Man, Emily and Matthew. I know at least seven people that I see regularly with each of those names.
I have met less than ten people in my life who share my name (Travis). I guess that's kinda neat? I wish I had a more badass name, like the guy at my high school named Cal Murdock. Of course there was also the guy named Clint Torres, so I don't feel very bad.
I'm so annoyed with Abigail suddenly being popular again. Ever since I was a child I wanted to name my first daughter Abigail. It's an old name not used very much, but it's not totally out there. It also shortens to Abbie which I think is adorable.
Now suddenly it's popular. I had a problem growing up with a common name that wasn't all that common before I was born and I don't want my kid to be Abigail S. in her class.
There's a great documentary called "What's in a Name?" by Alan Berliner.
Alan Berliner Alan Berliner Alan Berliner Alan Berliner Alan Berliner Alan Berliner Alan Berliner Alan Berliner Alan Berliner Alan Berliner Alan Berliner Alan Berliner Alan Berliner Alan Berliner Alan Berliner Alan Berliner Alan Berliner Alan Berliner !!!
I think I'd hate myself if I was named Artemis or Perseus :P
What's odd is the names my wife and I picked for our first child aren't on that list, but I assumed they were more popular (Trevor and Kayla).
No joke, on any given day in my office I will be communicating with six different people named Mike. We usually reference them by their last name at this point, like a drill sergeant.
I wish I had a more unique name than Mark. I've long considered changing it to something. Much like Medo, I covet names from antiquity. Octavian would be a cool name, for example.
Alternatively, if I ever have crib midgets, I might name them after famous mathematicians and/or computer scientists. Ada would be a cool name for a daughter and Haskell for a son.
I used to run a canvass office in Philadelphia. We hired for short time work, so we were doing interviews constantly. I saw all sorts of crazy names come through.
Personal favorite: Saf-aye-en-aye
spelled: Caffeine
My wife is a med student. Apparently there are horror stories about mothers trying to name their kids with words they see on the charts, most notable "miconium."
I used to run a canvass office in Philadelphia. We hired for short time work, so we were doing interviews constantly. I saw all sorts of crazy names come through.
Personal favorite: Saf-aye-en-aye
spelled: Caffeine
My wife is a med student. Apparently there are horror stories about mothers trying to name their kids with words they see on the charts, most notable "miconium."
Baby's first poo.
What the fuck? Why would you do that, in the first one? Make it deliberately difficult? Fuck.
I mean, it's retarded beyond that, but why would you try to "fake someone out" with a name?
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clownfoodpacket pusherin the wallsRegistered Userregular
edited October 2008
i love my name (anthony). But I am of the same mindset as my father. He wanted his children to have a name that no one else in my family has. There are already too many people in my family with the name John, Chris, C(K)athy or Lisa.
I think if I have a boy, the name I will push hardest for is Gabriel. as for a girl... Rebbecca is something I like. Who knows if that will happen though, I really don't think I should breed.
This is the annoying thing to me. I'm 26. In 1981 (You can get the list year-by-year here), it was an unusual name. There were ~40 names more popular than it on a good year and in the 60s and 70s there were a few hundred more popular names. I got teased for it being weird, for the rhyming of Jake with many words and I was the only one I knew named Jacob in a school system for three years in either direction that graduated almost 400 kids a year.
Then, somehow it becomes the most popular name in the world during the Clinton administration and has been for almost a decade. What the hell happened? I know I'm awesome but I'm not that awesome. Its like your favorite band that only you follow suddenly is on 14 different commercials and Abercrombie and Fitch are selling their tshirts.
I'm so annoyed with Abigail suddenly being popular again. Ever since I was a child I wanted to name my first daughter Abigail. It's an old name not used very much, but it's not totally out there. It also shortens to Abbie which I think is adorable.
Now suddenly it's popular. I had a problem growing up with a common name that wasn't all that common before I was born and I don't want my kid to be Abigail S. in her class.
Helen is also a good old name that people don't use as much
or Ellen
Interesting to note is that the baby boy names hardly change over the years. Girl names change all the time.
No joke, on any given day in my office I will be communicating with six different people named Mike. We usually reference them by their last name at this point, like a drill sergeant.
Yah, but it's not like the people you work with were born this year, which is where the names come from. I also know a whole pile of people named Mike.
My wife is a med student. Apparently there are horror stories about mothers trying to name their kids with words they see on the charts, most notable "miconium."
Baby's first poo.
The urban legend I like best from that is the woman who names her twins (pronunciation:Oran-gelo and Lamongelo)
spelled Orange-jello and Lemon-jello
To add to my earlier personal comment, I was named Jacob because my father's name is James and he didn't want a Jr but liked the idea of his son being named after him. Jacob is the equivalent. My girlfriend's name is Jamie because her Dad is James and he was like the 4th so they wanted to both keep the tradition and quit it with the #s.
