# What do you think of this boy's name? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 3, 2005, 8:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-this-boys-name/297508 "2005-04-03T08:16:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![kevja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/aeb1de/32.png) [@kevja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kevja)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2005, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-this-boys-name/297508/21 "2005-04-03T19:04:02Z")
What **RickJay** said. Also, his shortened or nick name is Hay. It doesn’t sound right. Hey Hay, 'sup. He either will have to “take it” or keep saying, my name is Hayden. ---
**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 3, 2005, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-this-boys-name/297508/22 "2005-04-03T19:23:44Z")
I don’t like it. It sounds like a last name, which is extremely trendy right now, and nobody is going to know it’s a family name but you- everyone else is going to assume you jumped on the “hey, let’s name our kid “Eisenhower” because it’s classy to have a last name as a first name!” bandwagon. I also don’t like how the name has a built in salutation- and not a very polite one at that. I can’t stop thinking “it’s like Aiden, but with a Hey!” ---
**Author:** ![cadolphin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c37758/32.png) [@cadolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cadolphin)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2005, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-this-boys-name/297508/23 "2005-04-03T19:40:35Z")
When I hear the name Hayden I think of the TV show “Coach”. The coach of the football team that the show revolved around was named Hayden Fox. I don’t see anything wrong with the name at all. ---
**Author:** ![Br\_er\_Lapin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e79b87/32.png) [@Br\_er\_Lapin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Br_er_Lapin)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2005, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-this-boys-name/297508/24 "2005-04-03T19:46:41Z")
I like it. I know a twenty-something year old Hayden and I’ve never heard anyone try to shorten his name to “Hay,” or anything else. I guess everyone realizes it sounds stupid and people just don’t do it. ---
**Author:** ![beagledave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6de8d8/32.png) [@beagledave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beagledave)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2005, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-this-boys-name/297508/25 "2005-04-03T20:12:35Z")
As an alum of the University of Iowa, I [like it](http://www.thehawkeye.com/features/1998/hayden/)! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![anu-la1979](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/47e85d/32.png) [@anu-la1979](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anu-la1979)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2005, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-this-boys-name/297508/26 "2005-04-03T20:22:32Z")
I don’t think it’s a crazy name but it reminds me of the gender-neutral last-name-as-first-name celebrity/trendy naming craze that’s going on right now. You could make it a middle name. I know my highschool bf had a grandfather with an English first name that would be a last name in the US and he always planned to give it to the kid as a middle name. But I’ve always believed that that if you really like the name, for whatever reason, you should go ahead with it. I’ve always liked the name Rohan for a boy (I’m of the same ethnicity as the name would suggest) and I’m not going to not name my kid that because someone made a bunch of movies and now it’s vaguely linked to a horse-riding kingdom in Middle Earth. ---
**Author:** ![Shana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3bc359/32.png) [@Shana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shana)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2005, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-this-boys-name/297508/27 "2005-04-03T20:25:36Z")
Thanks everyone for your input! This is why I love this place! 🙂 I think we’re going to go for it. My grandfather was such a cool man… And I know my mom would be so excited if we named our son Hayden. (She was extremely close to her dad) It would be a wonderful gift to my mom. Oh and BTW, Hayden Christensen’s performance in _Star Wars_ was quite painful, but he wasn’t too bad in _Life As A House_ - So with any luck (and a good agent) the poor guy will lose the Anakin Skywalker stigma! ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2005, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-this-boys-name/297508/28 "2005-04-03T20:52:10Z")
> [@Shana](#): > > I haven’t had my sonogram yet, but for some odd reason I’m feeling very strongly that I’m having a boy. Call it Wimmin’s Intuition 😉 > > Anyway, the name we like is **Hayden**. It was my grandfather’s name. I like that it’s a family name - and hell, it sounds good with our one syllable last name. Don’t let that stop you from beating the name down with a spiked club. > I’m looking for opinions…So what do you think? Too trendy? Too pretentious? I looked on the Top 100 names and was dissapointed to find it listed. I was hoping that it hadn’t been discovered yet. (It was only at 65, but still) Someone told me it may become more popular due to the actor _Hayden Christensen_ rising in the Hollywood ranks. > > Thanks in advance! > Shana Give him a good middle name in case - Stuart James T:p ---
