# Can we play another round of "What the hell were Mom and Dad thinking when they named the kid?" **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 1, 2014, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-play-another-round-of-what-the-hell-were-mom-and-dad-thinking-when-they-named-the-kid/682572 "2014-03-01T02:19:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 10
**Author:** ![DChord568](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@DChord568](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DChord568)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2014, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-play-another-round-of-what-the-hell-were-mom-and-dad-thinking-when-they-named-the-kid/682572/181 "2014-03-06T15:24:13Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > For some reason my daughter’s class is chock-full of the children of immigrants from all over the world (although, to be fair, she’s one too\*). Names run the gamut from Amarachi to Zainab, although there are a couple of British kids with Gaelic names mixed in there too. Everyone wants their child to be special. Which is why I believe that, if parents truly want their children to stand out from the crowd today, they should be naming them Bob, Mary, John or Nancy. C’mon…be a rebel! ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2014, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-play-another-round-of-what-the-hell-were-mom-and-dad-thinking-when-they-named-the-kid/682572/182 "2014-03-06T16:14:29Z")
> [@jabiru](#): > > Melaena (or Melena in the US) is tarry stool (faeces which is black because it contains old blood). Malena and melaena are pronounced the same way. My mother had a friend (who would now be in her 60s or 70s) called Melene (muh-LEE-nee), which I always thought sounded a bit “medical”. Someone brought up Candida. The keyboard player in the British band Pulp is/was called Candida Doyle. She’s from Northern Ireland, I believe. Other odd names I’ve come across recently: Atticus, Cadence (which has actually grown on me a bit), and my all-time favourite, [Octavia Sheepshanks](http://www.independent.co.uk/biography/octavia-sheepshanks). I also remember reading an article about a rather precious graphic designer who had named his children after typefaces. I can’t remember which fonts, though. Perpetua and Garamond, perhaps. And then there’s [this](http://www.womansday.com.au/lifestyle/true-life-stories/2009/7/our-kids-are-all-named-after-designer-clothes/) family named after designer brands… ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2014, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-play-another-round-of-what-the-hell-were-mom-and-dad-thinking-when-they-named-the-kid/682572/183 "2014-03-06T16:33:51Z")
> [@Arcite](#): > > The worst offenders in this trend of “cutesy spellings of trendy names” have got to be the parents of McKayla, Makayla, Mikayla, etc. I bet most of these people don’t even know it started as Michaela, a feminine form of Michael. They just heard it, like the sound of it, and made up their own spelling. That’s my granddaughter’s name…complete with apostrophe! I can’t bring myself to actually say it without mentally picturing “Michaela”, but then I know that’s cheating. We’ll have to call her Mack or something. “Ma’ck”? :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2014, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-play-another-round-of-what-the-hell-were-mom-and-dad-thinking-when-they-named-the-kid/682572/184 "2014-03-06T16:41:15Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > Oh heck yes. Kids make puns out of names, plays on words, and so on. One girl in grade school, who didn’t like me, persisted for a while, on the playground away from teachers, in calling me “Dead Lice” My given name has some of the same letters and sounds. :resists making a “headlights” joke: ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2014, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-play-another-round-of-what-the-hell-were-mom-and-dad-thinking-when-they-named-the-kid/682572/185 "2014-03-06T17:05:17Z")
I think it’s hilarious how old-fashioned some people are when it comes to names. Especially in a country like the US which has many cultures and the mixing of them. Why should names have to come from a limited list matching some peer group that was named a generation or two ago? Unless a name is actively malicious, I don’t have a problem with it. Having to spell one’s name is not a large burden. And people shouldn’t jump to conclusions about how to spell someone’s name anyway. And worrying about bullying because of a name is silly. Any name can be used to tease. The criteria for our kids was their American personal name couldn’t be in the top 500 names for the previous 10 tens. The Social Security administration keeps a nice name database. We ended up with nice classic names that were most recently popular in the early 1900s. Kind of sound like “grandparent” names to me, but my kids’ peer groups won’t have the association because it’s simply too far past. ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc29f/32.png) [@Dead\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Cat)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2014, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-play-another-round-of-what-the-hell-were-mom-and-dad-thinking-when-they-named-the-kid/682572/186 "2014-03-06T17:13:16Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > Oh heck yes. Kids make puns out of names, plays on words, and so on. One girl in grade school, who didn’t like me, persisted for a while, on the playground away from teachers, in calling me “Dead Lice” My given name has some of the same letters and sounds. Exactly. Of course, a kid with a perfectly ordinary name could still be bullied for some other reason, but I still think it’s best not to make it too easy for the bullies by calling your son Richard if your surname is Head (for example - I realise this particular case has already been mentioned). ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2014, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-play-another-round-of-what-the-hell-were-mom-and-dad-thinking-when-they-named-the-kid/682572/187 "2014-03-06T18:24:34Z")
