Just curious of reactions

groovylocks · August 2015

We're down to two. So far we have had overwhelming endorsement of one over the other but personally, we're still on the fence. These are both names of people who are/were close to us so we're probably not going to make any other considerations, at least at present.

And don't go to any trouble for middle names, btw. Our in-laws are giving her that.

letyourheartbeyourguide · August 2015

I voted Olive. I don't necessarily dislike Polly, it just sounds very nicknamey to me.

groovylocks · August 2015

letyourheartbeyourguide said:

I voted Olive. I don't necessarily dislike Polly, it just sounds very nicknamey to me.

It is a nickname, honestly. Traditionally, it's a nickname for Mary but has since become a nickname for names like Pauline, Paulette, Pollyanna - none of which we like. We don't mind Mary but figure nobody will call her Polly if we name her Mary - that nickname is an old English thing and is not really in use anymore.

OrangeFox · August 2015

I actually picked Polly (although it is nms) because I feel like I have heard Olive a lot lately. It is like a nickname, but I didn't expect it. I know two women named Polly. Both are in their 40s. I know one of them is Pollyanna but no idea if the other woman has a more formal name. Either way, I love both of them and so only have good feelings with the name.

groovylocks · August 2015

OrangeFox said:

I actually picked Polly (although it is nms) because I feel like I have heard Olive a lot lately. It is like a nickname, but I didn't expect it. I know two women named Polly. Both are in their 40s. I know one of them is Pollyanna but no idea if the other woman has a more formal name. Either way, I love both of them and so only have good feelings with the name.

Nice! Glad somebody is in the Polly corner.

So we chose Polly from two people. One was a girl, named Polly, who i knew as a child. I quite admired her for all the typical little kid reasons. She moved away and vanished. I haven't been able to find her since but i quite liked her. My husband's best friend is also a Paul and he thinks this will open the door for lots of guilt-babysitting

Olive, I am surprised to discover, is Drew Barrymore's daughter's name AND Isla Fisher- which means, if it's a celebrity baby name, it could be on the upsweep. I also don't want people mistakenly calling her Olivia or her getting swallowed by the covey of Olivias that are sure to be in her primary class.

Olive was my maternal great grandmother's name.

erinnlou · August 2015

The only thing I cant think of when I hear the name Polly is Polly Pocket. It's not a terrible association, but it's almost like the name Barbie for me. And I agree it's very nicknamey.
So I voted Olive.

magsugar13 · August 2015

neither

adriennerose80 · August 2015

I like them both but Polly is rarely used anymore, whereas Olive is getting pretty popular. How important is popularity to you?

MixedBerries88 · August 2015

Not into either but I voted for Olive. Polly is a nickname to me and I'm unsure that it will age well. It'll be darling on a little girl and an old lady, but I'm unsure about the years between.

ecwk · August 2015

I'm shocked that Olive is more popular in this poll. I mean honestly. I think Polly is a very pretty name but I just can't say the same for Olive. I mean, I just think of an olive.

jessilee15 · August 2015

I voted for Polly. I do think it's more of a little girl or old woman name, but I kind of like it. I think of the book Pollyanna, which I think is a positive. Olive just makes me think of martinis. Or Popeye's girlfriend. And I know of at least 2 little girls named this, plus the celebrity babies. However, since it's a family name, that makes it okay in my book

breezycat · August 2015

I voted for Polly. I don't love it but it's way better than Olive.

AlyLynn07 · August 2015

ecwk said:
I'm shocked that Olive is more popular in this poll. I mean honestly. I think Polly is a very pretty name but I just can't say the same for Olive. I mean, I just think of an olive.

This.

bbiutmcph · August 2015

Olive. Polly is too nicknamey and I also think Polly pocket. Every Polly I have know has dealt with Polly pocket as a nickname.

kayway85 · August 2015

I love Polly. I don't think I could name my child just Polly though - I feel like you're a sentencing her to a life where people assume she's a little kid. It's just one of those names that doesn't age well. But I love it for a young girl. Is there another name you would consider and use Polly as a nn? Mary? Pollyanna? Something that gives her some flexibility when she's an adult?

wassuphoes · August 2015

AlyLynn07 said:

I'm shocked that Olive is more popular in this poll. I mean honestly. I think Polly is a very pretty name but I just can't say the same for Olive. I mean, I just think of an olive.
This.

