# What do you think of these names? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 26, 2011, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-these-names/607398 "2011-12-26T04:22:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2011, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-these-names/607398/81 "2011-12-29T20:41:27Z")
So, remaining vaguely on topic: Where’s the evidence, if any, that a person with an uncommon name is less likely to be happy? ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2011, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-these-names/607398/82 "2011-12-29T21:06:14Z")
> [@Frylock](#): > > So, remaining vaguely on topic: > > Where’s the evidence, if any, that a person with an uncommon name is less likely to be happy? I know a kid with the middle name Obiwan\* and I don’t think I’ve ever seen him smile. Of course, he’s five and possibly autistic, but it’s a data point for you. \*Not this but a different name from the Star Wars universe that’s just as ridiculous. Here’s [an article on the subject](http://www.livescience.com/6569-good-bad-baby-names-long-lasting-effects.html)(just the 1st thing Google gave me.) Here are a couple of interesting bits (bolding is mine): > [@](#): > > **Unusual vs. common names** > > When it’s time to pick baby’s name, there are two types of parents, those who want an unusual baby name and those who prefer a more common name donned by lots of kids. > > **Turns out, even if the particular name chosen doesn’t make a difference in a child’s success later in life, whether or not that name is common or unusual does matter.** > > The difference between choosing, say, one of five common, relatively likeable names is small in terms of any impact on the child’s life. “If you’re choosing between a relatively likeable, common name and one that is really odd, that definitely could have an impact,” Twenge said. > > “Some of it ends up being a proxy for the parents’ philosophy on life in general,” Twenge said. “The parent who says ‘I want my kid to be unique and stand out’ and gives their kid a name that’s uncommon, probably will have a parenting style that emphasizes uniqueness and standing out.” > [@](#): > > Baby-naming advice books and blogs often suggest changing up the spelling of a common, or on-the-rise, name, in order to add some flare. Preliminary results from Figlio’s work suggest that may not be wise. **Children with a deviant spelling of a common name tended to have slowed spelling and reading capabilities.** > > “That suggests a lot about internalizing,” Figlio said. “You have the child named Jennifer spelled with a “G” – her teacher says ‘Are you sure your name is spelled that way?’ That can be incredibly hard on a person’s confidence.” > > All this parents end up realizing, as the Bounty study shows: **One-fifth of parents in the British study wished they had chosen a name that was easier to spell; 8 percent were fed up with people being unable to pronounce the child’s name; and one in 10 thought the chosen name was clever at the time, but said the novelty had worn off.** ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2011, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-these-names/607398/83 "2011-12-29T21:25:29Z")
This old thread of mine might be of interest: [I just met Thorin Oakenshield, believe it or not - Cafe Society - Straight Dope Message Board](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=437116) ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2011, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-these-names/607398/84 "2011-12-29T21:31:13Z")
Soren makes me think of that androgynous alien of the same name that Riker sexed up on ST: TNG. It wasn’t even a very good episode. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2011, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-these-names/607398/85 "2011-12-29T21:33:15Z")
There’s also[this current thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=636524) where the very first sentence in the OP clarifies that he’s not asking how someone could sanely continue to live with a unique name. > [@](#): > > No, not because her name is “Madonna Badger,” though frankly that is grounds for killing oneself or going insane. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2011, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-these-names/607398/86 "2011-12-30T01:55:04Z")
> [@Hello\_Again](#): > > Soren makes me think of that androgynous alien of the same name that Riker sexed up on ST: TNG. It wasn’t even a very good episode. Right you are, on all counts: [The Outcast (episode) | Memory Alpha | Fandom](http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/The_Outcast_(episode)) ---
**Author:** ![Blackberry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecd19e/32.png) [@Blackberry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackberry)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2011, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-these-names/607398/87 "2011-12-30T02:13:42Z")
> [@Bob Ducca](#): > > There’s also[this current thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=636524) where the very first sentence in the OP clarifies that he’s not asking how someone could sanely continue to live with a unique name. But “Madonna Badger” is not just an unusual name; it’s a hilarious name. Just because someone likes unusual names does not mean they’re in favor of every kind of unusual name possible. As far as the stats about 8-20% of British parents regretting unusual names/spellings, I wonder how many parents regret their child’s common name? I’m sure it’s not zero. Of course some people are going to have second thoughts. ---
**Author:** ![Septima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@Septima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Septima)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2011, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-these-names/607398/88 "2011-12-30T06:05:40Z")
If you’re going to name the kid after an actual person, then give them that actual persons name. “Søren” is a perfectly normal name. “Soren” isn’t a name at al. And Søren is _not_ pronounced to rhyme with “Sore end”, not even close. If you can’t pronounce it correctly, please just leave it well enough alone. ---
**Author:** ![Blackberry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecd19e/32.png) [@Blackberry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackberry)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2011, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-these-names/607398/89 "2011-12-30T06:56:49Z")
> [@Septima](#): > > “Søren” is a perfectly normal name. “Soren” isn’t a name at al. And Søren is _not_ pronounced to rhyme with “Sore end”, not even close. If you can’t pronounce it correctly, please just leave it well enough alone. “Soren” has been moving up on the charts since 2003; if that trend continues, will it ever become a name? Or has the time passed for new names to be coined, and anything not going back to at least 1900 or whenever (with the exact spelling and pronunciation) is forever a fake, non-name? ---
