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HelpWhat Names Do You Consider Low Class?
I have a fairly lengthy list of names such as Brandy/Brandi and the Cletuses of the world. However, I wonder what names do you consider as lacking class.
The sound of change is incoming. What is that change? I have no word as to what.
The sound of change is incoming. What is that change? I have no word as to what.
This message was edited 7/29/2015, 9:45 AM
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this is the list that have been rated 'most urban' on the site
http://www.behindthename.com/rating/highest.php?type=urban&rev=n&gender=both&extra=no&num=20
http://www.behindthename.com/rating/highest.php?type=urban&rev=n&gender=both&extra=no&num=20
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I'm pretty judgey when it comes to names (hey I can admit it). I hear alot of names on a daily basis as i'm a teacher (mainly casual)
- Misspelt names - in Australia the new trend (well not so new) is to spell names as they would sound in the Australian accent. Eg. Tayla/h, Oska, Summah etc. I can't describe the feeling that I get when I see these names. Also names with extra x's or y's. Madylyn, Mykynzie, Mykel, Wynter, Kyley are ones that I have seen.
- Trending pop culture names - stuff like Jax, Aria, Knox, Bronx, Bella, Shiloh etc. that are popular because of a celebrity naming their kid that, or from a tv show etc.
- Boys names on girls - Tacky.
- American place names - Harlem, Bronx, Boston, Dakota, Iowa, Utah, Miami, Houston, Denver, Indiana etc. these are all names that i've seen used on Australian kids! Eww.
- Brand names/anything to do with wealth - Gucci, Armani, Dior, Porshe, Chardonay, Champagne etc.
- Virtue names - Hope, Charity, Grace, Bliss, Faith etc.
- Nicknames - Joe, Ben, Jake, Tom, Dave, Greg - used as full names rather than just nicknames.
- Misspelt names - in Australia the new trend (well not so new) is to spell names as they would sound in the Australian accent. Eg. Tayla/h, Oska, Summah etc. I can't describe the feeling that I get when I see these names. Also names with extra x's or y's. Madylyn, Mykynzie, Mykel, Wynter, Kyley are ones that I have seen.
- Trending pop culture names - stuff like Jax, Aria, Knox, Bronx, Bella, Shiloh etc. that are popular because of a celebrity naming their kid that, or from a tv show etc.
- Boys names on girls - Tacky.
- American place names - Harlem, Bronx, Boston, Dakota, Iowa, Utah, Miami, Houston, Denver, Indiana etc. these are all names that i've seen used on Australian kids! Eww.
- Brand names/anything to do with wealth - Gucci, Armani, Dior, Porshe, Chardonay, Champagne etc.
- Virtue names - Hope, Charity, Grace, Bliss, Faith etc.
- Nicknames - Joe, Ben, Jake, Tom, Dave, Greg - used as full names rather than just nicknames.
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Judging a name or a person for not having class or being low class bothers me. We need to be moving toward a classless society, and this type of judgment holds us back.
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None. The concept is ridiculous. I may think that some people don't have as good taste in names as I do, but that means only that -- that in my opinion, (and that's all it is), they don't have as good taste in names as I do, and it means nothing else about them as people.
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Yes, I completely agree.
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Agree 100% with Wisteria & queenv - we all have opinions; but one opinion is not better or "of more value", or, "of higher value" than that of another.
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In hindsight, the name of the beholder means less than the character of that person.
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Agree. 'Class' hasn't anything to do with it. If I look at 'my taste' (names with interesting history, and/or family history) versus 'not to my taste' (cutesy hyphenated names and nicknames as full names, non-family surname names (used in the UK), 'celebrity' names, altered spellings, brand names), what it really comes down to is non-trendy vs. trendy.
On this board we tend to reject trendy names - because we know that they're trendy, we know they'll look dated at some point. Most people don't know and don't care: they just consider names they hear and think sound good. I've seen a lot of expectant parents from all sorts of backgrounds thinking about baby names, including plenty of my own friends and family. None of them are namenerds. Nearly all of them at some point, regardless of background, had at least one trendy name on their list.
