Sounds very white Don't know that I'd make that my preschool pick. A little diversity is always nice in a school. But I digress.... I do love the names. Getting off my soapbox now.
what an odd comment. You shouldn't judge ANYTHING by the race of the people. Shame on you.
Just in case it wasn't clear from my last post I want to make it clear that I have no problem with someone from a minority culture choosing a mainstream American name for their baby. That is common where I live as well, though certainly not as common as it is in a predominantly white area where people from minority cultures are more likely to assimilate into the mainstream culture. Where I live minorities are as likely or more likely to choose a traditional name from their culture. If a day care roster in my area looked like the one above with ZERO traditional Hispanic, African-American, Asian, etc..names it certainly would be out of place and make you wonder what was going on. Once again I do very much realize that is not the case in most white communities. I was evaluating the list as a whole not attempting to guses the race of the child of any one specific name. I am completely aware that's impossible. Shame on you for assuming otherwise.
replace the word "white" in your first comment with ANY other race word.....and you basically make the 5 o'clock news. My comment was just a reminder to be careful and see how other people can take your comments. I never feel good about reading negative (sounds very white I don't know that I would make that my preschool pick) comments or assumptions about groups. That's all!
I honestly have no hard feelings but I think this is a topic where we just have to agree to disagree. If this is a case where a day care's members are not representative of the community then I would say maybe it belongs on the 5pm news. I would find it more offensive to say nothing even if saying something makes some people uncomfortable. Some things people need to be made to feel uncomfortable with.
In this case the children are probably representative of the community. However, I must admit I find it very interesting to compare the melting pot type community where minorities mostly embrace the majority culture and the communities where the minorities cling more strongly to their culture of origin. There are absolutely strengths and weaknesses of both type of community. (More kumbaya harmoniousness in the first and some amazingly diverse and fabulous food, music, dances, traditions, names etc... in the second for example) I love to discuss these sociological topics but I realize that this is not the place for it. So for using the wrong forum to bring this up I apologize.
Ok, just to chime in since I made the OP. 1) Your original comment came off as simultaneously rude, smug, judgmental, and yes, racist (though not in the way you might think). 2) The daycare is in a quite diverse university town with many international students, that happens to be in a pretty white bread area of a pretty white bread state. However, this particular daycare happens to be of the extremely crunchy variety that appeals predominately to white hippies. 3) Quit being smug and uppity about your "diversity." Your missing the whole point of diversity. It is awesome that you go out of your way to appreciate other cultures, but that does not make you superior to anyone else. For some people, the amount of "color" in the room is just NOT a significant factor in choosing childcare (other things like safety, quality of programming, cost take precedence) one way or another. 4. I'm sorry for the rant. Baby has me up yet again and I'm friggin tired.
It's funny that you use the term white bread because right after I wrote the first post it occurred to me that I should have used that term instead of just white. That was actually exactly what I was picking up on when I saw the list. If you read my 3 following posts you know that I regretted suggesting that you could choose a more diverse option because I realized that is not always even an option. Its just my opinion that it is one quality worth valuing in a school or day care, though no more than the qualities you mentioned. I have lived in exactly the type of crunchy university town you describe. I love those types of towns, absolutely love them. I do not think the area I currently live in is better by any means, just different. I enjoy discussing those types of difference. Things that make you say hmmm. (Yes, an Arsenio Hall reference, God, I'm old). Discussion is the best tool for combating racism after all. I actually grew up in an all white, upper middle class area outside of St.Louis where there was a lot of hatred towards other races (not by everyone of course). I'm talking about some scary s___ though. Talk of revolutions and race wars. I've seen what a cancer hatred can be. So hopefully that background makes it a little more clear where I am coming from.
Gross, except for Levi. And I have to say I LOVE LOVE LOVE your little man's name Griffin! My friend has a son named Griffin and I think it is precious
In 2013 Sawyer was the 120 for boys, and 448 for girls. It is its 4th year on the top 1000 for girls. Thus we can conclude that parents naming their daughters Sawyer are obnoxious hipsters.
Very obnoxious indeed. Thanks for looking it up but that's very disheartening. I've been actually thinking it may be my top boy's pick lately. I will feel compelled to rethink it if there is a chance people are going to start viewing it as a girl's name. Oh well the chances of getting my husband on board were slim to none. So so stupid, though. Is it just me or is it a very rugged, manly sounding name?
