Go ahead, be honest

BlessedMomma07

I know I am probably setting myself up here as I know how this board tends to feel about "Mc" names on girls BUT I am considering using McKenzie for a mn. 

Thoughts on Reese McKenzie? Other poosibilities were Reese McKenna but I don't think it flows as nicely. (and yes, I know that McKenna makes this board want to hurl). 

My DH is Scottish so we like the idea of using McKenzie since it is also Scottish. 

Do you think McKenzie works okay for a mn? As much as I love it I have to agree that I am not as crazy about it as a fn since I can't picture it on a woman.

Okay...let's hear it.  

--halo--

I personally associate it with trailer trash, so I would never use it. BUT, if you associate it with something positive and love it, then I like your heritage reasoning.

BlessedMomma07

--halo-- said:

I personally associate it with trailer trash, so I would never use it. BUT, if you associate it with something positive and love it, then I like your heritage reasoning.

Trailer trash? Yikes!

Everytime I hear McKenzie I either picture a little girl with tight curls and big eyes or a peepy little high school cheerleader. LOL

To each their own I guess. Thanks for the honesty though :-)

--halo--

BlessedMomma07 said:

--halo-- said:

I personally associate it with trailer trash, so I would never use it. BUT, if you associate it with something positive and love it, then I like your heritage reasoning.

Trailer trash? Yikes!

Everytime I hear McKenzie I either picture a little girl with tight curls and big eyes or a peepy little high school cheerleader. LOL

To each their own I guess. Thanks for the honesty though :-)

Yea, I'm sorry! I know two McKenzies, and both fit that description. But it's totally a personal opinion of the name, so feel free to disregard it! lol

Manderlin923

Because the first name is unisex and the mn a surname the whole thing leans ambiguous for me. I like unisex names for girls but I'd pair it with a more feminine (Scottish) mn:

Reese Ailsa, Reese Mairead, Reese Glenna, etc...

BlessedMomma07

--halo-- said:

--halo-- said:

I personally associate it with trailer trash, so I would never use it. BUT, if you associate it with something positive and love it, then I like your heritage reasoning.

Trailer trash? Yikes!

Everytime I hear McKenzie I either picture a little girl with tight curls and big eyes or a peepy little high school cheerleader. LOL

To each their own I guess. Thanks for the honesty though :-)

Yea, I'm sorry! I know two McKenzies, and both fit that description. But it's totally a personal opinion of the name, so feel free to disregard it! lol

No reason to be sorry! I asked for honesty :-)

mrstengallonhat1

I really like the name Reese!  I think Reese McKenzie flows together nicely.

ArmyWife114

I think as a mn, McKenzie works well with Reese.  I'm not a fan of it as a fn, but I think as a mn it's a nice way to honor your heritage, and it does flow quite well.

jgengo0

I definitely think it works!

Ilumine

What is your husbands's clan? I wouldn't just pull any old Scottish or Scottish sounding name just becuase he is Scottish. If being Scottish means something to him, then why not actually use one of the family names?

queenbone

If your DH is Scottish I would use the name of his clan as the MN instead of a random Scottish surname. (Besides isn't McKenna Irish?)

Scarlett&Gatsby

I think the combination is fine, and I like using a Scottish surname in the MN spot. I'd spell it Mackenzie unless the other spelling was a family name, though.

Soap1

I also think trailer trash when I hear McKenzie.

Agree with pps who suggested a different way of honoring Scottish heritage.  Clan name, or maybe his favorite city in Scotland if it's name-ish. 

WashingtonQueen

I strongly dislike McKenzie and I hate Reese on a girl.

DaisyZH

I like McKenzie.  I think Reese McKenzie sounds nice.  FWIW I live in a trailer park and while I'm not a fan of the "trailer trash" label for obvious reasons, I can say that there are a wide variety of kids' names here none of which are McKenzie.

BlessedMomma07

queenbone said:

If your DH is Scottish I would use the name of his clan as the MN instead of a random Scottish surname. (Besides isn't McKenna Irish?)

McKenna is Irish and but so am I.

emmy236

FYI "Mc" names are Irish and "Mac" names are Scottish. May want to do a tad more research on that before you name your child.

BlessedMomma07

WashingtonQueen said:

I strongly dislike McKenzie and I hate Reese on a girl.

I know Reese is unisex and as much as I love the boy spelling Rhys I just can't see ever using it for a boy (not that I would have problems with anyone else using it for a boy). I've just only known girls named Reese so it's hard for me to consider it masculine.

BlessedMomma07

emmy236 said:

FYI "Mc" names are Irish and "Mac" names are Scottish. May want to do a tad more research on that before you name your child.

I'm not a fan of how Mackenzie looks. I feel is a long enough name as is so I don't want to add more letters if it isn't necessary. And I'm okay with it being Irish because even though he's Scottish, I'm Irish. Win, win :-)

Shobb414

BlessedMomma07 said:

--halo-- said:

I personally associate it with trailer trash, so I would never use it. BUT, if you associate it with something positive and love it, then I like your heritage reasoning.

