Do you have strong feelings about names?

[Jean in Newcastle]

Looking at the name revival threads, I've been a bit surprised at some of the comments.  Unless I'm actively trying to come up with names for my own children, I guess I don't really think much about names.  I just try to remember the right one for the right person.  And if the name is unusual, I might think the family comes from a certain ethnic background or a certain geographical area but that's it.  

[OneStepAtATime]

Me, too.  Just doesn't bother me at all. 

 

Although I do remember being in High School and feeling sort of sorry for a group of teens from the same family.  I can't remember their names anymore, they were only there one year, but there were three of them that attended the school and all had really bizarre names (hippy parents).  They got teased.  There was an older sibling that came to pick them up early from school once.  I remember her name (Crystal) because someone in our choir (all the kids were in the choir since it covered all High School grade levels) said "Crystal...now that is actually a pretty great name.  Why are the rest of you named something weird?"  It was so embarrassing that a classmate would be so rude.

[Guest submarines]

 I don't give names a second thought, other than trying to remember them.

 

I have strong feelings about my kids' names (love them!) but it doesn't bother me if random people mispronounce them either.

[elegantlion]

I notice names and as a writer (creator of rough drafts ;) ) I love coming up with names. I figure there is a story and a lot of thought on the parents behalf to come up with a name, so I'm not phased by what someone is named. Some of it comes from the fact I dislike my own name. I don't feel like it matches me and my middle name doesn't fit either. If I feel that way, I'm sure others do too. In that I try to consider it as an identifying marker, not necessarily a way to identify WHO they are, kwim. 

[JustEm]

Generally I think nothing of names when I hear them. Sometimes I think "hmm I wonder where they got that." Not I a negative way.when I see some written is when I get confused. It boggles my mind why some people go out of their way to make a common name more unique by spelling it in a ridiculous way. This mostly bothers me because they just make up new phonetic rules for that particular name.

[Carrie12345]

I don't sit around and think about them randomly, but I do get strong feelings when the topic comes up!

 

We know a family where the first two kids have very uncommon, what would probably be considered very outdated, names. And then their 3rd has a comparatively "normal" name.  That always strikes me as funny.

 

I still feel like my 5th kid's name doesn't "go" with my first 4, but I had some pretty strict parameters, lol.  Oh, well.  He'll eventually go and create a long life of giving his name individually instead of as a group!

[AlmiraGulch]

I do have strong feelings about some names.

 

 I think part of it is that mine is quite unusual and, frankly, not very nice.  I also happen to have this weird history where everyone I've ever met that shared the same name (certain, specific names) has also coincidentally shared similar personalities, and that's definitely not always good.  I find myself automatically ascribing certain characteristics to people with those names before I've even met them, which is ridiculous, and I have to make a concerted effort to not do that.

 

 

[mirth]

Getting too involved and personally vested with the naming of things deludes you into believing you know all there is to know about an object, a person.  Makes it easy to analyze, categorize, and deliver a false sense of "ownership" without ever having known or proferred anything meaningful at all.  There is no richness and nothing deep about getting hung up in names.  Tom Brown, a famous naturalist, said it best in on p.24 of his famous field guide to nature observation.

[TammyS]

I do.  I really feel like parents have a responsibility to their children when they name them. I believe there is loads and loads of latitude in how they carry that out, but I feel like there is a duty not to saddle your kids with a dumb name.  That means you name a kid, IMO, something that makes them sound respectable or at least ordinary.  You don't name them after fruit or other ridiculous things.  Cute nick names should be reserved for in the relationship, not the birth certificate.  I always say that if you can't imagine the name being filled in this way................Chief Justice______________....then don't do it.  If you want to call your kid apple, fine, but name her Sarah, or Diane, or Ruth, or Cheryl, or something that belongs to a person.

 

I also don't believe in giving pets people names, but that's a different issue.