On this board we tend to reject trendy names - because we know that they're trendy, we know they'll look dated at some point. Most people don't know and don't care: they just consider names they hear and think sound good. I've seen a lot of expectant parents from all sorts of backgrounds thinking about baby names, including plenty of my own friends and family. None of them are namenerds. Nearly all of them at some point, regardless of background, had at least one trendy name on their list.
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It may offend some, but it is very relevant to naming patterns, and therefore not an unwarrented discussion.
You can't deny that poorer people are always trying to sound rich, which is why they name their children after luxury items so often (Diamond, Champagne, etc.).
Meanwhile more affluent people start using a name, but as soon as it is adopted by lower classes of people, they want to find new ways of sounding "apart" from them. In the 80s, rich people would name their daughters Courtney, but in the 90s, it became a name used by less affluent people. I think that is why richer, more educated people tend to also be attracted to names that less affluent people would judge as hokey, like Jethro or Matilda -- it sets them apart (for now).
You can't deny that poorer people are always trying to sound rich, which is why they name their children after luxury items so often (Diamond, Champagne, etc.).
Meanwhile more affluent people start using a name, but as soon as it is adopted by lower classes of people, they want to find new ways of sounding "apart" from them. In the 80s, rich people would name their daughters Courtney, but in the 90s, it became a name used by less affluent people. I think that is why richer, more educated people tend to also be attracted to names that less affluent people would judge as hokey, like Jethro or Matilda -- it sets them apart (for now).
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This post has given me an incurable gum disease.
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I think we could say the same thing for classic names. They're just as if not more aspirational than Diamond.
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I would say that a criterion for classic names is that they transcend social barriers and don't have the pretense that they belong anywhere, specifically "above" others.
I have no problems picturing a Sarah or a Jonathan from a poor or rich background. They don't suggest any particular class to me since they're used so broadly on every level of society. I think that is also why it is never a bad choice to use a name like this, as such a name could never seem out-of-place.
I have no problems picturing a Sarah or a Jonathan from a poor or rich background. They don't suggest any particular class to me since they're used so broadly on every level of society. I think that is also why it is never a bad choice to use a name like this, as such a name could never seem out-of-place.
This message was edited 7/29/2015, 5:23 PM
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"Out of place" names
I love seeing names like this. Is that just me? I get super excited when a name is completely unexpected.
I love seeing names like this. Is that just me? I get super excited when a name is completely unexpected.
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I can and do deny that poorer people are always trying to sound rich, and that that is why they name their children after luxury items. Here are my theories...
I think it would explain that trend better, to suppose that they name their children after luxury items they don't have, because they want to allude to the desired extreme value of the child as a human being, which is only metaphorically like a luxury item ... shiny, inaccessible things used as names symbolize spiritual richness, the deserving of quality and admiration, instead of being simply meant to refer to literal objects of material value.
I don't know that that is really why, because I have no inclination to name a child Armani or Chardonnay and it does sound tacky to me. But it makes a lot more sense to me than your explanation. I mean, I'd love to have twelve weeks of vacation but that doesn't at all make me think Holiday is a good name for my child ... but I could imagine someone naming a baby Holiday to, say, express the idea that she made every day special ... and I don't think poor people are more materialistic than rich ones. That makes no sense at all.
I kind of agree about affluent people using "apart" names and wanting to avoid trendy popular names, however I don't think that is a sign of high class. It's a sign of middle class ... striving to assert importance and specialness. Dropping names that get popular = insecure striving to not seem mediocre = middle class. I think people who are very socially privileged and not just affluent, still choose names that are either traditional - demonstrating that they value the culture in which they feel important - or creative, because they believe in the value of their creativity to their culture, and feel no threat from the disapproval or judgment of people reading their resumes etc.
I think it would explain that trend better, to suppose that they name their children after luxury items they don't have, because they want to allude to the desired extreme value of the child as a human being, which is only metaphorically like a luxury item ... shiny, inaccessible things used as names symbolize spiritual richness, the deserving of quality and admiration, instead of being simply meant to refer to literal objects of material value.
