What are your favorite names?

Rose is lovely. I've always been partial to flower names! And I loved Hyacinth until Mrs. Bucket spoiled it all!

It's Bouquet! 

I love the names Freya or Svea for a girl. They are very traditional Swedish names. For a boy, I like William, Jonah or Vilgot (also very traditional Swedish).

As a teacher, you learn to love and hate names based on the kids they are attached to. I never liked the name Zane until I met the cutest boy with that name. The name Madeleine was ruined for me because it belonged to a very overindulged little girl.

I like flower names, too.  My parently currently have a cat called Poppy (she was originally called Lamar but turned out to be a girl - LOL!).   One of my favorite cookery blogs, Pioneer Woman, is run by a woman  who often has a friend helping her out in the kitchen who is named Hyacinth!

Poppy's very nice! I also have a cousin Daisy. And I've always liked Violet and Lily (though Lily's too trendy now so I wouldn't use it).

Well, I like the two votes for Julia!  I think it's becoming more common again, whereas for a long time I was the only Julia amongst a lot of Julies and Juliannes. (Though my middle name is Ann, just like every other Julia or Julie I have ever met, so a different middle name is always good!)

My dad's name was Billy. Just Billy.    And even when he tried to go by Bill, it just never seemed to work. Everyone still called him Billy.

I knew a very foxy guy in college named Locke. It was actually short for Loughridge Surname IV. So, um, what can you do with that? (pronounced Lock-ridge) so he just went with Locke. But I always like it.

As for literary names, DH and I have been reading these Japanese samurai type books in which there is a character called Kaede, which we both like.  (pronounced like Katie, but with a d sound instead of a t, or at least that is what we assume!)

Poppy's very nice! I also have a cousin Daisy. And I've always liked Violet and Lily (though Lily's too trendy now so I wouldn't use it).

I liked Poppy but got out voted.

My dad's name was Billy. Just Billy.    And even when he tried to go by Bill, it just never seemed to work. Everyone still called him Billy.

Was that his given name (on his birth certificate)?  My dad's given name was Jimmie, and when he was old enough to realise that was the female spelling, he had it legally changed to Jimmy.  Not James, which Jimmy is short for, but Jimmy.  Kooky Texans.

My parents gave me a Czech forename, French middle name and I have an English surname (and now Irish married surname).

I like the more traditional names that are widely recognised and only have one traditionally correct spelling, so as not to burden the poor child having to spell their name for every call centre agent, etc. they ever encounter (as I've had to do).  My parents nearly named me Jennifer and I'm so annoyed that they didn't!

Was that his given name (on his birth certificate)?  My dad's given name was Jimmie, and when he was old enough to realise that was the female spelling, he had it legally changed to Jimmy.  Not James, which Jimmy is short for, but Jimmy.  Kooky Texans.

My parents gave me a Czech forename, French middle name and I have an English surname (and now Irish married surname).

I like the more traditional names that are widely recognised and only have one traditionally correct spelling, so as not to burden the poor child having to spell their name for every call centre agent, etc. they ever encounter (as I've had to do).  My parents nearly named me Jennifer and I'm so annoyed that they didn't!

My name is Jesse and I always have people spelling it Jessie. I always have to correct them- it's so annoying! I like to go by Jess to avoid confusion.

My name is Jesse and I always have people spelling it Jessie. I always have to correct them- it's so annoying! I like to go by Jess to avoid confusion.

That's a good solution.  After I posted that, I considered how Jennifer could still get messed up - it just wouldn't be as often or as badly as my real forename gets misunderstood by people.

And I would go by Jen - also because of the tendency for people to some people to shorten names.  So that's something to consider as well, how a given name will be shortened or nicknamed.

Reminds me of the SNL skit with Nicolas Cage when he and his wife were brainstorming names for their soon to be born child, and he shot down all the suggestions based on how they could be b*stardised.  The punch line was when a delivery guy came to the door and asked for someone called *sswipe (the man's name was apparently "Aswipe", meant to be pronounced "awsWEEpeh").