[Mandy in TN]

A name is a noun used to easily identify a particular person. I have no emotional attachment to my name. I don't care if people call me Amanda even though that isn't my given name. I don't care if people call me Amy, Mindy, or Wendy (all names that for some reason people have confused with Mandy frequently over the years). I don't care if someone calls me Sam for that matter as long as I know to respond to that.

 

I don't see someone named Mandy or something with Mandy on it and think, "Oh, there I am." lol My mom does this. She identifies as being her name.

 

I don't feel like I am my name. It is just super easy for identification. I have considered changing it. When I was growing up, I was the only Mandy. Now, when someone says Mandy, three of us turn around. My youngest son has started calling me Mem instead of Mom. I kinda like it. We have a difficult last name for Americans to spell and pronounce, and Mandy is now so common. I used Mem last time for a restaurant wait list.

 

I bet for identification purposes Apple is clearer. When you say Apple, there is probably just the one. :D

 

However, some names have ethnic connotations, I do expect to see a Latina if I hear the name Juanita, Arab- Houda, and Indian- Aditi. I think ds throws people off with his real name, because his name is Middle Eastern, but he doesn't look Middle Eastern at first glance. He has a cousin who is/ looks Middle Eastern, but her parents gave her a common Latina name. Another female cousin has a name that is a fairly common American girl's first name, but is a Middle Eastern boy's name.

 

Names are convenient. I really thought about my kids' names, but I don't care if they change them. They aren't their name.

Mandy

[Loowit]

I think that names can have an effect on how people see others and themselves.  They do make an impact on how others view us whether they should or not is another question.  It is one of the first things that people get to know about a person.  Sometimes having an unusual name can be a very positive thing and other times it leaves people wondering what their parents were thinking.

 

My youngest has an Irish name that has the traditional spelling, not an Americanized version.  He loves his name and gets many compliments on it, however, there are a few that think it is odd, and we shouldn't have named him that name.  I remember a nurse in the NICU of all places arguing with DH and I over the spelling of our son's name.

[J-rap]

Sometimes I have an initial reaction, but I usually get over it pretty quickly.  :)

[LostSurprise]

I love names. I generally don't feel strongly about other people's names. Curiosity maybe...but nothing personal or negative.  

 

Except awkward spelling. That makes me squeeze my eyes shut and shake it out of my head. Ah well, some people, I think. Just make it easier for the rest of us. 

[BigMamaBird]

I don't have strong feelings about the names other people give their kids, unless they get all snippy if someone can't spell or pronounce a bizarre, misspelled, "unique" name they saddled their child with.

[Cinder]

I generally don't care too much about names unless . . . they're just wrong. When we lived in semi-rural MS I'd heard of two girls with unusual names. One was pronounced PAGE-uh-may for Pajama and the other was shi-TASS for . . . well, you can figure it out.

[DesertBlossom]

I don't have strong feelings about the names other people give their kids, unless they get all snippy if someone can't spell or pronounce a bizarre, misspelled, "unique" name they saddled their child with.

 

I agree. My kids all have family names, so they are important to me. I find other people's names interesting and wonder about their origins.  The only names that bother me are otherwise normal names that are misspelled in order to be unique. I don't mind traditional spellings (like Rhys instead of Reese) but when people make up their own spellings to the point it's difficult and awkward, I think that's just cruel.

 

Also, some names are just too far out there. I kid you not, I knew a girl named Chewbacca. Who does that to a baby?

[Pawz4me]

I don't have strong feelings about names.  I don't particularly like mine, but it's not "don't like" as in hate.  It's more . . . Meh, I wish my parents had chosen something else.

 

A name is just a noun used to make identification easier.  And that's about it.  Background noise.  The person is what matters, not what label has been placed on them.

[chocolatechip]

I can't stand "creative" spellings. Or "creative" names. Nevaeh, I'm sorry, is not a name. Espn is not a name. If you want to name your child Ian, don't spell it Eian. He'll spend his whole life correcting people. Same for Hayleigh, Gennypher, and Typhaknee. Give your child some dignity, people!  :glare:

[daffodil]

I do! I love and enjoy names.

