I don't think initials are something people should be worried about, unless it spells a curse word or something like that. Personally, I think the initials MnM would be cool! My initials before I got married spelled ARM and it was never a problem. I always thought it was pretty funny actually!
I have always wanted to name one of my daughters Marlena Marie. I fell in love with that name when I was about 10 years old. I married someone with the last name that starts with an R and I can't bring myself to have a baby with the initials MMR. I always think of the vaccine they get, Measles, Mumps, and Rubella.
I had my heart set on the name Ella for a girl, and yes, that same song pops in my head... even worse, however, is the fact that there is a new "morning-after pill" on the market, which some idiot has named "Ella"!!!! Why in the world would they use any actual name for something like the morning-after pill?? It should be called something like RX-47 or something medical sounding.
DH and I started discussing names a year before we were even planning on TTC. We actually settled on names a few months before we started trying, but in the beginning he just kept shooting down everything I listed. All of the girls names were either names of his exes (Eveline) or just "ugly" (Caelyn) and the boys names were either too 'biblical' (Noah) or just shot down (Taylor). And as someone else mentioned, all of the names HE chose were way too common for my tastes (as in, I know at least 5 other people with the same name!)
Now we've got names chosen, but 3 of our close friends are due before we are so I'm hoping none of them ends up chosing the same names!
And about the initials thing... I wouldn't worry about that TOO much! My mom was BAM before she got married... then BAT after She thinks it's great to tell people that. For the names we've chosen, LO will either have BLL or LJL (depending on if it's a boy or girl)... which I can't immediately think of anything that looks like
We had a few of those. For my husband and I, we each made a list of girl's names, traded and critized each other's list.
"Caroline? That's out, I dated one of those." he'd say.
"Robin? That's my cousin's name." Ect.
We ended up with Kathryn which we both loved! Neither of us knew one and it's unique yet normal. My FIL tho... "I hate the name Kathryn. It reminds me of my Aunt Mildred!" I know... what?? Of course, he's always been biter it's a girl.
We also have the same "no ex's rule" for naming. It's a boy, so I suppose my past finally caught up with me! HAHA!
And we also liked Seth, but with a "S" last name, all I could picture was a little 5-yr-old boy, missing his front teeth, trying to say his name. Poor child!
I named my baby Mason because it is a family name. I heard about the Kardashian baby being named Mason, and I don't watch that show or follow them at all, and it didn't stop me from using it. I think if you like a name, go for it. In the hospital, the nurse was like "Mason! like the Kardashians!" and I replied, "No, like my great-great-grandfather." It might be annoying, but we're really happy with our choice because of the history in our family.
I love the name Teddy (Theodore) and I always have which is 70% the reason why I dated this guy with that name, but he was my last relationship right before i got together with DH and DH wasn't a fan of our relationship, as we were friends at that time. so that name is OUT.
When I was pregnant with my second son, my husband vetoed Nadiya because he said it sounded too much like "naughty". Funny thing is he was the one who suggested it in the first place (months earlier before I got pregnant). It's now one of my favorite names but it all worked out because we had a boy anyway.
I think if you like a name, you should use it, almost no matter what. So what if it's already in the family? Or even a pet's name, or a celebrity's name?
I do agree that truly terrible combinations with a last name or initials should be avoided, and there were some names I thought were just too popular for us.
Though what we ended up with for our little girl, Annabelle, is becoming more popular now. The problem with her name is that we thought we might call her "Bells," which is what we also call our dog, Bella (named after a Dickens' character, so inspired by a novel but not a Twilight novel, as it happens.) We decided we could live with that, and as it turns out we mostly call our daughter by her full name, Annabelle, or even Annabelle Rose, so far.
DH didn't like the name Blythe, which I loved. I thought it was classic, yet not overused. It just reminds people of Blythe Danner, if anything. He thought it sounded like "blight" - as if all the other kindergarteners would have that association. Also, it's possible to make fun of any name. I wanted to name our girl twin Blythe, but he ruled it out. I was pushing for it as a middle name, so when our twins were born too soon, we named her Annie Blythe. It made me sad she would never live but glad to give her a special name. Also her initials were ABC ;-)
I did think Annabelle was maybe too much like Annie Blythe, but we didn't come up with the name on purpose to make it similar, and after all, they don't have to live together. Annabelle will know she had a sister named Annie, but she wasn't named for her. Annabelle just seemed like the name this baby wanted...it kept coming up time after time - even when we tried out totally different names like Josephine and Elizabeth.
