# Thinking of names for my next baby **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 6, 2008, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-of-names-for-my-next-baby/444167 "2008-04-06T11:42:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2008, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-of-names-for-my-next-baby/444167/61 "2008-04-08T02:05:44Z")
[QUOTE=blinkingblinking] I thought it was a very common thing - turning nicknames into regular names and has been happening for centuries. Currently in Australia ‘Jack’ is the most popular baby name. [/QUOTE] Gee, did it become the most popular name within the last 4-5 years? I love Captain Sparrow too, but… Jack is very popular in England too, but still it strikes me as strange. I’ve never met a Jack whose real name _is_ Jack, rather than John or Jonathan - it and Zane are both derived from John, anyway. Considering the trouble my uncle Don (yes, Don, not Donald) has had, I wouldn’t give a nick name as a first name. Eh. **If** I have kids I want boys only, and at the moment I want to name them Owen and Nicholas. Maybe Jeremy, Christopher, or Avery if there were more than two. None of those strike me as strange to hang on a grown man, which are what our sons will spend most of their lives as. If they decide to go by Wen and Olas, I guess that’ll have to be okay since they can call themselves what they want. **Happy Lendervedder** , I’m not sure what’s wrong with Quincy. We’ve got one in our history books, don’t we? As for the other, I’d go with the #[618](http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/babynames/) ranked August, and _call_ him Guster. You wouldn’t want to name a kid something than means “has been band who threw away their well-loved percussion style after being signed to a major label” would you? :d&r: ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2008, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-of-names-for-my-next-baby/444167/62 "2008-04-08T02:21:05Z")
[QUOTE=blinkingblinking] Cristiano does not rhyme with ‘piano’. [/QUOTE] How is it pronounced then? Is it like Christian-O? I can’t help but read it as Cris-tee-ahh-no. ---
**Author:** ![Geek\_Mecha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecae2f/32.png) [@Geek\_Mecha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geek_Mecha)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2008, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-of-names-for-my-next-baby/444167/63 "2008-04-08T02:41:33Z")
The first thing that popped into my head is, “What does the O stand for?” ---
**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:** [April 8, 2008, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-of-names-for-my-next-baby/444167/64 "2008-04-08T05:22:12Z")
For goodness sake, people, don’t we have more sense than to get into a “what rhymes with what” debate on an _international_ message board? Tomato, tomato and all that… In Australia, “piano” has a short “a” (\*) as opposed to such names as “Stephano” and “Giuliano” and (I’m going to assume, though it’s a name I’m not familiar with) “Cristiano” FWIW, it would never occur to me to try to pronounce “Tiano” with a short “a” (unless for some unknown reason you decided to spell it with two n’s “Tianno”) - it would go through the “Italian-type-names” parser in my head, where long “a” is the default. And that’s probably what I’d assume about the name - that it was an Italian one (eh - Mediterranean, close enough :)). And I don’t think there’s anything wrong with “The Right Honorable Tiano Blinkingblinking” … apart from the bizarre surname of course 😉 \*unless you’re a muso and you mean “play softly” not “the musical instrument with 88 keys” ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2008, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-of-names-for-my-next-baby/444167/65 "2008-04-08T08:21:22Z")
Don’t name him Tiano, because of the bad meaning in Japanese. It doesn’t have a bad meaning, but you got to try something to make him give up the idea. ---
**Author:** ![blinkingblinking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea5d25/32.png) [@blinkingblinking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blinkingblinking)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2008, 10:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-of-names-for-my-next-baby/444167/66 "2008-04-08T10:22:54Z")
[QUOTE=Captain Amazing] Right, but you’re not naming him Cristiano. You’re naming him Tiano, which does rhyme with piano. [/QUOTE] I am getting annoyed with this. Is there something I am missing here? Have I pronounced ‘piano’ incorrectly my entire life? Watch this [youtube video](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxIpqS-mmts) and listen to the way they say Cristiano. Imagine they say it without ‘Cris’ at the start. It does not rhyme with ‘piano’! ---
**Author:** ![blinkingblinking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea5d25/32.png) [@blinkingblinking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blinkingblinking)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2008, 10:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-of-names-for-my-next-baby/444167/67 "2008-04-08T10:33:57Z")
[QUOTE=elfkin477] Gee, did it become the most popular name within the last 4-5 years? I love Captain Sparrow too, but… Jack is very popular in England too, but still it strikes me as strange. I’ve never met a Jack whose real name _is_ Jack, rather than John or Jonathan - it and Zane are both derived from John, anyway. :d&r: [/QUOTE] [link](http://online.justice.vic.gov.au/bdm/popular-names) Popular Names Results Search Criteria: 2000-current Top 100 Male Given Name Number of Babies Registered With that Name Joshua 5395 Jack 5288 That was Victoria. Here is NSW results 2007 Top 10 Male names Given Name Number of Babies Registered Jack 707 William 643 Joshua 629 Lachlan 601 Thomas 591 Riley 506 Cooper 502 James 455 Noah 440 Ethan 436 South Australia results Boy’s Names Amount JACK 173 JOSHUA 171 LACHLAN 164 THOMAS 159 RILEY 136 JAMES 136 ETHAN 134 WILLIAM 129 SAMUEL 106 If you want to see all the Australian results look [here](http://www.australia.gov.au/Births,_Deaths_&_Marriages_Registries) ---
