To: A certain parent

[RetailWorkhorse]

Can anyone tell me what Rebecca means...really? I've heard "bound", "tied" and my personal favorite, "captivating".

Hebrew, meaning "Snare".

My first name is dirt common, the name of an (arch-?)angel, and boring.

Gabriel or Micheal?

[Becks]

Hebrew, meaning "Snare".

Hmmmmmm, yes, I knew that one, too. Thanks for reminding me, though.

[CaroPhoenix]

When I grow up and start to publish my works (either novels/stories or poetry), I'm going to be going by a pen name. So there. However, I "wrote" a book about Eleanor of Aquitaine back in the 1950's - 20 years before I was born!



(For those who don't get that - there is a book about Eleanor of Aquitaine written by one Amy Kelly. Amy's my first name & Kelly is my maiden name. )

[Evil Queen]

Gabriel or Micheal?

More then likely Michael, (slightly different spelling but the same name) because he's Jack's Evil Twin.

Personally, I would have voted for Azrael, but that's only because I finished reading "Good Omens" and that was one of the names of the characters. That and "Azrael" was the Archangel of Death.

[Bella_Vixen]

My first name is SUPPOSED to be very common (Elizabeth), and my middle name is hopelessly old fashioned, but I've grown to like it. Hell, I like it enough, I might name my second daughter (a slight variation of) it, since my first daughter will be named after Becks...if I ever have kids.

Last weekend, one of my nephews discovered my middle name and laughed. Hysterically. For a full 5 minutes.

He hurt my feelings. He REALLY hurt my mother's feelings.

I was born 3 months premature. My mother named be after strong Biblical women, knowing that I'd need that strength to make it.

Elizabeth has been a common name in my family for generations: it was my great-grandmother's baptismal name, my mother's middle name, my first name, one of my niece's 2 middle names (her middle names are for my mother), and one of my other niece's first name (SHE was named for her mother in reverse).


For what it's worth, I HATE being called Liz. I don't even like my family calling me that, much less strangers, and even still less people whom I've made it clear that I do NOT want to be called Liz.


One of my friends at work was telling me that her sister "named" her daughter A**** S**** S*****. I told her they SERIOUSLY need to rethink that combo. They did.

People need to think long and hard about what they are naming their child. Kids are cruel enough, without the ammo being handed to them.

[Broomjockey]

More then likely Michael, (slightly different spelling but the same name) because he's Jack's Evil Twin.

Not sure I follow on this. Enlighten?

[Rine]

My first and middle name are common. My nickname as a kid was Stevie, for my dad is a Steve and I was supposed to be a boy. It's my last name that's unique.

My sisters are have unusual middle names and sometimes I get jealous because I was stuck with common names.

So, I say give little Ethan a nickname, like the others said. Poor gal, I do feel for her, but I wish she wouldn't be so ashamed of her name.

[Sylvia727]

I have a great aunt called Sammy. I forget her real name, but it's something common from the '20s like Dolores or Ruth. They called her Sammy because the little boy down the street was named Sammy and her parents were always teasing her that they were going to make a trade. The nickname stuck. She was in her late 80s when she died, and all her friends knew her as Sammy.

[Sharsarannon]

When you name, think of the KID!! Please.




If it has to have a ( ) after it to tell people how to say it, it's a bad name.

If the initials spell something embarassing, it's a bad name.

If the nickname is also a crude word, or the name becomes one joined with your last name, It's a bad name.

If you can't tell what gender the kid might be, It's probably not a very good name. Make statements in your personal writings or on a t-shirt. Not where someone else will suffer for it 18 years.

If you made it up yourself, odds are good that it's a bad name.

If it's longer than one or two syllables people will nickname the kid. You have very little to no control over what they will call her or him. No matter how much you like Ricky, your son might hate you for naming him what turns into Dick, for instance. Eisenhower's mom wanted a name nobody could 'nick', so she picked Dwight. The american people liked 'Ike'.

If it's something you didn't check the real meaning of, It's a bad name.
Cheyenne is not 'a pretty name reminiscent of the Wild West'. It means Dog. The french trappers had a low opinion of the native americans they met and nicknamed them according to that opinion.
(if your name is Cheyenne, well now it means You, so you're scot-free.. Just please don't name your daughter that if she ever plans to visit French speaking places)

If it's an overly Kreeyaytyve spelling of a common name, it might not be a good name, unless you love having to correct people and are certain your kid will too. Example: Caitlyn, Caitlin, Kaitlin, Kaytlen, Kaitlyn, Katelynn, Kaitlynn, Caitynn, Kaetlyn, kaetlynn, