# Need objective opinions on a baby name **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 18, 2008, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-objective-opinions-on-a-baby-name/449716 "2008-05-18T03:10:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2008, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-objective-opinions-on-a-baby-name/449716/61 "2008-05-18T19:59:11Z")
There’s a kid at my school named Sagan. When I’ve observed his classroom a couple of times, I’ve found him doing things like writing (at the age of 7) about his favorite particles–little “All About Protons” stories. It’s pretty cool, and I have a good association with the name therefore. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![Gadarene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Gadarene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gadarene)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2008, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-objective-opinions-on-a-baby-name/449716/62 "2008-05-18T20:03:09Z")
Hate it. ---
**Author:** ![WF\_Tomba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d9b06d/32.png) [@WF\_Tomba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WF_Tomba)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2008, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-objective-opinions-on-a-baby-name/449716/63 "2008-05-18T20:10:10Z")
I hate the use of last names as first names, unless the last name comes from your own family or has been in use as a first name for a few generations already. I know it’s not a new trend, but I still hate it. I cringe inwardly every time I hear that some parents have named their child Carter or Madison. I also don’t think Sagan sounds very good. So basically, I think the only reason to use this name is admiration for Carl Sagan, which in my opinion is not enough of a reason. Thumbs down. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2008, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-objective-opinions-on-a-baby-name/449716/64 "2008-05-18T21:09:13Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#): > > Ripley is horrible. Never name a child something that has an “ie” sound at the end of their name - eternal childhood. Nancy, Sandy, and Jessie are horrible names (Anne, Sandra and Jessica are fine names and if you then want to call your daughter Nancy, Sandy or Jessie, that’s up to you). At some point in time your daughter will be trying to be taken seriously in something - and someone named Ripley is not making partner in the CPA firm unless she works harder than someone named Melissa. Really? You speak as if you’re some kind of world-reknown name expert rather than just another person with an opinion. I’d like to know if this rule of yours also apply to guy names that end in “-y”. Like Terry or Larry. Yes, there are some names that are hard to take seriously (like “Buffy” or “Bambi”). But Nancy doesn’t even approach the same universe as those names. My mother goes by “Sandy”, and you better believe people take her seriously. As far as Ripley goes, I like it a lot better than Sagan. It still strikes me as trying too hard (and personally I wouldn’t like having to tell people I was named after a fictional character in a sci-fi saga), but it’s respectable. I would hire her as my accountant! ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2008, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-objective-opinions-on-a-baby-name/449716/65 "2008-05-18T21:33:06Z")
[QUOTE=Diogenes the Cynic] I’ve considered it as a middle name, but I think, for a boy at least, 'm in love with it as a first name. We do have an alternative first name for a girl – Ripley (after my wife’s favorite movie character). [/QUOTE] God, please, no. At least name her “Ellen,” which was, of course, that character’s FIRST NAME. “Ripley” is a last name. Not a first name. You seem like a nice, thoughtful guy. You are way out in left field on this. Friends don’t let friends give their babes Trendy Yuppie Lastnamefirstnames. Please, please reconsider. Review the popular baby names list the government has online, eliminate everything about #50 (at least, definitely top 20) and find something below that that’s actually a first name. Please. ---
**Author:** ![Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4da419/32.png) [@Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gala_Matrix_Fire)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2008, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-objective-opinions-on-a-baby-name/449716/66 "2008-05-18T21:39:35Z")
I think everyone has made good points, but I still like both names. The one thing that bothers me is that Ripley was Ellen Ripley’s last name. If your daughter grows up to be the cool kind of hero Ripley was, people’ll be calling her by her last name, not her first name. Anyway, I’ve definitely heard worse than Ripley or Sagan. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2008, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-objective-opinions-on-a-baby-name/449716/67 "2008-05-18T22:33:00Z")
[QUOTE=Brynda] Sorry, I don’t like either Ripley or Sagan. Both sound like you are trying too hard to be cool. What are your other kid’s names, by the way? [/QUOTE] My other kids are named Wendy Sue and Sophia Magdalene, respectively. All four of those names come from various family members. For number three, we decided we just want to pick a name we like and to hell with it. I started thinkng of names of people I admire. Darwin, Coltrane and Hendrix came up as other possibilities (King and Gandhi would be on the list, but Gandhi is way too much and King sounds like a dog). My wife is coming up with the girls’ names. I also have not yet quite completely quit toying with Barack. ---