I don't know that that is really why, because I have no inclination to name a child Armani or Chardonnay and it does sound tacky to me. But it makes a lot more sense to me than your explanation. I mean, I'd love to have twelve weeks of vacation but that doesn't at all make me think Holiday is a good name for my child ... but I could imagine someone naming a baby Holiday to, say, express the idea that she made every day special ... and I don't think poor people are more materialistic than rich ones. That makes no sense at all.
I kind of agree about affluent people using "apart" names and wanting to avoid trendy popular names, however I don't think that is a sign of high class. It's a sign of middle class ... striving to assert importance and specialness. Dropping names that get popular = insecure striving to not seem mediocre = middle class. I think people who are very socially privileged and not just affluent, still choose names that are either traditional - demonstrating that they value the culture in which they feel important - or creative, because they believe in the value of their creativity to their culture, and feel no threat from the disapproval or judgment of people reading their resumes etc.
This message was edited 7/29/2015, 1:43 PM
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I think you've really got something here, but I honestly believe that, more than anything, people just like the names they choose. People from working class communities are the least inhibited when it comes to name choices, imho, and there's often a stronger sense of community than there is amongst other classes and they know that no one's going to judge them. In fact, the only people who are going to judge them, are delightful individuals such as Puck here, and those people are the exact people they want to metaphorically stick their middle finger up at and they want to rebel against. They don't want the middle and upper classes' approval and they're quite happy to rebel against them because of the way they've been oppressed by them in the past. The working classes are kept apart from the upper and middle classes and, you know what, they're gonna embrace it.
(I was very clearly raised in an anti-Thatcher family.)
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You're equally delightful if I may say.
*gags*
*gags*
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:)
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Yeah. You know we "just like" names for some reasons, though - reasons we don't necessarily consciously think about.
I'm assuming that the connotations and oblique associations with things like Armani, Lexus, Chablis, or Diamond are roughly the same for people who use them as names, as they are for me. (I could be wrong! I'm not intending to speak for anyone, just to offer a more reasonable guess about it than Puck has.) Anyway if I set aside the "what, as a person's name?" reaction, and my annoyance at being programmed to recognize brand names and want costly things ... they can give me a magazine-ad type atmosphere-vibe that isn't tacky or materialistic, of serenity and dignity and pleasure and privilege, that is about as cliche and dreamy as that evoked by a name like Sebastian or Genevieve. lol
Rebellion, I dunno ... It seems to me that it ought to be similar to, say, how Meadow is to hipsters. I agree that people who use a name, really honestly do think it's cool. They might also feel like it'd be uncool to use a name like Emily. But maybe not. More of a "if you don't see why it's cool, you're just a clueless tool I guess" attitude, rather than a "See how I flip the bird to your judgment" kind of attitude. Like, maybe people aren't defiant about whether someone thinks the name is tacky - they really just don't know or they don't care, or they figure that someone who'd judge them negatively for their name is too shallow and low-class to worry about.
Again, I don't know ... just going on an assumption that other people are more like me than unlike me.
I'm assuming that the connotations and oblique associations with things like Armani, Lexus, Chablis, or Diamond are roughly the same for people who use them as names, as they are for me. (I could be wrong! I'm not intending to speak for anyone, just to offer a more reasonable guess about it than Puck has.) Anyway if I set aside the "what, as a person's name?" reaction, and my annoyance at being programmed to recognize brand names and want costly things ... they can give me a magazine-ad type atmosphere-vibe that isn't tacky or materialistic, of serenity and dignity and pleasure and privilege, that is about as cliche and dreamy as that evoked by a name like Sebastian or Genevieve. lol
Rebellion, I dunno ... It seems to me that it ought to be similar to, say, how Meadow is to hipsters. I agree that people who use a name, really honestly do think it's cool. They might also feel like it'd be uncool to use a name like Emily. But maybe not. More of a "if you don't see why it's cool, you're just a clueless tool I guess" attitude, rather than a "See how I flip the bird to your judgment" kind of attitude. Like, maybe people aren't defiant about whether someone thinks the name is tacky - they really just don't know or they don't care, or they figure that someone who'd judge them negatively for their name is too shallow and low-class to worry about.
