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***Why name spelling matters***

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Re: ***Why name spelling matters***

  • wassuphoeswassuphoes member
    mvhyde said:

    mattandlora said

    We're not as close-minded towards other cultures as the post came across. 

    Yes, I am really only posting to the OP and to people who have commented on this post. This post was so prolific that it came up in my 'bump board feed'. I am usually a better lurker but felt that the many supporters of OP begged some counter argument. 
    Most of posters early on in this thread have moved on to the dark side.

    Generally speaking, those of us who still frequent this board have no problems with names that honor heritage or transliteration. That said, I am not particularly familiar with any language past English. When someone posts names I'm not familiar with I usually search for them to learn about them, but I'm sure I've knocked a name or two that I shouldn't have. 

    That said, please stick around and contribute! It's wonderful to have different cultural viewpoints, and if I am making a mistake I would love to know so that I don't make it again in the future.
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  • magsugar13magsugar13 member
    edited May 2015
    KWilson990 said:
    Jackson nn Jack- Jaxon nn Jax I like Jax better ;;)
    I love the spelling Jaxson <3
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  • wassuphoeswassuphoes member
    groovylocks said:
    wassuphoes said:
    I think there are different levels of unique names because some vary by a letter and some are literally just letters and I totally understand that being nonsense. 

    Alison or Allison
    Ashley or Ashleigh
    Haley or Hayley
    Katherine or Kathryn
    Keira or Kira (my niece is Keira and it is mispronounced)
    Eliza or Elyza (my friend is Elyza, mispronounced all the time)

    Are the names after the "or" consider wrong? I don't think so, they just vary by a letter. I think that's okay and even sometimes as most put it "correctly" spelled can be pronounced wrong. My name is spelled correctly and it is pronounced wrong almost 85% of the time, depends on where the person who is saying it is from. 

    Name your child what you would like or spell it uniquely but I would not get mad if a mispronunciation happens. When I was younger I would get annoyed and I had a nickname but now as an adult I just shrug it off because it happens almost regularly. That's the way it goes. I have my baby names picked out and for my girls names I have had others tell me my spellings are not "correct" and that's there opinion as this is my opinion. 
    I don't consider the "leigh" variation valid. In most cases, "leigh" wouldn't be a "lee" sound, it would be a "lay" sound like in "sleigh". Generally speaking, if you are changing the spelling of a name to look "prettier" you are wrong.
    Actually Leigh is the traditional spelling for a girl...
    But just Leigh. Not Ashleigh or Finleigh or any of that nonsense. When you put letters in front of it the pronounciation changes.
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  • groovylocksgroovylocks member
    edited May 2015
    BBaires said:
    This reads as pretentious. Language is fluid. There are no "laws" and "rules," just guides. It's our job to carry it forward in the way we see fit and naming your child is one of the most personal decisions. It should be free of this type of elitist attitude. 
    Language changes for good reason, common sense or powerful creativity. Not because some random person tried to flex creative muscles they don't have. Sorry but 90% of this creative name crap is being perpetuated by non creative people. Shakespeare gets to reinvent language. Not you. Those able to successfully manipulate the english language recognize instinctively how it's done. And that it's not done on random whims. Name your kid whatever you want. But don't get irate when people form opinions about you or dismiss your child's resume.
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  • urby87urby87 member
    edited May 2015
    wassuphoes said:
    My name is spelled shawna, most people want to spell it shauna. However is someone tries to tell me my name is spelled wrong it's gonna piss me off. My name isn't spelled wrong. I get that language has rules but if no one is saying the name wrong I don't see how it matters. My daughters name will be Caleigha. Found it online its Hawaiian. Is it considered spelled wrong? Even if it is I don't care I like how it sounds and I didn't choose the spelling of it.
    You contradicted yourself. I'm extremely confused as to what you actually are trying to articulate? 
    And for good measure.
    .image
    For those who might be wondering how the bolded is contradictory, this is what the Hawaiian alphabet looks like:
    image
    So the name being mentioned, in its Hawaiian form, is actually "Kaleia," which means flower wreath.
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  • CeCe8579CeCe8579 member
    This thread is funny and it always amuses me how fired up people get on both sides of these debates.
    Carly
    (Former UN: iloveshanej)

