# Where did these names come from? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 30, 1999, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-these-names-come-from/11277 "1999-10-30T22:05:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2000, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-these-names-come-from/11277/101 "2000-05-12T01:46:35Z")
Oh, yes, the Fates–and now, the significances of their names: Clotho: “The Spinner,” who spins the thread of life. Lachesis: “Caster of Lots,” who measures the thread. Atropos: “The Unbending,” who cuts the thread off. The Graces: Thalia: “Bloom” Aglaia: “Brilliance” Euphrosyne: “Joy” The Norn, when represented as three sisters: Urd: the past Verdhandi: the present Skuld: the future. I recommend staying away from “Urd” and “Atropos” for your daughters. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![PublicBlast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/779978/32.png) [@PublicBlast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PublicBlast)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2000, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-these-names-come-from/11277/102 "2000-05-12T03:29:31Z")
I find it interesting that nobody much has considered using non-European/non-Anglo names. I myself am the product of an Indian father and a Jewish/American mother, hence I am Akash Aaron Jayaprakash. I was teased merciliesly as a child (use your imagination) but have since come to accept my name with pride! I’m going to give my kids Indian/Jewish/Arabic names to reflect me and my fiancee’s heritage when they come along 7 years from now. (“Safia Mira Elizabeth Jayaprakash,” anyone? Or “David Surya Mohammed Jayprakash”? Hmmmmm…) Before the groans start flying, consider this: teasing of foreign names doesn’t seem to be so prevalent anymore. At least my 6-year-old sister, Pooja, who would have been ripe for peer-destruction in my generation, hasn’t had a single person make fun of her name (and this in Utah, no less, hardly a bastion of cosmopolitanism!). Ditto with her African-American and Asian friends: “Aiko” and “LaShanna” and “Neepa” seem to be co-existing just fine with “Chelsea” and “Brianna” and “Ashley”; maybe America has changed somewhat? Akash, Proud to Be Thus Named P.S. If anyone DID make fun of my sister, I would show them their lungs! :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2000, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-these-names-come-from/11277/103 "2000-05-12T04:42:07Z")
Pooja, Pooja, Pooja. Pooja is huge-a! (heh heh heh.) ---
**Author:** ![PublicBlast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/779978/32.png) [@PublicBlast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PublicBlast)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2000, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-these-names-come-from/11277/104 "2000-05-12T07:12:27Z")
Actually, she’s small and beautiful. Now, if you would kindly send me your physical address, I will be by shortly to show you your lungs, as promised! 😛 No hard feelings–I think. Akash Who would NEVER insult a 6-year-old, even on the 'net P.S. Don’t worry, your lungs are safe where they are. ---
**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2000, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-these-names-come-from/11277/105 "2000-05-12T11:47:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*\* > There are, however, three girls named McKenna in her elementary school, so perhaps it’s just the area. }} Drain Bead > > Is McKenna a common name in some places now? I think I’ve seen it twice. > I hadn’t heard it until I started high school. (Two years ago.) I met a girl with that name, although it was spelled Mackenna. For a while, I (and others) assumed it was McKenna and people were just calling her by her last name. Her friends often just shorten it to Kenna when talking to her. The other person named McKenna I saw was some baby girl in the newspaper 'cause she needed some special medical treatment. > What are the origins of the name? It’s kind of like McDonald, or McDouglas, except it sounds feminine. I haven’t seen anyone with the first name McDonald or McDouglas. > \*\* One of my nieces (in Maine) is Makenna (I think that’s how it’s spelled for her). It’d be cute by itself, but her older brother are Matthew and Matteah. My sister-in-law intends to use another “M” name for her fourth. _ugh_ One of my nephews is Kristofer Mackenzie. I think the middle name came from Mackenzie Phillips of “One Day at a Time”. With 24 [niblings](http://www.theatlantic.com/unbound/fugitives/nephlings.htm) and a child of my own over the last 25 years, our family has a vast range of styles for names. They are (similar highlights are siblings): [ul] **[li]Jason Travis (“J” names were big in the 70’s; Travis was a family friend[/li][li]Robin Amy (after her father Robert)[/li][li]Lindsey Anne**[/li][li]Kirsten “Kirstie” (not after Ms. Alley)[/li][li]Daniel “Dan”[/li]**[li]Joshua &[/li][li]Samuel (J & S’s parents are missionaries which explains the Biblical theme)**[/li][li]Erin[/li]**[li]Nicholas “Neeka” (Mother’s name is Mikki, yet she gets upset when they call him Nicky, so she found a Russian nickname instead)[/li][li]Kristofer Mackenzie “Kit”[/li][li]Elena (after our grandmother)**[/li][li]Kelsey Lane (told my brother that it sounds like a Beatles song)[/li][li]Russell[/li][li]Lauren[/li][li]Holly[/li][li]Micah (Biblical)[/li][li]Katie[/li]**[li]Jasmine (from “Aladdin”?)