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Baby Names
fiasco
member
"serious"girl names
fiasco
member
in Baby Names
Girl names are so tough! I don't really think of myself as the feminist type, but I think there are two categories of girl names- pretty and serious. And while I think the serious- Anne, Catherine, Elizabeth might be a little boring, I just can't see my daughter becoming a doctor, Judge or writer with some of the girl names I think are pretty. Or for that matter with any of these trendy girl names I hear a lot. Do you feel responsible to your daughter's future career options? Maybe it's cuz DH and I are both lawyers but if I can't picture it spelled out on her degree, I automatically kind of think it's silly. Then when we find a solid, classic name we love like Abigail, I put it into the SS website only to find it's #8 right now. I just can't use it. Growing up with a name like Alia doesn't help my name biases : )
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Re: "serious"girl names
I do know what you mean about feeling somewhat responsible for your daughter's career options, but hey, you were named Alia, and you became a lawyer! So don't worry yourself too much. She will do whatever she is meant to do. Just don't go TOO crazy.
We went with a serious name I guess (Katherine) but shorten it to Kate to keep it young and less serious for a litlte one. We have considered Elizabeth for a future baby and calling her Ella for short. I personally like names that give children an option. If my DD wants to stay Kate forever she can. But she can also be Katherine, Katie, Kat, and even *shudder* Kathy.
I also love the name Abigail but balk at the to 10 rating currently. How about Allison?
These cute trendy names are so popular though, that by the time our kids grow up, they will be the norm and will not seem strange to anyone.
some of them, but they will all be dated. Some of the names, however (where the parents are trying to be "unique") will never seem normal.
We went with Catherine (Cate) because its timeless.
Many wishes for a safe and speedy delivery, Irish!
You must be so excited.
Thanks! Any day now
Names I consider "serious": Natalie, Laura, Alexandra, Margaret, Jane, Eleanor, Julia, Susan, Caroline, Vivienne, Samantha, Victoria, Lillian, Diane
I do think that names can be both serious and pretty. Also, I doubt that your daughter will feel limited in her career options because of her name. I'm sure there are doctors, judges and writers with names like Candy or Bunny, although I understand why you want to find something that sounds more professional. Good luck!
Girl names are easier for me than boy names, oddly enough. But our taste tends towards more old-fashioned names that we think will grow well.
Our list has had things on it like Evelyn, Elinor, Natalia, Vivian, Katharina, Viola, Natasha, Sophia, Caroline, Margaret, Elizabeth and Olivia. You can still have pretty and feminine with a more grown-up and serious name.
I agree. It was much easier picking out our son's name than it was our daughter's. I like strong, traditional, masculine names for boys. I like uncommon names with a meaning for girls.
HAHA I had to laugh at this-my name is Kathryn, I go by Katie and Kate, and I HATE when people call me Kathy!! DH knows this so he calls me "Kath" all the time, drives me nuts!
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Unfortunately a name can have a huge impact. People judge and make assumptions. Although someone names "Bunny" could be a lawyer, you are setting her up to have a more difficult path to that goal with a name that people may not take seriously.
IMO, naming a child isn't just about picking a name you love. IMO thats selfish. Its about giving your child a name that will give her the easiest path in life. Loving the name should be a factor, but not THE factor. Its not all about me. Its about her.
I think you're giving people WAY too much credit. Of course people judge based on names! Whether they admit it out loud is one thing but it's almost impossible not to form an opinion when you hear a name. Right or wrong, we are hard-wired that way. And right or wrong, name stereotypes get formed and there will always be connotations with certain names. I would bet $5 that most people don't think "lawyer or astronaut" when they hear Bambi, Brandi, or Candi...
ITA about having a 'serious' name ... which is why our son was named Jackson and not just 'Jack'.
Formal girl names I love : Charlotte, Natalie, Elizabeth, Renee, Michelle, Katherine, Caroline
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I actually read an article not too long ago about research done on female lawyers with more masculine names - turned out they had a better shot of obtaining a judgeship and earn more money than their girly-named counterparts (https://www.nancy.cc/2009/08/20/female-lawyers-with-masculine-names-fare-better/). So, I do think you have reason to take this under consideration!
I grew up with a strong family bias against really girly names (my Mom is named Kevin to give you an example). We ended up naming our DD Alexandra and we call her Alex. Calling her Alex appeases my need for more gender neutrality and I figure with a name like Alexandra, she can go by any number of nicknames later on if she so desires.
I think the name you choose definitely has an impact. I interview people for jobs (I'm a lawyer too) and it's human nature to look at a name like Candi and get an image in your head. Of course, when you meet the person, your image can change, but you are setting up a child for an additional hurdle. Just like a girl named Tom or a boy named Sue will have issues throughout their life.
Charlotte, Katherine, Alexandra and Allison are at the top of my list right now. I think Claire and Jane are also solid names - I just like the idea of giving a child a nn when they're little and yet having a resume name for when they're older.
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I agree with this. Neither of my parents was born in this country and I am the only one of my siblings born here in the US. Despite all of their "foreign" sounding names, my parents and siblings are all fairly successful people- lawyer, veterinarian, CFO/accountant, Executive Director of a Non-Profit Org. You're not giving the general public enough credit for evaluating a person based on anything besides his/her name.
I think the great thing about those classic names is the options. Katherine can be Kate, Katie, Kathy, Kat, Kiki, all kinds of things that could suit her personality while she still has a formal name that looks great on business cards. I think it also allows you to segment your life. Katherine at work, Kate with friends, Katie with family.
But I would never be frightened away from a name I loved because of some dream of what she might want to do someday 20 or 30 years in the future. I mean, what if you give her this classic, professional name, and she wants to be a bohemian performance artist? Or a rock star? Or a poet?
Ultimately, it's about giving your child a gift of a name that speaks to you about the person you want her to be, not the job she might hold. Yes, great to give those "President of the United States" questions a run to weed out the craziness, but I think sometimes people skew the other direction and get ruled by them. Freakonomics isn't a holy text.
AH-lee-uh, definitely not like your bf's All-EE-ah but that's how most people pronounce it when they read it. While of course my name has grown on me over the years, the pronunciation thing has been the bane of my existence. Too bad my Mom didn't have the bump so she could post "How would you pronounce this name?" lol
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