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I wanted Irish names, because I am Irish. I have 2 sisters and we grew up as Maureen, Colleen and Doreen. My daughters are Eileen which means light, an Colette which means victorious. My son is Richard after my Dad. It means powerful ruler.
Over my lifetime I knew people who named their children after flowers, such as Iris, Rose, Trillium. One woman had kids named June and August after months. Most seemed to name them after someone in the family. My son was named after his father and grandfather. I think people are getting away from that now.
Working in a pediatric office, I see everything. I think it's fine to name kids June and August if they happen to be born in June and August. I have seen kids named "April" (seems to be a fave) whose birthdays are all over the calendar. I have seen kids named "Summer" whose birthdays are in the winter. Nothing wrong with that, I guess, it just seems weird to me.
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Originally Posted by sheena12
I sometimes wonder how some people name their children. It ranges from careless.or thoughtless choosing a name that is super popular at the time, to names that are downright r strange, suggesting that some mothers may surge with creativity as well as well as hormones when they become pregnant.Neither the lackadaisical nor the outlandish suit me, so I did my research.
I happen to think that names are important - psychologically and socially. After all, they are the first gifts that we bestow upon our children.With that in mind, we put quite a bit of thought into it.
When I was pregnant with my son we discovered the books of authors and social commentators Linda Rosenkrantz and Pamela Redmond Satran. These two woman pioneered the art and science of baby naming with their seminal 1980s book "Beyond Jennifer and Jason" followed by "Beyond Madison and Montana", "Cool Baby Names","Irish Baby Names" "Jewish Baby Names" and several others.
Posenkrantz and Satran did not compile a list of names with their derivation and meaning as baby names of old did. They examined trends, made predictions and used their own unique but useful classification systems to type names and attempt to examine how particular names are perceived by others - by adults and by children.
These books and their subsequent publications are still the "go to place" for name conscious parents to be.
Something that I decided early on, was that I was not going to name a child to make a statement or to rebel against the status quo. Nor was I interested in slavishly using the names of departed loved ones or people who are close to me - unless of course, I also loved the name , which would be the best of both worlds.
I was dedicated to choosing names that - 1. My children would like 2. other children, peers, would like and 3. that we would like. Names that would stand out with out being freakish yet fit in with out being bland.
"Distinctive but not demented" became my mantra.And so I searched.
Rosenkrantz and Satran have identified a class of naves that are solid and distinctive without being stodgy. Names that have hovered at around 100 for 20 or so years, names that are underused yet strong and pleasant sounding. They called these names "The Golden Mean" neither over used nor outre. This was what I sought.
And I think that at least for our children, and with the sage advice of Linda and Pamela, I was able to chose names that are loved by my children, their teachers, their friends, our extended families, and most importantly, by themselves.
Since each name while not trendy nor invented is distinctive and unusual enough that my children have gone through years of school with out having another child in their classes with the same names, something I really wanted them to avoid, we grounded them with solid classic middle names. Names that either child could use if they at any point disliked their first names or if a maniacal and well hated serial killer emerged with those names. So far neither has happened.Thank goodness.
Suffice to say, both children love their first names. For the sake of their privacy I will not divulge them but I will reveal their middle names - David and Grace.
They both use all three names on face book and seem happy that they were not only well loved, but carefully named.
I read "Beyond Jennifer and Jason" (my brother's kids, BTW) b/c I have a fascination with names. I was angered to find my daughter's name (which I will not reveal) on a list of "cleaning lady" names. They must have gotten a lot of objections to that characterization, b/c they changed it in their next edition.
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Originally Posted by sheena12
I went to school with a lot of Debbies, Karens, Susans, Kathys, Pattys, Loris, Lindas, Donnas, Michelles , Dawns , Diane, and Cheryl.
Boys were - Michael, Paul, Robert, Steven, Scott, Alan, Bruce, Kevin, Mark, Todd, Craig, Gary, Jeffrey, Wayne, and Rich.
LOL, what about Ken? Those were the names of the people I went to school with, too, except not so much Lori. You must be a bit younger than me. I also knew a lot of Davids.
