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HelpIf popularity and associations would play no role at all...(edited)
Let's say that all of your favorite names are completely uncommon and not dated (for example Brittany would never have been common and not be associated with a certain time period at all) and your son or daughter would never meet another one with the same name. Also none of your favorites could sound tacky, trashy (Destineeigh would be perfectly acceptable) or be associated with a negative person or a different gender than the one you prefer it on (if you prefer James on a girl it would be a girls name), your partner would agree with everything, you would know no one else with the name (also no relatives, friends etc) and nothing would be too hard to spell or pronounce or too out there (Aoibheann and Aphrodite would work just fine). So basically you could choose a name just by sound and meaning. Which name would you choose? Would your favorite names change? If not, your top ten?
This message was edited 12/6/2016, 2:26 PM
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Replies
I don't think mine would change at all. The only thing that might change is I would Isabel as a first name instead of a middle name.
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If associations played no role at all, then my top 10 probably would change, but I'm not sure what they'd change to...because I'm always going to like names I'd realistically use more than names I wouldn't, and that's how I choose my top 10.
But, if I was basing my opinion exclusively on sound and meaning, I'd add a bunch of names (that I wouldn't normally consider using for a kid) to my favorites, including:
Archimedes
Algernon
Amichai
Benvolio
Caratacos
Carmine
Darwin
Esme
Enoch
Faruq
Fidel
Fiachra
Fabrizio
Friedrich
Gaius
George
Gawain
Gwenaël
Garfield
Gilgamesh
Habakkuk
Liberius
Maria
Nicodemus
Nadav
Maverick
Meshach
Moana
Oberyn
Osama
Oz
Orsino
Olivier
Plutarch
Rudolf
Raoul
Shafiq
Shankara
Siegfried
Sylvester
Tariq
Thorin
Tevye
Tybalt
Valentin
Winfred
Wapasha
But, if I was basing my opinion exclusively on sound and meaning, I'd add a bunch of names (that I wouldn't normally consider using for a kid) to my favorites, including:
Archimedes
Algernon
Amichai
Benvolio
Caratacos
Carmine
Darwin
Esme
Enoch
Faruq
Fidel
Fiachra
Fabrizio
Friedrich
Gaius
George
Gawain
Gwenaël
Garfield
Gilgamesh
Habakkuk
Liberius
Maria
Nicodemus
Nadav
Maverick
Meshach
Moana
Oberyn
Osama
Oz
Orsino
Olivier
Plutarch
Rudolf
Raoul
Shafiq
Shankara
Siegfried
Sylvester
Tariq
Thorin
Tevye
Tybalt
Valentin
Winfred
Wapasha
This message was edited 12/7/2016, 1:53 PM
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Choosing names without such limitations is... suddenly quite difficult, lol!
Let's see:
Bennett Sebastian
D'Artagnan Andreas
Dominic Edmond
Everett Arthur James
Isaac Harrison
Jonathan Elias
Malcolm Elliott
Nathaniel Cain
Nicanor Imlac
Theon Alaric
Thomas Matthew Emory
Veryan Hasan
Wesley Perran Shaw
Anahera Mór
Anastasia Maris
Briella Gwen Fae
Claudia Mercedes
Dieudonnée Clarice
Electra Natille Anouk
Emberine Hadassah
Esperanza Scheherazade
Evanna Morgause
Iris Evangeline
Jacquetta Ludivine
Jezebel Eden
Lydia Madeleine
Maialen Mirèio
Marie-Soleil Axelle
Miranda Lillian
Morgana Sapphire
Myrrine Amaryllis
Nefertari Taliesin
Sabrina Rhiannon
Sorsha Yocheved
Vivienne Eloisa Maeve
... So some stayed the same, while I branched out with others. Especially the feminine names!
Let's see:
Bennett Sebastian
D'Artagnan Andreas
Dominic Edmond
Everett Arthur James
Isaac Harrison
Jonathan Elias
Malcolm Elliott
Nathaniel Cain
Nicanor Imlac
Theon Alaric
Thomas Matthew Emory
Veryan Hasan
Wesley Perran Shaw
Anahera Mór
Anastasia Maris
Briella Gwen Fae
Claudia Mercedes
Dieudonnée Clarice
Electra Natille Anouk
Emberine Hadassah
Esperanza Scheherazade
Evanna Morgause
Iris Evangeline
Jacquetta Ludivine
Jezebel Eden
Lydia Madeleine
Maialen Mirèio
Marie-Soleil Axelle
Miranda Lillian
Morgana Sapphire
Myrrine Amaryllis
Nefertari Taliesin
Sabrina Rhiannon
Sorsha Yocheved
Vivienne Eloisa Maeve
... So some stayed the same, while I branched out with others. Especially the feminine names!
This message was edited 12/10/2016, 10:45 AM
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If this were the case, we would probably have named our first son Llewellyn (or another spelling). If it were a family name, we would have used it at least as a middle name no problem. But even though my Grandpa's family is Welsh, there are very few cool Welsh names amongst them.