Again, I don't know ... just going on an assumption that other people are more like me than unlike me.
This message was edited 7/29/2015, 5:16 PM
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Sebastien is having some popularity where I live, hyphenated, even. Jean-Sebastien, Leo-Sebastien, Olivier-Sebastien, which is quite a lot of name to yell at a kid venturing too near the street.
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Meadow is not just pretty to hipsters... wait, am I a hipster? Pretty sure I can't afford to be hip. lol.
I do agree with this though. I don't think the average person is naming their children out of defiance, but rather out of a personal perception of what is valuable, classy or just sounds swell.
I think it's safe to remember that most people just don't do research on names like we namenerds do. They find something that appeals for one reason or another and roll with it.
I do agree with this though. I don't think the average person is naming their children out of defiance, but rather out of a personal perception of what is valuable, classy or just sounds swell.
I think it's safe to remember that most people just don't do research on names like we namenerds do. They find something that appeals for one reason or another and roll with it.
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Well, hipster for lack of a better word. My understanding of what a hipster is, is distorted because I'm in the wrong generation. I mean, the contemporary equivalent of co-opted hippie culture ... Meadow is like Summer circa 1970, or like River circa 1990 ... I dunno. Nature names are hip and Meadow is just about the most over-the-top pastoral image, especially as a name for a city dweller. I don't mean hipster in an insulting way at all.
It's interesting that people "rolling with it" is still resulting in diversification, though - at least some demographics do seem to be consistently looking up names on the internet, and so they kinda do collect info about them more than they used to. Or maybe it's not that ... but where else are they getting new ideas. It's all I can think of.
It's interesting that people "rolling with it" is still resulting in diversification, though - at least some demographics do seem to be consistently looking up names on the internet, and so they kinda do collect info about them more than they used to. Or maybe it's not that ... but where else are they getting new ideas. It's all I can think of.
This message was edited 7/30/2015, 11:47 AM
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I really like the way you're looking at this and analysing it, haha. It fascinates me the way all of these different elements interplay and affect the choices people make. I guess we can analyse it until the cows come home, but we don't really have a definitive answer I agree that it's often that people don't know or don't care, though, and honestly I just think, "more power to them". I'm certainly not going to make judgements.
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Jethro is not even in the top thousand and the last time it was was in 1913. So any claim that richer, more educated people are now becoming attracted to it has no basis. Personally I feel that its extreme hillbilly image is going to prevent it from gaining any popularity, but only time will tell.
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I automatically think of the Beverly Hillbillies, which leads me to think of Petticoat Junction, which means I now have the theme song to that show stuck in my head. . . and images of the Gabor sisters and their lovely accents.
And I always mix up the Gabor sisters and Charo, too.
Great, now all I can think about is the movie Thumbelina, and Charo singing "on the Road"...
geez, what Jethro will do to you. ;)
And I always mix up the Gabor sisters and Charo, too.
Great, now all I can think about is the movie Thumbelina, and Charo singing "on the Road"...
geez, what Jethro will do to you. ;)
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You are such a snob. I like how you put your own favourites as names more "affluent" people use. Ha!
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Hahaha! Oh, that is perfect (purrfect?)!
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I totally question that "poorer people are always trying to sound rich". Do you have some sort of statistic to back this up, or is it something you just want to believe? What you are saying more indicates that rich people want to sound rich, rather than that poor people want to sound rich.
This message was edited 7/29/2015, 12:38 PM
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Nobody has taste in names like I do. My preferences are far superior to others. So, clearly I agree with you.
Just kidding ;)
(I still agree with you, though)
Just kidding ;)
(I still agree with you, though)
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Agreed!
You have articulated this much better than I could have. It really wasn't until I came to this site that I saw people equating names with "class", and it's still weird to me.
You have articulated this much better than I could have. It really wasn't until I came to this site that I saw people equating names with "class", and it's still weird to me.
This message was edited 7/29/2015, 12:26 PM
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You changer your sig! Yours are always interesting.
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I use the sig as a sign board.
