# Help my future child not get beat up on the playground. (A Baby Name Poll) **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 21, 2004, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-my-future-child-not-get-beat-up-on-the-playground-a-baby-name-poll/270483 "2004-10-21T20:32:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![TitoBenito](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2acd7d/32.png) [@TitoBenito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TitoBenito)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2004, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-my-future-child-not-get-beat-up-on-the-playground-a-baby-name-poll/270483/61 "2004-10-22T07:02:55Z")
> [@ShadiRoxan](#): > > I’ve skimmed through really quick. He’s left out a little bit of detail that I think might be relevent. My family is Iranian. I want to have a Persian name for the child. Or at least something middle eastern. Not all of the names listed are ones I like, not all of them are ones he likes. I have no idea why Xerxes is even included. Name your son Sargon. A history teacher of mine in highschool told the class to bring the name back. Later I would actually marry someone who was in the same class. She thinks I’m kidding when I claim I’m going to do it. ---
**Author:** ![Scissorjack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@Scissorjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scissorjack)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2004, 9:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-my-future-child-not-get-beat-up-on-the-playground-a-baby-name-poll/270483/62 "2004-10-22T09:07:20Z")
All boy’s names should have to pass the patented Middlecase “Skywalker” test: to wit, how would this sound if I prefixed it to Skywalker? Mark Skywalker? Fine. Xerxes Skywalker? No. Matthew Skywalker? Fine. Drano {OK, Ajax} Skywalker? Whack! Robert Skywalker? Could be worse. Dymaz Skywalker? Biff! Trust me, I know whereof I speak: my wife is Japanese, and when our son was born, we wanted to find a name that was a/ sane, b/well-known, c/not too common, d/dignified, and e/pronounceable in Japanese. We called him Joseph. {Josefu, in Katakana} Joseph Skywalker. Has a nice ring to it. Not sure how the Skywalker test applies to girl’s names: try the patented Middlecase “Evenstar” test. PS A neighbouring couple are Iranian/Kiwi {he Iranian, she Kiwi}, and they called their daughter Farah. Sounds nice. ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2004, 9:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-my-future-child-not-get-beat-up-on-the-playground-a-baby-name-poll/270483/63 "2004-10-22T09:35:46Z")
> [@Kythereia](#): > > My thoughts: > > You want a nice, normal sounding name, go Biblical. Actually, when we were considering names for our baby\*, we canvassed a number of nice Biblical names. For a girl, there was [OHolyBummer](http://www.biblegateway.org/cgi-bin/bible?passage=GEN+36:25&language=english&version=NIV&showfn=on&showxref=on) or [HasALi’lPony](http://www.biblegateway.org/cgi-bin/bible?language=english&version=NIV&passage=1+Chronicles+4%3A3&x=0&y=0) . For a boy, Mahashelalhashbaz, or, my personal favourite [Evil Merodach](http://www.biblegateway.org/cgi-bin/bible?passage=2KGS+25:27&language=english&version=NIV&showfn=on&showxref=on) I think I want to call my next cat Merodach… - aka “Rachel” ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2004, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-my-future-child-not-get-beat-up-on-the-playground-a-baby-name-poll/270483/64 "2004-10-22T11:55:58Z")
**Darius** is Persian for King. ---
**Author:** ![1010011010](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/ea666f/32.png) [@1010011010](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/1010011010)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2004, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-my-future-child-not-get-beat-up-on-the-playground-a-baby-name-poll/270483/65 "2004-10-22T12:14:15Z")
> [@Middlecase](#): > > All boy’s names should have to pass the patented Middlecase “Skywalker” test: to wit, how would this sound if I prefixed it to Skywalker? Oddly, I have suggested Lucas, to tepid reception. 😛 There are actually a lot of names that we’ve tossed back and forth with no particular reaction either way. The ones that ended up on the original list are the ones that keep coming up because one of us likes it (and the other, naturally, hates it). ---
