"And by the way, dearie, your punctuation sucks canal water!"
-The Ghost of Vivian Vance
Replies
My name (Lorena) is similar enough to be confused with Lauren, seemingly, and I get called Lauren a lot, especially cos Lorena is rare here in the UK and Lauren is hyper-common. I really dislike my first name, hardly ever go by it, but I dislike Lauren even more. It's really dowdy and heavy sounding, as well as being really common in my age-range (I know a lot of Laurens, usually nice people but that doesn't mean I like their name). It also feels really artificial and made up - there's no history or interesting story/meaning behind it beyond being a variant of Laurence. It feels like made-up name from before made-up names were so widely used. It's just unattractive
OK, maybe I'm being a bit harsh, but I just...eugh, don't like it, to a rather irrational degree.
But since so many people seem to like it, I have to wonder why...? (Then again, it might just be a fad thing. I haven't run into any Laurens under the age of...eh mid-teens, it seems to be becoming far less popular, at least here)
This message was edited 5/1/2016, 2:30 PM
Though I get why someone wouldn't like it - it's not really your stereotypical solid, masculine-sounding name (I'm speaking as an American); it's not like Samuel, Adam, Christopher, etc. And it has that uncommon "z"-sound in the middle.
But I love it!
This message was edited 5/6/2016, 8:31 AM
Always have. Don't know why.
It's been high on my list for a while and I remember it being one of the first ever names that I recognised as loving for a future son.
While not a fan of potential nicknames (Zak or Issy), I don't mind Isaac standing on it's own while I might with other names. Isaac doesn't feel popular (where I am in England) but it's well-known enough for people to be able to pronounce and spell it.
I like the sound of Isaac, a nice mixture of soft and hard letters. It ages very well also, I feel.
I agree with you!!!
Mia in my language means "my, of mine".
It is a horrible egocentric meaning..
Byeeeeeeeeeeeeee
This message was edited 5/1/2016, 3:43 PM
I mean, I get why people like it, but it seems so plain to me. No personality, at all. :P
This name is redeemed for me because of the artist. His stuff is really cool, it's like creepy-swirly Art Nouveau. Yah, he was a guy, but his art is very sensual and femme fatale-esque, so it works as a girl name for me because of it.
Check him out!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aubrey_Beardsley
Also Aubrey has a neat meaning. I don't mind it, overall.
This message was edited 5/2/2016, 9:30 AM
Still, this is a classic example of why I don't like it on a boy, either. It sounds like the name of a velvet dandy from the 1890's. Not my thing. :P
This message was edited 5/2/2016, 10:22 AM
"brey" is such an ugly way to get to "bree." Ew it just looks so ugly to me
It reminds me of birds, like...augury.
It also reminds me of loafers...and not sure why, or if that's a bad thing or not.
I like it more than Audrey, at least.
But I agree, on a girl it's kind of drab. Cute but blah.
I posted about George earlier, but I kept seeing Grace mentioned in other comments, so I had to ask about it here, in its own post.
Grace is one of those "virtue names" common among the Puritans that has survived to this day, and is common among both young girls and older women (though in the younger generation, its use seems to be mainly as a middle name). And I don't get it. I don't even think the word "grace" is attractive - it sounds like the exact opposite of what it describes. Like someone threw a bucket of ice water in your face. Honestly, I find (the admittedly dated) Joyce to be more attractive.
So... what's the appeal of Grace? Is it just the definition of the name? Or am I the only one put off by the sound?
Also, yes it's a virtue name, but theologically it's not a favourite. I can readily imagine a Jewish Felicity, for instance, or Joy, but not Grace. Too specific.
I do not get what the appeal is!
Why do so many people think this is the perfect female name? It's so princess-y, in such a nauseating way, that I can't take it seriously. I really don't like it, but everyone is using it. 'Splain? :P
In actuality, though, I think most parents choose it now because it has "bella" in it, and the world needs to know how beautiful their particular child is.
"... one of them, I can't remember which, essentially managed to overthrow her husband."
That would be Isabella of France, wife of Edward II of England. Reading about some of the stuff that went down during that guy's reign is really fascinating - brutal, but fascinating; including the stuff he put his wife through. But yes, Isabella did join up with Roger Mortimer and overthrow Edward II to put her son, Edward III, on the throne. Edward III eventually had Mortimer executed for treason-*ish* reasons, but he put his mother up in a very nice castle for her retirement and she pretty much led the good life in her later years.
That said, while the "-ella" ending for a four-syllable name can be a bit much, I am somewhat fond of the French variant, Isabelle. Even prettier is its Scottish counterpart, Isobel.
