Fun Baby Name site [Archive]

e&d

07-15-2005, 06:35 AM

The baby name tool on oxygen.com will let you do that. Go to:

www.babynamer.com

Then click on "Search" in the lefthand bar and you'll get a more detailed menu where you can specify syllables.

Btw, we are considering Alexander...do you feel like it's too long? We would probably call him Alex. Did you shorten it, or do you use the full name? (I am Elizabeth, no nickname, so I have no problem with longer names. :))

ce_Kathleen

07-15-2005, 06:47 AM

Well we named him Alexander James with the intent of calling him AJ but now that he is here, AJ just doesn't seem to suit him so we call him Alex or Alexander. I love Alexander but I think its a little long for him to learn off the bat (spelling, writing, etc) so that's why we use Alex too.

When looking at names we tend to like names that are long but that allow for a nickname (or couple of nickname possibilities) so that DC can decide what he wants to go by as s/he grows up.

Obviously my name is Kathleen so growing up I went by Kathy, Katie, Kate, Kat but then I finally settled on going by Kathleen when I started college. My DH name is Michael and he goes by Mike or Michael. We both like that option of a nickname so I think for us its pretty unlikely that we will every pick a name for our DC without the possibility of a nickname.

suzubeane

07-15-2005, 07:10 AM

Hi suzukibean! How are you? Glad to see you here. :)

I love that site; I'd been to it before but went again last night when I saw your post. We are narrowing down our names and I am going to post there and here when we get it down to a more manageable list!

How is your house? Still plodding along with the house ... not done remodeling, but moved it. I have an LJ with the same name is I use here. Check me out if you're over there.

I rarely post in parenting/family planning forums - my kids are older - but I thought that site was great. The members there tell it like it is! Over here, people you know are more likely to just tell you a name is great, but there, no one is invested in whether or not your feelings are hurt. I noticed one comment that a name someone else was considering sounded like the name of a body part!

They are very opinionated about made-up names and unique spellings (which is probably why I got sucked into the site – weirdly-spelled or pretentious-sounding names are a pet peeve of mine.) I suspect people here ARE posting after I provided the link – I noticed a comment from a regular over there who noticed there were a lot of "guests" logged on last night. ;)

Avalon

07-15-2005, 09:05 AM

Thanks for the link. A lot of baby name sites with message boards don't offer the sound advice that I'm seeing on this one.

IrisHope

07-15-2005, 09:07 AM

Great site http://babynamewizard.com/namevoyager/lnv0105.html

dionysia

07-15-2005, 11:48 AM

Thanks for posting this link, suzubeane!

I am glad I'm not the only 'anti-tryndee' around! :)

Di

conneals

07-15-2005, 04:41 PM

I posted our name choices! So far so good, the only complaint is how we want to spell Jillian. I would love to use the Gillian spelling, but I am afraid kids would call her Gilligan!

Rosebud

07-15-2005, 05:56 PM

OMG, that board is hilarious! Good, catty fun. My favorite was their mocking of the woman who was looking for a sibling name for MacGregor.

A name to go with MacGregor. Hmmm, let's see. I think Flopsy or Mopsy would work well.

Gotta admit, I laughed pretty darn hard over that.

suzubeane

07-15-2005, 06:50 PM

I posted our name choices! So far so good, the only complaint is how we want to spell Jillian. I would love to use the Gillian spelling, but I am afraid kids would call her Gilligan!I think the reality show notwithstanding, "Gilligan" will be a distant memory by the time your daughter is old enough to get teased! I'd go for the 'G' spelling because it appears to be the right way to spell it, and because it is less likely that it will be formally shortened to "Jill."

Janey

07-15-2005, 07:02 PM

It's been years since I needed to pick a baby name, but I thought some of you would be interested to know about this site: bigbadbabynames.com (http://bigbadbabynames.com/)
Heheheeheh - I loooove this site. I can't remember where I saw it linked from, but I do remember that the site made me lose an afternoon of productivity at work. :o

Ole Miss Bride

07-15-2005, 07:54 PM

I posted our name pick, "Travis Wade," and it's getting slaughtered. Gah!

cantwait

07-15-2005, 10:45 PM

I posted my son's name and potential future kids' names and so far, so good. Helpful suggestions and reinforcing what I already thought! I hate tryndee or overlee cree8tyve names. ;)

Scooter

07-15-2005, 11:12 PM

Betsy, they're being a lot harsher on your names than I would have expected. But I guess there's a different way of seeing those names in the South--I'm in CA and I've never heard those "hick" associations with either name. :(

Katie&Micah

07-16-2005, 08:16 AM

I posted our name pick, "Travis Wade," and it's getting slaughtered. Gah!

My brother is a Travis Wade and I think there's nothing wrong with that name.

