# Do you like your kids' names? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 28, 2015, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-your-kids-names/736026 "2015-10-28T23:46:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2015, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-your-kids-names/736026/21 "2015-10-30T13:46:32Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > Yes, but… > > Yes - great names, easy one-syllable nicknames that suit them each. > > But - their names have the same vowel sound, e.g., Stan and Pam. So when we call then up in their rooms, the other inevitably calls out “ME?!” So we end up saying “Boy!” and “Girl!” They both like it - when my son leaves me notes about things, he signs them “Boy.” You and your spouse wouldn’t happen to be _Tarzan_ and _Jane_, would you? ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2015, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-your-kids-names/736026/22 "2015-10-30T13:52:39Z")
> [@gallows\_fodder](#): > > My grandfather was in that situation – his name was Vincent John, but everyone in his family called him Jimmy. Even he didn’t know why. At family reunions, I have to say I’m “Jimmy’s granddaughter” because none of the extended family knows who Vincent (or Vinnie, what he called himself) was. > > Oddly enough, as an adult my mother became good friends with a woman whose father was also named Vincent but called Jimmy. No one in that family knew why, either. Are you Italian-American? For some reason, Jimmy is a common nickname for Vincent among long standing Italian-Americans. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2015, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-your-kids-names/736026/23 "2015-10-30T13:58:01Z")
I like my kid’s names. They are all traditional names, that are unique today, but were much more common, say 50-60 years ago. They have traditional spellings. What I think is ridiculous to lay upon your children are non traditional spellings of common names, because the parents think that will set their kid apart. Many of our kids friends have this problem. Imre for Emery Pinye for Penny Alyx for Alex Tomys for Thomas ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2015, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-your-kids-names/736026/24 "2015-10-30T14:02:19Z")
She’s named for two of her grandmothers. Her first name was her maternal grandmother’s and is a bit old fashioned, but it is one syllable and spelled in the standard way. Her middle name is Biblical and more exotic. It was my paternal grandmother’s name. I still like both names just fine. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2015, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-your-kids-names/736026/25 "2015-10-30T14:55:34Z")
We adopted the Firebug from Russia, and we kept his birth name as his first name. We liked the name then, and still do. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2015, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-your-kids-names/736026/26 "2015-10-30T17:53:25Z")
I think my son has a fine name. But HE doesn’t like it, and is constantly trying to give himself a better name or nickname. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2015, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-your-kids-names/736026/27 "2015-10-30T20:17:50Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > I like my kid’s names. They are all traditional names, that are unique today, but were much more common, say 50-60 years ago. They have traditional spellings. > > What I think is ridiculous to lay upon your children are non traditional spellings of common names, because the parents think that will set their kid apart. Many of our kids friends have this problem. > > Imre for Emery > Pinye for Penny > Alyx for Alex > Tomys for Thomas I agree - it condemns the poor kid to a lifetime of correcting other people’s spelling. I still like my kids name - it is short, traditional, and I think it sounds good; I asked him if he liked it - and he says he does, very much. So there is that. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2015, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-your-kids-names/736026/28 "2015-10-30T20:30:40Z")
I like two of them, and I’ve become used to the other two after 40 years. As a genealogist, I’m somewhat disappointed that none of them incorporated family names into the picture, even as middle names. My oldest named two of his kids after fucking football/baseball figures/team colors for fuck’s sake. Let it go; just let it go, man. . . ---
**Author:** ![RadicalPi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/radicalpi/32/9806_2.png) [@RadicalPi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RadicalPi)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2015, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-your-kids-names/736026/29 "2015-10-30T21:21:10Z")
It would be interesting to have a parallel thread: “How much do your children like their own name?” I know my parents like my name a hell of a lot more than I do. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2015, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-your-kids-names/736026/30 "2015-10-30T21:37:03Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > What I think is ridiculous to lay upon your children are non traditional spellings of common names, because the parents think that will set their kid apart. Many of our kids friends have this problem. > > Imre for Emery > Pinye for Penny Imre and Pinye are traditional names in their own right, Hungarian and Yiddish respectively. They are not versions of those others. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2015, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-your-kids-names/736026/31 "2015-10-31T00:01:21Z")