Our little boy twin was James Edward, after DH's father. He knew his father only nine days, and our little boy only lived a half hour, so it seemed appropriate, but he would have been James Edward if he had lived, also. Edward may be more popular right now because of Twilight, but really, it's a classic, and who cares? Plus for a middle name I think it's less important.
Also there are names that are so common that it doesn't matter that they're common. Like John. Nearly everyone knows someone named John, and it wouldn't stop me from using it. But if you love a name like Charlotte, thinking it's going to be unique, and then it turns out lots of other people thought the same thing, it's disappointing. Trust me on this, as I grew up a Jennifer whose parents thought they were picking an unusual name...
I think it's not safe to pick a name you like even if you hate the nicknames, though. Other people will use the nicknames whether you like it or not, and your child might even prefer them when he or she is older. Then you're stuck with Judy or Jude, even though you only like Judith (or whatever).
We did consider Annalee for a while (from the song "The Weight," by The Band) but realized it was awfully close to Analucia, my niece's name. If we had loved it, I would still have used it, but probably not Annalise...too confusing for my mother!
Incidently, many people associate Annabelle with Edgar Allan Poe's poem, "Annabel Lee," but that's an association we could live with.
Our little girl will probably be our one and only living child, so even though I would look forward to naming another baby or babies, I guess it's a good thing I am happy with Annabelle Rose.
One more thing - if you are considering a name that is that same as, or close to, a pet's name, like we did - consider the case of Indiana Jones and decide that you're just being cool that way. ;-)
I LOVE, and totally intend on using it, the name Arielle. My Mom keeps saying that we can't name our (hopeful) baby Arielle b/c everyone will think of the Little Mermaid LOL and I said, SOOOOO? hehe I don't care what other people think of when they hear it. I also think of it and am going to play along and get things Ariel themed and do Ariel parties etc.
Since I was a teenager I liked the name Kendra, now everyone hears that name and thinks of the playmate. Thankfully we're having a boy! Hopefully her five minutes of fame will be up by the time we have a girl!
legalady- a co-worker of mine spells her name Elyse (all of her siblings have a y in place of an i) and doesn't go by any sort of nick name that I know of. This may be a way of getting aroung the "ellie" problem
we love the name Clayton, but i absolutely despise the nn Clay.
When I was pregnant with my first daughter, we couldn't agree on any name but Angelise. I had a neighbor and ex-friend that was nn Angie, and a few Angel's that were daunting since i hate both nn's. But, with the FEW people who tried to shorten her name, just calling her by her full first name and letting people calmly and matter-of-factly know that her name is Angelise, not Angie or Angel nipped it in the bud. She is now about to be 8 and corrects others on my behalf
I like the name Ethan, but im apparently not allowed to use it because according to my MIL no Russians (DH's nationality) can pronounce Th's. Also, im supposed to name my child based on the possibility that one day he/she MAY go to another country that cant pronounce his name properly, so name it a name that everyone can pronounce.
Also, she wants me to think about the numerology of the name, it has to be a number she agrees with.
Im just gonna let you guys know that NO, I am not actually taking her "advice" lol. DH and I just smile and nod when she goes on her rants and then we go on and make our own decision. So we decided on Evan for a boy and Sofia for a girl.
We had a boy...but I'm not stopping until I get a girl! Problem is that I have a name picked out and he has a name picked out...they are no good together! He has a little sister...Courtnie Leigh who had a twin who died in utero...Brittany Nicole. We originally planned on using Nicole...his sister had a daughter first and used that as a middle name for her daughter.
I REFUSE to have a daughter named Brittany...(I was in high school in the Brittany Spears era) Nicole obviously out...Courtnie just doesn't sound right, plus I HATE alternative/un-traditional spellings. So we are left with Leigh. I like that name.