Other than that none of my most liked names would really be influenced.
Other than that none of my most liked names would really be influenced.
This message was edited 12/7/2016, 8:39 AM
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This is interesting, because my favorite girls' name is Victoria, and that's what I named my daughter. And I've stated quite a few times that when I chose her name, it was very important to me to avoid a name that was too popular. Keeping in mind that she was born in 1982, that meant no Jennifer, Jessica, Amanda, Sarah, Ashley, etc etc. The name Victoria actually was just starting to rise, unknown to me, at that time, and later became more popular than it was when I used it.
However, part of the appeal of it to me was that, although it was not overly popular at that time, it was known, and not extremely unusual, and it had a certain connotation due to being known, and it had a historical significance due to the queen. So if it had been completely unknown, those attributes would be absent. So actually, if Victoria had been unknown, I may not have wanted to use it.
So to answer your question, I would use Amber and Evander. I love the name Amber, but its (now former) popularity ruined it for me. There are too many women and girls out there named Amber, and like all names that go in and then out of style, it dates the bearer, and its popularity has given it a "bimbo cheerleader" connotation to many. But I love the way it sounds and the image of the color and the stone that it projects, so I'd happily name a daughter Amber in a world in which there were no other females named Amber.
As for Evander, well, that's not popular anyway. I would name a son Evander in the real world and I'd still name one Evander in the hypothetical world you paint. That wouldn't change.
However, part of the appeal of it to me was that, although it was not overly popular at that time, it was known, and not extremely unusual, and it had a certain connotation due to being known, and it had a historical significance due to the queen. So if it had been completely unknown, those attributes would be absent. So actually, if Victoria had been unknown, I may not have wanted to use it.
So to answer your question, I would use Amber and Evander. I love the name Amber, but its (now former) popularity ruined it for me. There are too many women and girls out there named Amber, and like all names that go in and then out of style, it dates the bearer, and its popularity has given it a "bimbo cheerleader" connotation to many. But I love the way it sounds and the image of the color and the stone that it projects, so I'd happily name a daughter Amber in a world in which there were no other females named Amber.
As for Evander, well, that's not popular anyway. I would name a son Evander in the real world and I'd still name one Evander in the hypothetical world you paint. That wouldn't change.
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My top 20 would be the same. But there are lots of names from cultures/nationalities that I have NO connection with that I'd love to use if it didn't seem a bit pretentious to do it. Farouk and Rafiq off the top of my head. And some mediaeval names would probably make the cut. Tillot & Tesmarye...
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Mine
Lolita - I think it has a really beautiful sound but the association is just too obvious.
Lalita - a completely unrelated name but I find it too close to the name above to ever consider it in real life.
Madeline - I love it but it is just way too common for my age group, could be shortened to Maddie (which I don't like so much), has the word 'mad' in it which bothers me a bit and can be pronounced and spelled in too many ways.
Lola - I like the sound but it has such a huge barmaid association. Even I think of that all the time when I hear the name.
Lana - I really loved this until I read it backwards. If that word didn't exist I might use it. I thought about spelling it Lahna or Lanah but I don't like the way those look at all, part of Lana's appeal is its simplicity.
Destiny - I think of a cute pioneer puritan girl with this name wearing a bonnet but most people have a bad association with this. I know it wasn't used by the Puritans (or at least very rare) but I always put the name in the same category.
Amice - AM-is, a common medieval name. Hardly anyone would pronounce this this way and it's also very unknown.
Seamus - would always get mispronounced here.
Lolita - I think it has a really beautiful sound but the association is just too obvious.
Lalita - a completely unrelated name but I find it too close to the name above to ever consider it in real life.
Madeline - I love it but it is just way too common for my age group, could be shortened to Maddie (which I don't like so much), has the word 'mad' in it which bothers me a bit and can be pronounced and spelled in too many ways.
Lola - I like the sound but it has such a huge barmaid association. Even I think of that all the time when I hear the name.
Lana - I really loved this until I read it backwards. If that word didn't exist I might use it. I thought about spelling it Lahna or Lanah but I don't like the way those look at all, part of Lana's appeal is its simplicity.
Destiny - I think of a cute pioneer puritan girl with this name wearing a bonnet but most people have a bad association with this. I know it wasn't used by the Puritans (or at least very rare) but I always put the name in the same category.
Amice - AM-is, a common medieval name. Hardly anyone would pronounce this this way and it's also very unknown.
Seamus - would always get mispronounced here.
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Oooowh, fun.
I would probably have the same favorites, but I wouldn't be scared to use them.
Society would keep me from naming my sons Vivian and Evelyn and Blythe. If that wasn't a thing, I would use those names without a second thought.
I would also use a lot of Eastern European names that I like, but that no one can pronounce here:
Evgeniy
Ciprian
Lovrenc
Cătălin -Look, this fills all kinds of things I love. Eastern European and a male version of Katherine. WTF. Grand!