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I do have a slight bias against alcoholic beverages being used as names. Gin is a guilty pleasure, but when actually used it's like broadcasting that the parents were wasted when they got pregnant. Using an expensive alcohol doesn't make it any classier. Chardonnay, Brandy, Tequila, Merlot, Gin, Bud (weiser), Margarita, Sherry, etc fall into this category.
Using obvious brands as names comes across as tacky as well no matter how expensive the product is. Examples include Armani, Cartier, Ferrari, Infiniti, Porsche, Maybelline, Coco, Channel, Mercedes, Gucci, Diesel, etc. Some names might be brands but they are already established names that have other associations. Names like Tiffany and Jared have a common usage apart from the store, so while they might not be my style, I don't consider them tacky.
Names that have a clear cut, indisputably unsavory association without any more positive bearers to lighten them come across as low class. It is fine if you want to make a statement but using your child to do so is tasteless at best. Adolph, Aryan (on a non-Indian), Lolita, Che, Hussein, Osama, Stalin, Rasputin, Mao, Manson, Jim Jones, Shoko, Ripper, etc would probably fit into this category. Personally, I also place Delilah in this category because it has historically been used as a synonym for treacherous hooker alluding to the Delilah in the Bible. In old movies and books, they would call a woman a Delilah if she was the type of woman to sell out anybody for a high enough price. When I hear Delilah being used as a name, a small part of me wonders if the parents are planning to sell their daughter as a prostitute. More recently, I begin to suspect that people aren't aware of the names previous usage.
Using obvious brands as names comes across as tacky as well no matter how expensive the product is. Examples include Armani, Cartier, Ferrari, Infiniti, Porsche, Maybelline, Coco, Channel, Mercedes, Gucci, Diesel, etc. Some names might be brands but they are already established names that have other associations. Names like Tiffany and Jared have a common usage apart from the store, so while they might not be my style, I don't consider them tacky.
Names that have a clear cut, indisputably unsavory association without any more positive bearers to lighten them come across as low class. It is fine if you want to make a statement but using your child to do so is tasteless at best. Adolph, Aryan (on a non-Indian), Lolita, Che, Hussein, Osama, Stalin, Rasputin, Mao, Manson, Jim Jones, Shoko, Ripper, etc would probably fit into this category. Personally, I also place Delilah in this category because it has historically been used as a synonym for treacherous hooker alluding to the Delilah in the Bible. In old movies and books, they would call a woman a Delilah if she was the type of woman to sell out anybody for a high enough price. When I hear Delilah being used as a name, a small part of me wonders if the parents are planning to sell their daughter as a prostitute. More recently, I begin to suspect that people aren't aware of the names previous usage.
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TBH, if I met someone called Rasputin, I'd think it was awesome! I mean, it's so outlandish...
Lolita and Osama were relatively useable names in living memory, so I don't think they really count. I hate both, but I can see how someone who's been called Osama for thirty, forty years can't be judged because of recent history.
Lolita and Osama were relatively useable names in living memory, so I don't think they really count. I hate both, but I can see how someone who's been called Osama for thirty, forty years can't be judged because of recent history.
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I know the story, but I still like Delilah. I don't think being linked with a biblical prostitute in and of itself is a bad thing, since women back then had, like, zero options when it came to making money. YMMV.
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Delilah was used as another name for a prostitute from old times until fairly recently. It has also been used like many people use the french word for a female dog that starts with a "B." In the Biblical story it wasn't that she was just a prostitute, although why somebody would think that is an empowering association to saddle their daughter with is beyond me. She insisted that if her boyfriend truly loved her he would tell her the secret of his strength. Apparently, he did love her enough to trust her, and she promptly sold his life for the highest price she could get and helped his enemies capture him. His eyes were put out and he was used in place as an ox to grind grain and subject to ridicule and torture as a political captive. If she had helped the Philistines capture him out of a sense of patriotism or something, people would think better of her, but from the story, she had not objection to sleeping with Samson or having a relationship with him and only betrayed him when offered a pile of gold. She had a lot more options than Mata Hari. Actually, Mata Hari would be a classier courtesan association.