Please still consider it for a boy! My brother (age 22) is named Sawyer. For most of his life it was very uncommon and rare, but he has always received tons of compliments on it and he loves his name. I would hate to see it become a "girls" name only.
In 2013 Sawyer was the 120 for boys, and 448 for girls. It is its 4th year on the top 1000 for girls. Thus we can conclude that parents naming their daughters Sawyer are obnoxious hipsters.
Very obnoxious indeed. Thanks for looking it up but that's very disheartening. I've been actually thinking it may be my top boy's pick lately. I will feel compelled to rethink it if there is a chance people are going to start viewing it as a girl's name. Oh well the chances of getting my husband on board were slim to none. So so stupid, though. Is it just me or is it a very rugged, manly sounding name?
Please still consider it for a boy! My brother (age 22) is named Sawyer. For most of his life it was very uncommon and rare, but he has always received tons of compliments on it and he loves his name. I would hate to see it become a "girls" name only.
I will still consider it but, honestly, it's probably a moot point. I don't even know the baby's sex yet (don't worry, will never consider it for a girl) and I don't think I can persuade my husband. I'll be completely honest though, before using it I would look further into how rapidly it is increasing in popularity among girls. (Unless wassuphoes wants to do that for me too ) If it stays like it is now, much more commonly used on boys, I wouldn't hesitate to use it. However, if it is going to at some point be seen as a girl's name that would deter me. I read the other post about how we should all band together and name our sons Elliott, Ryan, etc.. to preserve them as boys names. While that sounds great in theory and I really would like to support the cause I'm not going to do it at the expense of my son. Fair or not, I do think it is even harder for a boy to be saddled with a "girl name" than vice versa. Shout out to your parents for using the name the way it was intended.
in 1986 10 girls were named Sawyer. They highest number of girls named Sawyer came in 2013 with 683. It was not until 2004 that more than 100 girls were named Sawyer in a single year.
Meanwhile, in 2013, 3,142 boys were named Sawyer. Every year since 2005 has had at least 1,000 boys named Sawyer.
Number wise, it's still a boy name.
Similarly in 2013, Elliot was given to 308 girls, and 1,486 boys.
Thanks so much for looking up all that detail, wassuphoes. I hope you didn't feel too pestered. I thought you seemed to enjoy helping people with the stats on names. I'll keep the name on my list but people using it as a girl's name is an unfortunate strike against it for me.
My son's preschool: Caroline Sailor (girl) Logan (girl) Aliyah Hannah Monty Addie (boy but his parents are Czech so I think it's short for a Czech name) Kaisin (boy) Breymen(boy) Aiden Calvin
My son's preschool: Caroline Sailor (girl) Logan (girl) Aliyah Hannah Monty Addie (boy but his parents are Czech so I think it's short for a Czech name) Kaisin (boy) Breymen(boy) Aiden Calvin
Ugh, some of those are nauseating. Calvin is an amazing name!
This is appalling. Do people not realize their child is going to grow up!
On another note, love Everett. But what would be the nickname?
Every name doesn't need a nickname.
From the parents maybe. But other kids certainly will give a nickname, whether you want it or not.
Truth.
I never had a nickname - truth.
our family is not big into nicknames and we have many grown adults all the way down to babies with big names .......and NEVER had or went by nn. Some we even tried and they didn't stick. Samantha, Jacquelyn, Genevieve, Cathleen, Steven, Michael, Kathleen ....there are more, but I won't go on. Nicknames don't HAVE to happen.
We call Everhett "Ev" or "Rhett". That's interesting that some people never have nicknames! The only people I know that haven't had nn's are people with fn's that are nn's (ex. Becky, Kate) and then my mom 'Dolores'. Even I was given a nn that I HATED growing up (Nikki).
Egg Retrieval - Feb. 2013 -> OHSS. FET#1 - June 2013(failed). FET#2 - October 2013(success!)
Griffin Alistair: 6#10oz 20" long, born 6/19/14 @ 4:04am
I never had a nickname either, but my name is Dawn....what are you going to shorten that to? lol. The worst part about my name is that you'd be surprised how many people cannot pronounce it or understand it when spoken.
