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Conference oass::babynames

Title:	A list of All the BABYNAMES (shadow copy)
Notice:	BABYNAMES is now on-line and writable! Enjoy...
Moderator:	OASS::BURDEN_D

Created:	Tue Feb 13 1996
Last Modified:	Fri May 30 1997
Last Successful Update:	Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:	996
Total number of notes:	7139

285.0. "ADVICE" by ATLAST::ANDERSON (Give me a U, give me a T...) Sun Aug 21 1988 01:04

	Take it from an onomatolgist ...  Here are some hints on naming
	your baby from someone who has actually studied this stuff.
	Remember, folks: you get to name the kid -- he/she has to live 
	with it.

	1.  Avoid alliteration (i.e., starting the first and last names
	    with the same letter) -- Nicholas Nicholby, Hubert Horatio
	    Hornblower, etc.

	2.  Avoid names that have similar endings (Edward Upward, Andy
	    Rooney, Mark Clark)

	3.  Try to vary the number of syllables between the first and 
	    last names (Nicholas Nicholby, Mark Clark, etc. -- though
	    2 x 2 is usually okay)

	4.  Avoid feminine names for boys (Leslie, Marion, Vivian) ...
	    Remember "A Boy Name Sue"?  Also avoid names that have 
	    effeminate overtones (Julian, Adrian, etc.).  Likewise,
	    avoid girl's names that sound too rough (Dorchas, Gertrude)

	5.  Consider nicknames.  If you don't like Tony, don't name your
	    son Anthony.  If you don't like Trixy, don't name your girl
	    Beatrix.  Belive me, no matter how hard you try to stop it,
	    this is what they'll get called

	6.  Consider intials.  Clifford Paul Anderson is bound for
	    accounting, Lisa Sue Davies may have some problems with 
	    substance abuse, Stephen A. Drown might get a little 
	    depressed at times -- these are all people I know

	7.  Consider how names go together.  There is a famous example
	    from Puritan days (when people started naming their children
	    after abstract nouns): Preserved Fish

	7.  Consider nameplay.  Dustin Hoffman, for example, has a very
	    cute name, but he got a little tired of being called Dustbin
	    when he was a kid.  A friend of mine named Erma got called
	    Erm the worm, Erm the germ, Erm the sperm.  Think up the 
	    worst name play the potential name may involve - believe me,
	    your kid will get called it

	8.  Avoid a common first name with a common last name (John
	    Smith, Mary Jones).  Likewise, avoid an uncommmon first name
	    with an uncommon last name.  If you're last name is Money-
	    penny or Featherstonehaugh, try something like James or Ann -- 
	    avoid Demetrius or Clarissa

	9.  Beware of fashionableness.  Ashley may sound cute now, but
	    5 years from now your girl will have a lot of Ashleys to
	    contend with.  Same thing happened to Jason a few years ago,
	    and Kim about 25 years ago.  Unless you *know* you're on the
	    leading edge, you're probably just going along with the 
	    crowd, and what sounds elegant or really cute, will soon
	    sound very common

	10.  Pick a name that's appropriate for an adult as well as a
	     baby.  Kelly might make an adorable name for a baby, but
	     might sound a little silly if she makes the Supreme Court.
	     And who would name a baby George anyway?  Also related to 
	     the Kelly issue: use a full name (you can always call Daniel 
	     Danny, you usually can't call Danny Daniel)

	11.  Consider the meaning of a name (Leah: cow (?), Ruth: 
	     sadness, Chanel: from the perfume)

	12.  Consider the national origins of names.  If you have a very
	     ethnic last name, consider an ethnic or neutral first name.
	     This is to avoid things like Abigail Rodriguez, Sean Chang,
	     Bianca Witkowski

	13.  Beware of associations and names already taken.  No one in
	     Germany these days names their boy Adolf.  Also avoid 
	     combinations -- if you're last name is Hinckley, you'll
	     definitely want to avoid John.  Check as many encyclopedias 
	     and almanacs as you can.  Also avoid names that are simply
	     famous, not infamous (i.e., Joe Morgan?)

	14.  Try making the name meaningful.  Name your kid after a 
	     relative, friend, or hero.  Consider the meaning of the 
	     name.  Consider the circumstances of the birth.  Give your
	     child a name that reflects your nationality

