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Jade and Ruby - tacky or classic? (more)
I'm on the fence with these two.On the one hand I really like the gemstones and they are names that have been used for a long time.On the other hand they sometimes make me think of fake jewelry, strippers and give me a tacky vibe.What do you think? How are they perceived where you live? Can you add if you live in Britain, the USA or somewhere else?Thanks
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Neither. I don't view them as classic names because classic names to me are Joshua, Thomas, George / Rebecca, Alice, SophieI've never EVER heard the association with fake jewelry and strippers and I'm going to guess this is why a lot of people don't seem to care for them online. I've never known a Ruby, but I've known a Jade. She was not a very nice girl, but I wouldn't go as far to say she was horrid. She did ruin the name for me a little at the time (otherwise the only other time I've heard it as a name was in Jackie Chan Adventures) but it's not bad enough for me to not warm up to the name now and it's actually on my potential baby name list.I don't think it's tacky at all. If anything I'd associate it more with /real/ uses of jade like jade elephants and jade tigers. I've been one to collect gemstones like this since I were a child though, and I frequent a local shop that sells them along with incense and hand-made soap. Family run shop. Very nice people. The shopkeeper thanked me by giving me free things because he told me that I helped generate interest with younger people and helped his business grow.I'm from England.
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I don't think Ruby is tacky at all, but it is not something I would use. I think it is close to classic. However, Diamond and Crystal definitely seem tacky and have stripper vibe. I'm not sure why Ruby seems so much better than those. I used to really like Jade after discovering it as a nn for Emily in the LM Montgomery Emily of New Moon books (LM Montgomery had lovely character names, I've always meant to make a list from her books). However, due to it's old meaning of "wench" or "prostitute", I don't really want to use it. So it is more on the tacky side, I guess, which is sad because I do like it.ETA: I don't think Ruby ever became very popular in the US. Jade seems to be increasing in popularity.

This message was edited 7/6/2020, 8:36 AM

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I think they're tacky and feel kind of sticky, if that makes sense. Neither of them are used where I live.
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I don’t think they’re tacky in the least. I like Jade for a boy or girl. Ruby’s okay...I think it sounds very old though.
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I like Jade, it's very cool and has a distinct color association that I like (even though real jade can be many different colors).
Ruby sounds a little too cutesy for me. Fun fact, my sister is named Jade and my parents' dog is named Ruby, but my parents didn't name either of them-- they just ended up with two gemstone names in the family.
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I think they're fashion-names, rather than classic-names, and so they're subject to fashion ... and to seeming tacky. Or mediocre, anyway.
(west coast US) I think Jade is probably perceived as something like Ivy is ... a little hip, but basically pop, has a trendy sound and a little bit of symbolism besides just being a precious gem.
Ruby is more imagey, self-conscious seeming (would've said "hipster" ten years ago; I mean like, college bound, urban) because it's more "vintage" and colorful and doesn't sound like other names. It's like Iris or Pearl that way.None of that makes me dislike them. I like the sound of both, but neither are favorites. Jade is a little less, uh, precious (in an annoying way) to me than Ruby.
I feel like Ruby (because of the shade of red) seems vaguely sensuous, which isn't exactly great for a name IMO, and Jade (because of the word jade being used to describe a person negatively) also sounds vaguely undignified. I mean, really vaguely ... but I think that's why I don't happen to like them ... just those associations. Doesn't make them tacky on anyone, just makes them not appeal to me personally as baby names.