My family has always stuck with what I would call "classic" names.
My kids are Natalie, Candace, Allen and Bradley. Apparently I like that "Aaaaa" sound (makes it really easy to stand out on the front porch and "holler" for a kid at suppertime - "Naaaaaatalie, Caaaaaaandace, Aaaaaaaallen, Braaaaaadley!").
Natalie is named because she was born in December (Nativity). Candace is named because her name means queen and it's a biblical name that I always loved. Allen and Bradley are both "family" names that show up often in our family tree. All their middle names are family names - after favorite people in our family.
My oldest daughter has named her children VERY traditional names - Margaret, Katherine, Lilianne, and Judah. My younger daughter has very specific reasons for choosing each child's name, but they are "all over the board" culturally - Ahliyah, Madison, and Willow. They don't seem to "go together" in one family, but I have to admit that each name perfectly fits each child so what can I say?
Or maybe people grow to fit their names - I don't know. Anyway...I wonder what my boys will name their children when they become dads? It should be interesting!
In my family kids are named after older relatives. My first name is my grandfathers middle name, my middle name is my dads first name. It kinda goes like that with everyone I'm related too. Today it seem like parents throw Scrabble pieces on the floor and whatever comes out, that's the kids name.
I've thought about this. Used to be a lot of Michaels and Roberts. Used to be a lot of Cynthias and Michelles.
Now, there are a lot of "last name" first names, like Taylor or Morgan, which I personally can't stand.
A lot of girls are now named Ashley and Nicole. Boys tend to be named Alex or Josh. Not many Roberts, but still quite a few Michaels.
BONUS question: Does anyone with the last name Hunt, in their rightful mind, name a new baby boy Michael? Something to think about.
My surname began as a very masculine Scottish last name that was modified and became a somewhat common first name for girl's more than a century ago. People often comment that it's weird that I have a girl's name for a last name. I chalk it up to ignorance.
As for how my children were named, two children have traditional family names (one from my side and the other from my husband's), and the third has a contemporary version of a very close friend's name.
My husband's name is one you cited above and my father is the other. Neither has completely fallen out of favor. I still hear them all the time, often as middle names.
My surname began as a very masculine Scottish last name that was modified and became a somewhat common first name for girl's more than a century ago. People often comment that it's weird that I have a girl's name for a last name. I chalk it up to ignorance.
As for how my children were named, two children have traditional family names (one from my side and the other from my husband's), and the third has a contemporary version of a very close friend's name.
My husband's name is one you cited above and my father is the other. Neither has completely fallen out of favor. I still hear them all the time, often as middle names.
BTW, Kelly is traditionally a boy's name.
I work with a man named Kelly. He's in his mid-forties, I'd say.
Working in a pediatric office, I see everything. I think it's fine to name kids June and August if they happen to be born in June and August. I have seen kids named "April" (seems to be a fave) whose birthdays are all over the calendar. I have seen kids named "Summer" whose birthdays are in the winter. Nothing wrong with that, I guess, it just seems weird to me.
Snip.
Well, to be fair, August was a name before it was a month! And it's been in use for a very long time. My sister's first husband was an August (he'd be about 65 now). They called him Gus. There are variations like Augustus and Augustine, and Augusta for girls.
I went to school with a girl named June. Her birthday was May 31st. May was an old-fashioned girl's name too, but you don't see that anymore. Had a couple of old great-aunts named May, but their real names were Mary.
I work with a man named Kelly. He's in his mid-forties, I'd say.
I went to grad school with a guy named Kelly whose wife was also named Kelly.
A friend and I were talking about names the other night, and how there aren't really any little kids now named Jennifer or Amy or Scott or Jeff like practically everyone we went to school with. Soon they'll be entrenched "old person" names, and then it'll come around again where hipster babies will be named Allison or Dave.
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And it's been in use for a very long time. My sister's first husband was an August (he'd be about 65 now). They called him Gus. There are variations like Augustus and Augustine, and Augusta for girls.
May was an old-fashioned girl's name too, but you don't see that anymore. Had a couple of old great-aunts named May, but their real names were Mary.