**Author:** ![Xerxes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/d2c977/32.png) [@Xerxes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xerxes)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2004, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-my-future-child-not-get-beat-up-on-the-playground-a-baby-name-poll/270483/66 "2004-10-22T12:21:59Z")
> [@cazzle](#): > > Xerxes :rolleyes: No, go on - tell us what you _really_ think :D. I happen to quite like the name (tho’ as someone else pointed out, probably better as a middle name than a first - my initials are NER and I used to think it’d be cool to change it to NXR; as I got older I lost interest in that and now confine myself to using it on message boards, upon which (at least in this case) I find it’s a deeply unpopular name). Oh well. I’ll suspect I’ll get over it. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2004, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-my-future-child-not-get-beat-up-on-the-playground-a-baby-name-poll/270483/67 "2004-10-22T12:38:22Z")
> [@Mithril](#): > > Oh, dear. Maybe Lela, Darya, or Keira for a girl and Zakary for a boy wouldn’t get your future baby beaten up. Are you really serious about this list? Xerxes? > > Unfortunately, you seem to like unusual names, and those are the ones that will get a kid beaten up. How about giving a more commonplace first name and an unusual middle name? And the _spelling_! My god, the spelling! My advice to you is to start teaching the kid martial arts as soon as he can walk. Seriously, having to deal with funny spellings or unusual names all his life? Do you want him to spend his life telling people it’s Z-A-K-A-R-Y? Believe me I know. I never got beaten up for it, but I’ve been spelling (and enunciating) my last name for people all my life, and it gets tiring. Whenever a business or government office needs my name, and the contact is in person or by phone, I have to say, “Let’s use my social instead,” because it’s such a difficult name. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2004, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-my-future-child-not-get-beat-up-on-the-playground-a-baby-name-poll/270483/68 "2004-10-22T12:51:41Z")
I’m partial to Sally for a girl (after my first best friend). Boys names are a bit tougher. Something with Atticus as a middle name is good. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2004, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-my-future-child-not-get-beat-up-on-the-playground-a-baby-name-poll/270483/69 "2004-10-22T13:22:42Z")
> [@Spectre of Pithecanthropus](#): > > And the _spelling_! My god, the spelling! > > My advice to you is to start teaching the kid martial arts as soon as he can walk. > > Seriously, having to deal with funny spellings or unusual names all his life? Do you want him to spend his life telling people it’s Z-A-K-A-R-Y? Believe me I know. I never got beaten up for it, but I’ve been spelling (and enunciating) my last name for people all my life, and it gets tiring. Whenever a business or government office needs my name, and the contact is in person or by phone, I have to say, “Let’s use my social instead,” because it’s such a difficult name. I see from earlier posts that the OP wants a name meaningful to Persians. That puts a different spin on things. Culturally appropriate, unusual names may be fine in that case, and I don’t think the kid’ll get taunted for the name if he is, in fact Persian. But I’d still avoid Xerxes, and also names that are just like traditional English names except for the spelling. If you want a Biblical name, I’d suggest going with the traditional spelling used in English translations. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2004, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-my-future-child-not-get-beat-up-on-the-playground-a-baby-name-poll/270483/70 "2004-10-22T14:57:20Z")
