We are using Nixon for our baby boy. We love it! Now we need to come up with a middle name. We have been having a heck of a time. Our last name starts with Mc and is 3 syllables long so I was thinking 1 maybe 2 syllable middle name. Help!
I know you said you love the name but I think it's a name that has such a heavy negative association that's it's instantly going to be judged and that's a lot to put on someone as a first impression
@bbiutmcph I get that to some it has that association but I believe with all the time gone by it shouldn't be a negative thing for a baby born in 2016. I took a poll at my son's birthday party and half of the people around 30yrs old and younger have heard of the president with that name but didn't really connect anything with it. If you google famous serial killers, they all have fairly common names but if you met a little boy named Ted (Theodore) would you automatically think of Ted Bundy? Celebrities also that are trouble makers like Lindsey...Lindsey Lohan? A name is a name and if people are going to judge based upon that, they are not worth the time of day. Thank you so much for your opinion though, I appreciate good and bad.
A single syllable name like James or Clyde would work, but this definitely a name with baggage. You say you love it, but are you okay with people thinking you named him after Richard Nixon? Are you okay with people calling him Tricky Dickie?
@Bringmemylongswordho I have never in my life heard of Tricky Dickie so I am guessing some of the rest of the population hasn't wither. Besides that, "Dickie" would be for Richard and we are not using that name. Nicknames can be made up for any child with any name. We had a girl in our class that the mean kids called Fatty Patty because she was a little over weight.
I took a poll at my son's birthday party and half of the people around 30yrs old and younger have heard of the president with that name but didn't really connect anything with it.
This. Is terrifying.
FWIW, I would not side eye Richard, but yes, if I met a little Nixon I'd ask him if he's not a crook. That being said, you do you.
I am trying so hard not to judge - but seriously... he was our PRESIDENT a few decades ago. His presidency had enormous impact on the country in which we live today. Perhaps in your specific group some people have not heard of him... but if your son goes pretty much anywhere else people will have heard of Richard Nixon and they will immediately associate your son with it.
This is not at all like Lindsey Lohan because Lindsey is an extremely common first name - the only Nixon I can think of is Richard Nixon. Now if you wanted to name your kid Lohan I would immediately think of Lindsey - see how that works?
I am so sad that "people around 30 years old and younger" are unaware of the negativity surrounding the Nixon presidency.
I wouldn't trust this statement too much. Who knows how many people she asked. Likely they all went to the same schools/had the same or related parents and therefore they all fell into this weird crack of people who don't know the names of recent American presidents.
@bbiutmcph I get that to some it has that association but I believe with all the time gone by it shouldn't be a negative thing for a baby born in 2016. I took a poll at my son's birthday party and half of the people around 30yrs old and younger have heard of the president with that name but didn't really connect anything with it. If you google famous serial killers, they all have fairly common names but if you met a little boy named Ted (Theodore) would you automatically think of Ted Bundy? Celebrities also that are trouble makers like Lindsey...Lindsey Lohan? A name is a name and if people are going to judge based upon that, they are not worth the time of day. Thank you so much for your opinion though, I appreciate good and bad.
Basic common first names are not even on the same field. A surname of someone with this much negativity yes people will judge this. It's something your child is going to be judged on as well as you as a parent likely behind your back forever . It's not just a random president surname we are talking about here and it's an uncommon of a surname that Richard is the only association
I am so sad that "people around 30 years old and younger" are unaware of the negativity surrounding the Nixon presidency.
I'm 29! It's not all of us!
And op, the difference is, Ted, Jeffery and other names are common. Surnames tend to carry more of an association, especially as we as a society tend to use surnames to address people with titles/ that we are not super familiar with. After all, it's President Obama or President Barack Obama, never President Barack.
You can name your kid whatever you want, just don’t cry when people crack jokes about his name.
if your son goes pretty much anywhere else people will have heard of Richard Nixon and they will immediately associate your son with it.
Hi there, 27 years old and very much foreign (as in, never even been close to the US). My first and only association when I hear 'Nixon' is with Richard Nixon.
OP, if you like the name, go for it, but you seriously cannot assume no one's going to make the connection. I mean, if your son grew up to name his own kid Obama, wouldn't you think people (even those under 30) would instantly think of, well, idk, some other fairly well-known person named Obama?