Was that his given name (on his birth certificate)?  My dad's given name was Jimmie, and when he was old enough to realise that was the female spelling, he had it legally changed to Jimmy.  Not James, which Jimmy is short for, but Jimmy.  Kooky Texans.

Yep, Billy Ray.    Right there on his birth certificate. If that isn't a country boy Texan name, I don't know what is! 

Reminds me of the SNL skit with Nicolas Cage when he and his wife were brainstorming names for their soon to be born child, and he shot down all the suggestions based on how they could be b*stardised.  The punch line was when a delivery guy came to the door and asked for someone called *sswipe (the man's name was apparently "Aswipe", meant to be pronounced "awsWEEpeh").

LOL! 

I like the more traditional names that are widely recognised and only have one traditionally correct spelling, so as not to burden the poor child having to spell their name for every call centre agent, etc. they ever encounter (as I've had to do).  My parents nearly named me Jennifer and I'm so annoyed that they didn't!

You say that ... but I once worked with a woman in Rhode Island (with a very strong RI accent) who wanted to name her daughter Jennafah "because that's how you pronounce it." 

Fortunately, she had a son.

My dad's name was Billy. Just Billy.    And even when he tried to go by Bill, it just never seemed to work. Everyone still called him Billy.

Was that his given name (on his birth certificate)?  My dad's given name was Jimmie, and when he was old enough to realise that was the female spelling, he had it legally changed to Jimmy.  Not James, which Jimmy is short for, but Jimmy.  Kooky Texans.

My sister's husband, who is from a small town in Texas, is named Larry Jo.  Just Larry Jo.

 

You say that ... but I once worked with a woman in Rhode Island (with a very strong RI accent) who wanted to name her daughter Jennafah "because that's how you pronounce it." 

Fortunately, she had a son.

Hilarious! 

Rose is lovely. I've always been partial to flower names!...

We used 'Rose' for our DD's middle name, just don't tell Vicky that she's named after Rose on Doctor Who! 

Fred- for a baby
Carol- for a girl

I like the more traditional names that are widely recognised and only have one traditionally correct spelling, so as not to burden the poor child having to spell their name for every call centre agent, etc. they ever encounter (as I've had to do).  My parents nearly named me Jennifer and I'm so annoyed that they didn't!

LBA, if you really were named Jennifer, you might feel differently.  It's kind of a blow to your sense of self when there are hundreds of other people who have the same name as you. 

And I would much, much rather have a strange name so that people actually bother to find out how it's meant to be pronounced.  Growing up in Wisconsin, I had classmates with German, Norwegian, Swedish, Polish and Czech last names that used to give the teachers agonies.  My last name was similar to a fairly common name, but with an entirely different spelling and prononciation.  Teachers would always just assume that they knew how to pronounce it, and never bothered to find out if they were saying it correctly.  I would have loved to be a Przywojski (real name) because teachers and coaches always took the time to learn how to say it correctly.  Not one of them ever got my name right. 

LBA, if you really were named Jennifer, you might feel differently.  It's kind of a blow to your sense of self when there are hundreds of other people who have the same name as you. 

And I would much, much rather have a strange name so that people actually bother to find out how it's meant to be pronounced.  Growing up in Wisconsin, I had classmates with German, Norwegian, Swedish, Polish and Czech last names that used to give the teachers agonies.  My last name was similar to a fairly common name, but with an entirely different spelling and prononciation.  Teachers would always just assume that they knew how to pronounce it, and never bothered to find out if they were saying it correctly.  I would have loved to be a Przywojski (real name) because teachers and coaches always took the time to learn how to say it correctly.  Not one of them ever got my name right. 

Interesting real life perspective (as opposed to my mere speculation about how the grass might have been greener) - thanks for sharing that.  I feel much better now.