I think Polly is a sweet nicnkname, but a terrible first name.

ashleyandely · August 2015

breezycat said:
I voted for Polly. I don't love it but it's way better than Olive.

agreed.

groovylocks · August 2015

MixedBerries88 said:

Not into either but I voted for Olive. Polly is a nickname to me and I'm unsure that it will age well. It'll be darling on a little girl and an old lady, but I'm unsure about the years between.

Yup! This is my principle concern with it also.

groovylocks · August 2015

bbiutmcph said:

Olive. Polly is too nicknamey and I also think Polly pocket. Every Polly I have know has dealt with Polly pocket as a nickname.

Hm. Yeah. And she's gonna be short. Her mom and dad are both short. She's going to be short too.

That won't help.

groovylocks · August 2015

kayway85 said:

I love Polly. I don't think I could name my child just Polly though - I feel like you're a sentencing her to a life where people assume she's a little kid. It's just one of those names that doesn't age well. But I love it for a young girl. Is there another name you would consider and use Polly as a nn? Mary? Pollyanna? Something that gives her some flexibility when she's an adult?

So we talked about this. When I told my husband that Polly is actually a diminutive of Mary, he was very confused. Then I told him it was like how Peggy is a nn for Margaret and he got more confused. So we jettisoned Mary. Which is too bad because I'm not opposed to Mary at all. But he really dislikes it.

We MAY consider Pollyanna. It seems so very cutesy but then again, Polly runs that risk. It doesn't seem so cutesy to me because of the association I have with it. But i realize, stepping outside of myself and looking in, that it really is.

As a joke i suggested we try to get a bit of sponsorship money and name her Polyvore. He took me very seriously and shut that down.

groovylocks · August 2015

adriennerose80 said:

I like them both but Polly is rarely used anymore, whereas Olive is getting pretty popular. How important is popularity to you?

As somebody with a name that started out very rare but is now very popular, I know what both sides of that coin are like and would prefer her to have a less used name than an overused one.

I'm disappointed that Olive has become vogue. Especially since it has such a special family connection for me.

We've just been addressing her as Polive and i have a sinking feeling that it'll be her nn at home regardless -_-

groovylocks · August 2015

Also am I overreacting that I JUST found out last night that there is a Polly murder victim who was rather high-profile?

That made me feel so sad. I am not from the USA originally and it happened a long, long time ago. So i wasn't aware of it. When i found out, it made me kind of miserable for an hour or so.

MixedBerries88 · August 2015

Maybe try Palmolive for the sponsorship. I bet they have more advertising budget!

libby+nate · August 2015

I cannot vote because I think they are both darling! I am also the same person who stayed longer at the hospital because I couldn't decide between two names. I took them both to the hospital and I thought she would look like one or the other. Nope! She looked like a baby. I hope you get a "feeling" one way or the other. We flipped a coin and I'm still not sure about our name! Best of luck! You can't go wrong!

CaboBride2015 · August 2015

groovylocks said:
Also am I overreacting that I JUST found out last night that there is a Polly murder victim who was rather high-profile?

That made me feel so sad. I am not from the USA originally and it happened a long, long time ago. So i wasn't aware of it. When i found out, it made me kind of miserable for an hour or so.

I didn't want to be the one to bring that up but... super high profile and still referenced when a girl goes missing and it makes national news. Also, you said you knew a little girl with that name and she moved away and vanished...

Aside from that I think Polly is sweet but it's definitely a little girls name. You could probably use it as a nn for a lot of other names but as her given name I think that would be less than ideal. I honestly don't love Olive either and I wonder how that will work on a 30-something yr old. That being said, if these are your final two, I'd go with Olive.

jeanbug12 · August 2015

groovylocks said:

kayway85 said:

I love Polly. I don't think I could name my child just Polly though - I feel like you're a sentencing her to a life where people assume she's a little kid. It's just one of those names that doesn't age well. But I love it for a young girl. Is there another name you would consider and use Polly as a nn? Mary? Pollyanna? Something that gives her some flexibility when she's an adult?