This message was edited 7/4/2020, 3:23 PM

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I feel that Ruby is classic as I’ve known seniors with this name. It made a comeback in the late 90’s early 2000’s. Jade I feel is more modern even though the first person I knew with the name was born in the 70’s.
I don’t think either name is tacky or trashy at all. I find Jade a prettier name than Ruby; while I find Ruby cute on a little girl and ages well in to adulthood.
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I love Jade. I find it simple, sweet and spunky. I would use it irl. I'm over Ruby. It's fine but I'm sick of hearing it. I don't find either if them tacky, Ruby could be considered classic I guess. I live in Australia and Ruby is very popular here (top 20), Jade was popular for a long time until about 5 years ago. Obviously Ruby is well-liked; as for Jade, I've never heard of it being a tacky, stripper, "white trash" (this was someone's comment on here years ago about Jade) name except on BtN so, as far as I know, it isn't perceived that way here. I can't count the number of Rubys I've known but I've known 3 female and 2 male Jades.
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I adore Ruby, it was my fave girl name for years and years and I still love it. It’s been super popular for years and I have a niece with this name, so can’t ever use it. I don’t find it tacky or trashy at all.Jade I like and have for years, but I do get a trashy vibe from it sometimes, because I’ve seen it on some “interesting” girls! Only good for a mn because of that reason.
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I love both of them. Ruby is ubiquitous in the UK and in Australia, and doesn't have any particular cultural markers in either. Jade is definitely out of fashion now for both, it's more of an 80s/90s name, and in both it also has a bit of a working class cultural marker.
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Jade: tacky; Ruby: overdoneI'm from the US, for the record.I find Ruby less gratingly tacky than Jade, but I think Ruby's been rendered tawdry by overuse.I much prefer Beryl, Opal, Olivine, and Sappho.
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I think of Ruby as a cute classic and Jade as a much fresher alternative to Jane. They’re far from Amethyst and Diamond, which I consider to be extremely tacky.
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I forgot to add: I live in the U.S. where neither names are used very often.
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Ruby is very dated indeed where I live (in South Africa). Jade is newer and fresher, but neither of them ever went viral here.I dislike them both. They really do sound cheap to me.Surprisingly, I once taught a boy named Jade. His sister was Amber, so clearly the family had a theme going. He was a very nice boy, big and strong and good at sport, so he had no problems.
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I knew a male Diamond. He was a college friend of my husband's. But even though Diamond is listed as feminine here, it doesn't sound as feminine to me as other gem names.
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Perhaps he was a girl's best friend?
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LOL
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Ruby yes, Jade no.
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Ruby is classic, Jade is ok. I'm from Australia. I like Ruby more
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To me, Jade is not, well it's not a name that screams "tasteful" or "elegant" at me. Instead it screams "glitter" and "flashy," and that's not the sort of thing that appeals to me. However, I am admittedly a fuddy-duddy when it comes to naming. Ruby has a little less of that polyester sheen I dislike so much in Jade. I would never use it, but I associate it more with names like Evie, Sophie, and Freya, whereas I associate Jade with the likes of Amber and Tiffany. I'm in the US, where neither name is used all that often. Ruby, I think, is catching on among the type of middle-class parents who are attracted to names like Amelia and Isabella.
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Jade is one of my favorite names, and I don't think it's tacky. Ruby is more old lady, to me. I like them both, but I don't think I would like them in a sibset. That's the only "tacky" I get from these names.I'm from the US.
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Ruby has a much longer history as a given name than Jade does, and I think it sounds much more old-fashioned because of it. You can picture a Grandma Ruby pretty easily.
Jade hasn't been used as a name till a generation or two ago; before that it was used as an insult (Amber in Forever Amber was often called a jade, because she was manipulative and promiscuous and several other unpleasant traits) or sometimes for a broken-down horse, and then of course as the adjective "jaded" meaning cynical or bored.
I think Jade sometimes does make an attractive middle name, but it has a hard slickness that's not entirely pleasant. Ruby has much more of a cute, cheerful vibe to it.
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I like Ruby. I like the Ru sound and I like the vintage feel. Jade is less appealing to me. I don’t hate it but I also don’t particularly like it.
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NeitherI wouldn't say either is classic, but I don't think they're tacky. I really like both. I like Jade somewhat more than Ruby. Jade is cool and elegant, Ruby is strong and sassy. I'm in the USA, but I really don't have any personal experience which allows me to determine how the names are perceived here. I would have to say based upon popularity statistics that they are mostly perceived positively. Ruby has risen a lot and is now in the top 100, and Jade, while not really popular, has been hovering around in lower one hundreds for a while, and has risen in the last three years.
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I wouldn't call either of them "classic". I'd call Ruby vintage, and Jade modern. Classics for me are names that I wouldn't be surprised to find on people of any age - I would be very surprised to see a grandmother named Jade. Ruby makes me think of Ruby Bridges, Ruby Bradley, and the character from Anne of Green Gables. Jade has a bit more of a tacky vibe than Ruby for me. I'm from the US, have been educated and lived in Britain for the past six years.
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I’m in the U.K. Jade is dated here, it’s very 80s/90s and has a bit of a tacky vibe. Ruby was very very popular about 10-15 years ago and is #32 now, so still well used. It isn’t considered as tacky as Jade but I can see it going that way as it becomes less popular.ETA: I would associate Jade with names like Gemma, Courtney, Chantelle, Shannon and Paige, and Ruby with Millie, Lily, Darcey, Sienna and Lola.

This message was edited 7/4/2020, 6:40 AM

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