[SproutMamaK]

I don't have strong feelings about names, except (as a few others have mentioned) that I feel terribly sorry for the kids who get stuck with names that are ridiculously spelled because their parents are trying too hard to be original or cool.

[Tap]

I just wish that people who went by nick names, would remember that they need to use their legal name for places like school, medical and other legal matters.  

 

I deal with peoples names all day long in pharmacy.  It isn't uncommon for me to type 150 scripts or to ring out 100 people on the register during a single shift at work.  It gets annoying when people use a nick name for prescriptions or at the doctors office.  We have a few patients who we have two patient files for, one in the nick name (with a reference to not use that file) and the file we actually use, with the legal name.  It is just an extra step and gets irritating.  

 

 

 

[Mandy in TN]

Oh, I have a really horrid spelling story.

 

While I really don't have a strong feeling about names, profanity as a name probably isn't a good idea. If I moved to another country, I would inquire as to whether my name meant a sex act or a word for poop that would have a grade school child in trouble.

 

Having said this I knew an Indian family whose should have been furious that the person who did their American paperwork didn't clue them in that a better spelling of their last name would have been Dixhit or even Dixit, but not only would their name not be pronounced correctly but a school would probably not want to put that spelling on the back of their son's sports jersey- Di*ks*it.

 

Some person actually let them fill out their paper work spelling their name that way. Do you think that person didn't know, just couldn't bring himself to explain, or had a long, cruel laugh at the family's expense?

Mandy

[Arcadia]

My kids and I don't like our names "modified" by other people. We don't mind whatever names other people have. We call friends by how they wish to be addressed.

[Desert Rat]

I love discussing names and thinking about names, even when I have nothing to name. ;) 

My first public speech as a sophomore in high school was about the meaning of names. 

My favorite aspect of working for a credit card company and as a file clerk was that I got to look at names all day. 

Do I have strong feelings about other people's names? Hmm. Sometimes. I have a good friend who is named after a prominent historical figure of WWII in the same class as say, Voldemort. He has started going by that name again after using a nickname for a long time. I can't call him by his given name. My mouth won't say it. I have very strong feelings that that name should never be used again. Ever. 

I feel pity for people stuck with cutesy, sing-songy names like Betsy Wetsy. Do I think about it and discuss it all time? No. 

I love learning how people got their names. I think the stories are neat. 

And an added bonus is that discussing names doesn't usually involve religion or politics. :P

[catz]

I wouldn't say names others chose bother me.  But I certainly do not like every name out there in the world.  I generally like names that would sound good with the title Doctor, Chief Justice, or President before the name.  Cr8tive spylling makes me crazy too.  ;)

[Belacqua]

I do! I love and enjoy names.

 

Same here. I just like names from a hobbyist perspective. Freaked out my poor mother when I was high school aged and she noticed the baby name book on my shelf.

[redsquirrel]

I don't really. And I don't judge people by their names. I have met people with all kinds of names in all kinds of jobs.

 

And I don't get why any name should sound good following 'supreme court justice'? Is that something you desire for your kids? Or you hold in extra high esteem? Because we've had many different types of people sitting on that court. I bet lots of people wouldn't consider Thurgood a 'respectable' name, but one certainly did make his mark, didn't he? We've had justices named Bushrod, Brockholst, Levi, Salmon, Melville, Horace, Rufus, Lucius, Malhon, Willis, Wiley, Potter,

 

Not really seeing a pattern there.

 

Judging people for their names, or prejudging people from their names, always reminds me of a great scene in my favorite movie The Philadelphia Story. One character, played by Jimmy Stewart, is making some snide comment about the 'fancy' names of the rich people he is writing about for a newspaper story. His friends quietly comments "I knew a plain Joe Smith once. He was only a clerk in a hardware store, and he was an absolute rat."