Trailer trash? Yikes!

Everytime I hear McKenzie I either picture a little girl with tight curls and big eyes or a peepy little high school cheerleader. LOL

To each their own I guess. Thanks for the honesty though :-)

Yah very sad... But I suppose we all think of different things when we hear names all depends on who we have known during our lives with that name! My sisters name is Mckenzie and fortunately she is far from trailer trash!!!

mh89

Since it's in the middle name spot, I'll give it a pass. I really don't like any of the Mc/Mac names though. There are so many beautiful Scottish names out there to chose from, but if you love McKenzie, then use it.

BTW I know two men my age name Reese and MacKenzie (Mac). If I heard the name Reese McKenzie, I'd automatically assume the child was a boy. 

sweetpeace13

Not a fan but middles get a pass

strawberrytree

I think Mackenzie is fine as a middle name...however, I would assume Reese McKenzie was a boy if I saw it on paper. I was actually surprised to read your husband is Scottish, since Reese/Reece/Rhys is a rather common masculine name in the UK. I would keep either Reese or McKenzie and pair it with a clearly feminine name. I also feel like using your husband's actual clan name instead of random non-Scottish spelling to honour his heritage would be more meaningful. 

magsugar13

I don't understand the whole my husband is Scottish so we will pick a random Scottish name honor his heritage.

makes absolutely no sense to me

susieandmarty

There has to be a better way to honor his Scottish heritage

ktpaladino

Annie10 said:

Not everyone who frequents this board dislikes Mc/Mac names. While I wouldn't use one myself, I have nothing against them. I like Reese McKenna more. McKenzie sounds like its her last name and McKenna is more feminine.

This. Why don't you think McKenna flows well? I love McKenna and I think it flows much nicer!

BlessedMomma07

ETA, ahhh stuid computer is not acting right 

/:)

BlessedMomma07

ktpaladino said:

Not everyone who frequents this board dislikes Mc/Mac names. While I wouldn't use one myself, I have nothing against them. I like Reese McKenna more. McKenzie sounds like its her last name and McKenna is more feminine.

This. Why don't you think McKenna flows well? I love McKenna and I think it flows much nicer!

McKenna is still an option. I am just trying to feel out which name I like better. When I mentioned McKenna as an option the last time I was pregnant (which baby turned out to be a boy anyway so obviously that was out) I got mixed reviews on it. Of course, then we were planning on using McKenna as the fn. Maybe it wont be such an issue if it is the mn.

BlessedMomma07

magsugar13 said:

I don't understand the whole my husband is Scottish so we will pick a random Scottish name honor his heritage.

makes absolutely no sense to me

How is it any different than people who say, "I'm Italian so I'd like to pick an Italian name."
Our DS is Gavin. A name we picked because it has both Irish and Scottish backgrounds. McKenzie and McKenna may not honor his clan name but they are Scottish/Irish names that we both like. His clan name is the same as our last name so that option is out. Especially since it is often used as a male's 1st name. 
Is it wrong to pull up a list of Scottish girl names and skim through and pick one we both like? Or is the only way to honor a heritage to use the clan name? I'm confused by that.

emmylou78

I think it's really cute!

Soap1

magsugar13 said:

I don't understand the whole my husband is Scottish so we will pick a random Scottish name honor his heritage.

makes absolutely no sense to me

I understand if you or your husband is Scottish as in, born in Scotland.  But when your ancestors came over from Scotland in 1850, I won't really give you Scottish anymore

aeh72

I like it much better in the mn position than as a fn.  I do, think, you may get a lot of people asking if it is a family name though - when I see "last name"-style names in a mn spot, that's usually my assumption. 

All that said, I think Reese McKenzie has a nice flow to it.

xladybassx

I like Reese McKenzie. I have only ever known girls with these names so I would assume girl if I saw her name on a class list or something. I think the combo sounds modern, but just a little different. Your daughter would not be likely to have a bunch of other kids named Reese in her class.

capulet

I would not know whether Reese McKenzie was a boy or a girl.

I agree with PPs that choosing a random Scottish clan name isn't as good as choosing something from your actual family tree.  So obviously you can't use your DH's clan name because it's your last name anyway, but why not his mom's maiden name?  His maternal grandfather's?  Either grandmother's?  My DD's first name and DS's middle name are family surnames (my mom's and my maiden name, respectively), and to me that is honoring our heritage more than just picking some random surname appropriated from someone else's background.  And yeah, maybe the flow wouldn't sound as good as Reese McKenna/Mackenzie, but to me meaning trumps flow by like a million times, unless the flow is just awful.

BTW, my maiden name - DS's middle name - is Scottish.  It never would have crossed my mind to use another Scottish name to honor my heritage.

Scarlett&Gatsby

Soap1 said:

magsugar13 said:

I don't understand the whole my husband is Scottish so we will pick a random Scottish name honor his heritage.

makes absolutely no sense to me

I understand if you or your husband is Scottish as in, born in Scotland.  But when your ancestors came over from Scotland in 1850, I won't really give you Scottish anymore

Eh, this is a pretty big trend right now. Notice how popular Irish names are all of the sudden.