-
Daciana
Kseniya
Vitaliya
Constanța
Or just foreign names in general that my culture would constantly mispronounce:
Maxence
Naoise
Trygve
Benoit
-
Xenia
Siân
Lærke
Aisling
Also Brooklyn for a boy because I love Brooklyn the place, but I'm afraid these days it would be perceived as both feminine and trashy/overdone.
I would probably have the same favorites, but I wouldn't be scared to use them.
Society would keep me from naming my sons Vivian and Evelyn and Blythe. If that wasn't a thing, I would use those names without a second thought.
I would also use a lot of Eastern European names that I like, but that no one can pronounce here:
Evgeniy
Ciprian
Lovrenc
Cătălin -Look, this fills all kinds of things I love. Eastern European and a male version of Katherine. WTF. Grand!
-
Daciana
Kseniya
Vitaliya
Constanța
Or just foreign names in general that my culture would constantly mispronounce:
Maxence
Naoise
Trygve
Benoit
-
Xenia
Siân
Lærke
Aisling
Also Brooklyn for a boy because I love Brooklyn the place, but I'm afraid these days it would be perceived as both feminine and trashy/overdone.
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Most names I like are completely un-"usable" (sort of hate that word). This is fun! I'll do a top 5.
boys:
1. Vsevolod (I have no Russian or Ukranian heritage and it would be far to difficult for the average Westerner to pronounce.)
2. Harith (I have no Arabic heritage either, and it's probably too difficult to pronounce.)
3. Llyr (I feel like this should be "usable", but I'm not sure?)
4. Judas (Obviously un-"usable" 'cause of... the Bible. It's one of the first names that I really liked though.)
5. Detlev (I'm not German either, and I think a lot of Americans would think it's weird?)
girls:
1. Berlind (Again, not German. Idek if it's used as a name in Germany?)
2. Remedios (Not Spanish or Hispanic either. :()
3. Edelweiss (It's sort of weirdly Nationalistic isn't it? Which is uncomfortable.)
4. Capucine (If only I was French.)
5. Bambi (People think it's ditzy and a "stripper" name. :( I just love it though.)
boys:
1. Vsevolod (I have no Russian or Ukranian heritage and it would be far to difficult for the average Westerner to pronounce.)
2. Harith (I have no Arabic heritage either, and it's probably too difficult to pronounce.)
3. Llyr (I feel like this should be "usable", but I'm not sure?)
4. Judas (Obviously un-"usable" 'cause of... the Bible. It's one of the first names that I really liked though.)
5. Detlev (I'm not German either, and I think a lot of Americans would think it's weird?)
girls:
1. Berlind (Again, not German. Idek if it's used as a name in Germany?)
2. Remedios (Not Spanish or Hispanic either. :()
3. Edelweiss (It's sort of weirdly Nationalistic isn't it? Which is uncomfortable.)
4. Capucine (If only I was French.)
5. Bambi (People think it's ditzy and a "stripper" name. :( I just love it though.)
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Edelweiss, indeed! I had a colleague once (we're both white South Africans; she was a supporter of the apartheid government, back in the day) who was always and only known as Edel. I assumed, gloomily, that the full name was probably Edelweiss (Noble White - I ask you. Like an expensive wine.), but when I saw it on a computerised list it turned out that her actual given name is good old Elizabeth.
I've never been sure if this makes the whole situation better or worse!
I've never been sure if this makes the whole situation better or worse!
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Here's my list of names (and why I can't use them)
Girls:
Persephone (hard to pronounce)
Olga (has a reputation of being an 'ugly person' name)
Boys:
Vladimir (not Slavic, would sound odd coming from an English family)
Draco (too 'Harry Potter')
*I don't mean to offend anyone, keep in mind these are names I like :)
Girls:
Persephone (hard to pronounce)
Olga (has a reputation of being an 'ugly person' name)
Boys:
Vladimir (not Slavic, would sound odd coming from an English family)
Draco (too 'Harry Potter')
*I don't mean to offend anyone, keep in mind these are names I like :)
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Interesting proposition. But pretty much the same for me:
Ursula, Niamh, Aoife, Mairéad, Eimear / Emer, Joan and Frederica (Freda). Oh, I guess I'd add: Blaithin and Isibeal.
Peter, Desmond, Cormac, Malachy, Tadhg, Barnaby, Linus, Fergus and Finbarr. Adding: Muiris and Melchior.
I'm beyond child bearing by now so I'm free to love what I love without inconvenient realities getting in the way. :0)
Ursula, Niamh, Aoife, Mairéad, Eimear / Emer, Joan and Frederica (Freda). Oh, I guess I'd add: Blaithin and Isibeal.
Peter, Desmond, Cormac, Malachy, Tadhg, Barnaby, Linus, Fergus and Finbarr. Adding: Muiris and Melchior.
I'm beyond child bearing by now so I'm free to love what I love without inconvenient realities getting in the way. :0)
This message was edited 12/6/2016, 5:53 PM
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I'm kind of into Chrisanthy. Good book character name maybe.
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There are just too many totally unrealistic qualifiers here to make this workable.
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Of course it's unrealistic, that's the point ;)
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