 

[Danestress]

I do have opinions about names and a habit of thinking you can tell a lot about people by what they name their children. I am not sure these are 'feelings,' so much.

[Belacqua]

And I don't get why any name should sound good following 'supreme court justice'? Is that something you desire for your kids? Or you hold in extra high esteem? Because we've had many different types of people sitting on that court. I bet lots of people wouldn't consider Thurgood a 'respectable' name, but one certainly did make his mark, didn't he? We've had justices named Bushrod, Brockholst, Levi, Salmon, Melville, Horace, Rufus, Lucius, Malhon, Willis, Wiley, Potter,

 

Well, I did have a fish named Learned Hand, but he really didn't exhibit much intellectual potential. His biggest accomplishment was eating his tankmate, Judge Posner.

[maize]

I think almost any name is fine, but I do think parents can go too far. Don't name your child Adolf Hitler, Satan, Pig, Boy, or Zxtyrp. I would also avoid naming by number, unless you happen to live in ancient Rome...

[Catwoman]

I also don't believe in giving pets people names, but that's a different issue.

Really? Why not?

 

Many of our pets have had "people names," and I never thought anything about it. If we got a kitten and he looked like a Max, we named him Max. :D

[73349]

Having taught school, I prefer that people use the traditional or most common spelling--I prided myself on learning the correct spelling of every first and last name in every class within a week, and cutesy choices did not help--and that they not do "theme" names for siblings.

But I can't say I have really strong feelings. I'm not going to get too upset about anybody's name but my own. The kid's the one who has to live with it.

 

[Guest]

My strong feelings about creative spellings are projections, and not intended to hurt anybody who likes them. One of the short stories my father saved from when I was a young teen has a character in it named Ckellie, pronounced Kelly, so I'm just reacting to what I see as an excess of my own tendencies in others.

 

I only got to name ds2. dd1 and ds1 seemed to come complete with their own names, which do not go together AT ALL, and ds1's is not even my style (it was very trendy and I delude myself into thinking that it's a classic because it's HIS), and my job was only to defend their right to keep their names against people who wanted them to go through their entire lives being called the wrong name.

 

dxh and I agreed on dd2's boy name, which was Justin. In 1988. Yuck. What were we thinking? We couldn't agree on girl names so we tried them on for size after she was born, I agreed to a variation on a classic name, somebody else gave her a nickname, and we wound up with an overused '80s name that I HATE and another dd whose father called her by the classic middle name I had chosen to honour a significant person in my life instead of her REAL name that she was SUPPOSED TO have grown up with.

 

My parents must have laughed their butts off over that because I had my name legally changed the minute I turned 18 and the name was later ruined, perhaps even beyone hope of being revived for great-great-great grandkids by pop culture stuff I never even watched/read/listened to/know anything about. There are other people on this board with the same name but they didn't CHOOSE it so they have a right to hate it or not as they see fit that I don't feel that people will extend to me.

 

So yea, when I was on writing dot com back when it was stories dot com I made people laugh by saying, "I HATE names! They're just society's way of labelling people so it can explain them away without having to get involved!" as sort of a combo of hyperbole and WTF is that person talking about humour but there was definitely an undercurrent of truth to it.

 

I'm sorry, but I'm not going to tell you what those names are (except possibly on a private message if I ever grow to trust you as much as I trust Quill) because they are personally identifiable information that I have regretted sharing on public internet discussion boards in the past and that I want to model NOT sharing to my six year old digital native.

 

And the irony? After all those years lying in my bed fantasizing about how I was gonna grow up and have a little boy and name him this and then I was gonna grow up and have a little girl and name her that and all those kids I never got to name, when I finally got to choose ds's name?

 

Meh. It's okay. It doesn't sound very nice with our last name and I'm holding my breath that it isn't going to turn into the next Ashley or Shirley or Carroll but I love what it means and he doesn't hate it so it's probably way past time to stop calling him The Baby since he does have a name.

 

Besides, dd2 went by "Amoeba" for a little while before she went back to the overused '80s name as a nickname for the variation on the classic name so I'm used to people thinking I'm strange.

