This is a topic that comes up often here on the Baby Name Board. Creatively spelled and made up names are not well received here, and for good reason! Recently our fabulous Baby Name Board regular, @bromios, wrote out a wonderful explanation! Before you decide to invent or misspell a name please read this over.
Names are parts of language, and the way language functions is governed by rules and natural laws of phonetics. People who say, "Well all names started somewhere" are correct, but if you go back to ancient languages (Greek, Sanskrit, Akkadian, etc), you find that most names are comprised from meaningful phonemes that recur throughout the language. So there was no random flinging together of sounds at any point. This meant that there was a time when most people were wandering around with names that literally meant things like "victory of the people" (Nicodemus) in the language that the person wearing the name spoke. There were linguistic conventions about how words were combined into a name, and that is how the spellings were determined. So there's one factor. Then there is the fact that people speaking different languages with different phonetic inventories were in frequent contact. The result is that you might have a speaker of a language that has a v sound in contact with someone whose language has a b sound. Phonetically, those two sounds are extremely similar, and so a name like Basileios (Greek) might get adopted as Vasilii by speakers of Slavic languages (to name just one example). In a period of extremely limited literacy, this is how spelling and sound changes occurred and how legitimate variation in the spelling of names came to be. Also, languages have rules about how words have to end, how verbs have to be conjugated, etc, so a foreign word would be remolded to fit into the phonetic and morphological parameters of a given language.
The important thing to understand about this process is that none of it was arbitrary or anyone deciding, "I like the way this sounds/looks better." There was no individual creativity involved. Another important thing to realize is that we no longer have the excuse of being a primarily oral culture with very low rates of literacy. Also, as speakers of English, we have a massive phonetic inventory because English is such a mutt of a language. So there are really relatively few names of Indo-European derivation that we don't have the right sounds to be able to say. Random stylistic choices of individuals are not legitimate reasons to change the spelling of a word as long as it is phonetically comprehensible in the language you speak. For example, Jackson is extremely straightforward to pronounce in English and has a meaning (son of Jack). Replacing the cks with an x is completely phonetically unnecessary for pronunciation purposes and is therefore just a misspelling. It would be like someone deciding they prefer the way sed looks to said and proceeding to misspell the word in all subsequent formal and informal written communications. This decision would make that individual look like they were poorly educated and/or didn't understand the concept of spelling. The same principle applies to names. If someone were to say, "I want to name my child Sharlot," I would assume that they meant Charlotte but found the spelling to be unintuitive or too common. In the former case, this would clearly indicate a lack of quality education. In the latter case, they would be making a change to the language based on a desire to be different, which is not how the rules of language evolution work.
So that is why it matters to us how a word is spelled and not just whether we could sound it out and end up with something that sounded like a real name.
Re: ***Why name spelling matters***
Charlotte born at 28w3d due to severe IUGR on 12.24.2012 Merry Christmas!
Missed M/C discovered 12.22.2014 at 8w1d measuring 6w3d
2015 was a year to test strength of both body and character, but it led us to this... BFP 01.26.2016 EDD 9.30.2016
BFP 1- EDD 2/09/11 Missed MC DX @11 weeks D&C- 7/25/10 BFP 2- EDD 12/22/11 Natural MC @ 5w 2d BFP 3- EDD 1/25/12 DD Josephine born 1/16/12
Looking back now I think I would have chosen to spell her name the original way. My original thought was that the spelling "Elenore" made more sense phonetically.
I first thought of the name after listening to "all the lonely people" from the Beatles but we didn't name her after the song.
We like the meaning of the name and we also liked that it was a less common/ old fashioned name. Although now everyone seems to be naming their kids old fashioned names.
I concur, 100%.
Unfortunately, I don't know if people who consider dipping into the "XY and Z bowl" for their kids' YOO-NEEK names are going to have the patience to read that - let alone the comprehesion skills to understand what you are talking about. Here's hoping...
:P
I like Jax better ;;)
Also, Kathryn (and all it's variants) have Katie as a nick name...even though there is no hard T sound in Kathryn. Same goes for Margaret/Maggie/Peggy, John/Jack, Robert/Bob, Elizabeth/Betty/Betsy, Kathleen/Kate, James/Jim...I'm sure there's more.
Justin + Laura 10.18.08
TTC #1 09.10/Dx PCOS 12.10/BFP #1 12.29.10/EDD 9.10.11/Missed m/c 2.3.11/D&C 2.15.11
“Ever has it been that love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation.”-Kahlil Gibran
Cycle #1 4.2.11 + Clomid = BFN/Cycle #2 5.9.11 + Clomid + Trigger Shot = TWINS!