Thanks everyone! We love the name and I definitely will not cry over people judging my child over a name. There are tons of crazy names out there. We as Americans have had so many crooked presidents, leaders, or other political figures it is insane. That also trickles down the line to state leaders, bosses, teachers, etc. There is at least a handful of names any one person would have a negative reaction to but living around that won't make the world go around.
Time doesn't heal all wounds. I mean, there's been some major side-eye here because someone wanted to name their kid Adolf. Yes, it was once a perfectly lovely and common German name, but it's definitely fallen into the do-not-use category, where it's going to firmly stay even though that happened longer ago than Nixon did.
Nixon is not even really a first name, so you can't really compare it to TED Bundy or LINDSAY Lohan. Maybe Ted BUNDY or Lindsay LOHAN, either of which I think you'd get similar reactions.
I'm 29 and perfectly aware of the issues with this name, as would be your kid's future employers etc. The fact that your circle is ignorant doesn't mean everyone is. Yeah you can come up with a bad attribute about any name, but this goes a little beyond your average light teasing.
I mean yeah there's been crooked politicians but you're picking THE crookedest, literally famous for nothing but being a crook, whom everyone agrees is a shitty person (not like Reagan for example whom many people hate but a lot of people like, and is a fairly popular first name at least).
Anyway I guess my recommendation for middle names is Nixon and you pick something else for a first name but no one's stopping you. At least pick something simple and normal so your kid can go by that instead if they don't like going by Nixon.
I am trying so hard not to judge - but seriously... he was our PRESIDENT a few decades ago. His presidency had enormous impact on the country in which we live today. Perhaps in your specific group some people have not heard of him... but if your son goes pretty much anywhere else people will have heard of Richard Nixon and they will immediately associate your son with it.
This is not at all like Lindsey Lohan because Lindsey is an extremely common first name - the only Nixon I can think of is Richard Nixon. Now if you wanted to name your kid Lohan I would immediately think of Lindsey - see how that works?
@bbiutmcph I get that to some it has that association but I believe with all the time gone by it shouldn't be a negative thing for a baby born in 2016. I took a poll at my son's birthday party and half of the people around 30yrs old and younger have heard of the president with that name but didn't really connect anything with it. If you google famous serial killers, they all have fairly common names but if you met a little boy named Ted (Theodore) would you automatically think of Ted Bundy? Celebrities also that are trouble makers like Lindsey...Lindsey Lohan? A name is a name and if people are going to judge based upon that, they are not worth the time of day. Thank you so much for your opinion though, I appreciate good and bad.
I don't really get this argument. Do the opinions of people over 30 years old not matter? I guess I just don't understand why you would want to go forward with a name with such negative baggage to it. Even the first part of the word, "nix" has a negativity to it. Naming him Nick or Nicholas after your husband, (which I think is why you like Nixon, if I remember correctly), would mean so much more and avoid this whole issue. Just my two cents.
@antoto dh's name is Nicholas and he goes by Nick. Nixon literally means Nick's son. His first son (my step son) has already been somewhat named after him so that is out. Dh found Nixon online when he was searching, saw that, and has loved it since.
@SmrBrd2012 I took all opinions into consideration. I only mentioned the people 30 and under because in reality, these will be the people our children with be surrounded with growing up. My grandmas are almost 80 and neither had a negative comment about the name at all. My dad asked "Nixon, like Richard Nixon". I said "Yes does that bother you?" He said "No why would it?"
@antoto dh's name is Nicholas and he goes by Nick. Nixon literally means Nick's son. His first son (my step son) has already been somewhat named after him so that is out. Dh found Nixon online when he was searching, saw that, and has loved it since.
Oh he wants both of his sons to be named after him? I don't think I've ever seen that before.
@antoto DH's son was taken from him (by the birth mother) when the baby was 4 months old. She moved from Michigan to Florida. They were both young (19yrs) and dh didn't have anyone behind him to help or point him in the right direction on how to go about being able to see his son. His son is now 16 years old and we have talked to him twice in the past year and a half and it is only because he contacted us from his uncle's house. Long story short, this is our first son together and it would be nice for us to be able to have a name that represents dh in some way. Nixon just happens to be the one he loves.
@antoto DH's son was taken from him (by the birth mother) when the baby was 4 months old. She moved from Michigan to Florida. They were both young (19yrs) and dh didn't have anyone behind him to help or point him in the right direction on how to go about being able to see his son. His son is now 16 years old and we have talked to him twice in the past year and a half and it is only because he contacted us from his uncle's house. Long story short, this is our first son together and it would be nice for us to be able to have a name that represents dh in some way. Nixon just happens to be the one he loves.