I'm another one that they hated the names we've picked. I suppose I should have expected that going in.. but it kind of sucked :(

suzubeane

07-16-2005, 08:27 AM

I'm another one that they hated the names we've picked. I suppose I should have expected that going in.. but it kind of sucked :(Why would you expect that going in? I have found them to be tough, but even-handed (i.e. they explain why a certain name is not liked, even if it is just a personal association with it.) There are some threads where a name is disagreed on, and other threads where names posted are liked across the board. So I'm just curious why you expected your choices to be hated?

Ole Miss Bride, I give you a lot of credit for posting the name you're considering, given the fact it is already your husband's name!

Katie&Micah

07-16-2005, 08:53 AM

I expected them to make negative comments because a) I read several of the other threads before posting mine and was a bit surprised at some of the comments. b) The name we've chosen for a girl is not a common name and as you posted earlier.. they have a problem with things that are *different*

They don't like the names we've picked because...

1 is too popular internationally (Matthew)
2 is overused (Elizabeth)
3 one thought I made this up and was trying to feminize the name Paris, but even after I explained that it was in fact a *real* name they still don't like it because it now reminds her of the name Paris (Parissa)
4 is a surname.. ahhh.. one of the biggest sins.. using a surname as a first or middle name add to that the fact that it reminds them of a person who parks cars (Parker)

None of those are big enough complaints for me to change the names. If they said something about how Parker meant "spawn of the devil" or Matthew is going to be teased for xxx reasons I'd definately appreciate their comments.

I do find some of their comments to be helpful, but for the most part it just seems like they are there to tell you what a horrible choice you've made.

As for this..
Ole Miss Bride, I give you a lot of credit for posting the name you're considering, given the fact it is already your husband's name!

Doesn't this kind of imply that we should all be afraid to post our name choices since they WILL get ripped apart? It's not like her husband is named booger-face. Travis Wade is a completely normal name. Alot of people associate it with the south, but isn't she FROM the south??

suzubeane

07-16-2005, 09:44 AM

I expected them to make negative comments because a) I read several of the other threads before posting mine and was a bit surprised at some of the comments. b) The name we've chosen for a girl is not a common name and as you posted earlier.. they have a problem with things that are *different* No, I said "They are very opinionated about made-up names and unique spellings." There are plenty of uncommon names being discussed quite civilly at this very moment!

I do find some of their comments to be helpful, but for the most part it just seems like they are there to tell you what a horrible choice you've made.I checked your thread, and I think you may have misunderstood some of the comments - they were not all negative. Also, the general consensus over there is that giving your kid a name from another culture when you're not from that culture yourself is something to avoid. You mention the name's origin, but not yours - so I guess people assume there's an inconsistency there.

I think there are a lot of negative feelings (on that board and in real life) about surnames used as first names, unless it is a surname in your family. Same with place names.

I dunno - I think people who will give you real impressions of the names you're considering are in invaluable resource. Most people will just snicker behind your back. (general you.)

Doesn't this kind of imply that we should all be afraid to post our name choices since they WILL get ripped apart? No. I do not deny that some of the reactions that names get there are negative. That means that names that already belong to someone MIGHT get ripped apart.

I think that people who don't want honest reactions to their name choices probably should not post there. Just like I think that people who are sensitive to negative opinions or mispronunciations of their kids names should avoid naming their kids anything out of the ordinary, or spelled oddly.

Ole Miss Bride

07-16-2005, 10:02 AM

Well, I can take it. I'm a big girl. But I do think they're having a bit of a free-for-all with the name bashing over them. And some of the alternatives they offered were laughable. Um, Wayne isn't too redneck, but Wade is? Sheesh. And Ward? As in Cleaver? Gah.

Anyway, while I found some of the comments kind of annoying, I'm not about to change my name choice or anything. It's always good to get alternate opinions, and I'm pretty secure in what we've decided.

And yes, I am from the South, so a Southern association with the names I choose is a positive thing, IMO.

-Betsy

wendalah

07-16-2005, 10:21 AM

I posted my choices! Can't wait to see what people think. I hate trendy names for the most part--but there's a couple I really like that I'm not sure about.

wendalah

07-16-2005, 10:23 AM

OK, i don't know if I trust this site. They like Jessamine and Verity and...SOLOMON. And someone suggested MALACHI as an alternate to Solomon.

Travis Wade sounds completely innocuous to me compared to these names.

Ew! And they like Eugene. As a middle name--but that makes me think of a nerdy dude with glasses and buck teeth. Betsy--I hope in another life you are my mother so I can have "Travis Wade." I might get Eugene or Solomon. Gah! Seriously.