This message was edited 7/29/2015, 12:58 PM
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Still doesn't bother me. I really dig the sound of it.
This message was edited 7/29/2015, 1:49 PM
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It's fine if you like it. It's just my opinion anyway.
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I think the sound and look of Delilah is lovely. But, my reservations on using it technically stem from the Bible story but are not based on it. My reservations stem from the fact that it used to be a culturally-appropriate slang word for prostitute. It isn't anymore, but I can't shake the feeling that it would be like naming your child Harlot.
I know several little Delilahs though, and I find it pretty on them.
Also - the biblical Delilah was not considered bad for her prostitutery (word?), but rather her trickery and willingness to condemn her boyfriend to death over money. Her boyfriend just happened to be a judge too, which is like saying the "king" to that particular area, so she was also a traitor. Believe me though, Samson was no angel himself.
I know several little Delilahs though, and I find it pretty on them.
Also - the biblical Delilah was not considered bad for her prostitutery (word?), but rather her trickery and willingness to condemn her boyfriend to death over money. Her boyfriend just happened to be a judge too, which is like saying the "king" to that particular area, so she was also a traitor. Believe me though, Samson was no angel himself.
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Ummm here are some names of the people I thought lacked serious class when I was a kid*:
Chantal
Brandy, yes
Charmaine
Lynn
Trisha
Candace, Candice, Kandace, etc
Desiree
Jamie
Crystal
Heather
Shari, Sherrie, Cherie etc
Danielle
Amanda
Sheena
Michelle
Dawn
Jaclyn
Destiny
Megan, Meghan, Meagan, etc
Chad
Mitch
Jamie
Terry
Derek
Matt
Ryan
Brian
Brad, Brandon, Bradley
As you can see I was much more critical of girls than boys....
However I thought a girl named Azure was the classiest most awesome person and I'm pretty sure that Azure qualifies as a "trashy" name, WHATEVER.
*I like some of these names though
Chantal
Brandy, yes
Charmaine
Lynn
Trisha
Candace, Candice, Kandace, etc
Desiree
Jamie
Crystal
Heather
Shari, Sherrie, Cherie etc
Danielle
Amanda
Sheena
Michelle
Dawn
Jaclyn
Destiny
Megan, Meghan, Meagan, etc
Chad
Mitch
Jamie
Terry
Derek
Matt
Ryan
Brian
Brad, Brandon, Bradley
As you can see I was much more critical of girls than boys....
However I thought a girl named Azure was the classiest most awesome person and I'm pretty sure that Azure qualifies as a "trashy" name, WHATEVER.
*I like some of these names though
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Brandon isn't low class. :-P
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Says you...
...others might have a very different opinion. I don't understand how you can make blanket statements the way you do. It's very weird.
...others might have a very different opinion. I don't understand how you can make blanket statements the way you do. It's very weird.
This message was edited 7/29/2015, 1:56 PM
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Terrible Libra habit.
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Everybody has an opinion if they are thinking. If I recall, you have mentioned that you consider Huckleberry one of the WORST (If I recall correctly you used all caps) names you have ever heard. It is an opinion you are entitled to have. Puck is defending the name Brendon, and of course sense he is the person saying it is in his opinion. Whats wrong with that?
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It isn't the opinion, it's how he expressed it. I said "I think Huckleberry is one of the worst names I have ever heard", he says "Brandon isn't low class", like it's a fact. If he had said, "I don't think Brandon is low class", that would be different. It might seem like nitpicking, but since he's been known to make statements like this before, to express his opinion as fact, I don't think it is. Or, it could be that he is joking like Queenv says and I misinterpreted his tone.
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Mia
Enough said.
It's also a very annoying name, and sounds horrid.
Enough said.
It's also a very annoying name, and sounds horrid.
This message was edited 7/29/2015, 10:04 AM
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I'm not sure that I'd (personally) call Mia low class, but I do think that it's faux-high-class and too try-hard cheerful. I feel like I'd like it much more as a nickname than a full name.
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I like Mia. I think it's adorable.