> [@Pleonast](#): > > I think it’s hilarious how old-fashioned some people are when it comes to names. Especially in a country like the US which has many cultures and the mixing of them. Why should names have to come from a limited list matching some peer group that was named a generation or two ago? > > Unless a name is actively malicious, I don’t have a problem with it. Having to spell one’s name is not a large burden. And people shouldn’t jump to conclusions about how to spell someone’s name anyway. And worrying about bullying because of a name is silly. Any name can be used to tease. > > The criteria for our kids was their American personal name couldn’t be in the top 500 names for the previous 10 tens. The Social Security administration keeps a nice name database. We ended up with nice classic names that were most recently popular in the early 1900s. Kind of sound like “grandparent” names to me, but my kids’ peer groups won’t have the association because it’s simply too far past. I know someone who named their kid Mykynzy! And I think a lot of the point is that these weird names **are** popular. All the “last names as first names” are still popular. The first google link says Jackson was #1, for example. And if you spell that Jaxon or Jaxxxon of Jaq’sun, it’s pretty much trying too hard and being unique, just like everyone else. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2014, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-play-another-round-of-what-the-hell-were-mom-and-dad-thinking-when-they-named-the-kid/682572/188 "2014-03-06T18:40:47Z")
> [@Sarabellum1976](#): > > I always wondered about the spelling of Rachael Ray, the television chef personality. Rachel would be the usual spelling, and somehow when you add an extra A it’s still pronounced the same. > > I went to school with a kid that had the last name of Baergen, and they insisted it was pronounced “Bear-Again” with three distinct syllables. > > That one always gave me a doubletake. Freaky AE spellings. For me it’s Meghan. I know it’s super common, but spelling it that way just drives me up the damn wall I always wanna say Meg-Han instead of just the normal Megan. A pointless H if you ask me ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2014, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-play-another-round-of-what-the-hell-were-mom-and-dad-thinking-when-they-named-the-kid/682572/189 "2014-03-06T19:05:05Z")
> [@Sir\_T-Cups](#): > > For me it’s Meghan. I know it’s super common, but spelling it that way just drives me up the damn wall > > I always wanna say Meg-Han instead of just the normal Megan. A pointless H if you ask me If it helps, you can pronounce it “Meh _hock_ an” where that is the “ch” in words like “loch.” There are also people named (sic or just pronounced) Meegan. There is an occasional character with that name in _the League_. She is pretty crappy, if that matters. ---
**Author:** ![dinahmoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8797f3/32.png) [@dinahmoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dinahmoe)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2014, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-play-another-round-of-what-the-hell-were-mom-and-dad-thinking-when-they-named-the-kid/682572/190 "2014-03-06T20:00:59Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > There are also people named (sic or just pronounced) Meegan. This is me. Spelled “Meaghan”, though. ---
**Author:** ![Arcite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/67e7ee/32.png) [@Arcite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arcite)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2014, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-play-another-round-of-what-the-hell-were-mom-and-dad-thinking-when-they-named-the-kid/682572/191 "2014-03-08T02:32:36Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > And in saying that state where everyone knows how to spell everyone else’s names never existed in the first place. Nor is it likely to exist in today’s diverse societies. > > At least we don’t live in China, where names are not phonetic at all. Whatever. You don’t really believe that in your much-maligned Ozzie-and-Harriet, Leave-it-to-Beaver, Norman Rockwell, 1950’s small town America, a clerk would have had to ask someone how to spell Mary Woods. ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2014, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-play-another-round-of-what-the-hell-were-mom-and-dad-thinking-when-they-named-the-kid/682572/192 "2014-03-08T03:30:52Z")
This thread is starting to sound like clerks at Ellis Island. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2014, 8:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-play-another-round-of-what-the-hell-were-mom-and-dad-thinking-when-they-named-the-kid/682572/193 "2014-03-08T08:37:59Z")