[kbutton]

I don't get to worked up about other folks' names, but I appreciate it when they cut me some slack if I haven't heard of it and am unsure about how to pronounce it. I am from a rural area, and the most unusual names are ethnic last names ending in -sky or -ski. The ethnic first names are long gone a generation or two before my time.

 

You can overthink the kindness to your kids angle. My parents worked really hard to be sure that if my brother and I were saddled with nicknames, it wouldn't be because they gave us a names that were easily corrupted. The neglected to note rhyming words that can accompany my name, all of which are negative, LOL.

 

DH and I did have a hard time naming our own kids. So many names reminded us of unusual people we'd met, or were names that were too popular, associated with TV characters, etc. (my mom had a job typing birth certificates for a time--she could tell what TV shows people watched by the frequency of the names). We don't really carry those associations over to new people we meet, but we did react to naming our children those particular names. Not all connotations are bad...I heard someone once remark, "well, you never met a 'xyz' who wasn't pretty have you?" I also have a name in my mind that I associate with really smart folks because everyone I know with that name is coincidentally very, very intelligent.

 

And just for fun, frequently people tell me that they know someone who "looks just like" me, and her name is always Amy (not my name). I am guessing it's because the name was so popular for a while, but the consistency between my physical appearance and the name always makes me chuckle--most of the Amys that I know do not look like me.

[Guest]

Really? Why not?

 

Many of our pets have had "people names," and I never thought anything about it. If we got a kitten and he looked like a Max, we named him Max. :D

 

I really stressed over whether I should warn my Mom about the dirty looks I thought she was going to get when she named her dog Brianna, but I think it turned out okay. Brian is an old family name and Mom only likes girl dogs, so I'm glad she got to use the name when it wouldn't have sounded as strange as naming a pet "Brianna" in the '30s-'80s would have.

[Woodhaven]

Some names are not my favorite, but i assume people choose names that are significant or meaningful to them or their families. I'm sure there are some people who wouldn't like my name or the names we choose for our children.  It doesn't bother me.  I really don't care much what other people think about them.

[TammyS]

And I don't get why any name should sound good following 'supreme court justice'? Is that something you desire for your kids? Or you hold in extra high esteem? Because we've had many different types of people sitting on that court. I bet lots of people wouldn't consider Thurgood a 'respectable' name, but one certainly did make his mark, didn't he? We've had justices named Bushrod, Brockholst, Levi, Salmon, Melville, Horace, Rufus, Lucius, Malhon, Willis, Wiley, Potter,

 

 

And none of them have  been named Apple or Remix or something else that is not the name of a human being.  And never will be.

 

I don't desire any particular job for my kids (ok, I would love if one became a priest, but that is a different order of things).  I do desire that my kids, and all kids, have available to them all things because their parents had the good sense to respect their dignity as human beings and not name them something stupid.

[TammyS]

Really? Why not?

 

Many of our pets have had "people names," and I never thought anything about it. If we got a kitten and he looked like a Max, we named him Max. :D

 

Because while I have and care about my pets, I don't believe that animals have the same worth as people and should not be given any sort of elevated status beyond what they are, including having people names.

 

[Mandy in TN]

And none of them have been named Apple or Remix or something else that is not the name of a human being. And never will be.

 

I don't desire any particular job for my kids (ok, I would love if one became a priest, but that is a different order of things). I do desire that my kids, and all kids, have available to them all things because their parents had the good sense to respect their dignity as human beings and not name them something stupid.

Being named Apple or Remix will not stop a person from becoming a judge or priest. ;)

 

I must say I initially thought the name Apple was quirky, but really it isn't any different than naming a child Olive or Cherry, and, although they are perhaps not common, they are not unusual.

 

Remix chose his own name, and it didn't stop him from becoming a dentist. I guess it meant something to him.

 

Mandy

[redsquirrel]

And none of them have  been named Apple or Remix or something else that is not the name of a human being.  And never will be.