    Birdie born 05/01/2007
    Rainbow Surprise Baby due 05/26/2017                                          


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  • daetynharlemdaetynharlem member
    Who cares how people choose to spell their kids name, it ain't your kid so you shouldn't have a problem with it!
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  • camusoh2011camusoh2011 member
    We spelled DS name Kegan instead of Keegan or Keagan. Neither seemed right to me, even though technically his name (the way we spelled it) should be Keg-an. There are times I don't mind and times that it is ridiculous, but as the PP said, the fact that so many people are doing it causes it to be part of our language is adapting. There are so many words being added to the dictionary that aren't "correct" but because they are being used they have become part of our speech. 

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  • camusoh2011camusoh2011 member
    bbiutmcph said:
    Who cares how people choose to spell their kids name, it ain't your kid so you shouldn't have a problem with it!
    Because misspelled names give off an uneducated vibe, cause hassle for the child and again like any word they have correct usage and spelling. Just like how AIN'T isn't a real word so most people don't use it for fear of being perceived as not knowing any better .
    Actually, because of how much it has been used, ain't has been added to some dictionaries. I'm still not a fan, but it goes back the point that when something is done for so long and so often it causes changes in what is considered correct. 

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  • parenthood4parenthood4 member
    Scorpgirl444 said:

    I wasn't going to chime in but I must now that I read someone's very wrong idea of how Leigh is pronounced.  My middle name is Leigh...pronounced Lee.  My daughter is Ashleigh.  Again, pronounced as Ashlee.  

    If we are really going to argue what is a correct spelling and what is not...her name should be Ashlee and not Ashley or Ashleigh because clearly only the first could possibly be correct.  Is Ley pronounced as Lee?  I don't think so.  That would also be pronounced as Lei.  And furthermore on Lee, Lei, Ley or Leigh...I have heard of people naming their child Ashlei.  Are they also wrong?  

    Who is anyone to tell another person that they are spelling their child's name wrong?  It's a friggin name for gosh sakes!  It's also...none of your darn business.  I work with kids who have to point out how everyone else around them is wrong.  You know what we tell them?  Worry about yourself.  So guess what folks...worry about yourselves and how you want/need to spell your own child's name.  This is another way that society is trying to dictate how people "have" to do things.  Last I checked, I live in the United States and we don't have anyone to tell us how many kids we can have, what they have to be named, how to spell their names, where to live...none of that.  We all decide those things for ourselves.  

    Yup, all languages have an origin and they develop and change in certain ways according to how those languages were first built.  So...should we never use slang language because "it's not correct."  Should we go back to using the same words our parents or their parents or their parents or their parents used?  No.  We shouldn't because if we did that, we'd never let our language evolve.  When things evolve, they change.  There is no right or wrong way for something to change.  I mean jeez...there are people spelling names right but putting apostrophes in places that make you look twice at the name like...what the heck am I looking at right now.  Does putting an apostrophe in a correctly spelled name make it incorrect as well?  The letters are the same but it's said completely differently because of that apostrophe.

    Why don't we focus on being upset if someone is abusing their child or putting them in danger a different way?  Why do we have to attack each other with these petty "concerns" over how someone chooses to spell their own child's name?

    I've stayed out of this, because I don't feel nearly as strongly about it as many do, but...

    It's a baby name board. If you post something asking for people's opinions on a name, then you get their opinions. They may like it, or they may dislike the name and/or spelling. The thread is to explain how many people here feel, but it is certainly not a requirement nor all encompassing.

    Again, it's a baby name board. It's just for fun and all opinions should be taken with a grain of salt. People don't always share those opinions nicely, which I don't like either. But you can't ask for opinions and then get upset if you don't like what people say (the general you, not you specifically).
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  • wassuphoeswassuphoes member
    @Veckia  back in, January? There was a lot of Drama with the changing of TOU and banning of mods, so many many posters on here went to a different forum, that forum is referred to as the Dark Side.

