Baby Name List Voting Etiquette

unamilagra · January 2011

Hey there,

I am a newly expecting mom and I'm getting really excited about joining these boards. I noticed a lot of people have baby name lists for people to vote on. I was just wondering what everyone's criteria were for voting yes or no on a name. Do you only vote yes if you would use the name yourself or it is on your list? What do you generally do with names that are just OK or aren't your style, but you think they're still perfectly acceptable names for someone else - do you not vote? Vote yes/no? What about names where you like the first name but don't like the middle name or the flow of the two together?

LOL I'm probably way overthinking this but I thought it would be interesting to see what everyone else did or if there is some sort of generally accepted practice. Oh and I created a new name list, so feel free to vote on mine! Smile

braveangel2 · January 2011

Welcome to the board!

I click yes on names that I think work well and are spelled correctly. Depending on the overall list, I'll sometimes vote for a so-so name because it might be my favorite of the options.

ETA: Okay, I took a look at your list and while I love the name, Lorelei, I can't vote for it because of the spelling you have. The boys seem pretty consistent in style so it was easy to vote yes on most of those. The girl names ranged, so I just voted yes on names I liked personally or felt were obviously feminine.

joanithegreat · January 2011

braveangel2:

Welcome to the board!

I click yes on names that I think work well and are spelled correctly. Depending on the overall list, I'll sometimes vote for a so-so name because it might be my favorite of the options.

This!

cozylittlecave · January 2011

If people only voted on names that they'd use, there'd be a lot of no's!

I vote differently depending on the whole list. If I loathe all names (for reasons like spelling/trashy sounding/uber trendy/made up), I might vote no to all of them. I almost always vote yes to my favorite at least- but usually about 1/4 of them get a yes from me (the names I like a lot more than the others).

sunnyday016 · January 2011

I usually vote yes to names I either really like, or names that are NMS but still nice names. I vote no to anything that's misspelled. If I don't like any of them, I either say no to all, or vote yes on the one I hate the least. On lists where they have middle names listed, I go by what I like and what I think flows the best.

Welcome to the board and congrats on your pregnancy!

Notwifezilla7 · January 2011

If a name appeals to me, I'll vote yes. If it's a uneek spelling or something I just don't care for, then no. There have been moments I have voted all "no".

lovemytwoboys · January 2011

Welcome to the board!

I vote "yes" on names that I like or think sound nice (even though I might not personally use them). I vote "no" to boys names for girls, names I dislike or have an incorrect spelling, etc.

I always find it a bit odd when I come across a name list like yours. I go through the girl names and don't like most of them and vote "no" pretty consistently. I go into the boy name list thinking it is going to be the same, and the style completely changes! There are a few traditional/classic names on your girl list, but there are a lot of names on the complete opposite end of the spectrum. Your boy names are all pretty classic/traditional.

My favorites on your boy list are Caleb, Benjamin, Connor, David, Garrett, Noah, Patrick and Zachary.

narabug · January 2011

I vote yes to all the names that I like. As far as ones that are nms but still decent names, I'll vote no if there are names on the list that I actually like, or yes if there are no really good ones. If first middle combinations are listed I'll vote based on the flow. If I don't like them together, or really don't like the middle name I'll vote no. There have been a few times when I've just not voted on a name. It's usually been a name I hadn't heard of before that I didn't have an initial opinion of.

unamilagra · January 2011

lovemytwoboys:

I always find it a bit odd when I come across a name list like yours. I go through the girl names and don't like most of them and vote "no" pretty consistently. I go into the boy name list thinking it is going to be the same, and the style completely changes! There are a few traditional/classic names on your girl list, but there are a lot of names on the complete opposite end of the spectrum. Your boy names are all pretty classic/traditional.

My favorites on your boy list are Caleb, Benjamin, Connor, David, Garrett, Noah, Patrick and Zachary.

Thanks for all the responses everyone!

It's funny you should say that, I actually had the same reaction when I reviewed my list. I think it's probably because for the girls I've included both mine and DH's choices, whereas with the boys I've only includede mine. I tend to like more classic names like Audrey, Meredith, Elizabeth and Nichole, whereas he thinks they are too "normal" and "common". He really likes Delaney and Carson (although I would insist on adding the y so she wouldn't be mistaken for a boy. He has yet to suggest a boy name that doesn't make me wanna Ick! (he likes Jackson, Parker, Cooper, etc.) so I just left his suggestions off completely.

If I have it my way we will go with Tierney for a girl and Patrick for a boy. I know Tierney seems weird to some, but I like it because it is a unique yet legitimate, classic Irish name.

ubermoose · January 2011

Wow, that's an interesting question!

Generally, I ask myself, "Do I basically like that name?" "What would my gut reaction be if my sister said she was considering this name?" "If my kid was talking about a classname named X, would I think it sounded like a neat name?"

There's a number of names that would probably never make it to my list for whatever reason, but that I still think sound like great options. So these I'll give a thumbs up. (For instance, looking at your list... Meredith caught my attention. doesn't work with my last name, but I've always thought it was a very pretty name.)