The problem is that I was and still am very attached to my maiden name...Bell. So I want her first name to be Isabelle or Annabelle. But if you say either really fast...it sounds like Isabelly or Annabelly. Plus, Annabelle Leigh was a poem by Edgar Alan Poe- who I love but do NOT want to name my daugher after any poem of his!
Due to the cadence of the entire name we can't really switch the positions of the two names so I say he must give on the middle name. I mean...he gets to lay claim of the whole clan's last name right? And he got to name our son's middle name after his dad. I think we may jsut have to double dip on the name Nicole! Sorry sister in law!
I am due in 3 weeks and dont have a boy name that I love... My 3 year old son and husband are set on Austin Im not crazy about it but can live with it but would like a 1st name I am crazy about any suggestions.. I really need some...
When I was pg with my first, we chose to not find out if it was a boy or a girl. I loved the name Kendall and DH flat out hated it. He thought it sounded like a boys name or a Ken Doll, like Ken and Barbie! We never were able to settle on a girl's name...thankfully, my gut instinct was correct and our Michael Grant was born.
Now, I'm finally pg with my 2nd (after several years and 2 IVF cycles) and realized that unintentionally, all of our names begin with an M. We named our son after my dad and didn't care that people would call us the M family. But now I feel like this baby should have an M name too. I'd hate for several years to pass by and s/he say, Hey, why do all of your names start with M and mine starts with ... I know it's not automatic that this would happen, but I'd hate for him/her to feel like the oddball in the house.
So, we've decided on a girls name that we love, and sticks with our hope of keeping family names going, but can't decide on a boys name (which, I find funny, is the exact opposite problem from our first pg). We will name our daughter Margaret Kathleen and call her Maggie. I love the name Max, so does DH, but, our last name is one syllable, and Max would sound funny with it. And, I also want my child to have a full name for a first name. The problem, DH doesn't like any of the names that Max would be a nickname for. When I asked him if he loved Margaret he said, no, but I like it, and I love Maggie (so do I). I was just thrilled he showed emotion about something, as he's typically the "it's fine" kind of guy!
I know a more untraditional, Maddox, could work, but I can't stand Brangelina and couldn't do that. Then we tossed around Mason, but like one of the first posters mentioned...the Khardasian baby...and I watch the show now and then. So, here's hoping that the doc says "It's a girl" in June!
I work in child care so every time I think of a name it all depends on if I have worked with a child with that name and if they were good or not. I don't want to name my child something and then get flashbacks everytime I have to use it to dicipline them!
Or last name starts with an S. My mother in law insisted that if we have a girl, we have to give it her middle name, which is Sue. Of course, I was not about to use that as a middle name, but it worked out pretty well when we pointed out what our child's initials would be. Annebelle Sue S. So we've decided to go with Annabelle Grace S. instead.
It's a tradition in my family for girls to have Anne as a middle name. I'd like to continue if we have a girl. But my last name starts with a D so we have to be careful with initials - could end up with BAD, DAD, FAD, LAD, MAD, PAD, SAD, etc.
I'm somewhat pushing for an R first name if we have a girl so her initials could be RAD.
You may also want to avoid CAD. A cad is "an ill-bred man, esp. one who behaves in a dishonorable or irresponsible way toward women." Which goes against the gender part, but you know, just in case. Or HAD, for "you've been had". NAD, as some men refer to their testes as "nads". WAD, like a wad of ... something...
I had the same thing happen!! A friend of mine was due 3 months after me so I wasnt worried. I posted on my myspace page that we chose the name Riley and she ended up having complications and had her baby 1 month before me and named her baby Rylee. I still named my daughter Riley b/c I knew that name was perfect for her. I guess at least we spelled them different.
My mother in law and everybody else all wanted emma to be her middle name, i loved it, except, when my DH had his "slip up" with his ex over email. All i could think about was that her email had her first name and then emma in it. So i am assuming that it was her middle name. Anyways i couldnt bring myself to give her that name bc it reminds me of a bad time in my life
I LOVE the name Avery. But DH says it sounds too much like Ovary (dork) and reminds him of Avery labels.
I liked Taryn, but he said that made him think of "Tear'in it up."
I loved Sophia and actually had DH on board with it until I realized how stupid Sophie (which I'm sure at some point she would be referred to as) sounded with our last name...which starts with an S. Sounded way to Hannah Montana for me.