So we talked about this. When I told my husband that Polly is actually a diminutive of Mary, he was very confused. Then I told him it was like how Peggy is a nn for Margaret and he got more confused. So we jettisoned Mary. Which is too bad because I'm not opposed to Mary at all. But he really dislikes it.

We MAY consider Pollyanna. It seems so very cutesy but then again, Polly runs that risk. It doesn't seem so cutesy to me because of the association I have with it. But i realize, stepping outside of myself and looking in, that it really is.

As a joke i suggested we try to get a bit of sponsorship money and name her Polyvore. He took me very seriously and shut that down.

There was a thread about nicknames like this last week I think. People used to use rhyming names for nicknames so Mary became Molly which became Polly. Maybe if you explain why it is a nn YH might like it more? I like the name Mary and I like the nn Polly for Mary!

theGDpaterfamilias · August 2015

Mary

Pollyanna

Paloma

Paola

Pauline

Apollonia

I could see those working for a Polly.

Gingermom15 · August 2015

Oliver and Polly are both darling names. Personally, I prefer Olive. How about keeping both names and deciding which one suits her once she is here?

eliztheforrizz · August 2015

I just can't get behind Olive. It's a food name and I am not a fan. Polly isn't my favorite, but it is cute.

mommapamela · August 2015

I love Olive! It's the name we've chosen, if this baby is a girl.

HouseSpouse · August 2015

Olive. But probably because my MIL is a Polly and so yeah, Olive.

Elsa1984 · August 2015

Wait.....your in-laws get to pick your daughter's middle name?!

hazel14rich · August 2015

Elsa1984 said:
Wait.....your in-laws get to pick your daughter's middle name?!

Exactly what I was thinking. There's no way on earth that would fly with me.

bbiutmcph · August 2015

hazel14rich said:

Elsa1984 said:
Wait.....your in-laws get to pick your daughter's middle name?!
Exactly what I was thinking. There's no way on earth that would fly with me.

It's a cultural thing for many people And I believe the OP

groovylocks · August 2015

CaboBride2015 said:

Also am I overreacting that I JUST found out last night that there is a Polly murder victim who was rather high-profile?

That made me feel so sad. I am not from the USA originally and it happened a long, long time ago. So i wasn't aware of it. When i found out, it made me kind of miserable for an hour or so.
I didn't want to be the one to bring that up but... super high profile and still referenced when a girl goes missing and it makes national news. Also, you said you knew a little girl with that name and she moved away and vanished... Aside from that I think Polly is sweet but it's definitely a little girls name. You could probably use it as a nn for a lot of other names but as her given name I think that would be less than ideal. I honestly don't love Olive either and I wonder how that will work on a 30-something yr old. That being said, if these are your final two, I'd go with Olive.

Oh don't worry

My friend who vanished was not Polly Klaas. We're canadian and she looks nothing like her and is the wrong age anyway.

Can't say for sure what became of her but i know it wasn't THIS Polly.

groovylocks · August 2015

Elsa1984 said: Wait.....your in-laws get to pick your daughter's middle name?!

Yeah. They're Chinese - my husband is too. And he is going to choose a Chinese middle name for her. I get a say, of course (I have already thrown out Siu Long - cantonese for Little Dragon and Bruce Lee's Cantonese name) but i feel they are the most qualified to choose that name for her. My cantonese is limited to what the GPS says and figuring out where the booze, and bathroom, are

groovylocks · August 2015

bbiutmcph said:

Wait.....your in-laws get to pick your daughter's middle name?!
Exactly what I was thinking. There's no way on earth that would fly with me.
It's a cultural thing for many people And I believe the OP

haha yeah kind of

For me? No. Culturally, my dad's family might choose her Hebrew name but it's not quite the same as a middle name (Miriam has been chosen for her, I think) Culturally husband and i would choose her middle name. But his family want to feel like she has as strong an attachment to her Chinese heritage as her American/Canadian one. And I agree and am ok with this. As long as i get to veto a name i dislike.

Just curious of reactions

Just curious of reactions 186 votes

Re: Just curious of reactions

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