What's In a Name?
The one thing I've hated most about pregnancy is 'the name game', I have more respect for my parents since having to go through thousands of names and having to pick even one out that is remotely "okay" and I had a lot of respect for my parents before hand! They managed to do a fantastic job of naming all four of their children, each of my siblings, including me quite like our names and never really had many problems over them. Ralph and I on the other hand, it's not that we can't agree on any, it's that we honestly don't like pretty much every name we've come across, or the names we did like either don't go with the last name, someone has already taken or spells out rather rude initials...
To top it all off, we feel like we're running out of names to look at. I've taken out EVERY baby name book from the library I can find, searched the internet, asked friends and family members, but now we feel like we're most likely going to settle for a name we don't really like for the sake of not having the stress. It's more tiring than waddling to the local supermarket and back.
To top it all off, we feel like we're running out of names to look at. I've taken out EVERY baby name book from the library I can find, searched the internet, asked friends and family members, but now we feel like we're most likely going to settle for a name we don't really like for the sake of not having the stress. It's more tiring than waddling to the local supermarket and back.
Most Popular Baby Names:
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| Photo credit: http://www.babycentre.co.uk |
The other problem is most baby naming websites are designed around the most popular baby names, which is only helpful so you don't send your kid to school with ten other Daniels because you all suddenly favoured that name around the same time, or you all picked it off the most popular name list, hence making it popular. And face it, would you really want a name that five other people you knew also had?... or worse, someone you didn't get a long with had?
The other problem is you can't do the complete opposite and give your kid a really out their, unique name either, unless you're a celebrity...
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| Photo credit: http://pregnant.thebump.com/baby-names/all-about-baby-names/articles/best-baby-names-2011.aspx?page=2 |
I'm sorry, but when I hear the name 'Bing' all I think of is a microwave, and unless Kate's son took her last name instead of Dad's his initials are B.B. "Bing Bellamy" as cute as it sounds, I'm not sure he will feel the same way at school, or when he's an adult and no one can take him seriously? But then again, he's the son of a famous actress, so he could be called 'Butt' and he'd still probably never get picked on at school?
But saying all that, the most annoying thing out of parents naming their children isn't one's who call their kids Morocco, Blue or Clementine. (Which will probably be the new popular names of 2013) It's the one's that take simple names like Julie, and change up the spelling to Guilee, so it's virtually unrecognisable and utterly confusing for your child when s/he has to learn how to spell her name! Or for anyone who encounters it on a piece of paper and try's to pronounce it, embarrassingly getting it wrong.
But as a social society, the more and more people who name their children these funky names, which are only funky right now because they're not common, the more and more we will get used to the idea of "Out There" names and it will be strange to have such a simple one like John or Sarah. Which means, you could get away with calling your Son that weird name you're strangely attracted to in the back of your baby name book. Plus these days the more popular and/or happy kids seem to be one's with very different names, they feel unique and more and more kids wishing they too had different and unusual names instead of their normal safe name. Especially if you have a Leo star sign baby, who is more likely to live up to their "strangely unique" name than most other star signs in the zodiac, one because they are the performers and limelight seekers of all the star signs. You may even notice as your little Leo gets older, especially if they don't have a very attention seeking name they will give themselves a new one, a stage name if you like, that you may end up having to call them from now until the next name they think of, that is fitting enough to their "Thespian-like" personality.
All in all, it's somewhat borderline impossible to pick a name until you've met your child, and even then sometime's it takes two + weeks before a name seems to even fit. After all "What is in a name?" - Shakespeare.
If you think about it, everything! That's why it's so painstakingly hard! The name you get given stays with you for the rest of your life, it is but the first impression both on paper and in person! A lot of people live up to the way their name sounds or even means, take 'Trent' for instance. Now think of every person you've ever met or heard of named Trent...
(Apologies to the few who have been given this name and are not like this at all)
Trent literally means 'Flood water' or 'Trespasser' and the Trent's I grew up with, unbeknown to their names meaning, were in an out of council house estates, jail cells and halfway houses for non other than some form of "Trespassing" and acted like complete (excuse my language) douches the older they got.
Another example is 'Corey' quite a popular name in the states. But almost every Corey I've met has been quite dark and disturbed, with almost no feeling for anyone else, even themselves... which would make sense, even the meaning of Corey along with it's origin has been disputed. If it's the Gaelic meaning it's 'Hollow, seething pool or cauldron' or 'Ravine' from the Irish/Norse name 'Kori' which is a deep narrow valley or gorge in the earth made by flowing water. If it's spelled 'Cory' or 'Kori' though there is a different meaning 'God's peace' or 'The chosen one' which is a lot nicer than "A deep gorge", or "Hollow" even though these meanings are still attached to those spelling.
