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[Opinions] Imogen
I have received more virulent opposition toward this name than any other name I have listed--but I'm not sure I understand why. I think this one is stunning, yet understated. Is the disfavor because its origin is a little sketchy, or is it just because it's recently been vigoriously revived and you didn't think of it yourself? Personally, I don't care about the popularity of a name at all (I'd name sisters Emily and Soraya consecutively without considering the popularity of either). Imogene was fairly popular in the twentieth century, and Imogen just seems like a more modern, more earnest form of that rather dated specimen. What is your beef with this name?I still love it though.

This message was edited 4/3/2008, 10:48 AM

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I love it.Especially the nn Idgy. It takes a minute to get used to it, but once you've heard it often enough it's quite pretty.
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I think it is really nice.
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Imogen is nice, I like it, but I wouldn't use it myself. I just prefer other names to this one.
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I love it! My sister also loves it, but my brother said he doesn't like it because it sounds like "Ingen" from Jurassic Park. Last week, I was reading the meaning of Imogen again and I've started considering Innogen as a name. Oddly enough, I just can't commit to Innogen the way I do to Imogen.
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It's lovely - pretty, feminine, and not overly common.Go for it. :-)
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I love itIt is certainly one of my favourite names. I think it is classy, spunky and a little different while remaining a classic. I am particularly fond of:Imogen Ruby
Imogen Ruth
Imogen Sarah
Imogen Olive
Imogen Mary
Imogen MargaretAnd in a sibset I like it with the following names:Imogen and George
Imogen and Maxwell
Imogen and Henry
Imogen and Oscar
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I dislike the sound and it feels very forced for some reason.
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I am torn. I love the Shakespearean connection of Imogen, but as a Jen(nifer) who grew up hating her name, the final syllable grates on my ears. I sort of hear "I'm a Jen" when it's said. For that reason I tend to prefer Imogene, which does not seem dated to me as an American who hears neither name frequently.
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I don't hate it, I just don't like it. I don't like the sound, I never like 'IM' sounds. I don't have beef with it though, it's perfectly nice for someone else. :)
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I love it. It feels very modern and fresh, but it also has a distinctly Shakespearean feel.

This message was edited 4/3/2008, 3:03 PM

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I love Imogen. I love how similar it sounds to the word Imagine, and I love the images that brings to my head of an Imogen. I olove the nickname Immy too. It used to be my absolute favourite girls name ever, before it was usurped by Xanthe. Now I don't really love it enoguh to ever consider using it, but I still love it.My combo for it, if you are interested, was Imogen Mary Isolde. I have a list someone where, I'll dig it up if I can.You are in the US, right? I thought Imogne didn't even crack the top 1000 there- so I wouldn't be worried about that. Imogen is massively more popular in the UK and Australia, so you might need to take that in to account when others say its too popular.
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It seems quite popular on the boards but, while it's certainly not horrible, it's never appealed much to me, in spite of the Shakesperean association. For some reason I can't pinpoint, I find it a bit cumbersome and odd-looking.
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Imogen seems fine to me, although i prefer the spelling Imogene.
'Ginny' or 'Genny' as a nn maybe?
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Imogen is nice enough, and I certainly prefer it to Imogene. Neither does anything for me, though. I tend to prefer names with L's, D's, and soft C's.
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Honestly there's nothing wrong with it at all, and I can appreciate that many people love it. Its popularity or lack thereof has no bearing. I've just never liked it. Maybe because it sounds a bit like "imaging" in a Texas accent.
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Love it!I love the name and it's one of my favorite names on my PNL. I don't really care about other people's opinions when it comes to names. The only thing that really matters is the sound and look of the name and popularity dosen't change that.
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I more or less don't think much of it in any sense. Some names I know I dislike because I think they're ugly or the rave reviews of them worked their way under my skin. But Imogen falls short of being compelling enough to either like or dislike with too much energy. It doesn't make much of an impression on me either way.