Yeah, I'm still side eyeing that. He'll have his last name. I get that Nixon means "son of Nicholas ", but it's also the surname of the most infamous American President. It's not like there aren't 50 variants on Nicholas that could be used either, all the way from Colin to Nico to Niels.
@antoto DH's son was taken from him (by the birth mother) when the baby was 4 months old. She moved from Michigan to Florida. They were both young (19yrs) and dh didn't have anyone behind him to help or point him in the right direction on how to go about being able to see his son. His son is now 16 years old and we have talked to him twice in the past year and a half and it is only because he contacted us from his uncle's house. Long story short, this is our first son together and it would be nice for us to be able to have a name that represents dh in some way. Nixon just happens to be the one he loves.
If I was this kid, this would make me feel a bit like a replacement. Plus, I'm guessing they'll have YH's last name so they already have something that represents him? But I'll put that aside since I admit that I'm not a fan of Jr.s for that reason and that's a me-problem.
@antoto dh's name is Nicholas and he goes by Nick. Nixon literally means Nick's son. His first son (my step son) has already been somewhat named after him so that is out. Dh found Nixon online when he was searching, saw that, and has loved it since.
Oh he wants both of his sons to be named after him? I don't think I've ever seen that before.
George Foreman is the only person I have known to have done this and people make fun of him for it all the time.
I'm not going to lie, this thread actually makes me really sad because of all the Richard Nixon hate. Sure, he was an overly paranoid person and this led him to do some shady things, but I don't think he was the worst president we ever had. He actually had some good reasons to be paranoid, and he did some good things as president. I've always had a soft spot for him. #leavenixonalone
But should your give your child that name? Hell no. It's not a common name, and why would you want your child's names' only association to be a largely negative one?
The reason why Nixon is "Nick's Son" is because it is a surname.
At most, I would stick it in the middle name category and go with a solid first name with less negative connotations. I think that's safer than assuming mass ignorance of history.
@bbiutmcph I get that to some it has that association but I believe with all the time gone by it shouldn't be a negative thing for a baby born in 2016. I took a poll at my son's birthday party and half of the people around 30yrs old and younger have heard of the president with that name but didn't really connect anything with it. If you google famous serial killers, they all have fairly common names but if you met a little boy named Ted (Theodore) would you automatically think of Ted Bundy? Celebrities also that are trouble makers like Lindsey...Lindsey Lohan? A name is a name and if people are going to judge based upon that, they are not worth the time of day. Thank you so much for your opinion though, I appreciate good and bad.
@antoto DH's son was taken from him (by the birth mother) when the baby was 4 months old. She moved from Michigan to Florida. They were both young (19yrs) and dh didn't have anyone behind him to help or point him in the right direction on how to go about being able to see his son. His son is now 16 years old and we have talked to him twice in the past year and a half and it is only because he contacted us from his uncle's house. Long story short, this is our first son together and it would be nice for us to be able to have a name that represents dh in some way. Nixon just happens to be the one he loves.
If I was this kid, this would make me feel a bit like a replacement. Plus, I'm guessing they'll have YH's last name so they already have something that represents him? But I'll put that aside since I admit that I'm not a fan of Jr.s for that reason and that's a me-problem.
This was my reaction as well. If I were that first son I would definitely be hurt by that. It sounds like a re-do. Like the first one didn't go as planned so let's try that again - instead of seeing this as a totally different child who should have their own identity.
@antoto DH's son was taken from him (by the birth mother) when the baby was 4 months old. She moved from Michigan to Florida. They were both young (19yrs) and dh didn't have anyone behind him to help or point him in the right direction on how to go about being able to see his son. His son is now 16 years old and we have talked to him twice in the past year and a half and it is only because he contacted us from his uncle's house. Long story short, this is our first son together and it would be nice for us to be able to have a name that represents dh in some way. Nixon just happens to be the one he loves.
If I was this kid, this would make me feel a bit like a replacement. Plus, I'm guessing they'll have YH's last name so they already have something that represents him? But I'll put that aside since I admit that I'm not a fan of Jr.s for that reason and that's a me-problem.