I know it's a tradition in certain families, but it seems almost narcissistic to name your kid after yourself. The practice seems to have faded a lot over the past couple decades.
I like my name, trevor, my g/f likes to say "you're my favorite trevor ever" which is hilariously cute. On the flip side I get a lot of "whatever trevor"s thrown at me.
I've thought about naming my children names of famous people. One name I play with the idea is Robert, its practically trevor backwards (Rovert) so I can poke fun for years to come. Some of my favorite famous people are named robert, Robert E. Lee; Robert Frost; Robert Kennedy.
Girls names? well...lets just say I'm hoping its not a girl (I kid, I kid). I thought about naming her Jezebel but that would be cruel, I'll leave that up to the wife.
On a different note I want to change my last name. Its been family tradition for the males to disassociate from their father by changing their last names as a mark of defiance for many generations. I have no idea what I am going to change it to.
I actually really like my name (William). It's sort of been popular for a long time though, and my best friend has the same name. I think it's one of the only names I've ever known someone of every race/ethnicity who has it.
If I have a girl I would name her Amanda or Tracy.
If I have a boy I would name him Constantine.
My nephew's name is Constantine Robert. My best friend named her little one constantine vladamir. The best thing was neither was aware of the other's choice. Remarkable names. They are going to suck to fill in a scantron sheet with those names.
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Nova_CI have the needThe need for speedRegistered Userregular
edited October 2008
My name is Jonathan, which is fairly common, but a name I've always liked.
My last name, though, is Irons, which is badass. :P I mean, I'm cool with any girl I marry not taking my last name simply because I'd never give up Irons.
There's so many people trying to be unique with names but going about it the entirely wrong way.
If you give someone a very old name, make sure that most people still know it. Sarah, Cassandra, Jason, Alexander, Julia, Felicia, etc. are all ancient names that people would still recognize as names. If you name your kid Nicodemus or Saturninus you are dooming your child to a very hard life.
A similar way people go wrong is to give the kid a relatively common name but spell it in magical ways. Do not name your kid Aishleigh or Meighien. What are you doing? They will spend their entire life repeating the spelling of their name and nobody ever getting it right.
I'm so annoyed with Abigail suddenly being popular again. Ever since I was a child I wanted to name my first daughter Abigail. It's an old name not used very much, but it's not totally out there. It also shortens to Abbie which I think is adorable.
Now suddenly it's popular. I had a problem growing up with a common name that wasn't all that common before I was born and I don't want my kid to be Abigail S. in her class.
Ive told very few people some of the baby names I liked because Im afraid of them somehow becomeing more popular or stolen.
Kind of like that seinfeld episode.
Also William is kind of a dumb name. Mostly because everyone automatically assumes it shortens to Bill which I fucking hate to be called. I guess the upside is that I dont meet as many Wills out there. But I cringe when people think its funny to call me Willie.
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clownfoodpacket pusherin the wallsRegistered Userregular
Freakonomics had a cool chapter on how names originate in the upper-class as exotic and aristocratic, and then slowly migrate down until they become cliche and ignorant among the poor and uneducated.
Apparently the old school Logans, Abigails and Jacobs of the world must unite to defeat the foul usurpers.
My grandmother was named Euphemia May, and since there there are 6 girls with May as a middlename that descend from her. No Effies yet though.
If you're going to give your kid a weird name, make sure there's an easy shorter version. Maximillian=Max. Nicodemus=Nick etc. That way they have an out.
I think it's okay to want your child to hve a unique name. I also think it's okay to choose a popular one - in the end I don't think it makes a terrible world of difference and legal name changes after adulthood are always possible.
There is a line of "okay that's not unique, that's just dumb" which includes stupid spellings and naming your kids after jello, but I'm guessing that line is probably different for everyone.
I think Constantine would be a great name and I stick by Perseus and Artemis too.
There's so many people trying to be unique with names but going about it the entirely wrong way.
If you give someone a very old name, make sure that most people still know it. Sarah, Cassandra, Jason, Alexander, Julia, Felicia, etc. are all ancient names that people would still recognize as names. If you name your kid Nicodemus or Saturninus you are dooming your child to a very hard life.
A similar way people go wrong is to give the kid a relatively common name but spell it in magical ways. Do not name your kid Aishleigh or Meighien. What are you doing? They will spend their entire life repeating the spelling of their name and nobody ever getting it right.
Goodness me, it is infuriating seeing someone trying to over-spell a perfectly normal name because they want to be different.