I've tried to like Isabel, but to me it looks incomplete. :-(
Hahahahaha...I just literally LOL-ed. Such a wonderful description haha
I also don't mind Izzy. It's a bit sportier if being Princess Bella isn't her thing.
I agree with you!!!
I dislike Isabella very much!
Its "-bella" sound is horrible.
I say that because I'm Italian so here "bella" is like "pretty"..
So name a person with this end seems...a joke, not serious in my opinion.
Byeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
I think people like Isabella because it's got that IZZ in it, it's sorta spunky like Liz. And the Bella part is warm and feminine and balances it out. It's not so bad!
Nowadays, however, I think parents are gravitating toward it because they already like William, but there are entirely too many Wills running around; so this way they avoid the Will nickname.
...Except Liam by itself is in the top 5 names!
A lot of people still think John & Mary are the most popular names in the country.
However, Liam is not really a name in its own right, it's purely derived from William.
This message was edited 5/2/2016, 2:05 PM
I feel like Canadian name trends tend to be closer to American name trends than British ones.
;)
This message was edited 5/2/2016, 2:12 PM
Why?
I guess it's just another old-fashioned name whose time has come again. It's got royalty (dead and otherwise) behind it. Also it's super-feminine but has a tomboy loophole, so people feel like they have options.
The more popular it gets, the duller it sounds to me.
These are my associations/impressions:
Reserved and persnickety. (my grandmother, born in the 1920s)
Sweet and unassuming. (a friend from high school, born in the 1980s)
Quirky-cute. ("Chuck" a character from a TV show, Pushing Daisies)
19th century literature. (Charlotte Bronte, author of Jane Eyre)
Alternative rock, late 1990s-present. (Good Charlotte is a band)
My childhood best friend named her daughter Charlotte "Charlie" last year.
This message was edited 5/2/2016, 1:33 PM
I used to really like this name - I had the stock combo Charlotte Olivia Florence in my Top 10 for a long time.
Then I got sick of Charlotte. Like really, really sick of it all of a sudden. It just sounded... weightless, but also flabby. Like a flabby feather, if that makes sense. Now whenever I hear it (which is a lot), I scratch my head and wonder why so many parents are choosing a name with so little oomph to it. (It's to get the nickname Charlie, isn't it?)
Present-day, I much prefer Carol. :-)
This message was edited 5/2/2016, 10:20 AM
I seriously don't get the appeal of this name on name boards. It's practically cliche for celebrity kids and hipster kids. I don't like the fact that the first five letters spell "attic", and it kind of reminds me of "abacus". And while I did like To Kill a Mockingbird, it's not one of my top books (but then again, I do acknowledged that I'm biased).
This message was edited 5/1/2016, 6:19 PM
Since then however, Atticus has become so much more to me than "that name from that book", it held position on my top ten list for a long time and is still on my long list. I think "Attie" is a cute nickname when an Atticus is young, but it can grow well and embodies a sophisticated, chiselled image.
I have seen the birth announcements increase for Attics in recent years, but celebrity wise there are no high-profile births for Atticus that I can think of off the top of my head and I've only ever heard of one Atticus in real life (he's aged somewhere between 6-10 years old).
So, for me, in England, Atticus still holds some obscurity.
But, it is classic, and could be smooth if I didn't have these icky images and dislike the -urge sound at the end of it.
I like Georgia though. I think it's graceful and happy sounding.
Don't care for any other of the Georg-names... they seem fussy to me.
This message was edited 5/2/2016, 12:26 PM
Maybe it's the repeated 'dzh' sound that puts you off, but I like the sound that the majority of George names bring.
George itself is solid and strong. Dependable and wearable by all ages, dispositions, class and career.
Georgina is the more elegant female version, it's less popular than Georgia which is why it appeals to me. Georgette is for those who are after something a bit different.
I like the sound of Georgia better, but it's a state, and not one I'm terribly fond of. So that makes it pretty unusable for me. All the other variants are too fussy.
It's not so much that I hear the name often in real life (I did once hear of an acquaintance using it for a daughter, and I thought it sounded awkward and...frankly Amish/unworldly), but I know it gets a lot of attention on this website, which baffles me. I find the sound (especially the English pronunciation) and look of the name to be extremely unappealing; I especially do not care for the "laid" syllable. It gives me a feeling of revulsion. I also cannot manage to not associate the name with "milk maid."
It's ironic because the name I'd most likely choose for a daughter, Alice, after my grandmother, is derived from the same root as Adelaide.
I don't mind Ada, Adeline, or Adèle, but Adelaide I find repulsive.
This message was edited 5/1/2016, 2:43 PM
This message was edited 5/1/2016, 3:10 PM
What means "chutzpah"?