This is appalling. Do people not realize their child is going to grow up!
On another note, love Everett. But what would be the nickname?
Every name doesn't need a nickname.
From the parents maybe. But other kids certainly will give a nickname, whether you want it or not.
Truth.
I never had a nickname - truth.
Same. My name is Elizabeth, and it wasn't until I went to college that anyone called me anything other than that. I happened to like Liz, so when people started calling me that, I went with it, but I personally don't think any name is tied to a specific nickname or requires one.
I'm a Diane, and I didn't have any nicknames really growing up. My dad would call me DC (middle name starts with a C), but it wasn't until college and adulthood that people really began calling me Di or D which I don't mind at all. Honestly, my name gets butchered so often that I'll respond to anything close sounding to it.
My name is Sasha and I've never had or needed a nickname. Maybe it's different for three syllable names though.
Also, as for all the fears about boy names "becoming" girls names, I really think this is a non-issue. Specifically for Sawyer, it will ALWAYS be most associated with Tom Sawyer who is a boy. But moreover, who says names can't be for both? I've known guy Courtney's and Kelly's and they define the and for themselves. Take my name, which is traditionally a male name (nn for Alexander). I don't think having girl Sasha's out there have ruined the name for guys. Isn't it possible to have gender-neutral names?
My name is Sasha and I've never had or needed a nickname. Maybe it's different for three syllable names though.
Also, as for all the fears about boy names "becoming" girls names, I really think this is a non-issue. Specifically for Sawyer, it will ALWAYS be most associated with Tom Sawyer who is a boy. But moreover, who says names can't be for both? I've known guy Courtney's and Kelly's and they define the and for themselves. Take my name, which is traditionally a male name (nn for Alexander). I don't think having girl Sasha's out there have ruined the name for guys. Isn't it possible to have gender-neutral names?
Kelly and Courtney are both traditionally masculine names.
My name is Sasha and I've never had or needed a nickname. Maybe it's different for three syllable names though.
Also, as for all the fears about boy names "becoming" girls names, I really think this is a non-issue. Specifically for Sawyer, it will ALWAYS be most associated with Tom Sawyer who is a boy. But moreover, who says names can't be for both? I've known guy Courtney's and Kelly's and they define the and for themselves. Take my name, which is traditionally a male name (nn for Alexander). I don't think having girl Sasha's out there have ruined the name for guys. Isn't it possible to have gender-neutral names?
Kelly and Courtney are both traditionally masculine names.
@wassuphoes totally. Exactly my point, as is Sawyer. Usually a name is traditionally one or the other, but that doesn't mean a trend will "ruin it" for the other gender.
The adverb name thing seems to be big in the South. Lots of -ly, lee, leigh names among my friends. There's a Paisley (we elbow him about naming his next Houndstooth or Chevron), Ella Lee, and Everlee (no idea. Everly Brothers maybe?)
My name is Sasha and I've never had or needed a nickname. Maybe it's different for three syllable names though.
Also, as for all the fears about boy names "becoming" girls names, I really think this is a non-issue. Specifically for Sawyer, it will ALWAYS be most associated with Tom Sawyer who is a boy. But moreover, who says names can't be for both? I've known guy Courtney's and Kelly's and they define the and for themselves. Take my name, which is traditionally a male name (nn for Alexander). I don't think having girl Sasha's out there have ruined the name for guys. Isn't it possible to have gender-neutral names?
Kelly and Courtney are both traditionally masculine names.
@wassuphoes totally. Exactly my point, as is Sawyer. Usually a name is traditionally one or the other, but that doesn't mean a trend will "ruin it" for the other gender.
There's another thread solely about this, but generally when a masculine name starts being used for girls it either falls off usage for girls quickly or it falls completely off usage for boys. And there is far more social stigma for a boy having a "feminine" name then for a girl having a "masculine" name. There was a post that warned against using Ryan for a boy because all she knew where baby girls with it. Whats more, very few people are interested in naming their sons Sue or Anna, which is the other issue of it, "masculine" names being okay for either gender but "feminine" names are only good for girls.
I never had a nickname either, but my name is Dawn....what are you going to shorten that to? lol. The worst part about my name is that you'd be surprised how many people cannot pronounce it or understand it when spoken.
It is so weird how often I hear Dawn pronounced as Don. Do they also pronounce yawn as yon??? Must be very annoying!
