I’m with Manda Jo on this one. I like last-name-as-first-name when there is a genuine history behind it. I like old-fashioned names that many others hate. I can like any name once I know someone great who has it.
I have a good friend who is named Gertrude. She was named after a beloved aunt of her fathers. She always takes people by surprise because they hear the name and assume she’ll be about 75.
There are some regional naming traditions to get used to, too. When I moved the the East Coast and went to a small private college there, I had to get used to different names. I could not imagine a 19-year old named Virginia or Prudence, for example. But I got used to those “old-fashioned” names and to family names.
I had always gone to elementary and high school with numerous Bobs and Bobbies. Then went I went East, everyone was “Robert.” Then, to my vast surprise, I met Bob after college. “Bob?” I asked. “Are you sure it’s Bob? Not Robert? Not Rob? Good Christ, you went to private school in Richmond and then to the University of Virginia, and you’re a BOB?” He said he got that reaction all the time.
In a family with “Amelia”, “Ewald”, “Elsie” “Karl”, (and the state law required “Ann” and “Lynn” as the middle names for the female children in my generation), one would think that I shouldn’t have a problem with any name.
But I do.
It’s [sub] Kevin[/sub]. There was a neighbor named that, he was a whiney, mealymouthed, scum sucking, bully. Twice my size (though younger), hit me in the head with a brick when I was 6, (I still have a scar), he didn’t get punished (his parents believed that the ‘scare’ was sufficient), I had to stay inside at recess for a week lest my wound re-open. And I can’t forgive the name.
I’ll admit I mentally roll my eyes at the odd spellings (when my brother named his daughter Sarah, I asked him if he spelled it right), but none of it really bothers me. Of course, I work with convicts, and have seen some different ones (including two Cassandras, one Antigone, one “Billie Holliday”, one -male- named Bonnie, a Wilma, Vivien’s, Velmas’)
I had a class last semester with a guy (obnoxious prig, but that’s another story) who named his daughter PHAEDRA. Yep, I guess people who try to seduce their stepsons, commit suicide, and leave a note accusing said stepson of rape are now good role models. It was a graduate-level Latin class, BTW, so it’s highly unlikely that the father was unaware of the implications.
I don’t especially like my names but I wouldn’t go so far as to say hate. I don’t really like Mary Rose it just bugs me in some way I can’t tell, maybe it’s cuz I just squeaked by on getting named that. Some of the older names I don’t like (ie Olga, Bertha etc) but Amelia is a nice name I think. I’m gonna go slightly weird when naming my daughter (if I have one) I love the names Amara Chandra, Chrysalis and Mara (Yes I know it means sorrowing).
[mini rant]My name is spelt Claire NOT Clair or Clare it’s CLAIRE see? Both the i and the e are there. How many times do I have to tell people that?[/mini rant]
You’ve just named half of senate. If you add “Dick” to your litany, then you have three fourths of all politicians.
Names I cringe upon hearing:
Lauren
Heather
Britney
Tiffany
Kayleigh/Kayley/Whatever
Emily. Can we please put a moratorium on naming girls this name, please?
Hunter
Dakota
Tyler
Taylor
Joan ( my own must be on this list)
Ursula… sounds like you are barfing. In fact, the only ursula that I have ever had the misfortune of meeting was the world’s most awful bitch…retch. However, I am feeling magnanimous today, so I apologize if I offend anyone on this board.
I know someone who not only named her daughter (ugh) Cheyenne, but her son Carsten. (Carsten??! WTF is that? Was she OD’ing on soap operas or romance novels that week?)
I also hate the name Colby. Why would anyway want to name their kid after a cheese? “Meet my sons, Jack and Colby…this is my daughter, Linberger.”
Mike—only bad experiences;
Dave—see above reference;
All the ‘girly’ sounding names: Jessica, Tiffany, Heather (they’re just too damn prissy for my taste.)
Now, pet peeves. I have a real problem with people who use ‘unique’ spellings just to be different. I work with an Apryl; she has a daughter Jourdan (pronounced Jordon). I have a friend who named her child Shyeanne and a neighbor who named his Mychel (Michael). It just bothers me.
As for poor parental logic when naming children, there’s a man in my town (I swear this is no joke) his name is
Harry Peters!
I shit you not.
Then, there’s a boy in a local grade school whose name always appears on the honor rolls. I thought it was a misprint until I met him. His name?
Rusty Drain.
Finally, I can get this off my chest. The girl’s name Conner. Please - how precious.
What we need is a revival of old school names. Maybe kid’s personalities will reflect the solidity of the names. A friend of mine just named their new baby Monty. How cool. Why aren’t there any more kids named Ray or Gus? Enough with the cutesy-pie crap.
I hope all the people who hate Kayley don’t hate my name.
I hate the name Helen. I am sooo lucky, because it is my middle name. I had two great-aunts named Helen, so I’m actually named after someone, but really, it is hideous. My coworker calls me Kyla Maria, which is kind of funny, but really, I much prefer it.
Ucky Sounding Names
George
Christina
Carly
Jennifer
Brooke
Gail
Todd
Karen
Karl
Clayton
Of course, this list probably should be taken with a grain of salt, as I intend to names I have planned for my hypothetical children are Artemisia, Selene or Penelope (a mythological name with good associations).
Full disclosure: It’s my middle name, and I share it with the man I must, by genetics, call my father. And every time I’d get into “What’s your middle name?” with a group of friends/acquaintances, my middle name ALWAYS got a derisive laugh.
I’m kinda surprised the name Melvin hasn’t shown up. Is it too laughable to be hated? It’s my favorite granddad’s name, and his middle name - Theodore - is just too cool for words.
Bil (with one L)
Erick (with C and the K)
Gelsey (with a G not a K)
Clay
Sommer
Rnesha, Latoya, and other faux-ethnic names
Month names (April, July, May, etc.)
Jesus (yes, I know it’s hispanic, and acceptable, but still, it’s weird. And I’m not a Christian.)
Last names: “St.” anything.
[sub]Disclaimer: My parents are named “Lori” and “Scot”, so I really shouldn’t hate all these weird-spelling names.[/sub]
Heh. I just realized that I said I’m “glad not to be named” both male and female names. Never mind the fact that I’m glad not to have any female name. Yeah… I’m smart.
Girls:[ul]
[li]Bridget…sounds like a punchline to a bad joke…“How do you get across a river?” “Bridge it!”[/li][li]Lexi…rhymes with Sexy[/li][li]Kelsey…my dog’s name is Kelsey and I guess it just doesn’t sound like a human name anymore[/li][li]Laurie…Lori is fine though[/li][li]Cindy, Cyndi, Cyndee…there is no good spelling of that name![/li][li]Vera[/li][li]Polly[/li][li]Any variant of the name “Carrie”…actually, that’s probably because mine is “Kerry” and NO ONE can spell it right, even when I spell it out loud for them. UGH! There are too many spelling possibillities.[/ul][/li]
Yep. Real name. It’s pronounced ar-NEESH-a. She’s the stupidest girl I’ve ever met, no joking. Whenever I say her name, I always have to pretend like I’m chewing gum and I have to tilt my head to one side. Ditz.
Boys:[list]
[li]Derek…fat kid who lived next door to us. He liked to walk around outside wearing only spandex shorts. ::shudder::[/li][li]Cory[/li][li]Jared or Jarrod[/li][li]Howard…my dad’s middle name. He always told us not to call him “Howdy Doody”, but we did anyway.[/li][li]Roger[/li][li]Aaron[/li][li]Blake[/li]Timothy…I always think of a rat