> [@Spectre of Pithecanthropus](#): > > If you want a Biblical name, I’d suggest going with the traditional spelling used in English translations. However, even that can backfire. I’m Jonathan. You look up Saul’s son and David’s best friend (a point not lost in my childhood when my best friend was indeed named David) in whatever book of Samuel, and that’s how it’s spelled. It’s not Johnathan or Jonathon or Johnathon (all three of which teachers used, even with several attempts to correct them.) I still have people defaulting to Johnathan when they write my name and often John as the short form. However, I blame the John bit on the fact that I’m now more likely to identify myself as Jon when introducing myself to people (friendlier and all, without sounding really nicknamey.) As for why Johnathan, I have no idea. What’s really amusing is when I tell someone, in an attempt to correct it, that there’s only one “h” and they write down Johnatan instead. :dubious: > [@cazzle](#): > > Suggestions: > [Name Nerds! categories](http://www.namenerds.com/uucn/namequiz.html) > Select the name you like most (or hate least) on each line to get a list of other names that might be to your taste. Hey, I come out 65% Classic Conservative, 20% Classic Unusual, and 15% Modern Conservative. This is either a really good sign or a really bad sign for any potential offspring. Ladies, if you’re looking for a good guy who won’t want to name the kiddos weirdly and can do domestic chores, I’m available. Along the lines of correct spellings that get slaughtered, Mom’s name is Yvonne. You would not believe how often she gets mail, especially junk mail, that is either Evon or Evonne or some other misspelling. (To make it worse, she married a guy with a last name that is a somewhat common, though old, female first name. So she often gets junk mail addressed to Last-Name-as-First-Name Yvonne. How that makes any more sense than her real name, I have no idea. Have you EVER heard of someone with the last name Yvonne?) Anyway, Mom got a French-origin name. Dad’s is German. Mine’s Hebrew. My brother’s is Greek. As a general rule, I’d say to go with something more traditional, with the most common spelling. Preferably with something that isn’t too popular at the moment, though there’s only so much you can do along those lines. Go with the long form if you have a choice, as it gives both the kid a choice on whether or not to use a nickname for casual use while giving a more professional and dignified name for business and other use, unless the long form is too archaic. For example, I would go with Samuel over Sam, but Nathan over Nathaniel. Elizabeth over Liz or Eliza or Beth, though Lisa isn’t bad by itself. And I agree with other posters that there is, for whatever reason, more flexibility in that bit of guideline for girls than there are for boys. ---
**Author:** ![Snickers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Snickers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snickers)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2004, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-my-future-child-not-get-beat-up-on-the-playground-a-baby-name-poll/270483/71 "2004-10-22T15:29:00Z")
Oooh - Rana or Zari. Those are nice, especially considering your ethnicity. About common names - I’m an Amy, and while I grew up with a ton of Amys in my classes, right now I only know one other Amy. I’m the only Amy in my office, recently I was the only Amy in a class when I returned to school, I was the only Amy at my last job - once you grow up, it’s not as common as you might think. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2004, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-my-future-child-not-get-beat-up-on-the-playground-a-baby-name-poll/270483/72 "2004-10-22T15:52:06Z")
Since most people spend the majority of their lives as adults, please consider this when naming your child. Sure, little Josher or Xerxes may be cute and original and creative when they’re in kindergarten but do they really want this when they grow up? “Bob, Jim, Joe, can you please come into my office? I’d like you to meet our newest board member. This is Jasher.” “Okay team, we have to decide who to promote to Senior Business Analyst. Our candidates are Michael Jones, Thomas Smith, Xerxes Brown, Jonathan Moore, or Ajax Fisher.” ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2004, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-my-future-child-not-get-beat-up-on-the-playground-a-baby-name-poll/270483/73 "2004-10-22T16:53:14Z")
OK, taking relevance to Iranian culture into account: For a boy, _Tamyz_ sounds to me like it could be phonetically truncated to “Tommy” or “Tom” for casual use. I have known several folks of Iranian descent. Some used Angicized nicknames some didn’t. _Mohammed_ went by “Moe” casually. _Omid_ just went by his given name (I think his mom was _Farah_), as did _Sapan_ (boy). There was an Iranian family on my block when I was in school, and their oldest son was indeed named _Xerxes_ – and he went by that name with no ill effects, letting everyone pronounce it “zerk-siss”. Lastly, _Lili_ had an easy time of it, as her name has a close English analog. In sum – it seems possible to come up with Farsi names (especially for boys) that are reducible to English-sounding nicknames. Even going with faux initials is an option. One of my friends, from India, has a short, simple Marathi name that starts with the letters “AJ”. Because people blow his name so often, he just took to going by the initials “A.J.” ---