Then there's the names that, for whatever reason, I'm just not into. Maybe the spelling looks odd, or it seems too trendy, stuffy, trashy, weird--you get the picture. If I hear the name and I just don't get the appeal, I'll vote no.

I think a lot of it depends on the list, though. I'm looking at your boy list, for example, and I actually like your boy picks. The couple that I'm more neutral about I might give a thumbs down to, not because I have a problem with them, but because I feel the others are stronger picks. I think the reverse is also true. If I'm looking at a list that I don't really care for any of the names, I will think about which ones I think are the strongest, and vote yes on those. (Of course, you get the occassional really bad list, in which case I usually just point and laugh.)

If I have a specific concern about a name combo or spelling, I'll generally comment and say something like, "I really like the names Adam and Andrew separately, but together, the flow seems off" or "I prefer the spelling Jason to Jayson."

supermanda · January 2011

Personally, I use the process of elimination when I vote on a namelist, voting an immediate 'no' to the names I strongly dislike, then I try to asses the other names and vote for my favorites and then the lesser of any evils.

I usually try to look at the names objectively, because, even if I personally wouldn't use it the name could still be a very solid, great name. Wow, I managed to use a lot of cliches in that paragraph.

[lu?ia] · January 2011

My yes/no votes are usually just based on instinct. "Would I be embarrassed to have this as a name?" and "Would I be embarrassed to introduce my child with this name?" are usually my subconscious routes of getting to an answer for voting, but things like, "Does this name bore me to tears?" and "Is it spelled decently?" and "Is this a boy name on a girl" (the latter two also tend to hand-in-hand with the first two questions) also come in to play. I don't have a method, I just go with the 'yes/no' feeling I get from the names. Most of the names on my list are names most people on this board probably haven't heard of before, so I'd be dishing out a ton of 'no's if I only voted for names on my own list. It also really depends on the list overall. If it's a girl list consisting of something like: Emerson, Jayden, Kayden, Hayden, Peyton, Dale and Regan, even though I don't like Regan, I'd give it a yes and the others a no, just because Regan is used in King Lear and the others don't have that kind of history as a female name. If it's Isabella, Sophia, Isla and Regan, I'd probably still pick Regan just because I'm tired of the other three.

If there's an accepted practice, I definitely don't know what it is

[lu?ia] · January 2011

[lu?ia]:
My yes/no votes are usually just based on instinct. "Would I be embarrassed to have this as a name?" and "Would I be embarrassed to introduce my child with this name?" are usually my subconscious routes of getting to an answer for voting, but things like, "Does this name bore me to tears?" and "Is it spelled decently?" and "Is this a boy name on a girl" (the latter two also tend to hand-in-hand with the first two questions) also come in to play. I don't have a method, I just go with the 'yes/no' feeling I get from the names. Most of the names on my list are names most people on this board probably haven't heard of before, so I'd be dishing out a ton of 'no's if I only voted for names on my own list. It also really depends on the list overall. If it's a girl list consisting of something like: Emerson, Jayden, Kayden, Hayden, Peyton, Dale and Regan, even though I don't like Regan, I'd give it a yes and the others a no, just because Regan is used in King Lear and the others don't have that kind of history as a female name. If it's Isabella, Sophia, Isla and Regan, I'd probably still pick Regan just because I'm tired of the other three.
If there's an accepted practice, I definitely don't know what it is

As I just started voting on your list, I realize that I go through and pick the "yes" names first and then the definite "no" names and then gage the others against the yeses and nos and how much I like them in comparison.

starlight8323 · January 2011

This is exactly why I don't have a name list available for votes. Since there are no standard rules for voting, you never know what people mean when they vote "no".

"Do you only vote yes if you would use the name yourself or it is on your list?" No

When I first joined the board, I had a tendency to vote down or comment with negatively a lot more often when a name wasn't my style.

But now I've come to appreciate many different styles of names, even if they aren't my style. I've also learned to put aside my personal associations with the name, and have come a long way in being able to put aside pop culture references as well (though I don't see myself ever coming around to Twilight names).

As long as it's a legitimate name (my personal standard for this is that it either has to be found on BehindTheName.com OR the poster has to give evidence that it's a legitimate name in another culture), and as long as it is spelled correctly (or a legitimate alternate spelling), and as long as it is used for the correct gender, then there is little chance I will vote "no" on it.

"What do you generally do with names that are just OK or aren't your style, but you think they're still perfectly acceptable names for someone else - do you not vote?" In this situation I vote "yes" about 90% of the time.

"What about names where you like the first name but don't like the middle name or the flow of the two together?" I vote "no", because flow is very important to me (unless the middle name is specified as a very important family name). Then I usually make a comment in the thread with my recommended combos, or I at least explain why I voted "no".

"I'm probably way overthinking this." NO you aren't. IMO, there is no such thing as overthinking a child's name. And voting "yes" or "no" on a name may have an impact on what that person chooses.

"Oh and I created a new name list, so feel free to vote on mine!" Done, and done. (PS: I voted "yes" for all of your boys names) Smile

jiffy-pop · January 2011

I vote yes if I think the name is suitable for any baby, not just my own baby. I vote no if I don't like the name period.

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