I never had a nickname either, but my name is Dawn....what are you going to shorten that to? lol. The worst part about my name is that you'd be surprised how many people cannot pronounce it or understand it when spoken.
It is so weird how often I hear Dawn pronounced as Don. Do they also pronounce yawn as yon??? Must be very annoying!
I never had a nickname either, but my name is Dawn....what are you going to shorten that to? lol. The worst part about my name is that you'd be surprised how many people cannot pronounce it or understand it when spoken.
It is so weird how often I hear Dawn pronounced as Don. Do they also pronounce yawn as yon??? Must be very annoying!
I've noticed that before, too. So strange! I wonder if those people say it that way when referring to sunrise or only when using the name.
Re: Names at day care ...
2) The daycare is in a quite diverse university town with many international students, that happens to be in a pretty white bread area of a pretty white bread state. However, this particular daycare happens to be of the extremely crunchy variety that appeals predominately to white hippies.
3) Quit being smug and uppity about your "diversity." Your missing the whole point of diversity. It is awesome that you go out of your way to appreciate other cultures, but that does not make you superior to anyone else. For some people, the amount of "color" in the room is just NOT a significant factor in choosing childcare (other things like safety, quality of programming, cost take precedence) one way or another.
4. I'm sorry for the rant. Baby has me up yet again and I'm friggin tired.
If you read my 3 following posts you know that I regretted suggesting that you could choose a more diverse option because I realized that is not always even an option. Its just my opinion that it is one quality worth valuing in a school or day care, though no more than the qualities you mentioned.
I have lived in exactly the type of crunchy university town you describe. I love those types of towns, absolutely love them. I do not think the area I currently live in is better by any means, just different. I enjoy discussing those types of difference. Things that make you say hmmm. (Yes, an Arsenio Hall reference, God, I'm old). Discussion is the best tool for combating racism after all.
I actually grew up in an all white, upper middle class area outside of St.Louis where there was a lot of hatred towards other races (not by everyone of course). I'm talking about some scary s___ though. Talk of revolutions and race wars. I've seen what a cancer hatred can be. So hopefully that background makes it a little more clear where I am coming from.
Every name doesn't need a nickname.
Quoted for truth.
Ivy
Elise
Charlie
Maggie
Aubryanna
Boys:
Owen
Theo
Noah
Jaxon
Jackson
Myles
Christian
Parker
Some kid in an older class is named holiday. I don't know if it's a boy or a girl.
I'll be completely honest though, before using it I would look further into how rapidly it is increasing in popularity among girls. (Unless wassuphoes wants to do that for me too
Shout out to your parents for using the name the way it was intended.
Number wise, it's still a boy name.
I'll keep the name on my list but people using it as a girl's name is an unfortunate strike against it for me.
Caroline
Sailor (girl)
Logan (girl)
Aliyah
Hannah
Monty
Addie (boy but his parents are Czech so I think it's short for a Czech name)
Kaisin (boy)
Breymen(boy)
Aiden
Calvin
Jan17 Sept Sig: Pumpkin Spice gone too far
Boys:
Lincoln
Memphis
Ashton
Michael
Girls:
Madelyn
Stella
Lillie
Brynnan
Madison
Truth.
our family is not big into nicknames and we have many grown adults all the way down to babies with big names .......and NEVER had or went by nn. Some we even tried and they didn't stick. Samantha, Jacquelyn, Genevieve, Cathleen, Steven, Michael, Kathleen ....there are more, but I won't go on. Nicknames don't HAVE to happen.
We call Everhett "Ev" or "Rhett". That's interesting that some people never have nicknames! The only people I know that haven't had nn's are people with fn's that are nn's (ex. Becky, Kate) and then my mom 'Dolores'. Even I was given a nn that I HATED growing up (Nikki).
Also, as for all the fears about boy names "becoming" girls names, I really think this is a non-issue. Specifically for Sawyer, it will ALWAYS be most associated with Tom Sawyer who is a boy. But moreover, who says names can't be for both? I've known guy Courtney's and Kelly's and they define the and for themselves. Take my name, which is traditionally a male name (nn for Alexander). I don't think having girl Sasha's out there have ruined the name for guys. Isn't it possible to have gender-neutral names?