This was my reaction as well. If I were that first son I would definitely be hurt by that. It sounds like a re-do. Like the first one didn't go as planned so let's try that again - instead of seeing this as a totally different child who should have their own identity.
I would also consider it a relationship ending move.
@lalala2004 I definitely don't think he was the worst president in our history - we have definitely had worse! But there are a lot of people who think so - enough that in general the name Nixon has negative associations.
On the OTHER hand I actually think this could get pretty comical. Like can you imagine the baby pooping everywhere and the parents being like "Oh Nixon you shit yourself again" LOL that brings up such funny imagery to me.
Obviously, you can name your child whatever you want, but I strongly suggest a nn he goes by and a middle name he can go by later. Incase the association is too much for him. I'm guessing the 'X' in the name is making it appealing? Many names with an 'X' in them are hot names right now.
Re: Middle Name for Nixon
Two Syllable: Andrew, Robert, Peter, Samuel, Matthew, Michael
A single syllable name like James or Clyde would work, but this definitely a name with baggage. You say you love it, but are you okay with people thinking you named him after Richard Nixon? Are you okay with people calling him Tricky Dickie?
I think Nixon would work best in the middle.
FWIW, I would not side eye Richard, but yes, if I met a little Nixon I'd ask him if he's not a crook. That being said, you do you.
Nixon Joseph
Nixon Patrick
Nixon Paul
Nixon Scott
This is not at all like Lindsey Lohan because Lindsey is an extremely common first name - the only Nixon I can think of is Richard Nixon. Now if you wanted to name your kid Lohan I would immediately think of Lindsey - see how that works?
I am under 30... just sayin'.
I wouldn't trust this statement too much. Who knows how many people she asked. Likely they all went to the same schools/had the same or related parents and therefore they all fell into this weird crack of people who don't know the names of recent American presidents.
And op, the difference is, Ted, Jeffery and other names are common. Surnames tend to carry more of an association, especially as we as a society tend to use surnames to address people with titles/ that we are not super familiar with. After all, it's President Obama or President Barack Obama, never President Barack.
You can name your kid whatever you want, just don’t cry when people crack jokes about his name.
As for the middle names:
Nixon David
Nixon Andrew
Nixon James
Nixon Oliver
Nixon Conner
OP, if you like the name, go for it, but you seriously cannot assume no one's going to make the connection. I mean, if your son grew up to name his own kid Obama, wouldn't you think people (even those under 30) would instantly think of, well, idk, some other fairly well-known person named Obama?
Not everyone can breastfeed - Mammary Hypoplasia/Insufficient Glandular Tissue Awareness
Nixon is not even really a first name, so you can't really compare it to TED Bundy or LINDSAY Lohan. Maybe Ted BUNDY or Lindsay LOHAN, either of which I think you'd get similar reactions.
I'm 29 and perfectly aware of the issues with this name, as would be your kid's future employers etc. The fact that your circle is ignorant doesn't mean everyone is. Yeah you can come up with a bad attribute about any name, but this goes a little beyond your average light teasing.
I mean yeah there's been crooked politicians but you're picking THE crookedest, literally famous for nothing but being a crook, whom everyone agrees is a shitty person (not like Reagan for example whom many people hate but a lot of people like, and is a fairly popular first name at least).
Anyway I guess my recommendation for middle names is Nixon and you pick something else for a first name but no one's stopping you. At least pick something simple and normal so your kid can go by that instead if they don't like going by Nixon.
Where is all the education going?
But should your give your child that name? Hell no. It's not a common name, and why would you want your child's names' only association to be a largely negative one?
The reason why Nixon is "Nick's Son" is because it is a surname.
At most, I would stick it in the middle name category and go with a solid first name with less negative connotations. I think that's safer than assuming mass ignorance of history.
Edit, missed a word
On the OTHER hand I actually think this could get pretty comical. Like can you imagine the baby pooping everywhere and the parents being like "Oh Nixon you shit yourself again" LOL that brings up such funny imagery to me.
As for MNs that sound good with Nixon:
Nixon John
Nixon Alexander
Nixon Michael
Nixon James
Nixon Everett
Nixon Alan
Nixon Reeve
Also I should note that in my 2016 baby name book Nixon ranked 587 in 2014. So you definitely aren't the only person who has named your baby Nixon!
America, we stop teaching history after WWII, cause after that it gets real hard to justify how big of an asshole we are on the world stage.