So Megan Victoria it is...nice and traditional.
My name is Taryn.
Funny story: My ex's dad was a bit, shall we say, crude. Well, his grandma was having a hard time remembering my name so his dad said "Taryn...like tearin' a new a$$." Yeah, she didn't forget my name after that.
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As far as initials go, I don't think they really matter. How often do you tell people your middle name?? My initials used to be V.A.L. which was cool because my name is VALesha and so Val became a nickname. But now that I'm married my initials are V.A.G. Now it's just a conversation starter! I don't mind, the only people who know my FULL initials are friends and family.
Everyone that's worried about dog names... don't be. My grandparents had a dog named Cindy back before I was ever born. It was one of the most memorable dogs the family ever had. It's been about 30 years since that dog was around and people still talk about it. Amazingly, no one teased my mom that I was named after the dog, and to this day no one makes jokes to me when the dog is mentioned.
Anyone who would point it out or make fun... needs a hobby.
I've also had a dumb comment about my girl's initials. She'll end up as K.A.W. The person who mentioned it thought for sure my daughter would be teased forever for it. There's one problem... my mother has had those initials for almost forty years. And yet, I've never heard anyone mention it.
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hahaha, I told a friend I liked Ella, and she started singing that song to me! My DH also said that she would get called "smella Ella"...I couldn't really argue seeing as my name is Janel and I had "Smelly Janelly" to contend with (Most of them who called me that were actually friends who were just doing it in fun, but still)
I love the name Vienna, DH said it reminds him of the sausage...grrr
I also love Isa, but I am worried about kids using it as "Is a _____" (insert schoolyard insult).
I feel like every name I have picked, there is some ridiculous reason for me to talk myself out of it. My poor kid is going to be "baby girl" until she is 12! haha
Re: Like a name but can't use it for some ridiculous reason?
It also came down to intials for my husband and I too. His are J.A.W, mine (after we got married) are S.A.W. and now our son is R.A.W.
That was my husband's condition for not getting to name him James Allen Waggy III...
I had my heart set on the name Ella for a girl, and yes, that same song pops in my head... even worse, however, is the fact that there is a new "morning-after pill" on the market, which some idiot has named "Ella"!!!! Why in the world would they use any actual name for something like the morning-after pill?? It should be called something like RX-47 or something medical sounding.
DH and I started discussing names a year before we were even planning on TTC. We actually settled on names a few months before we started trying, but in the beginning he just kept shooting down everything I listed. All of the girls names were either names of his exes (Eveline) or just "ugly" (Caelyn) and the boys names were either too 'biblical' (Noah) or just shot down (Taylor). And as someone else mentioned, all of the names HE chose were way too common for my tastes (as in, I know at least 5 other people with the same name!)
Now we've got names chosen, but 3 of our close friends are due before we are so I'm hoping none of them ends up chosing the same names!
And about the initials thing... I wouldn't worry about that TOO much! My mom was BAM before she got married... then BAT after
She thinks it's great to tell people that. For the names we've chosen, LO will either have BLL or LJL (depending on if it's a boy or girl)... which I can't immediately think of anything that looks like 
We had a few of those. For my husband and I, we each made a list of girl's names, traded and critized each other's list.
"Caroline? That's out, I dated one of those." he'd say.
"Robin? That's my cousin's name." Ect.
We ended up with Kathryn which we both loved! Neither of us knew one and it's unique yet normal. My FIL tho... "I hate the name Kathryn. It reminds me of my Aunt Mildred!" I know... what?? Of course, he's always been biter it's a girl.
We also have the same "no ex's rule" for naming. It's a boy, so I suppose my past finally caught up with me! HAHA!
And we also liked Seth, but with a "S" last name, all I could picture was a little 5-yr-old boy, missing his front teeth, trying to say his name. Poor child!
I love the name Teddy (Theodore) and I always have which is 70% the reason why I dated this guy with that name, but he was my last relationship right before i got together with DH and DH wasn't a fan of our relationship, as we were friends at that time. so that name is OUT.
I think if you like a name, you should use it, almost no matter what. So what if it's already in the family? Or even a pet's name, or a celebrity's name?