> [@Peremensoe](#): > > Imre and Pinye are traditional names in their own right, Hungarian and Yiddish respectively. They are not versions of those others. Okay, explain McKynzy to me then. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2015, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-your-kids-names/736026/32 "2015-10-31T01:21:31Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Okay, explain McKynzy to me then. A tragic shortage of vowels. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2015, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-your-kids-names/736026/33 "2015-10-31T03:42:27Z")
I have two criteria for kids’ names. 1. That a year or two after birth, no one with the same name becomes an infamous mass murderer or genocidal world leader. 2. That every other person who has a baby that year decides that that is also the perfect name for THEIR child (I went to school in the '60s-'70s with a dozen Marks and dozens of Lauries, Lauras, and Laurens). I’ve lucked out on both counts. Unfortunately, I got a dog six years ago and named her “Bella.” ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2015, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-your-kids-names/736026/34 "2015-10-31T03:51:49Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > That every other person who has a baby that year decides that that is also the perfect name for THEIR child (I went to school in the '60s-'70s with a dozen Marks and dozens of Lauries, Lauras, and Laurens). Did you miss a “doesn’t”? ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2015, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-your-kids-names/736026/35 "2015-10-31T04:01:36Z")
I like my kid’s names. Their Chinese names follow the traditional naming conventions, which I think are cool. We named the three girls Jacqueline, Audrey and Serena. I wanted traditional spellings, non top 50 popular names but nothing overly obscure, kinda classic names. I hoped for diminutive names but only the first one Jacqueline (generally “Jac”) worked out. Audrey and Serena don’t really shorten although Audrey is often the anagram Yerdua, which I like. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2015, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-your-kids-names/736026/36 "2015-10-31T04:32:09Z")
> [@Peremensoe](#): > > Did you miss a “doesn’t”? Yeah. Fix that for me would you, there’s a good lad. ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2015, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-your-kids-names/736026/37 "2015-10-31T04:53:38Z")
I will always love their names. My oldest is named after my mother, the best human who ever lived in my monkey sphere. My 10 year old I didn’t know her name until I met her. I’d been told she would be a boy so I’d been calling her the wrong name all that time. I’d planned to name her after her paternal grandmother but as soon as I saw her I changed it. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2015, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-your-kids-names/736026/38 "2015-10-31T05:01:54Z")
Well, neither of my kids likes their names, so I feel sort of bad about that. We gave them both sort of “old” names. My daughter is constantly correcting people who think her name ought to be a more common (now) variant of her name, and my son has just gone ahead and re-named himself. Most of his friends call him by a name he chose. ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2015, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-your-kids-names/736026/39 "2015-10-31T05:10:50Z")
I’m still au-fait with my kid’s names, but doing it again, I wouldn’t have given two of them TWO middle names. That was really stupid, and I would never give kids two middles ever again. Made my life hell when I had to sign official documents…let alone their’s! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![NVME702-redux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a183cd/32.png) [@NVME702-redux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NVME702-redux)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2015, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-your-kids-names/736026/40 "2015-11-02T03:46:27Z")
I love my kids names. I gave them middle names in case they grew up not liking theirs and they haven’t made any move to use them. I did so because I grew up HATING my name up until I don’t know maybe a couple of years ago. But only because I got tired of correcting or just waving people off and saying, no, its ok I’m used to people not being able to say it. The only reason why people have trouble pronouncing my name is because my teen mom wanted to make my name different and she added an “H” to it that was completely unnecessary. ARRGHHHH!!! So I was a single mom for my oldest- and I was watching The Godfather and I liked Santino. My family has Santos as a family name so that’s what I selected because I figured Santos was not someone you would mess with, he may have a gun! I made his middle name Christian and I will only admit it once that it was after the non existent contributor of life. I added that in the event that Santos disliked his name. I never thought he would keep it, I thought we would all automatically default to Chris but it never happened. Even though Santos is quite an old fashioned name, we all use it. I call him by his complete name, my mother and I both, probably because it flows so well in Spanish. He goes by his last name with his friends because of football. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-your-kids-names/736026.md?page=1)