My name is quite fitting 'Holly' for my personality. It's not hard to guess the meaning of this one, it's a small shrub/tree (I'm not that tall either) I look and feel best in winter. A plant that is nice to look at but touch it and it's quite sharp, I'm not going to say I'm "Nice to look at" I try to be and look nice as best I can, but the Holly leaves come out when someone try's to crunch me up in their hand. I have a sharp tongue when I feel needed, I'm not aggressive (well, not all the time) but I will give a warning prick when someone gets too close or pushes boundaries. But I will always try my best to give back to whatever environment I'm in. This would be the berries the Holly tree give's to the birds, her payment for growing as a border or fence to protect the home front. Sometime's a Holly bush can over take the garden, or grow tooo large though, which I have traits of too. Trying to take over situations that I shouldn't, getting too big into an environment I should stay away or not so close too. So my name fits.
My question for you is, to help the mums who are pulling their hair out trying to figure a name like me,
But saying all that, the most annoying thing out of parents naming their children isn't one's who call their kids Morocco, Blue or Clementine. (Which will probably be the new popular names of 2013) It's the one's that take simple names like Julie, and change up the spelling to Guilee, so it's virtually unrecognisable and utterly confusing for your child when s/he has to learn how to spell her name! Or for anyone who encounters it on a piece of paper and try's to pronounce it, embarrassingly getting it wrong.
But as a social society, the more and more people who name their children these funky names, which are only funky right now because they're not common, the more and more we will get used to the idea of "Out There" names and it will be strange to have such a simple one like John or Sarah. Which means, you could get away with calling your Son that weird name you're strangely attracted to in the back of your baby name book. Plus these days the more popular and/or happy kids seem to be one's with very different names, they feel unique and more and more kids wishing they too had different and unusual names instead of their normal safe name. Especially if you have a Leo star sign baby, who is more likely to live up to their "strangely unique" name than most other star signs in the zodiac, one because they are the performers and limelight seekers of all the star signs. You may even notice as your little Leo gets older, especially if they don't have a very attention seeking name they will give themselves a new one, a stage name if you like, that you may end up having to call them from now until the next name they think of, that is fitting enough to their "Thespian-like" personality.
All in all, it's somewhat borderline impossible to pick a name until you've met your child, and even then sometime's it takes two + weeks before a name seems to even fit. After all "What is in a name?" - Shakespeare.
If you think about it, everything! That's why it's so painstakingly hard! The name you get given stays with you for the rest of your life, it is but the first impression both on paper and in person! A lot of people live up to the way their name sounds or even means, take 'Trent' for instance. Now think of every person you've ever met or heard of named Trent...
(Apologies to the few who have been given this name and are not like this at all)
Trent literally means 'Flood water' or 'Trespasser' and the Trent's I grew up with, unbeknown to their names meaning, were in an out of council house estates, jail cells and halfway houses for non other than some form of "Trespassing" and acted like complete (excuse my language) douches the older they got.
Another example is 'Corey' quite a popular name in the states. But almost every Corey I've met has been quite dark and disturbed, with almost no feeling for anyone else, even themselves... which would make sense, even the meaning of Corey along with it's origin has been disputed. If it's the Gaelic meaning it's 'Hollow, seething pool or cauldron' or 'Ravine' from the Irish/Norse name 'Kori' which is a deep narrow valley or gorge in the earth made by flowing water. If it's spelled 'Cory' or 'Kori' though there is a different meaning 'God's peace' or 'The chosen one' which is a lot nicer than "A deep gorge", or "Hollow" even though these meanings are still attached to those spelling.
My name is quite fitting 'Holly' for my personality. It's not hard to guess the meaning of this one, it's a small shrub/tree (I'm not that tall either) I look and feel best in winter. A plant that is nice to look at but touch it and it's quite sharp, I'm not going to say I'm "Nice to look at" I try to be and look nice as best I can, but the Holly leaves come out when someone try's to crunch me up in their hand. I have a sharp tongue when I feel needed, I'm not aggressive (well, not all the time) but I will give a warning prick when someone gets too close or pushes boundaries. But I will always try my best to give back to whatever environment I'm in. This would be the berries the Holly tree give's to the birds, her payment for growing as a border or fence to protect the home front. Sometime's a Holly bush can over take the garden, or grow tooo large though, which I have traits of too. Trying to take over situations that I shouldn't, getting too big into an environment I should stay away or not so close too. So my name fits.
My question for you is, to help the mums who are pulling their hair out trying to figure a name like me,
How and why did you choose the name for your child/children?
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