I do agree that truly terrible combinations with a last name or initials should be avoided, and there were some names I thought were just too popular for us.
Though what we ended up with for our little girl, Annabelle, is becoming more popular now. The problem with her name is that we thought we might call her "Bells," which is what we also call our dog, Bella (named after a Dickens' character, so inspired by a novel but not a Twilight novel, as it happens.) We decided we could live with that, and as it turns out we mostly call our daughter by her full name, Annabelle, or even Annabelle Rose, so far.
DH didn't like the name Blythe, which I loved. I thought it was classic, yet not overused. It just reminds people of Blythe Danner, if anything. He thought it sounded like "blight" - as if all the other kindergarteners would have that association. Also, it's possible to make fun of any name. I wanted to name our girl twin Blythe, but he ruled it out. I was pushing for it as a middle name, so when our twins were born too soon, we named her Annie Blythe. It made me sad she would never live but glad to give her a special name. Also her initials were ABC ;-)
I did think Annabelle was maybe too much like Annie Blythe, but we didn't come up with the name on purpose to make it similar, and after all, they don't have to live together. Annabelle will know she had a sister named Annie, but she wasn't named for her. Annabelle just seemed like the name this baby wanted...it kept coming up time after time - even when we tried out totally different names like Josephine and Elizabeth.
Our little boy twin was James Edward, after DH's father. He knew his father only nine days, and our little boy only lived a half hour, so it seemed appropriate, but he would have been James Edward if he had lived, also. Edward may be more popular right now because of Twilight, but really, it's a classic, and who cares? Plus for a middle name I think it's less important.
Also there are names that are so common that it doesn't matter that they're common. Like John. Nearly everyone knows someone named John, and it wouldn't stop me from using it. But if you love a name like Charlotte, thinking it's going to be unique, and then it turns out lots of other people thought the same thing, it's disappointing. Trust me on this, as I grew up a Jennifer whose parents thought they were picking an unusual name...
I think it's not safe to pick a name you like even if you hate the nicknames, though. Other people will use the nicknames whether you like it or not, and your child might even prefer them when he or she is older. Then you're stuck with Judy or Jude, even though you only like Judith (or whatever).
We did consider Annalee for a while (from the song "The Weight," by The Band) but realized it was awfully close to Analucia, my niece's name. If we had loved it, I would still have used it, but probably not Annalise...too confusing for my mother!
Incidently, many people associate Annabelle with Edgar Allan Poe's poem, "Annabel Lee," but that's an association we could live with.
Our little girl will probably be our one and only living child, so even though I would look forward to naming another baby or babies, I guess it's a good thing I am happy with Annabelle Rose.
When I was pregnant with my first daughter, we couldn't agree on any name but Angelise. I had a neighbor and ex-friend that was nn Angie, and a few Angel's that were daunting since i hate both nn's. But, with the FEW people who tried to shorten her name, just calling her by her full first name and letting people calmly and matter-of-factly know that her name is Angelise, not Angie or Angel nipped it in the bud. She is now about to be 8 and corrects others on my behalf
Well, heres a ridiculous reason for you guys:
I like the name Ethan, but im apparently not allowed to use it because according to my MIL no Russians (DH's nationality) can pronounce Th's. Also, im supposed to name my child based on the possibility that one day he/she MAY go to another country that cant pronounce his name properly, so name it a name that everyone can pronounce.
Also, she wants me to think about the numerology of the name, it has to be a number she agrees with.
Im just gonna let you guys know that NO, I am not actually taking her "advice" lol. DH and I just smile and nod when she goes on her rants and then we go on and make our own decision. So we decided on Evan for a boy and Sofia for a girl.
We had a boy...but I'm not stopping until I get a girl! Problem is that I have a name picked out and he has a name picked out...they are no good together! He has a little sister...Courtnie Leigh who had a twin who died in utero...Brittany Nicole. We originally planned on using Nicole...his sister had a daughter first and used that as a middle name for her daughter.
I REFUSE to have a daughter named Brittany...(I was in high school in the Brittany Spears era) Nicole obviously out...Courtnie just doesn't sound right, plus I HATE alternative/un-traditional spellings. So we are left with Leigh. I like that name.