 

I don't desire any particular job for my kids (ok, I would love if one became a priest, but that is a different order of things).  I do desire that my kids, and all kids, have available to them all things because their parents had the good sense to respect their dignity as human beings and not name them something stupid.

 

Never say never. There was a time I would have gladly bet you 100$ that we would never see a president named Barak. I know that is a common person name, but the point still stands.

 

What is your opinion of the current trend of place names, like Dakota or Madison or Montanna? What about profession names like Mason or Deacon or Cooper? Nature names like Hazel or Willow or Crystal? Flower names like Rose, Violet, and Daisy? No August or April or Summer? What about names like Grace, Faith, or Prudence?

 

I just met a Violet today and she seems like a very nice and well educated woman. Her name doesn't seem to have held her back. What is the difference between Apple and Violet as a name? I've never met an Apple, but I am not seeing the difference.

 

What makes a person name a person name and what makes an animal name an animal name?

 

No Bessie the Cow for you,I guess. Ferdinand the bull, Mickey the Mouse, Donald the Duck, Nemo will never be found....

 

Would you name a dog apple, or should an animal not be names something that is also an inanimate object?

 

This is getting complicated.

[Angie in VA]

I like names. I "collect" them. I vividly remember one night when I was 12 hearing a baseball player's first and last name when he went up to bat and thinking it was the coolest name ever. It just had the neatest ring to it. (And no, I won't post it here). I also remember about 30 yrs ago seeing a bowler on tv named Storm DeVincent. I added it to my collection of names. Sounds odd to you, does it? Well, my collection requires no storage, no dusting and no insurance. :p

 

I enjoy watching the latest trend at church of couples' naming their dds old fashioned names (Elsie, Hazel, Miriam, and Penelope, for ex.).

 

But the reason I'm posting on this thread, and it's not related to the OP at all, but that has never stopped me from posting before, is because I feel the need to confess that I "see" people's names when they're said (by others or me). (I just read that and thought of The Sixth Sense's line, "I see dead people." LOL!)

 

Ex: A coach from baseball goes by a name his initials spell: "Gef" which he pronounces "Jeff". One day DH was talking about him and I was confused, and asked if he meant a friend from church. When he said it was the man from baseball, I said, "OHH!! Gef! I thought you said, 'Jeff.'" Then it was DH's turn to be confused. :lol:

 

I do this w/ my friend's dd "Caty" - not Katie. I can't hear or say "Cathy" or "Kathy" w/o thinking "w/ a C" or "w/ a K". I guess I'm like Anne of Green Gables, who could actually hear the e on the end.

 

Now you know. Go ahead, let the mocking begin.

[foxbridgeacademy]

If my DH had been called by his first name, Ron/Ronald (instead of his middle, Jason) we would never have ended up together.  I wouldn't have been able to get past the name AND the fact that I knew him as a skinny little kid (he's 3 years younger then me) so that I could get to know the adult..... then again, he's really cute, I might have overlooked it ;).

[Murphy101]

I have very strong feelings about MY kids names.

 

Everyone else? Whatever. Fun to choose names, but I'm not going to be bothered.

[Angie in VA]

If my DH had been called by his first name, Ron/Ronald (instead of his middle, Jason) we would never have ended up together.  I wouldn't have been able to get past the name AND the fact that I knew him as a skinny little kid (he's 3 years younger then me) so that I could get to know the adult..... then again, he's really cute, I might have overlooked it ;).

 

 

You cougar, you. I'm 3 yrs older than my Dh too, but he has cool first and middle names. Whew!

 

Fellow cougars unite!

[Guest]

 

Ex: A coach from baseball goes by a name his initials spell: "Gef" which he pronounces "Jeff". One day DH was talking about him and I was confused, and asked if he meant a friend from church. When he said it was the man from baseball, I said, "OHH!! Gef! I thought you said, 'Jeff.'" Then it was DH's turn to be confused.  :lol:

 

I do this w/ my friend's dd "Caty" - not Katie. I can't hear or say "Cathy" or "Kathy" w/o thinking "w/ a C" or "w/ a K". I guess I'm like Anne of Green Gables, who could actually hear the e on the end.