**Author:** ![GameHat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ed655f/32.png) [@GameHat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GameHat)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2008, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-objective-opinions-on-a-baby-name/449716/68 "2008-05-18T22:49:00Z")
[QUOTE=Diogenes the Cynic] We’ve got baby number three due to arrive in October. I’ve got an idea for a baby name I think would work for either a boy or a girl. I’ve run it by my wife and gotten positive results, but I would like some objective feedback to make sure we wouldn’t be making a stupid “novelty name” mistake. Ok, here’s the name: Sagan. What do you think? [/QUOTE] Sorry, I hate “Sagan” The first thing I thought of when I read your OP - Carl Sagan marble-mouthing the word “billions” I read _Cosmos_ first when I was 16 and absolutely loved it. I read it again at 25 and…well…it hasn’t aged well. Especially rusty are the bits about nuclear proliferation (granted, when he wrote it it was a big deal) and the Drake equation (does anyone anywhere take it seriously? It’s the science equivalent of a hand-waving WAG.) The history bits are still quite interesting. Your kid though - if you want to name it “Sagan”, go for it. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2008, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-objective-opinions-on-a-baby-name/449716/69 "2008-05-18T23:02:04Z")
[QUOTE=Gala Matrix Fire] Anyway, I’ve definitely heard worse than Ripley or Sagan. [/QUOTE] Well, given that we’re having a game thread on the worst celebrity baby name, that’s not saying a lot. “Sagan” might be better than “Audio Science” or “Jermajesty,” but so what? ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2008, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-objective-opinions-on-a-baby-name/449716/70 "2008-05-18T23:31:13Z")
Yeah, celebrity baby names are off the hook. Funny thing is, when Jack Black and his wife had a baby two years ago, I would have thought he’d be one to go all out. Instead, the kid is named Sam. Not Yog-Sothoth, not Iron Man, not Ozzy, and not, as some fans were speculating, Sabbath. Just plain ol’ Sam. (Although they have another one in the pipeline. We’ll see…) ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2008, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-objective-opinions-on-a-baby-name/449716/71 "2008-05-18T23:34:29Z")
Hmm…Sabbath… ---
**Author:** ![Idlewild](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8491ac/32.png) [@Idlewild](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idlewild)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2008, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-objective-opinions-on-a-baby-name/449716/72 "2008-05-18T23:56:23Z")
My rational side says “Oh, weird trendy name.” My gut feeling says, “Why the heck not?” I am not sure I like it for a girl, but if you looked into the baby’s eyes and saw that she seemed like a Sagan, why the heck not? I changed my given name at age 18, so I may be less attached to the concept of names as a life long albatross around the neck. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2008, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-objective-opinions-on-a-baby-name/449716/73 "2008-05-19T00:02:23Z")
[QUOTE=Dangerosa] Ripley is horrible. Never name a child something that has an “ie” sound at the end of their name - eternal childhood. Nancy, Sandy, and Jessie are horrible names (Anne, Sandra and Jessica are fine names and if you then want to call your daughter Nancy, Sandy or Jessie, that’s up to you). At some point in time your daughter will be trying to be taken seriously in something - and someone named Ripley is not making partner in the CPA firm unless she works harder than someone named Melissa. [/QUOTE] I don’t think this is true. In _Freakonomics_ Stephen J Levitt discusses some research on the impact of people’s names on their overall life prospects. The only [weblink](http://www.slate.com/id/2116449/) I can find is race specific: > [@](#): > > The data show that, on average, a person with a distinctively black name—whether it is a woman named Imani or a man named DeShawn—does have a worse life outcome than a woman named Molly or a man named Jake. But it isn’t the fault of his or her name. If two black boys, Jake Williams and DeShawn Williams, are born in the same neighborhood and into the same familial and economic circumstances, they would likely have similar life outcomes. But the kind of parents who name their son Jake don’t tend to live in the same neighborhoods or share economic circumstances with the kind of parents who name their son DeShawn. And that’s why, on average, a boy named Jake will tend to earn more money and get more education than a boy named DeShawn. DeShawn’s name is an indicator—but not a cause—of his life path. But the book itself explores more than just issues of race. Controlling for factors such as ethnicity, socioeconomic status, intelligence, etc, names really have very little to do with the outcome of a child’s life. PS. **Dio** , I actually think Ripley sounds kind of badass. As she was. ~Proudly Christy, in both professional and personal spheres of life ---
