# What are you favorite (first) names? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 7, 2008, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-favorite-first-names/466808 "2008-10-07T04:47:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2008, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-favorite-first-names/466808/81 "2008-10-11T15:33:23Z")
> [@Hazle\_Weatherfield](#): > > I’ve actually heard it pronounced shivAWN. Is that unusual? Nope. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2008, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-favorite-first-names/466808/82 "2008-10-11T15:34:51Z")
Another comment. The name Connor seems to be a popular one. It is far more common here as Conor. It’s an extremely common name in these parts. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2008, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-favorite-first-names/466808/83 "2008-10-11T15:49:22Z")
I love the name _Selwyn_, a Welsh surname and sometimes first name that dependent on the source means “holy place” or “good friend” or something in between or neither. If I had a child of either gender it would be on my short list (before I put it in the basket with $5 and some food and sent it down the river to stop the prophecies from being fulfilled). Other names I’d consider: GIRLS _Sayward_- name of the heroine in Conrad Richter’s _The Awakening Land_ (played in the miniseries by Elizabeth Montgomery); I like the sound and loved the character. _Aeolian_- similar to the name of the queen in _Coming to America_, it means “music played by the wind” (such as wind chimes) and is just lovely. I’d never actually name a child that as she’d spend half her life spelling it, but I still like it. _Cornelia_ (just like the sound) _Melisande_ (like it from histories of the Crusades) BOYS _Merrick_ _Lorcan_ (Gaelic for Lawrence; Peter O’Toole named [his son](http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/08sUdGOdYLf73/610x.jpg)this after his most famous movie role) _Padraic_- a bit overused and (understandably) rarely pronounced correctly, but I still like it _Resolve_- the name of Sayward’s oldest son in the books/movie referenced above ---
**Author:** ![Abby\_Emma\_Sasha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e68b1a/32.png) [@Abby\_Emma\_Sasha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Abby_Emma_Sasha)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2008, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-favorite-first-names/466808/84 "2008-10-11T15:52:02Z")
I also love the names Siobhan, Sinead, Mairead… not so cool for cats. Abigail, Emma, Sasha, Evangeline, Daisy… all names I gave to cats. Other names I love: Arabella, Carmen, Dakota, Jordana, Noelle, Scarlett, Sydney, Zoe ---
**Author:** ![Susie\_Derkins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47774/32.png) [@Susie\_Derkins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Susie_Derkins)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2008, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-favorite-first-names/466808/85 "2008-10-11T16:53:47Z")
> [@Rick](#): > > [Bob Zany\*]Bob Zany is just my stage name, my mother named me Big Dick McGurk.. It takes a woman of vision to name her son Big Dick[/BZ] Ha, I remember that! It actually went more like, “Gotta love a woman who names her kid Big Dick. That’s a woman with a vision…problem.” My favorite name is Maya, and it’s what I named my daughter. When I chose the name 10 years ago it wasn’t very common, but now there are little Mayas all over the place. ---
**Author:** ![Unsquare\_Dance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b3f665/32.png) [@Unsquare\_Dance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unsquare_Dance)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2008, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-favorite-first-names/466808/86 "2008-10-11T17:59:17Z")
William, Emily, Davis, Julia, and Ness. William Davis and Emily Julia are two names I’d like to use, if I ever have kids. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2008, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-favorite-first-names/466808/87 "2008-10-12T00:51:05Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > I love the name _Selwyn_, a Welsh surname and sometimes first name that dependent on the source means “holy place” or “good friend” or something in between or neither. If I had a child of either gender it would be on my short list (before I put it in the basket with $5 and some food and sent it down the river to stop the prophecies from being fulfilled). > > Other names I’d consider: > > GIRLS > > _Sayward_- name of the heroine in Conrad Richter’s _The Awakening Land_ (played in the miniseries by Elizabeth Montgomery); I like the sound and loved the character. > > _Aeolian_- similar to the name of the queen in _Coming to America_, it means “music played by the wind” (such as wind chimes) and is just lovely. I’d never actually name a child that as she’d spend half her life spelling it, but I still like it. > > _Cornelia_ (just like the sound) > > _Melisande_ (like it from histories of the Crusades) > > BOYS > > _Merrick_ > > _Lorcan_ (Gaelic for Lawrence; Peter O’Toole named [his son](http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/08sUdGOdYLf73/610x.jpg)this after his most famous movie role) > > _Padraic_- a bit overused and (understandably) rarely pronounced correctly, but I still like it > > _Resolve_- the name of Sayward’s oldest son in the books/movie referenced above Is Padraic/Padraig overused? Interesting. My best friend’s name is Padraig (pron. to me “Porick” but it has a load of other pronunciations) I work with a chap named Lorcan. I think that’s a lovely name and would consider it myself. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2008, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-favorite-first-names/466808/88 "2008-10-14T19:22:13Z")
> [@Cazzle](#): > > The other girls names I liked were Eloise, Alice, Annalise, Annika, Jocelyn, Johanna Wow… Thanks! 🙂 ---
**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:** [October 14, 2008, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-favorite-first-names/466808/89 "2008-10-14T19:42:58Z")
> [@An\_Gadai](#): > > I picked Francis Xavier as my Confirmation name so I could have an X in my name. It’s what happens when 12 year old kids are allowed give themselves a new name. In the '80s apparently Madonna was a common Confirmation name for girls. I love really traditional, Catholic-sounding names, like Mary Elizabeth for a girl, or Thomas Joseph for a boy. My husband kept saying they sounded “too Catholic.” (So? We ARE Catholic!) I threatened him that if he gave me a hard time, I was going to name our son Francis Xavier or Ignatius Loyola! 🙂 Anyway, I generally like old-fashioned names for both boys and girls. My considered set for my kids were along these lines: Abigail, Emily, Elizabeth, Margaret, Katherine, Claire, Mary James, Joseph, Nicholas, Andrew, Thomas, John, Paul [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-favorite-first-names/466808.md?page=4)