 

Now you know. Go ahead, let the mocking begin.

 

I can't because I'm the same way.

 

Cathy and Kathy are two completely different names. If anyone ever called Christine Kristine I'd beat them up for her!

 

In the case of Caitlin and Katelynn or Ciaran and Kee-Ron it tells you a bit about the parents' motivation for choosing the name and the kind of upbringing the child might have and the things s/he might be interested in or want to talk about with a new sitter or random stranger too.

[catz]

I don't dream of my own kids becoming chief justices.  I want them to be whoever they are and find their own path.  I don't judge people by their names - I research candidates, doctors, contractors, etc with no regard to their name.  BUT the sad fact of the matter is people can and will get judged by their name.  So if in the phone book there is a Doctor Chaos Jones and a Doctor Matthew Johnson side by side and you're looking for a neurosurgeon, Doctor Johnson may get more phone calls.  And yes, we do know a kid named Chaos.  So I do feel a little sad for kids who have names that may make them easily judged later on.  It's actually very few names over all, but they're out there.  I actually personally really like family names and ethnic names.   But some people will judge over them.

[Jean in Newcastle]

My doctor's first name is Antonius.  Makes me feel like I'm part of the Roman empire (and had absolutely nothing to do with me deciding to have him as a doctor or decide to stay with him as a doctor).  

[Guest]

It is possible to overthink things, I guess.

 

Maybe the name I chose for ds will become insanely popular in ten years until some TV character makes some joke using it as a synonym for a meth addicted paedophile and it goes viral and then ds has kids at a young age and has to go to court for visitation and custody and the judge is having a bad day and is in a hurry and doesn't look at his birthdate before seeing the name and getting THAT case out of the way as fast as possible.

 

My poor grandbabies! My poor son! People like me should be stood up against a  wall and shot!

 

[Paige]

I have strong feelings about my own children's names but don't really care about other people's names. I'll admit, I may judge parents a little based on the children's names but I don't judge the person with the name. For the most part, it's not intense judgement. If I meet someone who's about 40 named Rainbow, I'm going to make a quick judgement that her parents were hippies. If I meet a 2yr old named Agnes, I'll think her parents are probably hipsters. I can't help it. It's cool, though. I like hippies and hipsters. I am willing to change my opinion of the parents after meeting them if reality doesn't match my assumption. Usually. Except for this one time...

 

I knew a little girl named Princess Elizabeth. I mean, that was her name- it was said all together like that all the time. I don't know if it was one first name or the first name was Princess and the middle was Elizabeth. But her mom and I can't be friends. That may make me a witch or a snob or something not nice, but I can't get over that one. 

[AnnE-girl]

 

 

I do this w/ my friend's dd "Caty" - not Katie. I can't hear or say "Cathy" or "Kathy" w/o thinking "w/ a C" or "w/ a K". I guess I'm like Anne of Green Gables, who could actually hear the e on the end.

 

Now you know. Go ahead, let the mocking begin.

 

I'm a plain "A-N-N" and it was hard to read about how dreadful it looks in books I loved so much (I've been to Green Gables and everything :-) ).

 

I feel strongly that my son not be called the more juvenile nickname of his name because of bad associations with someone who went by that version when I was a kid.  He's also named for my grandfather who disliked when his older sisters called him that version.  For my children's names I wanted something classic, but not trendy, and with some family connection.  I think we pulled it off pretty well.  I am a little sad that we didn't get to use the girl's name I had picked out if DS had been a girl (Elinor, the spelling in Sense and Sensibility), but too many other Ellies and Ellas were born in our extended families before DD came around. 

 

I am annoyed by weird spellings for the sake of being different, but I guess that's my judgmental side.