**Author:** ![threnodyangelfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@threnodyangelfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/threnodyangelfire)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2008, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-objective-opinions-on-a-baby-name/449716/74 "2008-05-19T00:07:31Z")
My first name is a derivative of a last name and I’ve always loved it. Of course in Catholic High School the nuns used to get them mixed up from the role sometimes, but my last name is such a popular last name it was funny and :dubious: rather than any reflection of my first name. FWIW I like Ripley. Sagan? I’m with \*\*Olives \*\* - I like the intent behind it, but not the actual name. ---
**Author:** ![fisha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@fisha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fisha)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2008, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-objective-opinions-on-a-baby-name/449716/75 "2008-05-19T00:21:41Z")
Nope, don’t like either names. Satan and Ripley’s Believe It or Not. With a Wendy and a Sophia already, I think for a girl you’d need a similar name, like Nora, Rosalyn, Elise, Louise, Myra. For a boy, all bets are off, no clue. Carl isn’t bad, or Jevon. (pronounced like Evan.) ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2008, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-objective-opinions-on-a-baby-name/449716/76 "2008-05-19T00:28:53Z")
[QUOTE=fisha] For a boy, all bets are off, no clue. Carl isn’t bad, or Jevon. (pronounced like Evan.) [/QUOTE] Don’t name him Jevon. People will assume he’s one of those “ghetto” blacks and discriminate against him. But I agree that there shouldn’t be one sibling with a different name while everyone else gets “normal” names. My older siblings got nice Hebrew names, while my parents decided to be a lot more creative when my twin and I were born. I always kind of resented that (although I’ve come to accept my name). ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2008, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-objective-opinions-on-a-baby-name/449716/77 "2008-05-19T00:30:45Z")
[QUOTE=monstro] Don’t name him Jevon. People will assume he’s one of those “ghetto” blacks and discriminate against him. But I agree that there shouldn’t be one sibling with a different name while everyone else gets “normal” names. My older siblings got nice Hebrew names, while my parents decided to be a lot more creative when my twin and I were born. I always kind of resented that (although I’ve come to accept my name). [/QUOTE] They didn’t give you names that rhyme, did they? That’s got to be one of the cruelest things you can do to twins. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2008, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-objective-opinions-on-a-baby-name/449716/78 "2008-05-19T00:36:31Z")
[QUOTE=Diogenes the Cynic] They didn’t give you names that rhyme, did they? That’s got to be one of the cruelest things you can do to twins. [/QUOTE] Yes! Except it’s worse because they don’t rhyme completely. Just think “dish” and “miss”. ---
**Author:** ![Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e56c9b/32.png) [@Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harriet_the_Spry)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2008, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-objective-opinions-on-a-baby-name/449716/79 "2008-05-19T01:26:50Z")
I vote no on Sagan for the “sag” connotations. For a boy if you absolutely must, but please don’t do that to a girl. Are there any women in science or technology you admire? Maybe Carly, combining Sagan and Fiorina? (Hmm, not sure that’s a viable coupling. But I don’t think you need to worry about that -y name holding her back in business.). Rachel Carson? Dian Fossey? For a boy, if you want to honor MLK, how about Martin? That seems like a reasonable parallel to your girls’ names in terms of how common it is. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2008, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-objective-opinions-on-a-baby-name/449716/80 "2008-05-19T01:33:36Z")
[QUOTE=monstro] Really? You speak as if you’re some kind of world-reknown name expert rather than just another person with an opinion. I’d like to know if this rule of yours also apply to guy names that end in “-y”. Like Terry or Larry. Yes, there are some names that are hard to take seriously (like “Buffy” or “Bambi”). But Nancy doesn’t even approach the same universe as those names. My mother goes by “Sandy”, and you better believe people take her seriously. As far as Ripley goes, I like it a lot better than Sagan. It still strikes me as trying too hard (and personally I wouldn’t like having to tell people I was named after a fictional character in a sci-fi saga), but it’s respectable. I would hire her as my accountant! [/QUOTE] Last I checked, the forum was In My Humble Opinion. I’m not an expert, but my opinion is that -y names are horrible, for men and for women. And, IME, getting rid of an -y name was one of several turning points in people treating me seriously. Give someone a name that allows them to leave childhood behind - if they choose. If they choose to spend the rest of their life as Julie and never use Julia, you’ve left Julia available. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-objective-opinions-on-a-baby-name/449716.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-objective-opinions-on-a-baby-name/449716.md?page=5)