**Author:** ![Missy2U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2004, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-my-future-child-not-get-beat-up-on-the-playground-a-baby-name-poll/270483/74 "2004-10-22T17:03:38Z")
**Hey Snickers** , guess what MY name is? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2004, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-my-future-child-not-get-beat-up-on-the-playground-a-baby-name-poll/270483/75 "2004-10-22T17:09:03Z")
[QUOTE=Cinnamon Girl] Girls: Ava - voice (as in [Ava Gardner](http://www.avagardner.org/), perhaps) Leila - nocturnal (nice choice) Lila - lilac (similar to Leila) Lili - the flower (though it will be misspelled) Mariam - tuberose (not very different thank miriam but just) Mina - lapis lazuli (I had a female cat named Mina. No idea where I got it.) Roxana - light (I think you could get away with alternative spelling here since you’re only deleting duplicated characters not adding them) Sara - pure (again perfectly acceptable in Western society) Tara - star (even better, but will remind people of _Gone with the Wind_, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. This was my first choice when my firstborn came, but alas, she was a he.) Boys (harder): Arman - inspiration (kind of like Armand. As in Assante. Mmmmmm… I got your inspiration right here, baby.) Pasha - lord (I like this one amazingly. Easy to spell/pronounce. Different.) Reza - will (kinda sounds like it could work for either gender.) Sam - character in Shahnameh (I’d definitely go with Sam even though it breaks one of my rules.) [QUOTE] With girls, the options seem a lot simpler to work with. The boys names can still work with some creativity. _Pasha Jasher_ and _Reza Jasher_, for example, could go by “P.J.” and “R.J.” _Sam_ (or any Persian male name starting with “Sam-” is self-explanatory. _Arman_ is actually a very good option. It sounds like a few different English names (both surnames and given names) such as Armand and Harmon, so it doesn’t jar phonetically. There’s also CBS sportscaster Arman Keteyian putting the name “Arman” out there in the public conciousness of sports fans. ---
**Author:** ![FlippyFly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e95f7d/32.png) [@FlippyFly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlippyFly)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2004, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-my-future-child-not-get-beat-up-on-the-playground-a-baby-name-poll/270483/76 "2004-10-22T17:17:49Z")
I’ve been partial to Atticus ever since I read TKAM. That or Dickelberryfin. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2004, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-my-future-child-not-get-beat-up-on-the-playground-a-baby-name-poll/270483/77 "2004-10-22T17:28:35Z")
Some [Persian baby names](http://www.babynamenetwork.com/origin.cfm?origin=Persian) > [@](#): > > Abdieso male Persian > Arezou Female Persian Wishful. > Azadeh female Latin, Persian dry earth; detached, free of material things > Bahar male Persian Baharak > Caspar Male Persian The treasurer. The name of one of the three wise men in the new testament. Also see Gaspar and Jasper. > Casper male Persian treasurer > Clorinda Female Persian Of renowned beauty. > Cy Male Persian The name of the founder of the Persian empire. From the name Cyrus. > Cyrus Male Persian The name of the founder of the Persian empire. > Fariel male Persian > Gaspar Male Persian The master of the treasure. Also see Caspar and Jasper. > Gelsey female Persian a flower > Jasmine Female Persian A fragrant flower. > Jasper Male Persian The treasurer. The name of a gemstone. Also see Caspar and Gaspar. > Javed Male Persian Eternal. A popular Muslim name. > Khorshed male Persian sun > Khortdad male Persian perfection > Kira Female Persian The sun. > Kismet Female Persian Destiny. > Lilac Female Persian Mauve flower. > Melchior Male Persian The king of the city. > Nasrin Female Persian A wild