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HelpInsignificant Names
The thread on Sal made me think of this. What are some names that seem utterly insignificant, to you? The kind of names that make you think, "That's it?" when you hear them? Nicknames as full names are not allowed.
For me, the perfect example of a name like this is Isla. I never liked it, I never thought it carried ANY weight, and every time I hear it or read it in a BA, I think, "What's so great about that name?".
What about you? Which names are "nothing" names, in your humble opinion? ;)
Hmm. Your ideas are intriguing to me and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter.
For me, the perfect example of a name like this is Isla. I never liked it, I never thought it carried ANY weight, and every time I hear it or read it in a BA, I think, "What's so great about that name?".
What about you? Which names are "nothing" names, in your humble opinion? ;)
Hmm. Your ideas are intriguing to me and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter.
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Replies
I've mentioned this before but growing up, every single baby at church seemed to be named Joshua or Sarah! It got so old.
Along those lines:
Matthew
Emily
Jacob
John
Mary
Jennifer
Jessica
Christopher
Michael
Amanda
ETA that all of the names I've listed I've grown to dislike due to massive overuse. There are names that seem really precious (Mia, Poppy) and don't seem to be ENOUGH. Still, what bothers me most are names which are played out.
Along those lines:
Matthew
Emily
Jacob
John
Mary
Jennifer
Jessica
Christopher
Michael
Amanda
ETA that all of the names I've listed I've grown to dislike due to massive overuse. There are names that seem really precious (Mia, Poppy) and don't seem to be ENOUGH. Still, what bothers me most are names which are played out.
This message was edited 3/13/2018, 12:20 PM
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I think it's weird that I don't think of John this way. I think I used to.
Umm hmmmmm. Mia is probably at the top of this list for me for girls? And then of course overly fruity names with no ugly sounds like Liana. Oh and Kayla, good lord. And Ella too. Oh also Bailey for girls.
For boys... maybe like Cole.
Umm hmmmmm. Mia is probably at the top of this list for me for girls? And then of course overly fruity names with no ugly sounds like Liana. Oh and Kayla, good lord. And Ella too. Oh also Bailey for girls.
For boys... maybe like Cole.
This message was edited 3/12/2018, 11:43 AM
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There are some names I consider boring, mainly due to their ubiquity, but I separate those from names I genuinely consider "insubstantial." Most of these have already been mentioned, but here's my list:
Mia ("My... what, exactly?")
Lee (I commented farther down that I forgot this name even existed)
Lynn (the absolute least substantial sole syllable... at least Ann / Anne begins with a vowel that isn't a schwa)
Ella (sounds like it should be a nickname)
Etta (see Ella)
John (You name your kid this when you have no clue what to name him but don't want him to be laughed at, while forgetting "john" is also slang for the toilet.)
Ethel (Today's "Name of the Day" is one big slurry.)
Lilith (see "Ethel," except it's not today's "Name of the Day")
Mia ("My... what, exactly?")
Lee (I commented farther down that I forgot this name even existed)
Lynn (the absolute least substantial sole syllable... at least Ann / Anne begins with a vowel that isn't a schwa)
Ella (sounds like it should be a nickname)
Etta (see Ella)
John (You name your kid this when you have no clue what to name him but don't want him to be laughed at, while forgetting "john" is also slang for the toilet.)
Ethel (Today's "Name of the Day" is one big slurry.)
Lilith (see "Ethel," except it's not today's "Name of the Day")
This message was edited 3/12/2018, 9:01 AM
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The most boring name I know is Ann. I agree with Anne Shirley, even Anne with an E sounds more interesting.
Anna, my own middle name, is extremely boring, too. I know and have known heaps. Same with Maria.
Other insignificant names:
Karin
Pia
Lena
Per
Johan
Anders
Eva
Sara
and among English names:
Jane
Jill
Richard
Susan
Lee
Joan
Sally
May or Mae
Lynn
Anna, my own middle name, is extremely boring, too. I know and have known heaps. Same with Maria.
Other insignificant names:
Karin
Pia
Lena
Per
Johan
Anders
Eva
Sara
and among English names:
Jane
Jill
Richard
Susan
Lee
Joan
Sally
May or Mae
Lynn
This message was edited 3/12/2018, 5:12 AM
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Matthew and Sarah ...
These names just scream "We had nine months to come up with a name, but we somehow never got around to it and we couldn't just keep on saying The Baby and Boo-Boo and Snuggle Bunny, so we ended up naming him/her Matthew/Sarah."
Not even like Katherine or Alexander which give the same vibe but with an added element of "And anyway, at least they're classic and royal."
