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ArchivesRe: This belongs on the opinions board. nt
in reply to a message by Katie
If you know that it has been used as a name by some person, or some person is thinking of using that as a name, you are more than welcome to discuss the origin of the name, who used it first and where, and the frequency of its usage, on this board. Of the names that have been historically recorded as having been used in the various cultures of the world (how many is that, anyone hazard a guess? a few tens of thousands or a few million?), very few appear on this board, so its not having appeared before should not stop you.
You are also welcome to discuss with what frequency people in various cultures invent new names from words. You have to realize that in some cultures, unlike in Europe and America, practically all names are actually words or combination of words, and many are used in sentences as non-names all the time. In some of these, words often those that express qualities, are taken over as new names regularly. Commemorative nonce names are seen in almost all cultures. You are welcome to discuss how often that happens as well.
In short, any discussion of how people name people (or themselves) is welcome. Whether it appears on baby name sites is not useful except when discussing its frequency or mis/interpretation. Discussion of cultural traditions and difference between names and nicknames, whether the cultural border between names or epithets are strong, etc. are also welcome.
Facts on this board are facts about human behaviour: what motivates us to name people a certain way, including the history of the very sounds we use in that fashion. (We call this entire body of knowledge `facts about names' as a shortcut.) Whether people should call people a certain way, is however, a different mode of study (`should' always needs different methods than `is') and is not interesting to many of us here. Your question about whether something is a name to these of us only means whether it has ever been used as a name somewhere by someone: you are welcome to discuss that.
Do you see the point?
You are also welcome to discuss with what frequency people in various cultures invent new names from words. You have to realize that in some cultures, unlike in Europe and America, practically all names are actually words or combination of words, and many are used in sentences as non-names all the time. In some of these, words often those that express qualities, are taken over as new names regularly. Commemorative nonce names are seen in almost all cultures. You are welcome to discuss how often that happens as well.
In short, any discussion of how people name people (or themselves) is welcome. Whether it appears on baby name sites is not useful except when discussing its frequency or mis/interpretation. Discussion of cultural traditions and difference between names and nicknames, whether the cultural border between names or epithets are strong, etc. are also welcome.
Facts on this board are facts about human behaviour: what motivates us to name people a certain way, including the history of the very sounds we use in that fashion. (We call this entire body of knowledge `facts about names' as a shortcut.) Whether people should call people a certain way, is however, a different mode of study (`should' always needs different methods than `is') and is not interesting to many of us here. Your question about whether something is a name to these of us only means whether it has ever been used as a name somewhere by someone: you are welcome to discuss that.
Do you see the point?
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