baby name rank

[scarlett09]

I'll one-up you. I don't get the whole "I can't name my child something that is in the top 10, 20 .... or whatever. The fact that there are now Aidek's running around MN is like nails on a chalkboard to me. I know someone who named their daughter Kirsten but spelled it as if they had never gotten out of Kindergarten. The spelling is so bizzaro that you wouldn't pronounce it Kirsten unless you knew (and no it isn't an Irish spelling .... LOL).

As far as naming your daughter, T&S....you pick whatever YOU want .... She is your baby and you can call her whatever nickname that you want, defend her name and admonish all nicknames.... You. Are. Mommy!!!! Forever!

My husband is Thomas. We don't know a single, solitary American here that doesn't call him Tom. He has given up on correcting them. When they address me and ask how Tom is though I always say "Tom who?" "Tom your husband!!" "Oh, Thomas you mean. Do you call him Tom? How funny." See ... I can do that too because I'm his wife.

Just enjoy gestating that little girl and relish in the names that you have picked for her.

At least her middle name won't be Adolf, right? LOL

Kris

My deal about not choosing an overly popular name is a childhood thing. I always felt bad for those kids who weren't just "John," but "John B." and "John W." because there was more than one "John" in the class. I felt like they didn't get to be just their first name in school, but they had to tack on the last initial too. I always got to be "Scarlett" and I liked it, I didn't have to share with anyone. Maybe this is a reflection of being an only child for my first 12 years, lol!! Bottom line is that I like the other top 25 girls' name enough that I might just use it (if DH agrees of course).

T&S, Kris is right. You are mommy, and your DH is daddy, you can choose whatever you like for your little one. No need to defend it to us or change it because of our opinions.

[PrincessFiona]

Scarlett, I can understand that. I guess I was thinking more of this trend to pronounce names in weird ways or take names that are fairly normal ... Aidan (ha! LOL) and change them to Aidek (WTH). I sometimes listen to people tell me their kids names and the only thought that passes through my mind is "holy shit, you are kidding me!". See ... I'm just evil that way. By the way, there are also Cadek's from Cade, .... and I recently met an Ashrey ... as in Ash ... and then rey ... pronounced Ashree. I thought it might be Ashley and that I had misunderstood. Nope. Ash flippin Ree. I'm sorry if anyone here has Ashree picked out. Don't tell me.

Kris

[diggitydot]

I knew a gal with daughters named Courtney and Colbey. Except, she apparently wanted to either create future pole-dancers or royally fuck up their chances of ever learning phonics. Spelled their names "Khourtnee" and "Kholbee".

No, I'm not making that shit up.

Do whatever works for you. Our Emily usually goes by Em or Emmy around the house, but would DIE if any of her friends called her those names. Sydney is Syd or Sydney-Bean. Tyler is just Tyler. Although, he likes to say that his nickname is Taylor. No, honey -- that's just people mishearing your name and is not *quite* as cool as you think it is.

[PrincessFiona]

I knew a gal with daughters named Courtney and Colbey. Except, she apparently wanted to either create future pole-dancers or royally fuck up their chances of ever learning phonics. Spelled their names "Khourtnee" and "Kholbee".

No, I'm not making that shit up.

Do whatever works for you. Our Emily usually goes by Em or Emmy around the house, but would DIE if any of her friends called her those names. Sydney is Syd or Sydney-Bean. Tyler is just Tyler. Although, he likes to say that his nickname is Taylor. No, honey -- that's just people mishearing your name and is not *quite* as cool as you think it is.

That's what I'm talking about too, I guess. It really just makes me feel sorry for the kids who will have to spell and re-spell their names throughout their lives/discuss pronunciations/correct pronunciations etc. I think the names Courtney and Colbey are cute...I really like them. But ... why make them intentionally obtuse and unusual?

I don't know .... I think I got old at some point.

Then again .... I call my 15 year old FooFoo or FinnyFooFoo....someone come slap me. We called her Finny for the longest time (nickname for Fionnuala) and then Zoe started calling her FooFoo a few years ago. It stuck, and we all call her that. SHE even calls herself that when she is talking to the cats "oh, come to your FooFoo". Her...good friends call her FooFoo. My Gawd...give me another glass of wine. I am what I despise. LOL.

Kris

[diggitydot]

But ... why make them intentionally obtuse and unusual?

Because their mother is nothing if not intentionally obtuse and unusual.

[niener]

One of my former bosses starting going by her middle name when she was in her mid 20s because she thought it sounded more professional. Only her family and old high school and college buddies call her by her first name. We had absolutely no idea that was her middle name until about a year after working for her when someone in the office saw a facebook post from a family member addressing her by her first name. Once she made the switch it seemed to work out ok, and she was a big head honcho hospital administrator. One of my close friends from high school has always gone by her middle name. She's now a college professor and has had no problem that I know of. I guess it just depends on what you do professionally as to how big of a hassle it is, but going by your middle name certainly is not uncommon.

[v-girl]

None of my kids go by their first names, but it hasn't been an issue. For the girls, for dance programs, M goes by her first name, E goes by first & middle names. In her class, some teachers call her E, others use her middle name. The head teacher uses M's first name and E's middle name (he will rarely use the names they go by).