Then you get a story I heard a few years ago, that probably won't translate well to text (I'll have to do it phonetically), about a teacher reading off the register to her class of children on her first day. She got to the end and a girl comes up to her and says "you didn't read out my name". She asked what the girls name was, and got the reply (here's where it falls down) "Wivonee".
Checking down the list of names, she found one absence, 'Yvonne'.
Apparently her parends had seen the name written down, and didn't know how to pronounce it.
I used to run a canvass office in Philadelphia. We hired for short time work, so we were doing interviews constantly. I saw all sorts of crazy names come through.
Personal favorite: Saf-aye-en-aye
spelled: Caffeine
My wife is a med student. Apparently there are horror stories about mothers trying to name their kids with words they see on the charts, most notable "miconium."
Baby's first poo.
Yup, first example is the kind of thing I'm on about, and I've heard of people doing the latter, doo.
Also 'Mileena' is a popular one too.
There's so many people trying to be unique with names but going about it the entirely wrong way.
If you give someone a very old name, make sure that most people still know it. Sarah, Cassandra, Jason, Alexander, Julia, Felicia, etc. are all ancient names that people would still recognize as names. If you name your kid Nicodemus or Saturninus you are dooming your child to a very hard life.
A similar way people go wrong is to give the kid a relatively common name but spell it in magical ways. Do not name your kid Aishleigh or Meighien. What are you doing? They will spend their entire life repeating the spelling of their name and nobody ever getting it right.
Goodness me, it is infuriating seeing someone trying to over-spell a perfectly normal name because they want to be different.
Then you get a story I heard a few years ago, that probably won't translate well to text (I'll have to do it phonetically), about a teacher reading off the register to her class of children on her first day. She got to the end and a girl comes up to her and says "you didn't read out my name". She asked what the girls name was, and got the reply (here's where it falls down) "Wivonee".
Checking down the list of names, she found one absence, 'Yvonne'.
Apparently her parends had seen the name written down, and didn't know how to pronounce it.
Same thing happened to Bette Midler.
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KalTorakOne way or another, they all end up inthe Undercity.Registered Userregular
I think it's okay to want your child to hve a unique name. I also think it's okay to choose a popular one - in the end I don't think it makes a terrible world of difference and legal name changes after adulthood are always possible.
There is a line of "okay that's not unique, that's just dumb" which includes stupid spellings and naming your kids after jello, but I'm guessing that line is probably different for everyone.
I think Constantine would be a great name and I stick by Perseus and Artemis too.
"goes to page through mythology books"
I like the name "Phaedre," but I wouldn't really want my kid to learn where it came from.
Posts
I have met less than ten people in my life who share my name (Travis). I guess that's kinda neat? I wish I had a more badass name, like the guy at my high school named Cal Murdock. Of course there was also the guy named Clint Torres, so I don't feel very bad.
Now suddenly it's popular. I had a problem growing up with a common name that wasn't all that common before I was born and I don't want my kid to be Abigail S. in her class.
Alan Berliner Alan Berliner Alan Berliner Alan Berliner Alan Berliner Alan Berliner Alan Berliner Alan Berliner Alan Berliner Alan Berliner Alan Berliner Alan Berliner Alan Berliner Alan Berliner Alan Berliner Alan Berliner Alan Berliner Alan Berliner !!!
What's odd is the names my wife and I picked for our first child aren't on that list, but I assumed they were more popular (Trevor and Kayla).
No joke, on any given day in my office I will be communicating with six different people named Mike. We usually reference them by their last name at this point, like a drill sergeant.
Alternatively, if I ever have crib midgets, I might name them after famous mathematicians and/or computer scientists. Ada would be a cool name for a daughter and Haskell for a son.
Personal favorite: Saf-aye-en-aye
My wife is a med student. Apparently there are horror stories about mothers trying to name their kids with words they see on the charts, most notable "miconium."
They tried to bury us. They didn't know that we were seeds. 2018 Midterms. Get your shit together.
What the fuck? Why would you do that, in the first one? Make it deliberately difficult? Fuck.
I mean, it's retarded beyond that, but why would you try to "fake someone out" with a name?
I think if I have a boy, the name I will push hardest for is Gabriel. as for a girl... Rebbecca is something I like. Who knows if that will happen though, I really don't think I should breed.
This is the annoying thing to me. I'm 26. In 1981 (You can get the list year-by-year here), it was an unusual name. There were ~40 names more popular than it on a good year and in the 60s and 70s there were a few hundred more popular names. I got teased for it being weird, for the rhyming of Jake with many words and I was the only one I knew named Jacob in a school system for three years in either direction that graduated almost 400 kids a year.
Then, somehow it becomes the most popular name in the world during the Clinton administration and has been for almost a decade. What the hell happened? I know I'm awesome but I'm not that awesome. Its like your favorite band that only you follow suddenly is on 14 different commercials and Abercrombie and Fitch are selling their tshirts.