rose. > Parisa female Persian angelic face > Rashne male Persian judge > Roshan Male Persian Splendid. One who emanates light. A boy or girl’s name. > Roshan Female Persian Splendid. One who emanates light. A boy or girl’s name. > Roxana Female Persian Dawn. The name of the wife of Alexander the Great. > Roxanne female Persian brilliant one > Sadira Female Persian A lotus. > Sarosh male Persian prayer > Shah Male Persian The king. > Shahnaz Female Persian The pride of the emperor. > Shirin Female Persian Charming. > Siamak male Persian bringer of joy, great emperor > Soraya Female Persian Farsi (Persian) expression meaning Princess. > Syrus Male Persian The name of the founder of the Persian empire. From the name Cyrus. > Tab Male Persian A drum or drummer. > Tabb Male Persian A drum or drummer. > Tabor Male Persian A drum or drummer. > Tallis Male Persian Wise, learned. > Vashti Female Persian The beautiful one. > Xerxes Male Persian A king or ruler. The name of a famous Persian king. > Yasmeen Female Persian A fragrant flower. > Yasmin Female Persian A fragrant flower. > Yasmina Female Persian A fragrant flower. > Yasmine Female Persian A fragrant flower. > Zenda Female Persian A sacred woman. > Zircon Male Persian A mineral name. > Zoroaster Male Persian A golden star. > Zuleika Female Persian Brilliant beauty. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2004, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-my-future-child-not-get-beat-up-on-the-playground-a-baby-name-poll/270483/78 "2004-10-22T17:33:14Z")
Okay, I went to Cinammon Girl’s link, and tried to find some male Persian names that can either suggest English nicknames, or would not be necessarily likely to throw people off so much. Here’s what I came up with: **Ahmad** - familar because of former NFL player and current TV personality Ahmad Rashad. \*\*Ali \*\* - phonetically simple, familiar due to Muhammad Ali. **Ardavan** - could go by “Dave” or “Van”. **Babak** - could be “Bobby”. **Bahram/Behrang** - “Barry”. **Behnam** - “Ben” for short. **Cyrus/Kourosh** - could go by “Cy”. **Dariush** - “Darius” is fine as a first name, IMHO. **Davood** = “David” **Farhad** - I knew a guy in high school with this name. He was a popular basketball player, so I don’t guess the name hurt him any socially (I didn’t know his name was Farsi). \*\*Jahandar/Jahangir/other “Ja” names \*\* – could go by “Joe”, “Jake”, or “Jack”. \*\*Kamdin/Kambiz/other “Kam” names \*\* – could go by “Cam”. **Kayvan** – close to “Kevin”. **Mani/Mansoor** – could go by “Manny”. **Mohammed/other “Mo” names** – could go by “Moe”. **Pejman/Peyman** --“Pete”? **Shapour** – could go by “Shep”. **Tahmouress/Tahmaseb** – “Tom”, “Tommy”? **Yaghoub** = Jacob **Yahya** = John, Johmny **Yousef** = Joseph, Joe ---
**Author:** ![missbunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/76d3ee/32.png) [@missbunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missbunny)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2004, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-my-future-child-not-get-beat-up-on-the-playground-a-baby-name-poll/270483/79 "2004-10-22T17:48:17Z")
> [@](#): > > Zakary > Milo > Ajax > Tymaz > Lela > Jasher > Darya > Keira > Erlyn > Xerxes Oh my. Zakary with a CH could be okay. Milo I actually kind of like. Ajax - it’s a cleaning product. For toilets. Tymaz - “Ty-maz, tie my shoes, Ty-maz, she’s a snooze” (wimpy sing-songy voice) Darya - not bad but people are going to pronounce it “Dar-ya (puzzled voice),” not “Dare-ee-a” if you spell it like that Keira - I like this one too. I have no idea who Keira Knightly is, though. Erlyn - did you make this up? Sounds like something from Lord of the Rings. Xerxes - for the love of god, don’t saddle your child with this. ---
**Author:** ![alphaFemale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecb155/32.png) [@alphaFemale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaFemale)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2004, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-my-future-child-not-get-beat-up-on-the-playground-a-baby-name-poll/270483/80 "2004-10-22T17:52:10Z")
> [@Xerxes](#): > > No, go on - tell us what you _really_ think :D. hee! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-my-future-child-not-get-beat-up-on-the-playground-a-baby-name-poll/270483.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-my-future-child-not-get-beat-up-on-the-playground-a-baby-name-poll/270483.md?page=5)