    I occasionally pop in on the name board over there, cause they're awesome and have great advice on the phonetics, etymology, history, everything nerdy, on names. A few of them are actual linguists, whereas I am but a hobbyist. 


    For the record, a lot of my, dislike of creative spellings comes from having a somewhat "creatively" spelled name as well. It's annoying, and no I'm not any more special because I have an extra N in my name or a prettier version of Lee as a middle name (Lea). It's just annoying. 

    Creative names are for pets, fictional characters and Starbucks baristas.
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  • wassuphoeswassuphoes member

    anamilia said:
    I have to say that (and I know I am in the minority here) that this all seems just so judgemental and paternalistic. 

    We can start with the fact that my name is Debra. A variation on Deborah. But, according to this post it is a misspelling that started sometime in the 1930's made by someone who was ignorant or wanted something unique. Well, it must have been because someone was ignorant because Deborah wasn't very popular in the 1930's. But, even that doesn't make a ton of sense because Deborah is typically(not always) pronounced with 3 syllables while with Debra it is just 2 syllables. 

    And while the history of names may be that you were calling someone a phrase (such as "son of xyz", "the bee", "God is salvation", or "to sparkle"), I don't think that many people follow that convention today. In fact, I find that people who do follow this convention create names that are considered more "uneducated." As an aside, often "uneducated" reads "ethnic" and makes people come off as the "r" word. You know which word I mean. 

    Next thing you know we will be like the Nazis (not being facetious) or how France was before 1993, or any number of other countries are now, where your child's name had to come from a list of pre-approved names that adhere to proper spelling. Because we all need to be proper all the time. Why do you think that so many French people are named hyphenated things? Because parents were tired of every kid being named Marie or Jean.  In iceland there are only about 1800 approved names per gender - to put that in perspective, the US population is about 320,000,000. I think I like the current system even if a few interesting names come out of it every now and again. 

    And what about names of foreign origin when it come to precious correct spelling? All the "misspellings" of Ellis Island. Or Chinese names that can be written in english different ways depending on what form on pinyin you use? Will we label someone ignorant if they use one form or another when there really is no right way? (And for all those people who are like - we aren't talking about "foreign" names here - yes you are, they are just a lot older and most likely from a romance language.) 

    Here's the kicker (you'll love this) - I agree with most of you in practice. I, personally, do not like to spell things a unique way just for the sake of being unique. But, I also don't like judging other people (ESPECIALLY without knowing the reasons behind the spelling) or belittling them or making them feel less than. And I hate making a kid feel bad by calling their parents ignorant or selfish. image
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  • FlashparadeFlashparade member
    stahlop said:

    Here's the thing about creatively spelled names, it still sounds the same as the regularly spelled name. As a teacher you are still going to be Kaylee A. And Kaylee B. even if it's spelled Kailei and Kaeli (yes I had both of these in my class this year). So just do your kid a favor and spell it correctly so it saves them the heartache of having to spell it out or pronounce it for everyone.

    OMG this a million times this!! You have read my mind because I have been saying the exact same thing for years. You can spell a name as crazy as you want but I'm the end it's still going to be pronounced the same as the regular or accepted spelling, so whom are you doing a favor for!
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  • lalala2004lalala2004 member
    Saw this article today and thought of this thread: https://thestir.cafemom.com/pregnancy/185932/17_baby_names_that_are?utm_medium=sm&utm_source=facebook&utm_content=beingamom_fanpage&dmpg=f
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  • matteosmom2012matteosmom2012 member

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  • urby87urby87 member
    veckia said:
    urby87 said:
    My husband's ex chose SS's name without any input from my husband because it was presumed at the time that he would not be in the picture (that changed as soon as he met his son -- children have a way of melting hearts).  His middle name is "Hadyn," pronounced "Hayden."  Considering that Hadyn isn't even spelled that way for pseudo-phonetic reasons and is purely "creative" spelling, that causes a great deal of confusion when his middle name comes up (which, luckily, is relatively rare).  His first name, however, is also "creative," in that it is a shortened form of an established longer name.  This can be very confusing, as well.  Some people will ask, "Oh, short for ______?"  To which, we must cringingly respond, "Nope, just ____."  Others won't ask - assuming that we call him by a nickname - and proceed to use the full version until corrected.  Being "creative" is not always what it's cracked up to be.  If you want to be creative, pick a name that's truly unique.  Don't try to put a spin on an established name to make it your own, because that often turns out to be way more of a hassle than it's worth.  Just my two cents from experience with a child who has a "creative" name...
    Franz Joseph Haydn was an Austrian composer in the 1700's... I always assumed "Hayden" was the creative spelling.

