizabeth are 2009's Katherine, Sarah, and Elizabeth. And, incidentally, 1885's and 1935's and 1960's. Seems like you can't go wrong there if you want to stay away from trends.