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Help[Opinions] Sigourney?
According to a few other sites, Sigourney is a unisex, Scandinavian name. I'm loving it for a little boy's name, but I just don't think people could get past the whole "Sigourney Weaver" thing. What is your opinion on this name, for boys or girls?
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Sigourney Howard is a character only briefly mentioned in The Great Gatsby, and I believe it is a man's name there. I've also read that it should be pronounced SIG-ourney rather than sih-GUR-ney.
I think it's a cool name that could work for any gender, but it has become inextricably entwined with the actress. It's just such an unusual, memorable name. I don't think that's a bad thing - I just think that if it is used, one should be prepared for a constant barrage of "like the actress?" type questions and jokes.
I think it's a cool name that could work for any gender, but it has become inextricably entwined with the actress. It's just such an unusual, memorable name. I don't think that's a bad thing - I just think that if it is used, one should be prepared for a constant barrage of "like the actress?" type questions and jokes.
This message was edited 5/8/2013, 11:25 AM
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Pronunciation of Sigourney
I like that pronunciation much better, with the stress on the first syllable, like Sigurd. I wonder if they are related.
I like that pronunciation much better, with the stress on the first syllable, like Sigurd. I wonder if they are related.
This message was edited 5/8/2013, 12:10 PM
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Funny you should say that. My husband's grandfather was from Norway and his name was Sigurd.
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I wouldn't be surprised if they were! It does make me wonder if Sigourney isn't maybe an Anglicized attempt at a name that is probably from the elements sigr "victory" and ný "new".
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I doubt it. Read this: http://www.behindthename.com/bb/baby/4406844
This message was edited 5/8/2013, 7:00 PM
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gosh it was just a guess
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Hmm. Do you know what it means? You're going to have a hard time separating that from the actress, but it always sounded more masculine than feminine to my ears. I can't say I'd advise using it. But I would be tickled pink if I was introduced to a little boy named Sigourney. It would be so unexpected, in a good way.
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I found one site that said it meant "the conqueror." I keep saying it over and over in my head and I think I'm falling hard! Not sure if I am supposed to link to other sites, but I found it on babynames.com. If linking from other sides is frowned upon, please let me know and I will edit it out!
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This is a good name but people might pronounce it wrong. This is a good name for a baby boy. :)
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If I were you, I would take the majority of baby name websites with a grain of salt. These typically only list a meaning without giving any evidence, and a lot of them list either completely inaccurate meanings (i.e. made up) or half-accurate meanings.
With that said, Babynames.com seems to be as bit of a hit-and-miss website when it comes to baby name meanings. A few correct ones here, a few incorrect ones here (e.g. for Amelia, Chloe, Lorelei), and so on. As such, I wouldn't dare to bet my finger on the accuracy of the meaning that they provided for Sigourney.
For the rest, I can tell you the following about Sigourney. It was originally a surname, a Huguenot French or Norman French one at that. It was often found spelled as Sigournay, but I found a few other variant spellings (most of them very rare compared to Sigournay and Sigourney), namely: Sigournai, Sigourné, Sigournée and Sigournet. According to the very knowledgeable Cleveland Kent Evans, the surname is derived from a place name, namely the place Sigournais in France. Look here for the two entries where Mr. Evans mentioned that:
http://www.behindthename.com/bb/fact/292737
http://www.behindthename.com/bb/fact/570196
Proof that the place Sigournais (found spelled Segornay, Segorné, Sigornay, Sigourné and Sigournés in earlier times) actually exists in France, is here:
http://www.sigournais.fr (the town's official website)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sigournais (article on the English Wikipedia)
Further research on Google showed that in even earlier times, the place name was originally Segorniacum (also found spelled as Segornaium, Segornayum, Segornianum, Segorniaum, Segurnacum, Segurniacum, Sigorniaum). This makes it look like the place name was of Gallic (i.e. Celtic) or Roman (i.e. Latin) origin.
With that said, Babynames.com seems to be as bit of a hit-and-miss website when it comes to baby name meanings. A few correct ones here, a few incorrect ones here (e.g. for Amelia, Chloe, Lorelei), and so on. As such, I wouldn't dare to bet my finger on the accuracy of the meaning that they provided for Sigourney.
For the rest, I can tell you the following about Sigourney. It was originally a surname, a Huguenot French or Norman French one at that. It was often found spelled as Sigournay, but I found a few other variant spellings (most of them very rare compared to Sigournay and Sigourney), namely: Sigournai, Sigourné, Sigournée and Sigournet. According to the very knowledgeable Cleveland Kent Evans, the surname is derived from a place name, namely the place Sigournais in France. Look here for the two entries where Mr. Evans mentioned that:
http://www.behindthename.com/bb/fact/292737
http://www.behindthename.com/bb/fact/570196
Proof that the place Sigournais (found spelled Segornay, Segorné, Sigornay, Sigourné and Sigournés in earlier times) actually exists in France, is here:
http://www.sigournais.fr (the town's official website)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sigournais (article on the English Wikipedia)
Further research on Google showed that in even earlier times, the place name was originally Segorniacum (also found spelled as Segornaium, Segornayum, Segornianum, Segorniaum, Segurnacum, Segurniacum, Sigorniaum). This makes it look like the place name was of Gallic (i.e. Celtic) or Roman (i.e. Latin) origin.
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