	15.  Use standard spellings (Dennis, not Denys; Lane, not Layne;
	     Lisa, not Leesa)

	16.  Don't make them up (Rosacoke, Jovella, DeWayne)

	17.  Don't go too far out with existing names (Inigo, Halycon,
	     Talbot)

		-- Cliff (I like my name) Anderson

T.R	Title	User	Personal Name	Date	Lines
285.1	I like unusual spellings!	BONOVX::BARRY		`Thu Sep 08 1988 19:10`	14
	Well, as far as item 15 goes, I don't agree. As a person with the incredibly boring name Lesa Ann, I hate any name that is overused and I like unusual spellings! The only thing that ever kept my name from being total unremarkable was the spelling and although, yes, I do have to always spell it for everyone, I wouldn't dream of changing it to Lisa! Thats just not my name!!! And no, I never went through any time in my life where I felt differently about it! I have always been proud of the unusual spelling!!! Just an opinion from the other side! :-) Lesa
285.2		REGENT::GALLANT	The Wild Heart	`Mon Sep 12 1988 18:05`	21
	Well, Lesa, I must say I TOTALLY agree with you. My name is not spelt KimberLY, there's an "E" stuck in there and whenever I first meet someone the first thing I say is "That's Kimberley with an E, please don't forget it", and they usually don't! No offense meant to the author of the note, you gave some really good advice (Mark Clark, etc.), but you sound as though you got those ideas out of a book, and some you sort of made up along the way, especially about the variation in spellings. And who says that a woman named Kelly can't make it to the Supreme Court??!! Susan is just as feminine as Kelly... Flame off now. Just a little opinionated insight. Sorry if anyone is offended... /Kim
285.3	Sp (variant) ok but names from soaps (ughhhhhh)	KAOFS::S_BROOK	Here today and here again tomorrow	`Mon Sep 19 1988 15:17`	22
	Another vote for different spellings, although I would avoid chosing particularly difficult spellings. For example, my middle daughter's middle name is Megan (q.v.) and I would not deam of making it Meaghann as I have seen ... just too complicated. Most of the recommendations are reasonable, but I think the general rule of thumb should be based on ... If this were my name, how would I like it as a child, and how would I like it as an adult. My biggest bugbear on chosing names though was fashionable names, and particularly those from the "soaps". Granted my first daughter's name is Jennifer which has been a #1 name in North America for years. We chose this before her birth in England before we moved to Canada where it is nothing like as popular. We augmented it though with a couple of unusual middle names (Teresa Frances) to balance it up a bit. I hate to say it but I shudder every time I hear of yet another Ashleigh / Ashley (girl / boy) in the neighbourhood. It becomes a case of which one is this ? stuart
285.4	What Not to Name Your Kid	ATLAST::ANDERSON	Give me a U, give me a T...	`Mon Feb 13 1989 23:58`	130
	Thought you might enjoy these examples. They're from John Train's Most Remarkable Names, Potter, N.Y., 1985 (no permission -- Mr. Moderator: please delete this if this sort of thing is not permitted). All these are real and documented. 1. Avoid alliteration Bambina Broccoli Bonnie Bee Buzzard Betty Burp Col. Clarence Clapsaddle Gretel von Garlic Osbourne Outhouse Rosebud Rosenbloom 2. Avoid names that have similar endings Arystotle Tottle (18th Century English pirate) Hector Spector Herman Sherman Berman Hugh Pugh Iccolo Miccolo (played the piccolo for the S.F. Symphony Orchestra) Jerry Derryberry Mark Clark Van Ark Newton Hooton 4. Avoid feminine names for boys; avoid girl's names that sound too rough Mr. Ora Jones wed Miss Ora Jones Luscious Easter (played for the Cleveland Indians) Mr. Venus Bonaparte 6. Consider intials. P.P. Fast I.P. Frilli C. Mathews Dick I.O. Silver 7. Consider how names go together. Al Dente Charity Ball Rev. Christian Church Robyn Banks (teller, First Pennsylvania Bank, Chesnut Hill) Knighton Day Warren Peace Pearl Harbor 7. Consider nameplay. Hilarius Fuchs Joy Bang Anne Aass Violet Organ Dennis Elbow Fanny Hunnybun Adora Cox Lettice Goedebed Noble Dick (chairman, Dick Corporation, Pittsburgh) Ophelia Tittey 8. Avoid an uncommmon first name with an uncommon last name. Aurora Cabangbang Bathsheba Finkelstein Sir Farquhar Buzzard (personal physician to George IV) Breece d'J. Pancake (contemporary author) Demetrius Toodles Humperdink Fangboner Lobelia Rugtwit Hildebiddle Magdalena Babblejack Mignon Hamburger Roosevelt Cabbagestalk Roman Pretzel Thusnelda Neusbickle Ulysses Tyrebiter Yelburton Abraham Tittle (N.Y. Giants QB -- better known as Y.A.) 10. Pick a name that's appropriate for an adult as well as a baby. Female Jones Legitimate Jones Male Infant Kilgore Positive Wasserman Johnson 12. Consider the national origins of names. Fauntleroy Schnauz Hrothgar Habbakuk (Vice-Chancellor, Oxford) Macgregor Suzuki Ming-Toy Epstein Santiago Nudelman (Chilean publisher) Siddhartha Greenblatt Zeppelin W. Wong 13. Beware of associations and names already taken. Genghis Cohen Baskerville Holmes (Memphis State basketball player) Rosetta Stone Solomon Gemorah 16. Don't make them up. Dreama Bottoms Agonia Heimerdinger Fartina Greene Easter Buggage Horacine Clutch Ima June Bugg Iva Odor Lesbia Lobo (professional lady golfer) LeGrunt E. Crapper Mausoleum Jackson Loch Ness Hontas Needa Climax Nita Bath Shanda Lear Tarantula Turner Urine McZeal Vaseline Love Verbal Funderburk -- Cliff (I still like my name) Anderson
285.5	The Spelling Issue	ATLAST::ANDERSON	Give me a U, give me a T...	`Tue Feb 14 1989 00:10`	19
	The usual arguments for standard spelling are: o The nuisance factor -- ask anybody who has a weirdly spelled name ... there was a good note in here by somebody called "Rodger" who explained this quite well (forget which one) o A certain loss of eclat -- e.g., "Shelley" (after the poet) has a little more prestige than "Shelly," which has a little more prestige than "Shellie," which has a little more prestige than "Shelli," which has a little more prestige than "Sheli," ... o Some people will think the kid's parents are illiterate -- I realize this is very unfair, but it does happen ... the less common the variant, or the farther it is from the standard, the more likely this is to happen ... Shawon Dunston (Cub shortstop) is a good example -- Cliff
285.6	Penguin???	TADSKI::KULP		`Thu Feb 16 1989 14:29`	7
	However, there are some names no one will ever spell correctly. Such as the doctor at Worcester Memorial named Pengwynne Blevins. Talk about having a nuisance factor! Just think of the spellings she gets! I wonder if that was a family name or what? Robin