[/li][li]Alexis[/li][li]Dallas[/li][li]Dakota (D & D are twins {boys, BTW})**[/li][li]Matthew David[/li][li]Matteah[/li][li]Makenna[/li]**[li]Courtney Rochelle (Middle name after a friend)**[/li][/ul] ---
**Author:** ![Oat\_Willie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/85e7bf/32.png) [@Oat\_Willie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oat_Willie)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2000, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-these-names-come-from/11277/106 "2000-05-20T19:25:40Z")
I was very sure when we named our girl that we found a reference to a wife (or mistress even?) that had been the subject or dedicatee for a book of the James Joyce/Ezra Pound era. I think it became more common in the US, from that point on, kind of like Zelda did for a time. Now I can’t find it anywhere. **Any literati among us able to confirm that?** ---
**Author:** ![Oat\_Willie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/85e7bf/32.png) [@Oat\_Willie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oat_Willie)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2000, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-these-names-come-from/11277/107 "2000-05-20T19:52:19Z")
I just found it. The Web is a marvelous beast. Couldn’t find it with generic search engines, but the library reference shows **Caitlin Thomas** wrote an autobiography about her life with **Dylan Thomas** 1914-1953. Published in Great Britain under the title _“Caitlin: a warring absence”_ ---
**Author:** ![notquitekarpov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@notquitekarpov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notquitekarpov)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2000, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-these-names-come-from/11277/108 "2000-05-21T11:19:26Z")
> [@](#): > > \*\* > The girl who rang up my groceries the other day was named _Jaime_. > > That’s the misspelling that was used for ‘The Bionic Woman’!! What a weird world we live in. > \*\* From a Brit’s perspective most of the “unusual” names here seems pretty low rent but Jaime’s nice ! Maybe though it comes from the french “J’aime” meaning “I love/like” which would make it even sweeeter in my book tho’ would probably get you teased like hell on the continent or Quebec… ---
**Author:** ![Cloud\_Walker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7cd45c/32.png) [@Cloud\_Walker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cloud_Walker)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2000, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-these-names-come-from/11277/109 "2000-05-21T15:48:04Z")
Drain Bead, I think the Neil is a wonderful one. 🙂 My boys names are: Robert Allen, Neil David, Thomas Jay, & Simon Richard. My neices & nephews: Markus, Mathias, Dominic, Klarrisa, Karl, Kyle, Kendra, Katherina & Andrew. All pretty tradional, if not a bit ethnic. The name I absolutely love is Destiny Cheyenne, my best friends daughter’s name. I don’t know where she picked out Destiny, but the Cheyenne was my choice. 😃 (Destiny is becoming a very popular name for girls in the last few years) My other girlfriend named her children Shannon Marie, Cheryl Nadine, John Michael, & Rachel Elizabeth. Then, of course, there’s my name… Cloud. My parents were hippies. What can I say? :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2000, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-these-names-come-from/11277/110 "2000-05-21T21:01:13Z")
I started this thread on General Questions rather than on MPSIMS because I wanted an answer to a (rather hard) question instead of just a list of interesting names that you’d heard. I’m not surprised by any single name given to a baby. There’s enough people in this country that I can believe that there’s a dozen people with any given name. I’m not surprised by there being a slow rise or fall in the popularity of any given name. What I am surprised by is the tendency for certain names to just come out of nowhere and suddenly be the most popular name for a baby that year. Are there meetings held every year to which everyone except me is invited in which it’s decided what the next year’s most popular baby names are? If not, how can a totally made-up name suddenly become popular within a year? Or how can a name that’s been considered passe for decades suddenly come back within a year? ---
**Author:** ![djf750](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ea666f/32.png) [@djf750](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/djf750)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2000, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-these-names-come-from/11277/111 "2000-05-21T21:41:14Z")
our friend’s kid plays little league and i swear there is a kid on his team named “COSMO”-we just refer to him as “KRAMER” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-these-names-come-from/11277.md?page=5)