Call me anal, call me old-fashioned, but I think names are words and words should have some sort of meaning, any meaning. They’re not just random vowels strung together. They should have _etymology_. Or maybe I just read too much. Literacy is not that held in high regard these days. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2014, 8:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-play-another-round-of-what-the-hell-were-mom-and-dad-thinking-when-they-named-the-kid/682572/194 "2014-03-08T08:59:07Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Call me anal, call me old-fashioned, but I think names are words and words should have some sort of meaning, any meaning. They’re not just random vowels strung together. They should have _etymology_. > > Or maybe I just read too much. Literacy is not that held in high regard these days. And you should also probably look up the etymology first, to make sure you’re not naming your kid “puny” or “harem slave.” Or “new etymology,” so no Lolita. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2014, 10:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-play-another-round-of-what-the-hell-were-mom-and-dad-thinking-when-they-named-the-kid/682572/195 "2014-03-08T10:16:33Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > Or “new etymology,” so no Lolita. Ehr… that one is Dolores. Or it was before some freak wrote a novel. ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2014, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-play-another-round-of-what-the-hell-were-mom-and-dad-thinking-when-they-named-the-kid/682572/196 "2014-03-08T14:03:23Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Call me anal, call me old-fashioned, but I think names are words and words should have some sort of meaning, any meaning. They’re not just random vowels strung together. They should have _etymology_. > > Or maybe I just read too much. Literacy is not that held in high regard these days. Once the name is created and given to someone, it has meaning. It is that person’s name. Should the spelling of a name be obvious and simple, like Siobhan? Ideally, but my name has one syllable, four letters, and people still find alternate spellings for it. ---
**Author:** ![Atomic\_Mama](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5ac83/32.png) [@Atomic\_Mama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atomic_Mama)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2014, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-play-another-round-of-what-the-hell-were-mom-and-dad-thinking-when-they-named-the-kid/682572/197 "2014-03-08T14:11:14Z")
Real first name = Amelia. I am 64. All my life, my parents called me “Amy.” Except when I was in trouble. My fourth grade teacher couldn’t pronounce it, and guessed at “Emily?” Embarrassed me no end. I have ALWAYS had to spell my real surname (which confuzles computers no end) … and my first married surname … which was always spelled some alternate way than it how was supposed to be. I went back to my maiden name after my divorce; got remarried 20+ years later to a lovely simple Scots/Irish surname. But I kept using my maiden name because it was easier to not have to change all my personal ID after so many years. And I’m “famous” 😃 :smack: :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Catamount](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/catamount/32/2840_2.png) [@Catamount](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catamount)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2014, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-play-another-round-of-what-the-hell-were-mom-and-dad-thinking-when-they-named-the-kid/682572/198 "2014-03-08T14:27:26Z")
> [@flatlined](#): > > Lots of Darths, lots of Lukes, but the ones who always confused me were the kids named Chance. I went to school with a guy named Chance. The best worst name I’ve ever run across is Angel-Baby Wildfire Fortune. That’s a name that says “I go on the pole at eight.” ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2014, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-play-another-round-of-what-the-hell-were-mom-and-dad-thinking-when-they-named-the-kid/682572/199 "2014-03-08T15:03:03Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Call me anal, call me old-fashioned, but I think names are words and words should have some sort of meaning, any meaning. They’re not just random vowels strung together. They should have _etymology_. > > Or maybe I just read too much. Literacy is not that held in high regard these days. Or maybe you come from a tradition where names are supposed to have meaning. Which is fine, but not every culture is the same. My name means “gift” in Latin. Don’t I feel special? Nope! I’ve never been a huge fan of my name, regardless of its meaning. I would have rather my parents spent pick a name based on the way it sounds versus its meaning. No one knows what my name means when they hear it. But they do hear how it sounds. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2014, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-play-another-round-of-what-the-hell-were-mom-and-dad-thinking-when-they-named-the-kid/682572/200 "2014-03-08T16:36:40Z")
“Gift” or “God’s gift”? Yes, you can tell me to get lost; asking because I know several versions for the second but can’t think of any for the first. ETA: thought of one. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-play-another-round-of-what-the-hell-were-mom-and-dad-thinking-when-they-named-the-kid/682572.md?page=9) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-play-another-round-of-what-the-hell-were-mom-and-dad-thinking-when-they-named-the-kid/682572.md?page=11)