**Author:** ![noctilucent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b38774/32.png) [@noctilucent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/noctilucent)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2008, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-of-names-for-my-next-baby/444167/68 "2008-04-08T12:07:23Z")
[QUOTE=blinkingblinking] I am getting annoyed with this. Is there something I am missing here? Have I pronounced ‘piano’ incorrectly my entire life? Watch this [youtube video](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxIpqS-mmts) and listen to the way they say Cristiano. Imagine they say it without ‘Cris’ at the start. It does not rhyme with ‘piano’! [/QUOTE] What you’re missing here is that your son’s classmates are not going to give two cents how _you_ want to pronounce it, and will pronounce it in whatever way gives them maximum amusement, i.e., to rhyme with piano instead. Just as they will feel free to give any other nickname to your son, such as ‘Cris’, whether you like it or not. (Btw, your remedy of going to ‘Tiarno’ instead is absolutely painful - please don’t do it!) Melbourne is a multicultural city, yes, but I’m willing to bet that all those other names are common among the ethnic groups _to which those kids belong_. That’s a different kettle of fish than trying for something that sounds counter-ethnic, as it were, to your own apparent ethnicity (as suggested by your last name). I live in NYC, also a major multicultural city, and I have to tell you that on the odd occasion one runs into an Irving Gonzalez or Vincenzo McMaster, it’s notable … in a ‘what the hell were his parents thinking?’ sort of way. I don’t think you need a name that ‘goes’ with your first son’s name, but I do think you have to consider whether your desire to have a unique name is going to set your son up for a hard time later on. I repeat my suggestion of using Tiano as a middle name, if you’re hell-bent on it, and giving the kid an option for a more regular name to use when he’s older, if he wants. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2008, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-of-names-for-my-next-baby/444167/69 "2008-04-08T13:04:42Z")
What’s up with Lachlan? Is there some famous Australian Lachlan? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2008, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-of-names-for-my-next-baby/444167/70 "2008-04-08T13:09:24Z")
[QUOTE=noctilucent] What you’re missing here is that your son’s classmates are not going to give two cents how _you_ want to pronounce it, and will pronounce it in whatever way gives them maximum amusement, i.e., to rhyme with piano instead. [/QUOTE] Is there some name out there that kids _don’t_ make fun of? ---
**Author:** ![Kuboydal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecb155/32.png) [@Kuboydal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kuboydal)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2008, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-of-names-for-my-next-baby/444167/71 "2008-04-08T13:34:05Z")
Englebert Humperdinck. ---
**Author:** ![Roland\_Orzabal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c2a13f/32.png) [@Roland\_Orzabal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roland_Orzabal)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2008, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-of-names-for-my-next-baby/444167/72 "2008-04-08T14:09:00Z")
[QUOTE=blinkingblinking] I am getting annoyed with this. Is there something I am missing here? Have I pronounced ‘piano’ incorrectly my entire life? Watch this [youtube video](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxIpqS-mmts) and listen to the way they say Cristiano. Imagine they say it without ‘Cris’ at the start. It does not rhyme with ‘piano’! [/QUOTE] No, it doesn’t. The problem is that you are making an automatic connection between “Christiano” and “Tiano”, which most people are not going to do. I recognize that the former was your inspiration from the latter, but people viewing the name for the first time are going to be unfamiliar with it – even those familiar with Portuguese, since, as mentioned upthread, “Tiano” is not the common diminutive of Christiano. Hence, they will do the natural thing and look for the closest analogue they know how to pronounce, which (for English speakers at least) will be “piano”. An example from the other side may help. If I tell you that I’m naming my son “Cob”, how are you going to pronounce it? Do you think it rhymes with “Bob”? I say it doesn’t; it’s pronounced “cub”, like a baby bear – it’s the second half of “Jacob”, because I like the “cob” part but I hate the nickname Jake. I then tell you I don’t see where you’re getting this “Bob” stuff from, because after all, everyone knows how to pronounce “Jacob”. Do you see where people are coming from now? ---