Walter Allen and Eleanor Joan 1.15.12
Another baby on the way! 8.25.14
Um, if that's the way one spells a name.. Then it IS spelled correctly. Still like Jax better.
Also, Kathryn (and all it's variants) have Katie as a nick name...even though there is no hard T sound in Kathryn. Same goes for Margaret/Maggie/Peggy, John/Jack, Robert/Bob, Elizabeth/Betty/Betsy, Kathleen/Kate, James/Jim...I'm sure there's more.
True.
Eta Although when someone who reads the name Jackson (say a teacher)and decides to call that person a nn, they are more likely to say jack rather than Jacks.
Eta but I do get what op is saying. And that was an interesting read.
Ok then. I guess I don't. Carry on.
Eta Although when someone who reads the name Jackson (say a teacher)and decides to call that person a nn, they are more likely to say jack rather than Jacks.
This argument is completely invalid. No random person will be giving my child a NN. A NN is decided upon by the parents and/or child.
My sisters son is named Nicholas. But he goes by his mn at home. At school they call him by his first name, of course. Well they often call him Nick for short. Happened at camp also. Nobody in are family calls him Nick. It's not a big deal to my sister. But she wasn't there when they started calling him that, she didn't even know for awhile. He never said anything because it doesn't bother him. So who knows. Maybe your child will end up with a nn you didn't give. It happens. ;-) ok I'm done here. Have a good day.
ETA now my mom, that's a different story. She didn't want us to have nn. So she would definitely say something about it. But I like when I'm called Liv, although it is something I've only gotten used to as an adult.
I wouldn't. My dogs name is Jack.
Many of the nicknames you listed have legit historical and etymological reasons for existing. Jaxon does not.
But, you have fallen backwards into an excellent argument against yourself. Spell the name Jackson and his nickname can be Jax. Not all the letters need be present in the name for a nickname (like Katie and Kathryn, for example.). Win-win.
That's the point I was making...I think the quote boxes got messed up.
Justin + Laura 10.18.08
TTC #1 09.10/Dx PCOS 12.10/BFP #1 12.29.10/EDD 9.10.11/Missed m/c 2.3.11/D&C 2.15.11
“Ever has it been that love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation.”-Kahlil Gibran
Cycle #1 4.2.11 + Clomid = BFN/Cycle #2 5.9.11 + Clomid + Trigger Shot = TWINS!
Walter Allen and Eleanor Joan 1.15.12
Another baby on the way! 8.25.14
Further proving that you don't get the point. You is a general you. 8-|
So because it was a general you, I can't respond to as why I wouldn't use the name? Um ok :-@
So because it was a general you, I can't respond to as why I would use the name? Um ok :-@
Yeah oooook
Also, Kathryn (and all it's variants) have Katie as a nick name...even though there is no hard T sound in Kathryn. Same goes for Margaret/Maggie/Peggy, John/Jack, Robert/Bob, Elizabeth/Betty/Betsy, Kathleen/Kate, James/Jim...I'm sure there's more.
Isn't Kathryn a butchered version of Catherine?
Justin + Laura 10.18.08
TTC #1 09.10/Dx PCOS 12.10/BFP #1 12.29.10/EDD 9.10.11/Missed m/c 2.3.11/D&C 2.15.11
“Ever has it been that love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation.”-Kahlil Gibran
Cycle #1 4.2.11 + Clomid = BFN/Cycle #2 5.9.11 + Clomid + Trigger Shot = TWINS!
Walter Allen and Eleanor Joan 1.15.12
Another baby on the way! 8.25.14
My daughter is Evangeline. DH and I call her by her full name as does everyone that sees her regularly. But, others, that see her rarely have come up with several nicknames for her. Evi, Evie, Evan. Whatever, she knows her name is Evangeline. I don't really care if someone that sees her once a year calls her Evi.
Pick and choose your battles.
Justin + Laura 10.18.08
TTC #1 09.10/Dx PCOS 12.10/BFP #1 12.29.10/EDD 9.10.11/Missed m/c 2.3.11/D&C 2.15.11
“Ever has it been that love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation.”-Kahlil Gibran
Cycle #1 4.2.11 + Clomid = BFN/Cycle #2 5.9.11 + Clomid + Trigger Shot = TWINS!
Walter Allen and Eleanor Joan 1.15.12
Another baby on the way! 8.25.14