ETA again: And they are approving Aline and Serafina. I have no respect for them. How are either of those any better than MacGregor? Serafina sounds like the name of a talking cat in a witch sitcom.

suzubeane

07-16-2005, 11:47 AM

OK, i don't know if I trust this site. They like Jessamine and Verity and...SOLOMON. And someone suggested MALACHI as an alternate to Solomon. To be fair, Solomon and Malachi were part of a thread from somebody looking for Jewish/Hebrew names.

I have no defense for Jessamine, or Verity (although I think it is a derivative of "truth.")

e&d

07-16-2005, 11:47 AM

I think they can be harsh, but at the same time, like Betsy said, you know that before you post if you read over the board at all.

I want to know honest opinions of our baby name choices. It doesn't mean I'll change the choice, but if people raise valid concerns or if there is a resounding answer of ICK, I would think twice about it.

I posted there as "elufaduf," btw. I was surprised that they didn't come down hard on Alexander...I thought they would say it was too popular.

Names are very important in shaping views of a person before you get to know them...and I want the name(s) we pick to be well-viewed by the world at large, or at least not universally hated. :)

And alternate spellings/made up names are a huge problem for me. But that's me, and I don't condemn somebody for going that route. I do think it's setting a kid up for a lifetime of spelling correcting, pronunciation, etc. (This was my problem with the name my husband wanted for a girl -- Matilde -- but it was very important to him bc it was his favorite grandmother's name. Although it is a real spelling, just less common than Matilda.)

At the same time, it's a personal thing and everyone is different. You also see that within the responses...there is variation.

For example, wendalah, I really like Solomon! And Malachi is a significant Old Testament name, which is important to some people.

Betsy, for what it's worth (not much ;)), I really like Wade!

wendalah

07-16-2005, 11:48 AM

There's got to be a better Hebrew name than Solomon or Malachi.

Daniel? David?

I live in Los Angeles and all I can think of is Solly's Deli in the Valley. It's too old-Jewish man with a beard, walking around saying, "Oy, Hymie, I toldja this neighborhood is going to the pits!" for me. As someone married to a virile sexy Jew, I say no to old Jewish man names ;).

And Malachi is just cruel.

But maybe I'm too Catholic. I like names like John and Peter and James. V. New Testament, no?

e&d

07-16-2005, 11:51 AM

There's got to be a better Hebrew name than Solomon or Malachi. Daniel? David? Sure, there are lots of other Hebrew names. We considered Asher, Isaac, David, and Levi. To me, Daniel and David are just too common (maybe even boring?), and there were various other problems with the rest. But that's part of the weeding-out and prioritization process.

If I remember correctly though. Solomon was a family name for the poster, and at least to me, that is very important. To some people it's not, and that's fine too.

wendalah

07-16-2005, 11:52 AM

Asher and Isaac are cool. My brother in law is named Judah.

ETA: I'm reading the Solomon thread right now again. Hmmm, I forgot about Eli. I really like that name. One of the hottest guys I ever met in my life was named Eli (Eli Janney from the band Girls Against Boys).

suzubeane

07-16-2005, 12:05 PM

I posted there as "elufaduf," btw. E, I looked at your post, and I just wanted to chime in about the Jewish baby naming tradition. (Darn, I just explained this to someone on the other site, but I can't find anything over there any more.)

You are not committed to using the first letter of the name Abraham if you don't find a name you like. You can use it as your baby's Hebrew name, and do something else entirely with the given name.

Or, you can double up the Hebrew name, and give your son the translation of the non-A sound Hebrew name. That's what I did with my daughter.

You can also go with Grandfather's Hebrew name, and spin off of that (this is what I did with my son, whose Hebrew name is Yehuda. Translates to Judah, and I wasn't doing that!) Of course, if Grandfather's Hebrew name was Avraham or Avram (which is likely) you've still got the A to deal with, but if it was something else, it opens up all new possibilities.

By the way, the person on bigbadbabynames who suggested Avi as a nickname didn't realize that Avi is actually a legitimate name on it's own. I love that name!

eta, wendalah, I just noticed what your BIL's name is. oops. ;)

eta again; E, I just remembered that my first cousin named her son Adam. He is named for the same grandfather my son is named for, and my son's name starts with a "J." (The riff on Judah.) She got "Adam" because his Hebrew name is "Ariel" which means "Lion of God." Grandfather's Yiddish name was "Leib" which means "Lion." So you see, there are a lot of ways to do this - name origin and meaning is another one a lot of people overlook.

wendalah

07-16-2005, 12:10 PM

No worries. The other two BILs are named Jova and Tobiah. My husband has a girl's name.

suzubeane

07-16-2005, 12:14 PM

No worries. The other two BILs are named Jova and Tobiah. My husband has a girl's name. Tobiah! I wanted to name my daughter Tova (This is common in Jewish circles, where somtimes they're called Tobey.) Her father wasn't having it!

wendalah

07-16-2005, 12:17 PM

MIL went through the new age period with her first three kids (DH is the last of these). Then her last three kids, she was in her born-again phase and went for biblical names. Very interesting.

wendalah

07-16-2005, 02:29 PM

OK, I can't stay away from this site. And I have seen "Seraphina"/"Serafina" suggested three times already. I'd really like to know how Seraphina is any lesser of a mistake than MacGregor or Finley or Hayden or whatever other ones they don't like on there.

