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A nickname is one thing. It's entirely different to put it on the birth certificate.
So true.
My great- grandmother, though, she often went by her middle name. Her full name was Phoebe Eileen, but she ONLY would go by Eileen. So mail and such would come to P. Eileen (last name here). I actually LOVE the name Phoebe, but man, she would get quite touchy if you ever asked her or referred to her by it.
She passed away a year ago last week and I miss her so much. Even on her tombstone it says Eileen! She was stubborn! LOL. <3
[quote=the3Ds;9060769]My daughter loves horses and there was a free equestrian jumping event near our house that we went to a few months ago. Want to know what rich people name their kids? Trust me when I say there wasn't a "Phoenix" or a "Shaniqua" in the group. There were lots of Katherines (different spellings), Rachel's, a few Georgia's, and Susan's. Rich people who can afford equestrian events understand that your kid will grow into their personality on their own but you don't start them out by handicapping them with some stupid name that no one in the corporate world will take seriously. Someone named Shaniqua (often with an apostrophe) is not going to walk into a boardroom full of 50 year old men named Michael and Christopher and be taken seriously. Trying to be unique often makes you as a parent look trashy and immature and gives your kid a big hurdle to jump. A name like "Phoenix" or "Chanel" makes me think that their parents are likely the ones with the "tramp stamp" tattoo with their kids names scrawled across their lower back.
Judgemental? Sure, but your kid's name will be theirs forever. They may decide to be a hairdresser or a mechanic or they may try to run a Fortune 500 company.
[FONT="Arial"]Agreed! 100% Give a child a solid classic name. People underestimate the power of names. Teachers are also biased toward classic names. Sorry, but it's true. The kids with classic names get better grades...and eventually, better jobs.[/font]
Last edited by cynthia007; 05-31-2009 at 09:42 AM..
Reason: Spelling
FONT="Arial"]Agreed! 100% Give a child a solid classic name. People underestimate the power of names. Teachers are also biased toward classic names. Sorry, but it's true. The kids with classic names get better grades...and eventually, better jobs.[/font][/b]
I'm not sure if teachers are prejudiced towards certain names. I'm sure there are no studies about this, but it seems like if you are a smart kid but you have a stupid name, you are going to have to work harder than someone with a "normal" name. Naming your child Katherine who wants to become a doctor means that she merely has to study and work hard to do it. Naming your kid Shaniqua who wants to become a doctor means that not only does she have to study and work hard, but she has to probably work harder than everyone else to prove that she is not defined by her dumb name. I have a very good friend named Jaz who is high up on the corporate ladder. I've been to meet and mingle events with him and have watched as he introduces himself to people much older than he is who smirk when he says his name. He is the classic overachiever and I think that has to do more with his name than anything else. He comes home from those events totally exhausted because he always has to be "on". He's got great lines for when people ask him how he got his name or if that's the real name on his birth certificate. Something like, "yeah, my mom is a big basketball fan". I'm sure he's annoyed. He had a son recently and named him James Michael (he calls him Jimmy).
I'm not sure if teachers are prejudiced towards certain names. I'm sure there are no studies about this, but it seems like if you are a smart kid but you have a stupid name, you are going to have to work harder than someone with a "normal" name. Naming your child Katherine who wants to become a doctor means that she merely has to study and work hard to do it. Naming your kid Shaniqua who wants to become a doctor means that not only does she have to study and work hard, but she has to probably work harder than everyone else to prove that she is not defined by her dumb name. I have a very good friend named Jaz who is high up on the corporate ladder. I've been to meet and mingle events with him and have watched as he introduces himself to people much older than he is who smirk when he says his name. He is the classic overachiever and I think that has to do more with his name than anything else. He comes home from those events totally exhausted because he always has to be "on". He's got great lines for when people ask him how he got his name or if that's the real name on his birth certificate. Something like, "yeah, my mom is a big basketball fan". I'm sure he's annoyed. He had a son recently and named him James Michael (he calls him Jimmy).
Classic example. Teachers are human too. Perhaps the bias might stem from a teacher believing the parents who give their child a classic name are more likely to be interested in the child's future? who knows.
My daughter loves horses and there was a free equestrian jumping event near our house that we went to a few months ago. Want to know what rich people name their kids? Trust me when I say there wasn't a "Phoenix" or a "Shaniqua" in the group. There were lots of Katherines (different spellings), Rachel's, a few Georgia's, and Susan's. Rich people who can afford equestrian events understand that your kid will grow into their personality on their own but you don't start them out by handicapping them with some stupid name that no one in the corporate world will take seriously. Someone named Shaniqua (often with an apostrophe) is not going to walk into a boardroom full of 50 year old men named Michael and Christopher and be taken seriously. Trying to be unique often makes you as a parent look trashy and immature and gives your kid a big hurdle to jump. A name like "Phoenix" or "Chanel" makes me think that their parents are likely the ones with the "tramp stamp" tattoo with their kids names scrawled across their lower back.
