Honoring Family Without Using Their Name?

LisaG09

I loved all my grandparents don't get me wrong but I always knew that I wanted to honor my grandma Mary Ann more than anything. I love the name Ann. At the moment I love the name Ayla. Now say Ayla Ann out loud. Obviously that doesn't work so in my head I've been thinking for quite some time that my first daughter's name will be Ayla Marianne. So I got a new puppy and wanted to name her Darla and my boyfriend kept telling me he hated the name. Finally he tells me he doesn't like names with r in them because of his speech impediment involving the letter r. I thought he was being silly but recently he was spelling his last name to a cashier at the video store. He said it then spelled it like three times and the man thought he was saying the "a" sound. Finally I cut in and told him it was r...but I now understand where he is coming from. Anyway, this is all hypothetical rambling of a baby name obsessed girl but is there a way to honor Mary Ann without an r?

nhart811

You can try to find a derivative form of the name or one that has a similar meanings

Mary mean "bitter", "wished for child" or "rebellion"
Ann means "grace"


How about Annemie or Yanamai? Both mean "bitter grace"

brooksidebride

Did your grandma have a favorite flower (for example, you could use Rose as a middle name if that was her favorite), or place? What was her last name or maiden name... Could one of those work in a middle name spot? What about a favorite hobby... Could a name be derived from that? What was her middle name?

I don't think Ayla Ann sounds bad, by the way. It's pretty and has a nice flow, in my opinion.

StickyBaby

I think Ayla Ann sound fine to me too. You can add a second middle name to break it up: Ayla Michelle Ann. Or use name that contains Ann: Ayla Joann.

queenbone

How often is the baby's father going to be using the child's MN?

I hardly use my children's MNs and I'm the one who takes them to all their dr apts, etc. It is mostly something I fill out on a form rather then need to say to a person. I don't think you need to worry about this.

lifeonthehill

I like Ayla Ann as well! 

We are using the MN Mina for future DD to honor my late father without actually using his name. It means fish in Sanskrit. Maybe you could talk to some older family members and find some good memories of her and find a name that honors her that way. 

macska3

Do you say Ayla like Isla or Layla with no L? I've heard it both ways, and Ayla Ann (both pronunciatons) is nice.

Ayla Marianne is nice too--plus, the MN is not used that often so the R won't be a big issue.

homediva

Maybe you could use Maya? Or May? Maya Ann is nice!

LisaG09

Thanks for all the opinions. Maybe I was overthinking Ayla Ann. This would be what I would want but doesn't it sound like alien? I assumed everyone would hear that as soon as it was said but not many of you picked up on it, I guess?

neverblushed

queenbone said:

How often is the baby's father going to be using the child's MN?

I hardly use my children's MNs and I'm the one who takes them to all their dr apts, etc. It is mostly something I fill out on a form rather then need to say to a person. I don't think you need to worry about this.

This.  Unless you live in the southern US, where it's common to refer to people by both first and middle, your H will hardly every actually have to say your DD's name.

All of that being said, I can still understand him vetoing a name he can't pronounce.  Like most people above, I think Ayla Ann is fine, actually.

diamondduck13

neverblushed said:

queenbone said:

Unless you live in the southern US, where it's common to refer to people by both first and middle

??? I've lived in the south for just about my whole life and the only time Ive ever heard someone get called by both their FN and MN are for the relatively very few I've known who made it clear that's what they want to be called. The double name may happen more in the south than elsewhere, but its no where near as pervasive as people seem to think it is, and its only done when made clear that was what was desired, not some kind of habit or assumption southerners make about each other

Scarlett&Gatsby

diamondduck13 said:

queenbone said:

Unless you live in the southern US, where it's common to refer to people by both first and middle

??? I've lived in the south for just about my whole life and the only time Ive ever heard someone get called by both their FN and MN are for the relatively very few I've known who made it clear that's what they want to be called. The double name may happen more in the south than elsewhere, but its no where near as pervasive as people seem to think it is, and its only done when made clear that was what was desired, not some kind of habit or assumption southerners make about each other

Maybe it depends on where you live in the South? I lived in Arkansas for 18 months and heard it all the time; sometimes as a double name, other times as a term of affection (by parents or grandparents). It stays within families mostly, since most people still don't know a child's middle name.

I call my children by their first and middle names a lot. It was something I found really sweet/endearing while I was there, and I like the way the girls' names sound together.

Dr.Loretta

You're not going to use her full name that much. Ayla Ann sounds fine.

Or you can just use your grandma's first initial(s) and use an M name and another A name.

diamondduck13

Scarlett&Gatsby said:

diamondduck13 said:

neverblushed said:

queenbone said:

Unless you live in the southern US, where it's common to refer to people by both first and middle

??? I've lived in the south for just about my whole life and the only time Ive ever heard someone get called by both their FN and MN are for the relatively very few I've known who made it clear that's what they want to be called. The double name may happen more in the south than elsewhere, but its no where near as pervasive as people seem to think it is, and its only done when made clear that was what was desired, not some kind of habit or assumption southerners make about each other

Maybe it depends on where you live in the South? I lived in Arkansas for 18 months and heard it all the time; sometimes as a double name, other times as a term of affection (by parents or grandparents). It stays within families mostly, since most people still don't know a child's middle name.

I call my children by their first and middle names a lot. It was something I found really sweet/endearing while I was there, and I like the way the girls' names sound together.

Maybe it is something that happens within families or in some parts of the south more than others. I realized after I wrote that I rudely hijacked the thread with an overreaction, and felt bad about it. But I did speak from my experience of nearly 35 years in the south. For ex, I cannot remember my mom - who also has always lived in the south - ever once vocalizing my middle name, even in anger. Anyway, my apologies, exaggerated stereotypes are a pet peeve of mind, and I forgot to pause, breathe, and think before I wrote