**Author:** ![heathen\_earthling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/13edae/32.png) [@heathen\_earthling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/heathen_earthling)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2011, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-these-names/607398/90 "2011-12-30T07:28:05Z")
One of the [Cracked.com](http://Cracked.com) writers is an American named [Soren](http://www.cracked.com/members/Sorenb/). ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2011, 9:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-these-names/607398/91 "2011-12-30T09:04:10Z")
Paul Tristram is okay; I don’t much like “Tristram,” whcih sounds pretentious, but since it’s a middle name it doesn’t really matter. “Soren Sebastian” is, I’m afraid, just a horrible name, at least IMO. It’s a really poor choice of alliteration; two straight S’s just sounds terrible. It’s hissy and unattractive. That’s without even questioning whether “Soren” is a good name; in my opinion it’s not. It sounds like a Star Trek villain. (ETA: In fact, it WAS a Star Trek villain, I am delighted to report.) But even a better name like Stephen or Scott, if it started with an S, would present a really ugly alliteration. ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2011, 10:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-these-names/607398/92 "2011-12-30T10:07:37Z")
I don’t like Tristram or Sebastian but buried as middle names, they’ll be fine. I actually prefer Soren to Paul (sorry, **Guano Lad** ), so bummer that it’s off the table. How do you feel about Douglas? Looks like I won’t have a chance to use it, and it was my Grandfather’s name 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2011, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-these-names/607398/93 "2011-12-30T11:35:40Z")
> [@Cazzle](#): > > I actually prefer Soren to Paul (sorry, **Guano Lad** ) Actually, I agree. But I felt obliged. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2011, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-these-names/607398/94 "2011-12-30T13:46:20Z")
**Frylock** , just wondering: The fact that you would go for Tristram makes me suspect you have some interesting taste in literature, so did you by any chance think of Soren because of Søren Kierkegaard? If so, major kudos. Heck, if you don’t want those names. I’ll take them. That is, I’ll go impregnate some poor woman with a boy child, then take them. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2011, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-these-names/607398/95 "2011-12-30T14:33:14Z")
It’s killing me because I’m sure there’s a bandname that’s sounds similar to Soren Sebastian. Personally I don’t have a problem with Tristram or Sebastian - they are rather ‘poshboy’ names in the UK but I presume they don’t have the same connotations in the US. Tristram perhaps sounds like the class wimp, but Sebastian (‘Zeb’ to his friends) would definitely be captain of the rugby team so that’s ok. Paul sounds a little middle aged and I’m not a great fan of foreign names like Soren when you don’t have a family connection to the country in question, but who cares really, they’re your kids. I do think it’s nice to have a name that can be abbreviated though - it allows the name to be adapted to the personality or preference of the kid in question. ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2011, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-these-names/607398/96 "2011-12-30T16:17:51Z")
> [@Argent\_Towers](#): > > If I ever have son/s, here are names I’d pick: > > George > Donald > Carl > Edward > Paul > Allen/Alan > > I look at my Facebook feed and see my peers, people I went to high school with, having kids all over the place. The names are always Jayden, Kayden, Brayden, Skyler, etc…fuck that. My kid is getting a traditional name. You should throw “Bob” and “Frank” on your list, and go in the order Allen/Bob/Carl/Donald/Edward/Frank/George. Then every logic puzzle ever made can be about your family! I intend to name my children traditional names, too, but only the rarer ones. So, like, Arthur or Rose. Stuff like that. A word to the wise: Don’t ever name your kid with the intention of using his middle name as his given name. It creates nothing but headaches later in life when business folk keep using the ‘wrong’ name and his friends eventually find out that they haven’t been using his ‘real’ name. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2011, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-these-names/607398/97 "2011-12-30T16:50:03Z")
Our current favorites are Henry and Julian, with middle names TBD. I agreed to Julian only on the stipulation that Henry shall be the one to receive my patriarchal blessing. Julian will just have to scheme for it. I think these might not stick once my wife realizes there’s no short name for Henry (she really likes names to have short forms fsr) and the clearest short form for Julian is Jules… (she likes Jude though). But anyway, that’s where we’re at right now. Soren is an _awesome_ name and you are just haters is all I’ma say. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2011, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-these-names/607398/98 "2011-12-30T16:59:16Z")
> [@Omega\_Glory](#): > > I also knew a Soren who seemed to do fine with his name. I know one - little shit - but has done fine with the name. Never fret about a middle name, it doesn’t generally get used. Its THE place to pull out that heavily ethinic name of your great grandfather, or horribly misspell Mary - if you must. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2011, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-these-names/607398/99 "2011-12-30T17:00:02Z")
My nephew, who’s now in college, is named Henry and he hasn’t had any problems with the name that I’ve ever heard. It’s also long been a popular middle name on my father’s side of the family. **RickJay** , the _Star Trek_ villain was Soran, not Soren: [Tolian Soran | Memory Alpha | Fandom](http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Tolian_Soran) The name Julian has a ST connection, too, of course: [Julian Bashir | Memory Alpha | Fandom](http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Julian_Bashir) ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2011, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-these-names/607398/100 "2011-12-30T20:08:17Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > It’s killing me because I’m sure there’s a bandname that’s sounds similar to Soren Sebastian. Belle & Sebastian? If I had had a boy and a girl, I \*might \*actually consider naming them Belle and Sebastian… except that they’d kill me for it. Hang on, they would be great as cat names, though. In fact, I have to do that right now! _Runs out to get one boy and one girl cat._ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-these-names/607398.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-these-names/607398.md?page=6)