**Author:** ![Autumn\_Almanac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d26b3c/32.png) [@Autumn\_Almanac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autumn_Almanac)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2008, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-of-names-for-my-next-baby/444167/73 "2008-04-08T14:12:50Z")
I just want to say, give your kid a traditional name and save the cutesy made-up stuff for a nickname. He may end up loving “Tiano” and use it for his entire life, and if so more power to him. But give him the OPTION to use “Cris” or “Cristiano” in a formal context, or if he gets tired of being called “Tiano” and just wants something more normal, or even if he just likes “Cris” better. Options are good! ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2008, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-of-names-for-my-next-baby/444167/74 "2008-04-08T14:38:34Z")
[QUOTE=anu-la1979] Do people not name their children anything like Richard or Frederick anymore? [/QUOTE] Three kids, Robert, Felicia and Henry. All are preschoolers. My wife and I may not be representative, but people like us are out there. ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2008, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-of-names-for-my-next-baby/444167/75 "2008-04-08T15:40:28Z")
[QUOTE=Mr. Moto] Three kids, Robert, Felicia and Henry. All are preschoolers. My wife and I may not be representative, but people like us are out there. [/QUOTE] I am the same: Laura, Robert and Johnathan. We call them Laura, Robert(Rob) and John. Yes, we are freaks! I feel a tiny bit bad about the extra “h” in Johnathan, but it is in use and I think it looks naked without it. Johnathan was a compromise: I wanted Nathaniel; The Husband preferred John. I hope you consider that even if it is in your power to name this child, that you are naming him for the rest of his life. Tiano (and I pronounce it Tee-ah-no, much like piano. I am not Portuguese and neither are you) is not a horrible name, given what’s out there. My daughter goes to HS with 3 girls with the same name: Uneek, U’Niq and Unique. At least one of them is spelled correctly. There is also a boy named Tron. I don’t know his feelings on the film, but I pity him. Kids will tease regardless–I’ve been called Rigby, Roosevelt and Aquitaine all my life, as well as smellenor and other witty things. To avoid teasing, you’d have to not have a kid at all. But why not give the kid options? Why not give him an adult name he can twist and change to what HE wants it to be? He’s not a doll or a dog–he’ll be a grandfather one day (perhaps). As for the Condoleeza stuff–she succeeded despite her name. I’m sure it did not help her in anyway. ---
**Author:** ![ChiefScott](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/58f4c7/32.png) [@ChiefScott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChiefScott)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2008, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-of-names-for-my-next-baby/444167/76 "2008-04-08T15:59:36Z")
Not mentioned yet, but if’n you give your kid and odd name you will eventually be in a world of pain. Sure Tiano is cool now. But wait until you are in Disney World and L’il Tiano must, must, must have a souvenier WDW license plate with his name on it. Tabetha, Ted, Teddy, Timothy, … Oh. Shit. **ChiefScott** ’s first law of child naming: The uniqueness of a child’s name is inversely proportional to the amount of pain you’ll experience getting the kid home. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2008, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-of-names-for-my-next-baby/444167/77 "2008-04-08T16:01:58Z")
When I picture a Tiano (in my head it’s tee-ah-no, which sounds enough like “piano” for me) I picture a guy who is half-Asian, half-Latin American. He is wearing a very tight tee shirt and has greasy hair. He surfs and has a muscle car. I think he might be gay. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2008, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-of-names-for-my-next-baby/444167/78 "2008-04-08T17:23:06Z")
American I think “Tea ANH Oh” And “Pea ANN Oh” If I were looking for strict rhyming, those wouldn’t rhyme. ---
**Author:** ![Mahna\_Mahna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e47c2d/32.png) [@Mahna\_Mahna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahna_Mahna)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2008, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-of-names-for-my-next-baby/444167/79 "2008-04-08T17:23:43Z")
[QUOTE=blinkingblinking] Cristiano does not rhyme with ‘piano’. [/QUOTE] Yes it does…if you say both in a Portuguese accent. (and I’ll continue to repeat that until it sinks in, BTW) ---
**Author:** ![Sarahfeena](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sarahfeena/32/519_2.png) [@Sarahfeena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarahfeena)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2008, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-of-names-for-my-next-baby/444167/80 "2008-04-08T18:49:21Z")
I think it’s a touchy area when you give a child a name that sounds ethnic, but it’s not your ethnicity. If this is the case for you (meaning you are not of any kind of Latin descent that would seem to go with the name Tiano/Cristiano), you might want to think about whether it will seem weird. Especially with your other child being named Darcy, which is to me doesn’t really seem to “go” with Tiano, as I think it’s more of an Irish name, isn’t it? To me, it would be like naming my daughter Jane and my son Pierre…both fine names, but with a disconnect between them. Also, I like the idea, if you do go this route, to use the full name “Cristiano,” as others have suggested. I tend to favor giving a child a “formal” name, and then using a nickname. That way, when they grow up, they can go with whichever one they prefer. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-of-names-for-my-next-baby/444167.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-of-names-for-my-next-baby/444167.md?page=5)