Barring the witch stirring a cauldron image, the only other thing that comes to mind when I hear Seraphina is a porn star.

NYN

07-16-2005, 10:41 PM

serafina is a pretty common spanish name...maybe there are a lot of spanish-speakers on the site?

some of the names that people think are so "unique" on that site are pretty common to me (i'm spanish) so i'm kind of reading and rolling my eyes a lot.

eta: serafina is an old-lady name - at least in spain. like someone my grandmother's age would have that name, not someone young. but i think those names are coming back now anyway.

and btw, i agree w/ you that it is an awful name.

wendalah

07-17-2005, 01:36 PM

I asked why Serafina is better than Hayden or MacGregor.
Their answer was--Hayden and MacGregor are last names.
Oh, OK. It's better to name your kid something totally awful-sounding than name them something trendy.

Scooter

07-17-2005, 02:06 PM

And they are approving Aline and Serafina. I have no respect for them. How are either of those any better than MacGregor? Serafina sounds like the name of a talking cat in a witch sitcom.

Wow, you're really getting upset when people trash names, but then you're trashing other names? http://instagiber.net/smiliesdotcom/contrib/ruinkai/wvsore.gif Serafina is a name in both Spanish and Italian (and maybe greek, with the Seraphina spelling). I've always thought it was pretty, personally. And Aline has been around for quite awhile.

I am one of those people who has a problem with surnames as first names, because I think they sound silly (sorry) and are verrrry trendy. I think if you name a kid MacGregor or Mackenzie etc the name is really going to be dated.

I agree with those posters--using an older, even ancient, established name is better than going trendy.

wendalah

07-17-2005, 02:43 PM

I don't care if they trash other names...I'm no big fan of Hayden or MacGregor myself. But if the objective is not naming your child something "weird" or trendy-sounding, I'm sorry--IMO digging up some ancient, unfamiliar name is not going to do them any more favors than naming them something trendy.

In fact, I think the wild urge to name your child something "unique"--to the point where you dig up Aline or Alma or Prudence--is just as trendy as naming them Madison.

suzubeane

07-17-2005, 03:16 PM

In fact, I think the wild urge to name your child something "unique"--to the point where you dig up Aline or Alma or Prudence--is just as trendy as naming them Madison.I see your point. But, while I don't have much love for the current trend of making up first names out of actual or imagined surnames, I don't really have a problem with the "digging up" of old names. Perhaps it's because I feel really connected to the American Jewish naming tradition, or because I like the idea of reclaiming a bit of the child's heritage through his/her name.

To me, the two are just not comparable. NewYorkNovia suggested there might be a lot of Spanish-speakers on the site. I noted (most obvious in the Solomon thread) that there seemed to be a high level of Jewish cultural knowledge.

wendalah

07-17-2005, 04:35 PM

BTW...I saw "Wicked" last night. Seraphina is perfect for that show! Galinda, Dessarose, Elphaba, Seraphina! Look at me, defying gravity.....

ETA: Suz, if they are genuinely naming their kid after their grandmother or something, that's fine. But it seems that most of the people on that site are just digging for a unique name.

carolc

07-17-2005, 04:56 PM

But what's wrong with wanting a somewhat unusual name, within reason? I was always the only Carol, and even thought the name is totally from another generation (very '50s) I am attached to my name for that reason. I know a lot of women who have very common names who hate them for the same reason.
Perhaps I'm just egotistical, but I like being the only Carol most people know.

That said, I think made-up names or names that are impossible to spell are a different kind of disservice. In general, I go for middle-of-the-road names: not wildly common, but not incredibly rare. Names you know, but don't hear every day.

I have to add, though, that my DD's name (Eleanor) seems to be extremely well-reviewed, even "trendy" on the site, which kind of makes me go :confused: . Oh well.

wendalah

07-17-2005, 05:08 PM

Within reason is totally fine. I am totally with you on that theory. I just kind of am arguing because I cannot see the difference between naming your kid some made-up name vs. naming them something overly unique but "real" that holds no personal/familial meaning.

As I posted on that site, my husband has a totally "yooniq" made-up name...and his brother has a real name (Judah) and they both have had annoyances with their respective names over the years. Both of them were the result of Mom trying to be clever, if you'll excuse my harshness there.

My mother's name is Charlotte, which was very unusual for her time. It wasn't weird, though. BTW my aunt's name is Carole!