I don't see what the big deal is. If you have some heritage that you identify with, there's nothing weird about using a name that gives a nod to that. I actually look at it as a minor "good" in the world after so many of our ancestors were pressured to make a conscious effort to assimilate and abandon cultural names that gave away their heritage. They traded Maeve and Astrid for Susan and Linda because they thought that made them more "American."

I'm not saying I have any particular ties to Sweden because I have Swedish heritage. I've never been there, I don't speak Swedish, and I could certainly learn more about the culture. But I'm proud of my great-grandparents for making the choice to come across the ocean and start their lives from scratch in a completely foreign place. I can honor them by giving my child a Swedish name if I want to.

OP can do the same thing.

BlueRidge8

Ilumine said:

What is your husbands's clan? I wouldn't just pull any old Scottish or Scottish sounding name just becuase he is Scottish. If being Scottish means something to him, then why not actually use one of the family names?

THIS

It's like saying I'll pick the middle name Smith to honor my kid's American heritage?

BreannePG

I don't think there's anything wrong with Mackenzie.  I love the idea of naming a girl Mackenzie and calling her Mac.  I had Mackenzie on my short list for middle names as well, also was considering Kenzie.  Think about that Reese Kenzie.

queenbone

BlessedMomma07 said:

magsugar13 said:

I don't understand the whole my husband is Scottish so we will pick a random Scottish name honor his heritage.

makes absolutely no sense to me

How is it any different than people who say, "I'm Italian so I'd like to pick an Italian name."

Our DS is Gavin. A name we picked because it has both Irish and Scottish backgrounds. McKenzie and McKenna may not honor his clan name but they are Scottish/Irish names that we both like. His clan name is the same as our last name so that option is out. Especially since it is often used as a male's 1st name. 

Is it wrong to pull up a list of Scottish girl names and skim through and pick one we both like? Or is the only way to honor a heritage to use the clan name? I'm confused by that.

Those people are probably choosing an Italian given name like Giovanna or Lorenzo rather than a random surname like Corleone or Castagna. Do you really not see the difference?

This pains me a little because I do have Scottish ancestry, as does my DH, and I have Irish ancestry so your logic of changing the spelling from MacKenzie to McKenze in order to make it shorter and then make it 'Irish' too (squee! look at all the bases I'm covering!) makes me cringe. Irish and Scottish are not the same thing!! You seem to have a blatant disregard for how genealogy or ethnic ties work.

Just be honest, you like McKenna and McKenzie. Which is totally your prerogative, but it has nothing to do with your H's background, you are just saying that to gain points and win him over or something. Please stop trying to defend your choices as being due to your H being Scottish, because your explanations don't make any sense.

BlessedMomma07

queenbone said:

BlessedMomma07 said:

magsugar13 said:

I don't understand the whole my husband is Scottish so we will pick a random Scottish name honor his heritage.

makes absolutely no sense to me

How is it any different than people who say, "I'm Italian so I'd like to pick an Italian name."

Our DS is Gavin. A name we picked because it has both Irish and Scottish backgrounds. McKenzie and McKenna may not honor his clan name but they are Scottish/Irish names that we both like. His clan name is the same as our last name so that option is out. Especially since it is often used as a male's 1st name. 

Is it wrong to pull up a list of Scottish girl names and skim through and pick one we both like? Or is the only way to honor a heritage to use the clan name? I'm confused by that.

Those people are probably choosing an Italian given name like Giovanna or Lorenzo rather than a random surname like Corleone or Castagna. Do you really not see the difference?

This pains me a little because I do have Scottish ancestry, as does my DH, and I have Irish ancestry so your logic of changing the spelling from MacKenzie to McKenze in order to make it shorter and then make it 'Irish' too (squee! look at all the bases I'm covering!) makes me cringe. Irish and Scottish are not the same thing!! You seem to have a blatant disregard for how genealogy or ethnic ties work.

Just be honest, you like McKenna and McKenzie. Which is totally your prerogative, but it has nothing to do with your H's background, you are just saying that to gain points and win him over or something. Please stop trying to defend your choices as being due to your H being Scottish, because your explanations don't make any sense.

Well of course I like the names! I wouldn't consider them if I didn't. I am not trying to "win my husband over" by using Scottish based names, the "Mc" type names are something that he suggested. I would still be considering the names even if they were from another background. I just think it is a bonus that they happen to have both Irish and Scottish heritage. 

McKenna and McKenzie are just mn options that I like and I just wanted to hear opinions on how they fit. Reese is in no way Scottish or Irish but I am pretty set on it as the 1st name. Don't you think that if I was so wrapped up in honoring my husband's heritage that I would choose a differnt 1st name? I am just simply looking for names that I like that flow well together that my DH and I agree on. The background of the name is just a bonus not a determining factor.