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Same here. I envision a hyperactive girl having such a name. Maybe it's too much Fire Emblem.
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What makes Mia that? I can see the corrupted spellings like Miya or Mya, but not the proper spelling.
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It just strikes me as tacky, even the spelling Mia. I cannot imagine someone with class using the name.
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It's so ridiculously subjective. I don't like Mia, but I would never say it's "low-class" somehow. Totally fail to see that.
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Sort of the problem I see with the name Brandy?
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I think everyone shares that view of Brandy.
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Not the parents of my daughter's high school friend. I doubt they were thinking, "We have no 'class' so let's show the world!" when they named her Brandy.
This topic is so distasteful.
This topic is so distasteful.
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I have a doctor with the first name Brandy.
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Foreign names in general like Angelo, Mario, Ashley etc (when not foreign, of course!) Liam and Kevin.
Working class names more than low class would be male names ending in -y (as full names); Tommy, Jimmy, Lenny etc
Also a more recent trend to just end girl names with Li (or Lie or Lee). Either with a hyphen or without, such as Nova-Li, Tuva-Li, Irmeli...
Working class names more than low class would be male names ending in -y (as full names); Tommy, Jimmy, Lenny etc
Also a more recent trend to just end girl names with Li (or Lie or Lee). Either with a hyphen or without, such as Nova-Li, Tuva-Li, Irmeli...
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What in the world is going on there. What's next? Heaven-li?
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It's interesting to me that a name that is so traditional and respected (i.e. Mario or Angelo) for one culture, would be seen as "working class" or even simply "not classy" by other cultures.
It stood out because many people consider names that are Italian in use to be very "urban" in NY, where I live (i.e. Gianna). I never get it.
Italian names seem so wholesome and sophisticated and strong to me. But, then again, my whole family is Italian. Only my sisters and I are American, so my worldview is skewed towards that.
It makes me wonder what countries/cultures think of traditional English names, or even American names. Eep!
It stood out because many people consider names that are Italian in use to be very "urban" in NY, where I live (i.e. Gianna). I never get it.
Italian names seem so wholesome and sophisticated and strong to me. But, then again, my whole family is Italian. Only my sisters and I are American, so my worldview is skewed towards that.
It makes me wonder what countries/cultures think of traditional English names, or even American names. Eep!
This message was edited 7/29/2015, 9:38 AM
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I don't like "working class" being used in this context. I'm not talking to you specifically, Joiya, but since it was brought up I just wanted to say that. I am working class, and I hate to see some people use it in a way that suggests it's less than, or undesirable. Maybe I'm being too sensitive, but that's just how I feel.
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Agreed
Being working class does not make a person tacky anymore than being rich makes people classy.
Being working class does not make a person tacky anymore than being rich makes people classy.
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Indeed, there's a whole difference between the wholesome working class and the type of people one would see on Jerry Springer. The personalities in particular.
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That kind of behavior isn't limited to the working class, though. Paris Hilton is upper-class, and we all know what her vagina looks like. Ariana Grande had money before she was famous (I believe her mother is a CEO), and she thinks it's hilarious to lick donuts and spread her germs to unsuspecting people. Shameless is shameless, no matter what bracket you're in.
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Trashy can come regardless of income.
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I don't like it in context either. I used it in reference to CN's post. No personal affront taken, btw.
Honestly, the only time I see this differentiation (as in working class versus upper class means something in terms of quality) is online for names.
I think some of us make the same mistake when we think names are too "pompous" for use or something too. We assign it a class based on our opinion, which may or may not be even accurate.
I hope being working class isn't undesirable, since I am working class myself!
Honestly, the only time I see this differentiation (as in working class versus upper class means something in terms of quality) is online for names.
I think some of us make the same mistake when we think names are too "pompous" for use or something too. We assign it a class based on our opinion, which may or may not be even accurate.
I hope being working class isn't undesirable, since I am working class myself!
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Better working class, than too-lazy-to -move from-in-front-of-the television!
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Oh dear. I don't know if there is an appropriate and tactful way to ask this question, but I am pretty sure that this is not it.
