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Baby Names
LMS05
member
What makes you like/dislike a name?
LMS05
member
in Baby Names
What makes you like or dislike a name? I like female names that are traditional and feminine. I don't like female names that are trendy, masculine, unisex, or "unique". I hardly like any male names, but the ones I do like aren't trendy or "unique".?
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Re: What makes you like/dislike a name?
I haven't checked out your name list, but from your post I'm going to guess that you and I have similar taste!
I only like very traditional names. For girls, they have to be very feminine. Nothing unisex, trendy, or masculine. For boys (and I like very few boy names), I go for tradtional names like Michael, William, Matthew, etc.
I hate when people spell names in a "unique" way. I can handle Kathryn or something like that, but when you start getting into "Alivia" and "Korryn" (remember that from the other day??) I start to give you the side-eye.
I don't care if a name is "popular" though. I'd rather name my kid Emily or Michael and have them be one of 10 in their kindergarten class than give them some trendy name that is going to make them hate me one day.
I feel the same way you do about "normal" names. My best friend wants to name her phantom baby (boy or girl) "Rage". I just do not get it. The most "unusual" name I would consider is Cordelia or Ophelia, but I think those are a lot more "normal" than a lot of names I've heard lately.
Oh, and I hate the use of the letter "y" for no good reason. Especially in boy's names, because that just makes them look girly to me. What's the point of naming your son "Jayson"? It looks feminine now and the "y" doesn't even add anything to the pronunciation. My niece is named Gwendolyn, but SIL insisted on spelling it "Gwynndolynne". I hate that!
I want a girl's name to evoke femininity, beauty and charm. But I write romance novels so I tend to look toward names you could find on the back cover of a bodice-ripper. Our girl's name is Marianna Aurora Rose. See what I mean?
Boys names I like to have strength, warmth and respectability. My son's name is Joseph Matthew Nikolas.
Overall, I dislike popular names, yet I realize that Rose is a crazy popular middle name right now. However, it's a family name, and that's hugely important to me. I also don't like weird spellings, but Nikolas is also a family name. I guess that shows that more than anything, I want those beautiful, strong names to mean something to me.
Your names are nice! "Rose" is popular right now, but I think there's a difference between "popular" and "trendy". Popular names (Emily, Rose, Elizabeth) have been well-liked for a long time and probably will be forever. "Trendy" names are the ones that will be around for awhile and then (hopefully!) go away.
Nikolas isn't a "weird" spelling to me. It's a family name, and it's not something you made up. Made-up weird spellings (hello, Korryn??) annoy the crap out of me.
Scuzzle- You took the words right out of my mouth. ?
I have to say that I am a teacher also and know ZERO Averys! It's not popular for me so I don't mind using it. I wanted to use Addison for a boy for many years and then it became a girl name!
Most of the names that are trendy and popular are names I don't see much of (if at all) in my area, circle of friends, family, school, etc. Not just Avery- names like Emma, Ella, Ava.... I don't know any. So, I still like them even though I don't want to use them.
I do like most of your name ideas. Leah was my #1 girl name but a friend used it and I still regret it being off limits now.
I think I mostly dislike really awful spellings.
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I hate names for girls that have obviously been stolen from the boy list just to be cute, trendy or "original". Emery, Elliot, Ryan, etc. Boy names are hard enough to pick without having to worry that it'll be deemed "girly" in a few years.
I hate overly trendy names. Unless it's been on the SSA list for a while, anything in the top 100 or so annoys me.?
I'm not a fan of people giving their kids very ethnic names when the family has absolutely no ties to that ethnicity. Usually when it happens it's just because the name is "interesting sounding" and not because it has any meaning to the parents.?
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I can't go back to yesterday - because I was a different person then. ~ Alice
I actually have never met a Leah and that is one reason why I really like the name. DH loves it too. He doesn't love most girl names. ?
I think one of the factors that help me decide is people I have met with that name. I tend to dislike them if I had a negative experince with them.
I also like names that are a little different - but not crazy. I also like some classic names but I think more as middle names. I guess it all just depends.
I have a lot of hang-ups about names.
No unisex names. I have one myself and it sucks. I also hate obvious male names used for girls.
Nicknames for given names. They will spend their whole life answering the question, "What's your real name?" or having people assume that their name is just a nickname. This is the case with my own name. It gets really old after a while.
No surnames unless it's from your own family. And girl names that end in -son or start with Mac-/Mc- are a huge faux pas, IMO. Names of cities/states/countries fall under this as well. Your child doesn't need to know she was conceived in [insert city here] and have it linked to her name for the rest of her life.
Popularity. I really don't like trendy names. I look at all the kids named with Top 10 names, and have to wonder if the parents just stopped looking there.
Associations - there are a few names that I just can't like because they remind me of someone less than positive. There might be nothing wrong with the name itself, but I can't get past the link.
Sound. Some names just sound bad. Some names are OK, but sound awful when paired with certain last names. My first and last names end in the "-nee" sound and sound terrible together.
Meaning. I would consider a name with a negative meaning IF it was established enough to overcome the negative connotation, but in general, I avoid them. It can be a deal-breaker.
Our necessities are that the name be a Saint's name and not sound too weird with our (very short, VERY Danish) last name.
Yooneek spellings, extraneous Ys, and surnames that aren't from your own family are my top peeves.
I completely agree with the distinction between "popular" and "trendy" names. I never want to look at my kids and think, "Wow, I named them in the 2000s, huh?" because they have super trendy, tv-inspired names.
I'll take the minority position here and say I don't mind unisex names (depending on what they are, of course). My name is unisex (at least, it can be a boy's name if they go by a certain nickname), and I've never minded it. It's just a good thing I never fell for a guy with the male version of my name; talk about awkward!
I'm with the majority when it comes to crazy spellings just for the sake of being different. Think about the kid, for crying out loud! What a pain to constantly have to correct people, and what a bummer to never be able to find a sticker pack with your name or a license plate for your bike, etc. I live in a resort town on the east coast, and to this day, I still look for my name on key chains and silly nick-nacks like that. I want my kids to be able to find their names.
Agree with you completely. I want my children to be able to find keychains and the sort with their names on it. I have a very traditional name (Laura) and always found my name on those type of things. My friend Carinne never did and I always felt bad for her. ?
I dislike unique spellings. Especially if the name is uncommon as well.
I like traditional girls names, and newer more contemporary boys names.