Judgemental? Sure, but your kid's name will be theirs forever. They may decide to be a hairdresser or a mechanic or they may try to run a Fortune 500 company.
[FONT="Arial"]Agreed! 100% Give a child a solid classic name. People underestimate the power of names. Teachers are also biased toward classic names. Sorry, but it's true. The kids with classic names get better grades...and eventually, better jobs.[/font]
LOL I have a friend named Shaniqua and she's a senior event coordinator for Children Miracle Network. Not only do 50 year old men named Michael and Christopher take her seriously, they pay her pretty well too. On the flip side my sister-in-laws name is Alexandra and she's as nutty as a fruitcake. No one takes her seriously. One of my managers is named Clover and she's excellent at what she does. What you name your kids isn't as important as what you teach them.
LOL I have a friend named Shaniqua and she's a senior event coordinator for Children Miracle Network. Not only do 50 year old men named Michael and Christopher take her seriously, they pay her pretty well too. On the flip side my sister-in-laws name is Alexandra and she's as nutty as a fruitcake. No one takes her seriously. One of my managers is named Clover and she's excellent at what she does. What you name your kids isn't as important as what you teach them.
They may take her seriously now but she probably had to work harder for that. And if your nuts it doesn't matter what name you get.
The problem is what other people teach their children not what you teach yours.
The sad fact is that we live in a world that judges. People judge appearances, zip codes, clothes, cars, homes...the list goes on and on. I even saw a clip on one of the morning shows saying that if you are going to spend money on accessories put your money towards a watch, handbag and shoes. If you have those nice accessories than people view you in a certain light.
My point...people will judge a name too. If three qualified resumes sat on a CEOs desk, I bet the candidates with the unusual names would have a harder time getting a interview and would have to work harder to get the job.
I am not saying it is right but reality.....why make it harder on someone than it has to be?
They may take her seriously now but she probably had to work harder for that. And if your nuts it doesn't matter what name you get.
The problem is what other people teach their children not what you teach yours.
She didn't have to work any harder than she would have if her name had been Anne. Her mother pushed her to get straight A's, she graduated in the top of her class and has been with the same company for years. If a teacher is giving preferential treatment to someone with a "classic" name over someone she deems to have a "ghetto" name than they should lose their license. I can't help it if people are teaching their children to be idiots. With as blended as America is these days names come from everywhere. You would think looking at the successful people in all arenas that the "give your child an unusual name and you're forcing them to serve fast food theory" would be out the window by now.
Yeah, if you name your child "stapler" or "meathead" they may not be taken seriously. But there's nothing wrong with an creative name - Ivanka isn't a usual name but I doubt anyone is accusing her parents of being trash. Attallah Shabazz spoke at my brother's graduation in the 90's.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Maybe So
My point...people will judge a name too. If three qualified resumes sat on a CEOs desk, I bet the candidates with the unusual names would have a harder time getting a interview and would have to work harder to get the job.
I am not saying it is right but reality.....
I would think by the time someone achieves the status of CEO they would have learned to looker deeper than something as superficial as a name. Do you all remember Forrest Whittaker's comment about it's not your name that stands out to her but what's said after your name. I think it's okay to give your child an unusual name, as long as you're smart about it.
But it's pointless to argue about this because everyone has their own views.
What you name your kids isn't as important as what you teach them.
Excellent point!
Out of the names on the OP list I prefer Theo, Kate and Pilar, although I think I would go with the full names of Theodore and Katherine on the birth certificate. I once knew a woman named Theodora, went by the nickname of Teddie. Unusual but cute.
Maybe I'm just odd, but I don't care for Fallon. I always see it as 'Fall on' and think of all the teasing that could occur, especially if the kid is clumsy.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Maybe So
The good news is that after they are born, babies typically grow into their names and you will get to the point where you could not imagine them named anything else. We picked a nice traditional, sedate name for my daughter. Turns out DD is a Hot Topic, alternative lifestyle kind of young woman. Her name totally doesn't fit her and we all know it. She's been going by a completely unrelated nickname for years. I blame this on her dad, because he hated the name I wanted to go with originally, lol.
Quote:
Originally Posted by flowerpowa2
No, the last thing you are thinking about when pregnant is your baby girl growing up and become sexually active. I took this into consideration when naming my kids, although I probably didn't think about it in just those terms. I think most people do, without actually realizing it. Probably why you don't see too many kids named Edna, Agnes, or Percival, those are just not sexy names!
Out of the names on the OP list I prefer Theo, Kate and Pilar, although I think I would go with the full names of Theodore and Katherine on the birth certificate. I once knew a woman named Theodora, went by the nickname of Teddie. Unusual but cute.
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My yearbook instructors first name was Griffina we all called her Griff. Theo makes me think of the character from The Cosby Show. I don't know - I've never taken the names argument seriously; I'm named after a cartoon character.
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She passed away a year ago last week and I miss her so much. Even on her tombstone it says Eileen! She was stubborn! LOL. <3