These names just scream "We had nine months to come up with a name, but we somehow never got around to it and we couldn't just keep on saying The Baby and Boo-Boo and Snuggle Bunny, so we ended up naming him/her Matthew/Sarah."
Not even like Katherine or Alexander which give the same vibe but with an added element of "And anyway, at least they're classic and royal."
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Well, there is the "At least they're biblical" factor for these two.
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That's often the defense I take when someone dislikes MY name: "Hey, it's biblical. History, and such." :P
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Oh dang...!
I have cousins who are Matthew (Matt), Alexander (Alex), and Sarah! lol
I have cousins who are Matthew (Matt), Alexander (Alex), and Sarah! lol
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I agree
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Anne / Ann
I thought it was nice and unexpected as a first name, then I met one. It's just a syllable and not a particularly good one. Basically a grunt.
I thought it was nice and unexpected as a first name, then I met one. It's just a syllable and not a particularly good one. Basically a grunt.
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Yeah! I have a student named this and her surname is also a boring one syllable word. Except her surname starts with a consonant so it's kind of funny. like saying "An Horse"
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Mia, for sure.
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Ella
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I think of these as invisible ink names: someone tells me what it is and it instantly disappears from my memory.
Isla Ayla Kayla, Ella Mia Tia
Lexi, Lacey, Darcy
Mila, Myla, Lila, Lyla, Kyra & Anaya, Alaya, Amaya, Amara - um what did you say her name was again?
Paige & Paisley
Maisie/Maisy/Mayzee/woteva
Anything double-barrelled with Grace, Rose or May/e/i.
Isla Ayla Kayla, Ella Mia Tia
Lexi, Lacey, Darcy
Mila, Myla, Lila, Lyla, Kyra & Anaya, Alaya, Amaya, Amara - um what did you say her name was again?
Paige & Paisley
Maisie/Maisy/Mayzee/woteva
Anything double-barrelled with Grace, Rose or May/e/i.
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Paisley is surprising to me.
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I agree with Noa, but not Noah. Funny.
Etta is almost there for me, but it has a real old time-y feel to it, more so than Ella.
I think James is a name with a very strong presence, so agree to disagree on that one.
ETA: I love May as a first name. LOVE. Maybe I'm alone. ;)
Etta is almost there for me, but it has a real old time-y feel to it, more so than Ella.
I think James is a name with a very strong presence, so agree to disagree on that one.
ETA: I love May as a first name. LOVE. Maybe I'm alone. ;)
This message was edited 3/11/2018, 12:25 PM
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Linda
I know several people with this name and it always sounded bland to me.
Other than this I get the same feeling with overused names. Sometimes a name gets used so much, it sort of drains all 'personality' from it. Examples: John, Emma, Sophie, Thomas. Some people might call these 'classic', but to me they're overused to a point they become "insignificant" (not a description I'd choose normally).
I know several people with this name and it always sounded bland to me.
Other than this I get the same feeling with overused names. Sometimes a name gets used so much, it sort of drains all 'personality' from it. Examples: John, Emma, Sophie, Thomas. Some people might call these 'classic', but to me they're overused to a point they become "insignificant" (not a description I'd choose normally).
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Lee and Lynn.
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Mia
Ella - this is so incredibly bland
Lee - for both genders
John
These are all I can think of right now. Ella is really the blandest I can think of. Even many one syllable names such as Kay have more energy. I don't mind Ella it's just so bland that I'm seriously wondering how it could ever get common.
Ella - this is so incredibly bland
Lee - for both genders
John
These are all I can think of right now. Ella is really the blandest I can think of. Even many one syllable names such as Kay have more energy. I don't mind Ella it's just so bland that I'm seriously wondering how it could ever get common.
This message was edited 3/11/2018, 11:53 AM
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Thank you for reminding me that Lee is a name that exists. It's so insubstantial that I forgot its existence.
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Do you feel the same way about Leigh?
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To me, Leigh looks like it should be pronounced LAY, with a long-A sound, which I don't like either.
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I once lived with a woman who had a boyfriend named Lee. Sort of a boyfriend, it was not an exclusive relationship for either party. Anyway, for whatever reason, this woman felt she absolutely positively had to call Lee every night. We didn't have a phone at the time, so when we wanted to use the phone, we had to ask the neighbors if we could use theirs. This was infrequent for me, but not for her, due to the nightly phone calls to Lee.
She couldn't just pick up the phone and call him, it was a bit of a production to go the neighbors' house. And it annoyed me, because I hated having anyone in my household bug my neighbors that much. So. Every. Single. Night. I heard, "I have to call Lee", and then I'd inwardly groan, wondering why the heck it was so darn important to talk to Lee every night.
Those were the days that I wished I could forget that Lee as a name exists.