Oh, and we named them with the assumption that they could go by shortened names and use their first names for professional reasons if they choose.

[moonlight]

No matter what thought you put into it, you can't guess the outcome of how people will say it, spell it, or try and shorten it.

[moonlight]

and yeah my husband goes by his middle name because the Irish family gave him the 15th male first name. Its a issue for us as well. The main reason its a issue is because he can't remember how he signs it here and there. He wasn't consistent and that's 99% of the problem.

[v-girl]

We do have nicknames for all our daughters: Maddy, the Zozonator (seriously), Sophie-bear, Ella (and, sometimes she, too, is a "bear" - Ella-bear), Charlie-barlie-booley-bear (but, she will respond to Charlie - 'sh' noise at the beginning or Booley or Booley-bear - I kid you not).

We have Ella-bear or Ellaboo. M is Mags -- yes, her nickname got shortened. K is monkey boy.


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[niener]

Oh forgot to mention, my name was in the top 10 the year I was born and was in the top 25 for nearly two decades prior and the two decades following, but I've known fewer than 5 other people with my name, none of whom were in my grade in school so it was never an issue. I wonder if some names are more regional.

[moonlight]

We have a cat named Bear and that's a bit confusing to my toddler, does that count?

[TulipsAndSunscreen]

After many tears last night, we're sticking with our boys name and will call him by his middle name. Now watch, we'll have a girl.

We just decided that it was the name that we've had our heart set on for a really long time and shouldn't change it now though you guys did bring up valid points and I appreciate the feedback. I think the idea that I could go into labor any moment without a name picked just totally sent me off the deep end.

After I threw a fit last night, DH made me call one of our friends from med school who's now a 2nd year resident at Stanford. He's always, always gone by his middle name and frankly his first name is really old-fashioned and not in a cool way. He said it's never, ever been a problem. He said most informal forms ask what you want to be called or you just note it on the form and for official forms/flights/IDs, he always just uses his full name. He's traveled internationally and gone through med school that way and he says it's basically an afterthought. He did say that sometimes he just doesn't correct people if he's never going to meet them again or his name is on a name tag but that it really wasn't a big deal growing up. He even said he likes the way it looks on his whitecoat: [First Initial]. [Middle Name] [Last Name] He also made the point that many, many people (at least in his experience) have foreign names which are difficult to pronounce so they go by shortened names or nicknames too.

Sounds like, as with many things, it really depends on the person. Some people will hate their names and some people won't. If the kid hates it, he can go by his very mainstream first name - I know that I won't force my child to use a name that he doesn't like because my parents did it to me.

[houseelf]

Can I just pop in here and say that this thread CRACKS ME UP!!!!

We can analyze and discuss anything. Really: Sweater shavers, name popularity, baby poop, Tom and Katie, Frodo as an example of everyman in literature, name a topic and BRING IT ON!!!! Truly, all of this is like an exercise in improv. I just read another thread where a member was concerned that her very big real life issue was becoming boring or redundant. Holy crap Michelle, if you are reading this thread, take solace! I heart you guys for strange, random discussions about banal stuff like this. You all "get" my nerdiness at a core level I say this with much love for all of us.

Second, Kris, holy crap, you are cracking me up about getting fired up about people's bizarre name spellings. Really, I'm going to tease you mercilessly about this indignant angst. Keep fighting the good fight, my friend.

Oh, I'm killing myself here....

[scarlett09]

That's what I'm talking about too, I guess. It really just makes me feel sorry for the kids who will have to spell and re-spell their names throughout their lives/discuss pronunciations/correct pronunciations etc. I think the names Courtney and Colbey are cute...I really like them. But ... why make them intentionally obtuse and unusual?

YES! I feel this way too (and no, it doesn't make you old to feel this way)! I can't imagine going through life introducting yourself to people and they're so focused on the pronounciation, spelling, and origin of your first name that they aren't focusing on your other positive qualities. Plus I'm sure these people are also thinking that your parents were complete morons. I know that we shouldn't be so focused on what others think of our names, but honestly it happens and I'd rather have people focus on how awesome I am and not the fact that the "dash ain't silent" in La-a.

I know we had a thread about weird/funny doctor names and other names we've seen in medicine. DH sees a lot of unique names, as does my elementary-school teacher stepmom. And it was interesting go through the SSA's baby name list for 2010 and to see how many different spellings of names like Brittany and Caitlin were on the list, as well as other ridiculous phonetic variations of already out there names. Prime example: Nevaeh (the correct spelling when this name materialized out of thin air) is #25 and Neveah is #888. Now is the latter spelling to make an already out there name more "unique" or were the parents so out of it after L&D that they couldn't spell their baby's name properly? Food for thought.

Here is another baby name "issue", if you will. I have a friend who had a little girl with a very pretty first and middle name, yet they refer her to by her first and middle initials, i.e. instead of Catherine Jane, it's CJ. I don't mind it, I still flove this baby to bits, such a cutie! I know that part of the reason for the "nickname" is because the little girl's first name basically rhymes with mom's first name. But when I mention the baby in passing by her initials, others (older women especially!) comment that it sounds "too masculine" or that my friend is "stupid" or "weird" for not using her daughter's first name only. What do you all think?