Do your names affect

jlw559

what you name LO?

SO and I have very plain names: Jeff and Jessica.

So I was wondering if any of you keep the style of your names in mind when naming LO or just focus on names you like.

ToBeMrsT

Yes big time.  dh has a unisex name that has caused lots of annoying problems and I have VERY unique name that nobody can pronounce.

We gave our kids names that weren't super common, but also not too weird and definitely not unisex at all. Both of their names are ranked in the 130s/140s on the SSA website.

erinlovesdavid

Yes, they do.  I say this to the extent that DH and I grew up with common names (Erin and David), so we will try to name our children something a little less common. We are currently looking at names that are older, but still common enough that people know how to spell/say them.

But also, we won't name them something TOO out there, like Lamp or Couch, because that would definitely clash with our names. 

tct1219

Yes. I grew up with a very trendy name (Taylor) so it has definitely made me realize how it can be a positive or a negative. I prefer names that are either not in the top 1000 but are established, recognizable names or older names that have been in the 200s or so for a while so I can avoid trendy names.

Smores730

Yes. I grew up as "Jessica G." and won't be using any names that are way up on the charts.

EastCoastBride

No.  Not at all.  I don't feel either of us has ever felt any stigma or issue w/ our names.  Both common -though!  Jonathan (jon) and Sarah. 

But it really did not play a role at all in picking a ]name for our DS.

jlw559

Smores730:

Yes. I grew up as "Jessica G." and won't be using any names that are way up on the charts.

Despite the fact that my name was Jessica, there was only ever one other Jessica in most of my classes. One time in middle school there were two others. But what bugged me was that the teacher always talked one of us into being "Jessie" or "Jess" when neither of us wanted to. 

brightning

My name is Shannon and I wanted DD to have a name that couldn't be shortened to a nickname. DD's name is Dana.

JillAly

brightning:

My name is Shannon and I wanted DD to have a name that couldn't be shortened to a nickname. DD's name is Dana.

Funny- I wanted the opposite.  My name is Jill (not Jillian) and I never had a nn.  I always wanted one!  So my daughter will definitely have a name that can be shortened/made cute when a kid and yet is still a grown up name when she's older.  We're leaning towards Allison but I also like Amelia and Alexandra. 

As far as popularity, I wouldn't want a name that is top 10 but anywhere in the top 100 is fine.  I don't want weird or unique.  It's more important that it be something that can be pronouced easily and spelled in the "regular" way.  I'd rather let my daughter's talents define her - not her name.

HappyMrsK

I havn't really thought about. DH and I have more traditional names and we tend to like the more traditional/classic names.  We want something that is not too popular but nothing that is really out there either.

Mneme

Yes, but not because we want them to "fit" with ours, but because of the issues we had or things we like.

 I have a name that is very common now, but was near unheard of when I was little.  It is also traditionally a boy's name, and my mom spelled it like the surname rather than the given name (kudos if you can guess my name)

My husband has an older name that is naturally inclined to nickname.

 Thus, I favor names that are definite for gender (no ambiguous names or using boy names on girls) and that are spelled correctly!  It bothered me as a child when I had to constantly correct people on my gender and the pronunciation of my name.  Even now, people don't spell my name right.

My husband agrees with this and also tends to favor names that leave open potential for a nickname (which I hate because I never had a nickname).  So we have a hard time agreeing on anything

bexter

I went through school with many other girls who had my name and was always referred to as Becky S. That was kind of annoying. So, I'd like to give our LOs names that are uncommon and yet still pretty normal. I don't know if that makes sense.

Edited for clarity. 

mcmann05

I definitely do not have DH and I's names play a part in picking the name. Do I want it to be incredibly out there? No. I do want something different though. DH-Samuel nn Sam so it's unisex. Me-Ashley--wasn't as popular back when my Mom named me and is unisex as well but more leaning towards female...(Ashley from Gone with the Wind).  

 

brookelynpaisley

Yes, DH is Dan (Daniel) and he doesn't want our kids to have a name as common as his. We were at a BBQ last week with 4 Dan's, and it really illustrated for me how having a common name can be so odd. My name is Brooke, and I never have to worry about being Brooke K. or Brooke #2. We agree that we'd choose names like mine - not common but not too out there. I'm fine with most names in the top 30-100.