What's in a name?

[oceanchild]

^^ Your info about Arabic names was cool too, Cinderella!

My name is vaguely after a queen of the Netherlands, but shortened, because my mom thought it was "such a long name for such a small thing." (Note: at nearly 10 pounds, I was not a small baby at all.) My middle name is a variant of my mom's first name. One of my favorite things about my first name is that it translates well into so many languages, and I like that it's common enough to be obvious, but not so common as to be everywhere. I love my name, and I hope I can pull off the same feat with my own children!

[alison]

My husband would have had your name, Oceanchild, had he been a girl. The J is pronounced like a Y in German. We like the name a lot, too, but with the English J sound.

[oceanchild]

I *think* it's a Y sound in Dutch, too. But I know embarrassingly little Dutch.

[alison]

Yes, I'm pretty sure it's a Y in Dutch as well.

[ladymoreta]

Finally catching up on this thread! My real name is Laura, and my parents picked it from a baby book. No other significance. When I was in the 3rd grade, I decided I wanted a nickname like my friends and relatives (Angie, Nikki, Jenny, Becky, etc.), so I started asking people to call me Laurie. I still prefer Laurie to Laura, but it's weird explaining it to people.

ETA - If I'd been a boy, I would have been named Dewayne, my dad's middle name.

[GreyhoundsRUs]

Finally catching up on this thread! My real name is Laura, and my parents picked it from a baby book. No other significance. When I was in the 3rd grade, I decided I wanted a nickname like my friends and relatives (Angie, Nikki, Jenny, Becky, etc.), so I started asking people to call me Laurie. I still prefer Laurie to Laura, but it's weird explaining it to people.

ETA - If I'd been a boy, I would have been named Dewayne, my dad's middle name.

So did not know that!!

[Meenah]

I was child number five and my parents let my godmother name me because they couldn't think of a name. I didn't get a middle name because my name is "double" name. That always bothered me.

[Liisi]

Immigration makes for odd name decisions. My maiden name is Anderson, but only because my Finnish great-grandparents Americanized their names. Between US immigration officials' inability to reconcile that a husband and wife would have different surnames. (Finnish women don't take their husband's surname after marriage), and the ridic spellings and over abundance of N's in their names, "Anderson" was the lesser of evils.

Wow, this happened to my family, too! My ancestors from Finland had to Americanize their last name when they came here. It's still a strange-sounding name, though. And my first name is one that my Finnish great-grandmother chose for me, but my parents Americanized the pronunciation of it.

And as for Sequoia... I live in a rather hippie-ish town where there are actually multiple Sequoias. A couple years ago when I was involved in a local, intergenerational theater production, there were two girls named Sequoia and we had to call them "Sequoia H." and "Sequoia S." My town has kids named Lightning, Wolff, Sage, Poppy, Sparrow, Kestrel, Maize, etc.

[diggitydot]

I recognized your screen name as being Finnish, Liisi. BTW -- the Oregon coast and Washington Penninsula we're very popular destinations for Finnish immigrants. If you're into genealogy, you might check out those communities' historical societies. Particularly, Astoria OR and Port Townsend WA.

I grew up in the PNW. All of those names were pretty normal to me as a kid. Add in a few Rivers and Leafs, then you'll have half of my graduating class.

[poky]

I recognized your screen name as being Finnish, Liisi. BTW -- the Oregon coast and Washington Penninsula we're very popular destinations for Finnish immigrants. If you're into genealogy, you might check out those communities' historical societies. Particularly, Astoria OR and Port Townsend WA.

I grew up in the PNW. All of those names were pretty normal to me as a kid. Add in a few Rivers and Leafs, then you'll have half of my graduating class.

There is definitely a strong Scandinavian influence in the PNW - there was an Inger-Lise in one of my classes in elementary school, and I went to the same high school as the Hansens from Deadliest Catch (I was in-between Sig and Edgar, and didn't actually know them)

[diggitydot]

There is definitely a strong Scandinavian influence in the PNW - there was an Inger-Lise in one of my classes in elementary school, and I went to the same high school as the Hansens from Deadliest Catch (I was in-between Sig and Edgar, and didn't actually know them)

OMG, that is too funny! Yup, loads of Swedes, Finns, and Norwegians in the PNW.

And the Hansens are so stereotypically Norwegian that it kills me. Between the alleged "sense of humor" and the gruff personalities, they couldn't be more of a stereotype if they tried.

[HouseofWool]

OMG, that is too funny! Yup, loads of Swedes, Finns, and Norwegians in the PNW.

And the Hansens are so stereotypically Norwegian that it kills me. Between the alleged "sense of humor" and the gruff personalities, they couldn't be more of a stereotype if they tried.

We have a large Norwegian population here too (in addition to massive amounts of Germans), so much so, that there are several Setten de Mai celebrations in the area.

[MsSassyBaskets]

We have a large Norwegian population here too (in addition to massive amounts of Germans), so much so, that there are several Setten de Mai celebrations in the area.

Aww, I've missed my BFF's Syttende Mai smorgasbord celebration since we left MN. DH's family is a pretty typical Scandinavian Minnesotan family, but most of them haven't given their kids Scandinavian first names. Who knows if we will... but for now both our cats have names from Norse mythology.

[diggitydot]

Like Lokitty and Thorgi?

http://static.fjcdn.com/pictures/Thorgi.+Lokitty+and+Thorgi_777c76_3894479.jpg

[MsSassyBaskets]

like lokitty and thorgi?

http://static.fjcdn.com/pictures/tho...76_3894479.jpg

lol!