The problem is that I was and still am very attached to my maiden name...Bell. So I want her first name to be Isabelle or Annabelle. But if you say either really fast...it sounds like Isabelly or Annabelly. Plus, Annabelle Leigh was a poem by Edgar Alan Poe- who I love but do NOT want to name my daugher after any poem of his!
Due to the cadence of the entire name we can't really switch the positions of the two names so I say he must give on the middle name. I mean...he gets to lay claim of the whole clan's last name right? And he got to name our son's middle name after his dad. I think we may jsut have to double dip on the name Nicole! Sorry sister in law!
When I was pg with my first, we chose to not find out if it was a boy or a girl. I loved the name Kendall and DH flat out hated it. He thought it sounded like a boys name or a Ken Doll, like Ken and Barbie! We never were able to settle on a girl's name...thankfully, my gut instinct was correct and our Michael Grant was born.
Now, I'm finally pg with my 2nd (after several years and 2 IVF cycles) and realized that unintentionally, all of our names begin with an M. We named our son after my dad and didn't care that people would call us the M family. But now I feel like this baby should have an M name too. I'd hate for several years to pass by and s/he say, Hey, why do all of your names start with M and mine starts with ... I know it's not automatic that this would happen, but I'd hate for him/her to feel like the oddball in the house.
So, we've decided on a girls name that we love, and sticks with our hope of keeping family names going, but can't decide on a boys name (which, I find funny, is the exact opposite problem from our first pg). We will name our daughter Margaret Kathleen and call her Maggie. I love the name Max, so does DH, but, our last name is one syllable, and Max would sound funny with it. And, I also want my child to have a full name for a first name. The problem, DH doesn't like any of the names that Max would be a nickname for. When I asked him if he loved Margaret he said, no, but I like it, and I love Maggie (so do I). I was just thrilled he showed emotion about something, as he's typically the "it's fine" kind of guy!
I know a more untraditional, Maddox, could work, but I can't stand Brangelina and couldn't do that. Then we tossed around Mason, but like one of the first posters mentioned...the Khardasian baby...and I watch the show now and then. So, here's hoping that the doc says "It's a girl" in June!
You may also want to avoid CAD. A cad is "an ill-bred man, esp. one who behaves in a dishonorable or irresponsible way toward women." Which goes against the gender part, but you know, just in case. Or HAD, for "you've been had". NAD, as some men refer to their testes as "nads". WAD, like a wad of ... something...
My name is Taryn.
Funny story: My ex's dad was a bit, shall we say, crude. Well, his grandma was having a hard time remembering my name so his dad said "Taryn...like tearin' a new a$$." Yeah, she didn't forget my name after that.
As far as initials go, I don't think they really matter. How often do you tell people your middle name?? My initials used to be V.A.L. which was cool because my name is VALesha and so Val became a nickname. But now that I'm married my initials are V.A.G. Now it's just a conversation starter! I don't mind, the only people who know my FULL initials are friends and family.
Everyone that's worried about dog names... don't be. My grandparents had a dog named Cindy back before I was ever born. It was one of the most memorable dogs the family ever had. It's been about 30 years since that dog was around and people still talk about it. Amazingly, no one teased my mom that I was named after the dog, and to this day no one makes jokes to me when the dog is mentioned.
Anyone who would point it out or make fun... needs a hobby.
I've also had a dumb comment about my girl's initials. She'll end up as K.A.W. The person who mentioned it thought for sure my daughter would be teased forever for it. There's one problem... my mother has had those initials for almost forty years. And yet, I've never heard anyone mention it.
hahaha, I told a friend I liked Ella, and she started singing that song to me! My DH also said that she would get called "smella Ella"...I couldn't really argue seeing as my name is Janel and I had "Smelly Janelly" to contend with (Most of them who called me that were actually friends who were just doing it in fun, but still)
I love the name Vienna, DH said it reminds him of the sausage...grrr
I also love Isa, but I am worried about kids using it as "Is a _____" (insert schoolyard insult).
I feel like every name I have picked, there is some ridiculous reason for me to talk myself out of it. My poor kid is going to be "baby girl" until she is 12! haha
Dh ruled out Bronwen because, and I quote "The only girl with that name that I've known was unforgivably stupid".
(snort)