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I'm not exactly the most politically correct person. But yeah... I might ask the more appropriate what names seem classy.
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Nevaeh/Heaven, Miracle, Heavenly, Precious, Prince/Princess, Duchess/Duke, Chastity/Chasity, Sunshine, King/Queen, Messiah, Goddess/God, anything with Sir or lady or Miss or Mister tacked onto it.
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Those names give me nightmares. I knew a Precious and she was anything but.
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The only Precious I knew personally was a horrible Pomeranian that barked like a crazy thing and thought she was a pit bull; all five fluffy pounds of her.
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Thank the heavens she was just a dog and not a classmate of mine.
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Well, I don't have a list of names that I consider low class. I do have a list of names that I think are classy... but I guess I never went the other way.
The only names I don't like are ones with butchered spellings of common names. I don't mind the letter switch or two for a name that is hard to pronounce and you are just trying to make it easier on your family - however variations like kymmburleigh I can safely say won't make it into the "classy" category.
Also, I guess I never thought of DeMarcus as ghetto. Probably because I know so many.
The only names I don't like are ones with butchered spellings of common names. I don't mind the letter switch or two for a name that is hard to pronounce and you are just trying to make it easier on your family - however variations like kymmburleigh I can safely say won't make it into the "classy" category.
Also, I guess I never thought of DeMarcus as ghetto. Probably because I know so many.
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Ugh, this thread is not going to end well. You should erase it or at least edit out "ghetto" and the like.
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I've edited the post for a more sanitized version.
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I don't think "urban" was the right fix for "ghetto" lolll
Using "low class" even rubs me the wrong way. What, names that strike me as used by a lower income bracket?
Using "low class" even rubs me the wrong way. What, names that strike me as used by a lower income bracket?
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Low class only seems insulting to low income people if you consider class as something determined by your income. Personally, I have encountered low class rich people, and people without much money but more class than Bill Gates has dollars. "Show class, have pride, and display character. If you do, winning takes care of itself."
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This is all very true and well said. However, I find it hard to believe that that was the intent of the OP, who initially was referring to traditionally African American names as "ghetto".
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The modern term "ghetto" refers to a geographical area of people who are grouped (live) together primarily as a result of discrimination.
So, all in all, not a positive term. Urban is no better, since it logically just means "city" and there is no category of "city names".
The original definition was "a part of a city, especially a slum area, occupied by a minority group or groups." Initially this was a term used to describe where Jewish people lived in a large city.
I guess if you wanted to be historically accurate, the only ghetto names out there should be Jewish, and not based on the quality of the name, but purely as a cultural reference.
Not directly at OP, btw... just an FYI for the general reader.
If it helps, we have an area people call "ghetto" in town, which are really just housing projects. Most people who live there are actually from Puerto Rico because all the Spanish-speaking resources are located nearby. So, it makes sense for them to live there.
So, all in all, not a positive term. Urban is no better, since it logically just means "city" and there is no category of "city names".
The original definition was "a part of a city, especially a slum area, occupied by a minority group or groups." Initially this was a term used to describe where Jewish people lived in a large city.
I guess if you wanted to be historically accurate, the only ghetto names out there should be Jewish, and not based on the quality of the name, but purely as a cultural reference.
Not directly at OP, btw... just an FYI for the general reader.
If it helps, we have an area people call "ghetto" in town, which are really just housing projects. Most people who live there are actually from Puerto Rico because all the Spanish-speaking resources are located nearby. So, it makes sense for them to live there.
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Sorry. I came in late, so I didn't see it. I can see how that could be construed as offensive or unpolitical correct.
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I'm not sure "urban" is much better, though. I'm not trying to pick at you, but we all know "urban" is a fancy way of saying "African American", and we've had the discussion about how African American naming styles =/= low-class. IMO, it's a topic that white people shouldn't touch with a 30 ft. pole.
This message was edited 7/29/2015, 8:54 AM
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I guess it's a topic that is like the 3rd rail. The rail I forgot exists because I was out of here for so long.
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Sorry, but I really don't think that's helped.
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Agree.
wtf
wtf
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As do I
seriously
seriously
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