QEDMF xbl: PantsB G+
Helen is also a good old name that people don't use as much
or Ellen
Interesting to note is that the baby boy names hardly change over the years. Girl names change all the time.
http://www.weddingvendors.com/baby-names/popular/2005/
You can look at different years/decades there.
Yah, but it's not like the people you work with were born this year, which is where the names come from. I also know a whole pile of people named Mike.
For the longest time I've wanted to name my kids Liam (William) and Imogen, but since Liam is now stinkin' popular, I've gotta re-think that one.
If I have a girl I would name her Amanda or Tracy.
If I have a boy I would name him Constantine.
The urban legend I like best from that is the woman who names her twins (pronunciation:Oran-gelo and Lamongelo)
To add to my earlier personal comment, I was named Jacob because my father's name is James and he didn't want a Jr but liked the idea of his son being named after him. Jacob is the equivalent. My girlfriend's name is Jamie because her Dad is James and he was like the 4th so they wanted to both keep the tradition and quit it with the #s.
QEDMF xbl: PantsB G+
I've thought about naming my children names of famous people. One name I play with the idea is Robert, its practically trevor backwards (Rovert) so I can poke fun for years to come. Some of my favorite famous people are named robert, Robert E. Lee; Robert Frost; Robert Kennedy.
Girls names? well...lets just say I'm hoping its not a girl (I kid, I kid). I thought about naming her Jezebel but that would be cruel, I'll leave that up to the wife.
On a different note I want to change my last name. Its been family tradition for the males to disassociate from their father by changing their last names as a mark of defiance for many generations. I have no idea what I am going to change it to.
Also my initials are WTF.
Then I would refer to him as Gar.
I have a grandpa named Elwood. Whatever happened to that name?
but they're listening to every word I say
My nephew's name is Constantine Robert. My best friend named her little one constantine vladamir. The best thing was neither was aware of the other's choice. Remarkable names. They are going to suck to fill in a scantron sheet with those names.
My last name, though, is Irons, which is badass. :P I mean, I'm cool with any girl I marry not taking my last name simply because I'd never give up Irons.
In college all my friends were named Mike. Now, everyone I work with is named Matt. Yes, everyone.
If you give someone a very old name, make sure that most people still know it. Sarah, Cassandra, Jason, Alexander, Julia, Felicia, etc. are all ancient names that people would still recognize as names. If you name your kid Nicodemus or Saturninus you are dooming your child to a very hard life.
A similar way people go wrong is to give the kid a relatively common name but spell it in magical ways. Do not name your kid Aishleigh or Meighien. What are you doing? They will spend their entire life repeating the spelling of their name and nobody ever getting it right.
Kind of like that seinfeld episode.
Also William is kind of a dumb name. Mostly because everyone automatically assumes it shortens to Bill which I fucking hate to be called. I guess the upside is that I dont meet as many Wills out there. But I cringe when people think its funny to call me Willie.
You would figure Dan Akroyd would have made it popular after his performance as one of the Blues Brothers
Id much rather be named something gay like Sage or Dagger then meet every third person with the same name as me.
Plus my dad thought it would be good to name me after a pope. That's the uncool side of old school names.
My grandmother was named Euphemia May, and since there there are 6 girls with May as a middlename that descend from her. No Effies yet though.
If you're going to give your kid a weird name, make sure there's an easy shorter version. Maximillian=Max. Nicodemus=Nick etc. That way they have an out.
QEDMF xbl: PantsB G+
Grady is a bad ass, wisened name.
I desperately want to name a child Baloo.
Potential kid names: I like Lionel and Charlotte.
There is a line of "okay that's not unique, that's just dumb" which includes stupid spellings and naming your kids after jello, but I'm guessing that line is probably different for everyone.
I think Constantine would be a great name and I stick by Perseus and Artemis too.
"goes to page through mythology books"
Goodness me, it is infuriating seeing someone trying to over-spell a perfectly normal name because they want to be different.
Then you get a story I heard a few years ago, that probably won't translate well to text (I'll have to do it phonetically), about a teacher reading off the register to her class of children on her first day. She got to the end and a girl comes up to her and says "you didn't read out my name". She asked what the girls name was, and got the reply (here's where it falls down) "Wivonee".
Checking down the list of names, she found one absence, 'Yvonne'.
Apparently her parends had seen the name written down, and didn't know how to pronounce it.
Yup, first example is the kind of thing I'm on about, and I've heard of people doing the latter, doo.
Also 'Mileena' is a popular one too.
Same thing happened to Bette Midler.
I like the name "Phaedre," but I wouldn't really want my kid to learn where it came from.