This message was edited 4/3/2008, 11:41 AM

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I like it, it's on my PNL.This, "Is the disfavor because its origin is a little sketchy, or is it just because it's recently been vigoriously revived and you didn't think of it yourself?" however, is rude.
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I don't like the sound of itAnd never have. It doesn't appeal to me at all. It's fine enough for someone else's child and I wouldn't mind seeing it used...but it's just not for me.
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dittoh
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I love Imogen because it has a strange sort of classy, yet spunky vibe to it that I can't quite put my finger on.
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Ditto.
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I absolutely adore it. It's one of those names that I've been attracted to without it being an actual favourite. I totally adore it - stunning, simple, easy to spell, artistic and exciting. Plus, it isn't like other names if that makes any sense. Lovely, lovely, lovely. I wouldn't worry at all about popularity.
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I really like it, though I'm not sure if I like it as a first name or a middle name yet. I'm leaning more toward middle name. Genny is a cute nn, at least while she's little.Here are some of *my* combos for it, though I'm not sure how much you'd like them:Grace Imogen
Stella Imogen
Cecelia Imogen
Lux Imogen
Seraphina ImogenImogen Pax
Imogen Honor
Imogen Parisa
Imogen Morana
Imogen Juliet
Imogen Pandora
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I absolutely love Imogen, it is one of my very favourites. I have no beef with it whatsoever and if I were to have a daughter right now this would probably be her name. Now, I don't prefer names with a sketchy origin but Imogen's is not bad enough to discourage me (unlike Phaedra's and Cressida's). Further, while a name's popularity can negatively impact upon my opinion, I don't live in a place where Imogen is at all popular (I've only seen one in the BAs from home recently). A few more points regarding popularity: I dislike highly popular names because I don't want my daughter to be Sophia H. or worse yet Sophia H-O (I actually did have a class when I was younger with two Dan B's, so they had to be called Dan B-L and Dan B-I). Also, my name is a little more unusual and while I don't love my name, I do like that it's a bit different. Lastly, I personally have difficulty remembering someone's name if it's quite common.
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I'm not keen on it (but not virulently opposed). I just don't like the sound of it. The sound is too harsh for me.
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Is the disfavor because its origin is a little sketchy, or is it just because it's recently been vigoriously revived and you didn't think of it yourself?Neither. I find it unappealing as hell, both visually and aurally, and a little too Brit-chic for my tastes. :)I do, however, like Imogene. A lot. I blame The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.Array
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I like it. I like most Shakespearean names, and the story about this one being produced by W.S's bad handwriting always makes me smile. Imogen (Innogen) was the original version, Imogene a later variant, and the original's now back in favour again - I can't say that 'modern' is one of the associations Imogen has for me. More retro/classic, if anything, which is probably one of the reasons I like it.So no beef here :)edit: okay, took three tries before the board stopped eating bits of that post, but it seems to be okay now . . .

This message was edited 4/3/2008, 11:07 AM

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I don't like it but it has nothing to do with popularity, origin or the other reasons you mentioned. I just don't like the sound of it. We can't love all names and Imogen doesn't strike a chord with me. There's not a special reason why.
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I don't love it, I don't hate it. I'm not one of those who are 'virulently opposed.' I guess it doesn't fit in with my naming sensibilities. I just don't see the great shakes, but can understand how others could love it.
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I've always loved Imogen. I have a particular yen for female names beginning with "i" and Imogen is right in line with those. Also, I'm a snob and almost any Shakespearean character gets bonus points in my book. My only fear is that people here in the U.S. won't know how to pronounce it correctly. But other than that, it's a terrific name. I once saw Imogen Hermione as a combination on another site and it stuck with me. It can also be reversed quite nicely as Hermione Imogen. Two Shakespearean characters for the price of one. Too high-brow? Do you like it?

This message was edited 4/3/2008, 10:59 AM

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IMO it sounds like a pharmaceutical company. By the way, we share the same birth month and day! :o)
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Were you conceived on Christmas too perchance? :)
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There abouts! LOL! :o)
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I like Imogene and Imogen. It's popular?
Imi Imo for nn
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