    This whole board is kind of disheartening to me. I really love names and talking about them. So, I was excited to see a whole board devoted to them, but this board feels like an exclusive club of name snobs. Anyone who shares a different opinion is called stupid or selfish or whatever else in an effort to shame them from the community. I definitely don't feel safe to share my name ideas here even though they probably actually do follow all the "rules."

    Personally, I think traditional spelling and naming tends to be the safer choice, but I also believe that names are ultimately about choosing an aesthetically pleasing string of phonemes to call your child. Yes, I care about preserving language and not being too crazy, but names are not real words. That is my philosophy anyways. Names are art more than they are real words. They mean a person not a meaning. If I misspell "Jackson" it isn't the same thing as misspelling "microwave" or "ubiquitous."  Names do carry connotations and it is worthwhile to stop and consider how your child's name will affect his/her life, but I also wish our society was way less prejudiced and more tolerant and open-minded. I don't feel like the tone of this thread is really furthering that cause.

    Also, could someone explain what it means that some users have "gone to the dark side?"
    His middle name is spelled Hadyn, not Haydn.  And that name is pronounced HAI-den, not HAY-den, which makes sense phonetically.
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  • leessshhhleessshhh member
    i have been considering the name Journi but im stuck for a middle name and also not sure if two middle names is too much ...

    so

    Journi Amiya 
    Journi Grace
    or
    Journi Amiya Grace

    lol 
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  • bgxobgxo member
    I think some of you take life too seriously. I understand that name spelling is important but just because some of these ladies have wrote against it you guys have had really mean negative come backs. Just because someone does NOT completely agree with this, or carries on naming and spelling their kids name however they want does not mean anyone should be belittling them. Grow up for christ sakes you all are mothers/mothers to be!
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  • stahlopstahlop member
    Speaking of phonetics, I once subbed for a girl with her name spelled Heaven. Easy enough to pronounce, right? No, it was pronounced like Haven. She looked really annoyed when I pronounced it wrong (4th grader) and one of the other kids asked her why no one could say her name correctly. I wanted to give a phonetics lesson right there about why -ea doesn't make a long A sound.
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  • Elsa1984Elsa1984 member
    The Kaytlynn's, Bentli's, and Jaxxon's of the world are all hating their parents right now, because they can't get personalized items at the souvenir shop while on vacation...... 

    LOL
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  • Elsa1984Elsa1984 member
    edited July 2015

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  • eliztheforrizzeliztheforrizz member
    bgxo said:
    I think some of you take life too seriously. I understand that name spelling is important but just because some of these ladies have wrote against it you guys have had really mean negative come backs. Just because someone does NOT completely agree with this, or carries on naming and spelling their kids name however they want does not mean anyone should be belittling them. Grow up for christ sakes you all are mothers/mothers to be!
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  • cm006jcm006j member
    edited July 2015
    I'm not sure that I agree that names have to be words. I personally don't see anything wrong with creative or incorrect spellings of names. It doesn't seem like that big of a deal to me. That said, the names I have picked out are standard names. 

    But my friend Jeramy is named that way because his parents didn't know how to spell Jeremy. But so what? I did a double take when I saw his credit card for the first time and saw the way his name was spelled and that was the end of it. My brother is Alex not short for Alexander. Yeah, he has to explain that to people who assume and call him Alexander. So he does. It doesn't make his life that difficult.

    It seems like some people equate lack of spelling rules with the downfall of all civilization. I have difficulty seeing it as that dire. Besides which I see no problem with names being an exception to general word rules. 
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  • Elsa1984Elsa1984 member
    If I saw Jeramy, I would have assumed it was pronounced Jer-Amy....not like Jeremy
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