I'm among the people who would use Adelaide in real life!!!
Byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
This message was edited 5/1/2016, 3:17 PM
????
What I said in English????
I'm so sotty if I wrote something strange!!!! TT TT
I mean "dancing parties" linked with past centuries...
You know...ehm...Valzer, elaborated gowns...
What is the right word?
This message was edited 5/1/2016, 3:26 PM
I guess it's possible you are pretending to be innocent, but I'm explaining just in case.
Thanks...
Something like this is said also in Italian but...
On Web I found 'ball' also as a variant of 'dancing party' or 'festival' ... What is the word for this kind of dated very upperclass/ royal thing?
Byeeeeeeee
Adelaide, however, crosses the line. I find it almost offensive; nauseating.
This message was edited 5/1/2016, 3:15 PM
Adelaide down ma life fer ya.
I don't think it's supposed to be stylishly clunky / hipster, I think it's supposed to seem spiffy and vaguely French.
I wish it were Adalheid. Then I would think it was stylishly clunky
I agree with you only for Adelaide diminutives...
I dislike all Adela, Adele, Adeline etc...
But I love Adelaide...
Firts of all because it means "noble"...
Here in Italy is an upperclass name...
I think that maybe some Savoy princesses used this name..and also German and French noblewomen.
So even if it is quite dated (also where I live) it has a romantic feel of nobilty, balls and so on.
This is my opinion obviously XD.
Byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
I always found it dated and boring, though I don't dislike it as much as I used to.
This message was edited 5/1/2016, 2:06 PM
Yet Margaret became one of the most common feminine names among English speakers for centuries. I don't understand.
I just think it is a really versatile name with amazing history but I do understand people not liking the sound of it. You don't pick it because it's 'pretty to say', I don't think.
Margaret is definitely in my short list for a hypothetical daughter.
This message was edited 5/1/2016, 2:42 PM
Okay, I think I know why people like it: it's classic, never been out of style, easy to spell and say and not aambiguous, and lots of nicknames. But it's also so totally ubiquitous and to my mind, colorless and prim, and it seems nobody uses nns except possibly Ellie for young Elizabeths today.
I don't view myself as having a boring name. I think of Queen Elizabeth I or even Elizabeth, mother of John the Baptist. My name has a long and colorful history and I'm proud of it.
All the Elizabeths my own age and down that I've known or have known of nearby gseem to go by Elizabeth.
Why is it so popular, I never been a huge fan of this name but it is popular all over the world.
Just noticed this was already posted. Sorry about that
PNL: http://www.behindthename.com/pnl/151224
This message was edited 5/1/2016, 7:02 PM
This message was edited 5/2/2016, 9:36 AM
I used to sort of like Avery as a male middle name - but only as a middle, and only male. However, more often than not it's used on girls these days, and I don't get it. At all.
Is it because the first syllable is similar to that of Ava?
This message was edited 5/1/2016, 6:29 PM
I think it is horrible for both...
It is ugly...and a surname...
And in my mind has not links with something positive.
Only an empty sad box.
But I'm Italian, it isn't in my culture...
Maybe in English speaking world there is a reason...
I don't know why it is so popular TT
Byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
This message was edited 5/1/2016, 4:03 PM
?
tyughfdghjkjhghfgf
But while this novel introduced me to the name, I never liked the book/movie or the character, strangely. So the name shouldn't have taken off for me, which it didn't for quite a few years.
But now, I'm in love with most four letter, two syllable, L names that end in 'a' (not such a narrow category as you might imagine) and Lyra fits the bill perfectly.
The Golden Compass made this name recognisable, pronounceable and easy to spell. But the franchise didn't take off enough for Lyra to become a too-popular, unusable name.
For a short name, Lyra has enough substance to stand alone and it feels powerful.
My niece is Sophia Lyra, named from the Golden Compass books. The Lyra in the book was a total badass, and my niece is similar. I strongly associate it with the books and that's why I like it.
This message was edited 5/1/2016, 6:55 PM
some names do sound bitchy
I agree with you!!!!
I strongly dislike it!
Byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
:)
Do not get it.
How do any -lyn names, but especially Adelyn / Adalynn etc, seem fresh and young and bright enough for a 2016 baby? After the continuous popularities of fad names like Carolyn and Kaitlyn and Brooklyn? There isn't even a right way to spell Adelyn, just a bunch of approximations. Why not Ada, Adelina, or Adeline instead?
(Also Evelyn and Jocelyn.)
I seriously can't picture Carolyn on anyone younger than 40.
Strange how no one names their daughters Lynn/Lynne as a first name anymore, but it's become the most generic middle name of all.
Anyhow, it's much better than it's cousin Emma, which feels too simply and substanceless.