**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:** [April 3, 2005, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-this-boys-name/297508/29 "2005-04-03T21:05:59Z")
> [@GorillaMan](#): > > That would be a good argument, if it were applicable to the name in question. But it isn’t - there isn’t an unambiguous way to identify the pronunciation of ‘Hayden’. Seriously? I’m stumped. Please let me know what some other possible pronunciations of Hayden might be. ‘Hay’ is an English word. ‘Den’ is an English word. Do you guys have a variety of ways to pronounce them? Does the Y being followed by a D somehow make a difference? What are some other ambiguously-pronounced names? Gomez? Miller? Walton? ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2005, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-this-boys-name/297508/30 "2005-04-03T21:09:19Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > Nope, that was my first thought, too. > > And my second thought was of Colin Mochrie doing his Craig T. Nelson imitation. > > At which point I started going wildly off-topic. > > On-topic: I like the name. “Do you have a table for Craig T. Nelson?” On-topic: I don’t like it. If you’re gonna give the kid a name like that, make it the middle name. That’s what middle names are for. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2005, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-this-boys-name/297508/31 "2005-04-03T21:17:05Z")
> [@ouryL](#): > > Give him a good middle name in case Hayden Incase OneSyllableLastName. Works for me! 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2005, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-this-boys-name/297508/32 "2005-04-03T21:33:05Z")
It’s a nice name, I’ve always liked the name. But I think he’ll end up being “boy-Hayden” in a classroom with “Hayden R.” and “Hayden M.” (both girls). ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2005, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-this-boys-name/297508/33 "2005-04-03T22:05:09Z")
> [@bluethree](#): > > Seriously? I’m stumped. Please let me know what some other possible pronunciations of Hayden might be. > > ‘Hay’ is an English word. ‘Den’ is an English word. Do you guys have a variety of ways to pronounce them? Does the Y being followed by a D somehow make a difference? Quite simply, when I first came across it (as a surname, a couple of years ago), I thought ‘Haydn’. Phonetics aren’t the defining rule. > [@](#): > > What are some other ambiguously-pronounced names? Gomez? Miller? Walton? At least one of those is certainly open to multiple pronunciations. ---
**Author:** ![Nawth\_Chucka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c57346/32.png) [@Nawth\_Chucka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nawth_Chucka)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2005, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-this-boys-name/297508/34 "2005-04-03T22:26:53Z")
I was actually thinking of Thomas Haden-Church who’s been around TV & movies for about a decade or so now. It’s a handsome name and if it means something to you than by all means use it. But if there comes a day he wants to go by his middle name to ‘fit in’, don’t be hurt, it’ll pass. And more people will think of Haydn than you might surmise, but that’s hardly earth-shaking! ---
**Author:** ![Cockatiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cockatiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cockatiel)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2005, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-this-boys-name/297508/35 "2005-04-03T23:48:10Z")
When I first read it, I thought of Hades. I like Aidan better. ---
**Author:** ![C3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/c3/32/3108_2.png) [@C3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C3)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2005, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-this-boys-name/297508/36 "2005-04-03T23:59:23Z")
I like it. And as someone who has a not-common but not-so-unusual-nobody’s-ever-heard-of-it name (Claudia), I’ve gotta say that having your name mispronounced every once in a while isn’t the worst thing in the world. I mean, I constantly have to repeat myself and spell my name. It’s vaguely annoying, but I can think of worse traumas. Plus, I think anyone who isn’t name Jack probably has to deal with this every now and then. I also like the fact that it’s a family name. Our son is named William after my great-grandfather and my husband’s grandfather. After he was born, we found out that that was the #1 most popular name for boys in the state where he was born. Oh well. If we ever have another boy, I think I’m going to go with Levin - another family name. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2005, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-this-boys-name/297508/37 "2005-04-04T01:00:15Z")
Hayden sounds like Aiden and Jayden, both which are trendy right now. Trendy doesn’t mean that it’s bad, but it does mean he may grow up thinking his name is not as special as you think it is. Congratulations! ---
**Author:** ![Telperien](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/65b543/32.png) [@Telperien](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telperien)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2005, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-this-boys-name/297508/38 "2005-04-04T01:06:29Z")
I like it, although for some reason, my mind keeps associating it with Holden, i.e. Caulfield. The district never should have made us read that book. ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2005, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-this-boys-name/297508/39 "2005-04-04T01:19:36Z")
I had a neat friend thirty years ago named Hayden. I liked it then and I like it now! ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2005, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-this-boys-name/297508/40 "2005-04-04T01:27:26Z")
My friend was named after his Uncle Butch, unfortunately, his Uncle was named after his uncle (that is my friend’s uncle’s uncle), who was named Elmo, hence the nickname Butch. Thus, he is named Emo. :eek: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-this-boys-name/297508.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-this-boys-name/297508.md?page=3)