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[Opinions] WDYTO Jade?
As you can clearly see, this is my own real name. I didn't even know it had any negative connotations until I was in third grade (I'm going to be a junior in college this fall, so that was a pretty long time ago), when a boy in my class picked on me about it, saying he'd read in a dictionary that my name meant "a broken down old horse" or something. I was even more stunned when I clicked onto the comments section about my name and saw that it had even more negative connotations, including slutty or whorish. Someone even commented that it was very white trash and low class. Well, what my mom told me years ago is that she decided to name me Jade after Brooke Shields' character in the movie Endless Love (which came out about seven years before I was born; I was born on November 12, 1988), because she personally thought that Jade was a really beautiful name and said that if she ever had a daughter, that she'd name her Jade--and when I was born into this world prematurely (about a couple mos. early), that is exactly what my mom did. I honestly don't think my mom ever knew about any of the negative connotations about my name, or maybe she would've reconsidered (she was actually just as shocked as I was when I told her about what that boy had said back when he'd teased me, which is why she explained to me why she named me what she did in the first place). (My dad had also suggested naming me Michele Romaine, but my mother decided on Jade Michele.) And I really don't think my mom would've ever named me something that apparently represents trash or trashiness to so many people. But, despite all the negative things some people see, I do love my name and I definitely do not think of it as lower class, slutty, whorish, trashy, or any other negative connotation that people can think of. Because I also certainly am not any of those things myself. When people who know me say what they think of me to others, they usually say that I'm very shy and soft-spoken (which I totally am), sensitive, considerate, loving, sympathetic, and very intelligent. I personally try to think of those things about myself and the positive meanings of my name (especially that jade is a precious gemstone, something very beautiful) instead, and be glad that most people who think of my name think of it as something very beautiful (my LIT 2932 professor at college even complimented me on how lovely she thought my name was, saying it was valued in the Chinese culture).-Jade
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I love your name. I had considered it once. Jade is a lovely name, and most people think about the gemstone. Which, is very pretty. I've never seen / heard that it means broken down old horse.
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I love the name Jade and never knew it had any negative connotations. Keep thinking what you've been thinking about it, be proud.
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I wouldn't use Jade because I've always associated it with something altered in a negative way, "one's become jaded" "jaded point of view" and things like that. I like Jade as a color or gem, but the other association is too much for me to use it as a name.But associations can alter anyone's opinion of a name. For example, I don't like Erica or Rich, for no good reason other than that people I do not care for also bear those names. If your mum has a strong, positive association with Jade (which she must because she has you), then I see no reason to worry. I'd probably consider Jade usable if my first thought was of the gem, like it is with Opal or Ruby.
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I don't see it as a "trashy" name at all. People are going to put the "trashy" association next to any name, sometimes for no reason. Personally, I like the name Jade as a middle name. One of the combos I'm fond of uses Jade (Alana Jade)
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Jade is certainly very precious in Chinese culture. Jade is a beautiful stone, of gorgeous colour.
Please don't worry about the old negative meanings - most of those are virtually obsolete anyway.
I don't think I'd ever use the name myself (with the exception of Amber and Saffron I'm not too keen on non-traditional names) but Jade Michele is a pleasing combo (I've always preferred Michele to Michelle). Romaine is cute too!
Try to bear in mind that most names have their detractors!
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Yeah, the spelling of my middle name Michele was also my mom's idea. My dad misspelled my middle name, though, in my baby book as Michelle, though, but that's okay. (When I saw how he'd misspelled it, I actually thought it was kinda funny, in a way.) I do really like the way my first and middle names sound together. Thanks for saying the name Romaine's cute--I'll tell my mom you said that!-Jade
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I think it's a beautiful name. :D I love it alot.
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Thank you!-Jade
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I know that the name Jade means the greenish stone, but Jade was an old-fashion word for whore. I don't automatically think that anyone named Jade is a whore, but I wouldn't use the name because of that.
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I had no idea Jade had that sort of connotation, either. I've always seen it as something a hippie-ish name, along the lines of Willow or River.
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Yeah, like I said, I was really shocked at some of the more negative connotations and meanings. I've never really thought of my own name as hippie-ish, but I guess it could seem to be. I do think Willow's a nice name.-Jade
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I've heard similar comments about my name and honestly I can see where they're coming from with both of our names. I've had way more compliments on my name, though. It's all a matter of taste and on boards where naming is a hobby, names like ours tend to get a beating.
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Yeah, 'cause your name's like from the Garden of Eden in the Bible, right? I've had many compliments on my name, too, and the only person in my life who's ever said anything negative was the boy back in my third grade class, and that was years ago and I'm so over that. Your name's really pretty; I've never met someone in my life with your name; have you ever met someone else with mine?-Jade
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When used as a noun or to describe a color (green) it is a very pretty name. Unfortunately, it's only human nature to find the negative in everything. Yes, jade does mean "tired" but your name doesn't make you, you make you. May I suggest a blog for you to write?
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I do know it's me who makes me, not my name. I did almost kind of forget that, though, when I read some of the more negative comments about my name. Even though it shouldn't really matter what other people think about my name, it did hurt for more than a bit to read some people's negative opinions, but I'm feeling much better about it all now. I don't think I'd really have time for writing a blog; I'm so busy with different things right now, but I'll consider it.-Jade

This message was edited 7/12/2009, 6:23 PM

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