I’ve noticed a lot of boys now being named with what I consider “old man” names, like Emmett, Wyatt, Owen and the like. Nothing wrong with the names at all, but my grandparents’ generation used them. I haven’t noticed the same phenomenon with girls’ names, though, which would lead to a heap of babies named Hazel, Ethel and Arlene. I have seen a good number of Lydias, though, so maybe there’s a selective resurgence.
I voted for Cecily, mostly because I know a Cecily of good character, but all your girl names meet with my approval. I’m not too keen on any of the boys’ names, but I know I’m out of touch with stuff like this :D.
I wouldn’t choose any of those names for my baby but I also would not mentally recoil in horror if someone introduced themselves by those names either. It isn’t like you want to name your kid Diamond or Hennesy or anything so any of those would probably be fine.
Sorry, I suppose Natasha is okay but I hate the rest of them. I beg you, please please please do not “misspell” a name (like Emmitt). It’s cruel to the poor child. Emmett is unusual enough (and not bad.)
I like Cecily but I’ve never been sure how to pronounce it. I can see kids teasing her with Silly Cecily though. Natasha screams stripper or wannabe femme fatale. Corbin evokes nothing, but maybe that’s a good thing. Emmett is fine if it’s spelled correctly.
I’m glad my baby-naming days are over. How to decide? Unique or traditional?
How do your choices fit with your last name? What about middle names? Any family members want/deserve a namesake?
New babies in my circle are Kash, Kaiden, Trinity, Savannah, and Zander. :rolleyes:
Emmett, as long as it’s not spelled with an “i”. The poor kid will spend his whole life correcting people, and when I read it for some reason I think of Kermit. Spelling it “Emmitt” is no better than adding y’s everywhere. It’s a poor attempt at “uniqueness” that just looks silly and doesn’t reflect well on the spelling abilities of the parents. I also have to stop myself from pronouncing it “emit” like what light does!
I like Corbin as well, though not as much as Emmett.
I picked Cecily because it’s similar to my grandmother’s name (Cécile) and I think it’s a lovely name. Jillian is pretty good too.
My mom and dad likewise didn’t want me winding up with a common name. So what they did was take someone’s last name. And not one of those ones that ends in -son, either.
Of the names you did list, I kinda like Jillian and Corbin. And I guess I would like Emmett, too. Natasha doesn’t work for the rarity requirement, in my opinion, and Cecily sounds a bit like one of those pretentious names.
This is the same naming pattern that repeats infinitely. A select few of the names common in our grandparent’s generation becomes popular for babies.
I know 3-year-old and 6-month-old Hazels (my great-aunt’s name). Ruby is another old-fashioned name I’ve been hearing a lot of. Pretty sure Ethel is never coming back though.
How about Olivia, Hazel, Laura, Ava, Abigail and Madeline? More than one of each in my daughter’s going-into-first-grade class. Definitely a resurgence of “old lady names” in our area.
I assume, by the name choices and the fact you’re in Alberta, that you are one of my relatives. If that is so, between Cousin Alabama (no, really, a Canadian called Alabama) and the rest of the pack, your choices all sound good by comparison.
“Corbin” derives from a word for “raven,” so try not to use it for a blond kid. Sound-alike “emmet” is a Cornish dialect word for ant (and I agree about the conventional spelling)—could I convince you to spell “Jillian” as “Gillian”? No? Oh well.
I wouldn’t spell Emmett like that. Emmett is unusual enough that you really don’t need an alternate spelling to make it unusual. I like the name in theory but wouldn’t name my kid Emmett unless I was fairly sure he’d be the type of boy who can pull off Emmett as a name. Any risk of him being fondly known by his tougher classmates as “Emmy” would tank it. (Yeah, kids make fun of all names, but some make certain kinds of kids much easier targets).
Corbin I just despise. Cory is too popular (cute, but popular) and I wouldn’t want my kid to be called Cory. (We didn’t name our daughter Elizabeth because I like Beth and I like Eliza, but I hate Liz as a nickname - and you don’t really get to control your kid’s nicknames - you just think you will). But the full name Corbin just…I don’t know, I don’t like the kid already.
Natasha I like. Jillian I’ve always disliked and I’m not sure why - time to get out the elementary school pictures and find out who Jillian was - gives me the same “I’m not going to like this person” that Corbin does. I like Cecilia. I wouldn’t name my kid anything that ended in a “ie” sound, so wouldn’t use Cecily - although I’d call Cecilia Cecily. (Cecilia was on my short list but my husband didn’t like it).
“Emmitt” reminds me of Emmitt Smith. Okay, he was a decent football player and all, but his mom couldn’t spell. I don’t like any version of “Emmett” (which reminds me of either a clown or a drug that makes you puke) or “Emmitt” (which reminds me of football players whose moms can’t spell.) “Corbin” is okay, but a bit uber-trendy. Also, there’s a custom motorcycle seat company by that name (they also made an ugly little vehicle called the “Sparrow”) but that’s probably too obscure to be concerned with.
“Natasha” is nice, as are “Cecily” and “Jillian.” I guess I like your girls’ choices better than your boys’ choices.
Didn’t like any of them, particularly the ones with complicated spelling.
Whatever you name him/her go for the most common spelling or condemn your kid to a life o endless never saying his name but going straight into spelling-bee mode. Also, he’ll have to triple check forms and anything where someone else wrote his name.
I think it all depends on what your last name is. I like Cecily but don’t really care for either of the boy names. However, if your last name ends in a “y” sound, you need to forego Cecily.
I’m going to be a voice of dissent here regarding differently spelled names. Mine is a common name spelled in an uncommon way, and I’m not traumatized by it, I don’t hate it (actually, I quite like it), nor do I find having to spell it often terribly annoying. Actually, I don’t bother correcting people, unless it’s important.
Unless a name has extraneous y’s and z’s all over the place and just looks goofy, I think alternate spellings are cool, and Emmitt does not look goofy. I like it better than Corbin.
How about this: give him a common name and an uncommon nickname. That way, you can celebrate his individuality while still giving him something respectable to put on his job applications.
Your child will be a grownup one day, and with some luck, will be a person of stature. Try these combinations in your head: Dr. Emmit Doe, M.D. The Hon. Judge Jillian Doe. Lieutenant Colonel Cody Doe, Astronaut. They just don’t work.
But really, I don’t know that popularity is a reason to avoid a name. I tried that with my son back in '93, and it seems that a bunch of other people had the same exact idea that year. It went from, “what an unusual name!” while I was pregnant to “I gotta be Kyle T. in class 'cause there’s a Kyle W. and a Kyle G. and a Just Kyle, too.”
Ditto for nicknames. One of the benefits of Kyle, I was sure, was that no one could possibly shorten it into a nickname, right? Wrong. Meet my son, Ky. :smack:
12 years older and wiser, I just picked a name my (ex)husband and I really liked, and fuckitol. It’s popular, it’s spelled weird, but I still think it’s gorgeous and it really fits her, so what do I care? Caileigh Morgan (first name pronounced like Kaylee) is just perfect for us.
So, OP, that’s my advice. Go with what *you *like. Little Addyson Mishel can always change it later if she hates it. No matter what names you like, you’re going to get more negative reactions than positive before the baby is born. If you don’t discuss it with anyone until *after *the baby is born, no one will tell you how much they hate it.
- gives me the same “I’m not going to like this person” that Corbin does. I like Cecilia. I wouldn’t name my kid anything that ended in a “ie” sound, so wouldn’t use Cecily - although I’d call Cecilia Cecily. (Cecilia was on my short list but my husband didn’t like it).