She couldn't just pick up the phone and call him, it was a bit of a production to go the neighbors' house. And it annoyed me, because I hated having anyone in my household bug my neighbors that much. So. Every. Single. Night. I heard, "I have to call Lee", and then I'd inwardly groan, wondering why the heck it was so darn important to talk to Lee every night.
Those were the days that I wished I could forget that Lee as a name exists.
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There's a personal injury lawyer in the Detroit area named Lee; his tagline is "Call Lee Free".
It has nothing to do with the topic; your post just reminded me of his commercials. She has to call Lee!
I guess there's another one in Florida too. You said they weren't exclusive but I wonder if your former housemate knows that everybody calls Lee?
It has nothing to do with the topic; your post just reminded me of his commercials. She has to call Lee!
I guess there's another one in Florida too. You said they weren't exclusive but I wonder if your former housemate knows that everybody calls Lee?
This message was edited 3/12/2018, 12:59 PM
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LOL
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Dang, that is so annoying.
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Can't believe I forgot Ella!
It's so...wispy.
It's so...wispy.
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I hate Ella, too, for the reason you mention. Good example.
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Rose
I like it in certain combos but there's no weight to it—it's just there.
I like it in certain combos but there's no weight to it—it's just there.
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This was going to be my answer.
I was going to post Mia as well - mostly because I recognize it as being a word meaning "my" in Italian (depending on the gender of the noun). So every time I hear the name Mia, I think, "My... what?"
I was going to post Mia as well - mostly because I recognize it as being a word meaning "my" in Italian (depending on the gender of the noun). So every time I hear the name Mia, I think, "My... what?"
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This was the first one to come to mind for me too!
Such a "nothing" name.
Such a "nothing" name.
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My husband feels the same way about Mia, yet I still love the name. I'm not sure why I like it so much.
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I like Mia, too.
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Me too. I get a sleek, warm impression. Cat-y but not just a name for a cat.
I know a kid named a hyphenated name with Mia as the second one. I'm not going to post it because it's pretty unique and I feel weird about posting an acquaintance's super-unique name. Anyway it's along the lines of Kira-Mia or Sera-Mia. I like it ... the name is rescued from being "My" and becomes "My [other name]" and I think that is cool. Even though to me, it doesn't matter that it means "my" in the first place, it just sounds like a nick for Maria.
I know a kid named a hyphenated name with Mia as the second one. I'm not going to post it because it's pretty unique and I feel weird about posting an acquaintance's super-unique name. Anyway it's along the lines of Kira-Mia or Sera-Mia. I like it ... the name is rescued from being "My" and becomes "My [other name]" and I think that is cool. Even though to me, it doesn't matter that it means "my" in the first place, it just sounds like a nick for Maria.
This message was edited 3/12/2018, 10:14 AM
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I know a person with that form of name! But it has the opposite effect for me. Every time I say her name I feel like I'm saying "My [name]." So silly. I remember in Spanish class one of my friends was explaining that he was hanging out with this person who we shall call Annamia because that is not her name :) and the spanish teacher was like (in spanish) "Ah yes you were hanging out with your Anna. How sweet." and a very confused exchange resulted
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That's weird, I also get a cat-like impression of Mia. I wouldn't have described it exactly like that, but that's a good way of putting it. It sounds more sophisticated to me than I think it does to a lot of people, here.
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I like Bree if it's a nickname for Gabriella (I can't stand "Gabby"), but otherwise I agree that it's insubstantial. It also sounds like the cheese (brie).
Lily is one of the sweetest names I can think of, and I can see why someone would think it's too sweet (it's very, very soft). If I ever used it, it would be as a middle name.
Lily is one of the sweetest names I can think of, and I can see why someone would think it's too sweet (it's very, very soft). If I ever used it, it would be as a middle name.
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Lily is EVERYWHERE. I wish it would go away for a while, and I say that as someone who actually likes it.
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Lily seems more bright and inquisitive, to me, not delicate. Really, it's a catch-all type of little girl name.
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I tend to see flower names as delicate, not sure why.
I actually don't really like any of the names my brother used - Emma, Lily, Natalie, Brianna. They are pretty bland to me, and Brianna also sticks out. (Lily's full name is actually Lilyanna pronounced Liliana, but she has never gone by it.)
Then again, I don't really like the names of most of my nieces and nephews. They aren't bad names by any stretch of the imagination but they are all pretty bland.
I actually don't really like any of the names my brother used - Emma, Lily, Natalie, Brianna. They are pretty bland to me, and Brianna also sticks out. (Lily's full name is actually Lilyanna pronounced Liliana, but she has never gone by it.)
Then again, I don't really like the names of most of my nieces and nephews. They aren't bad names by any stretch of the imagination but they are all pretty bland.
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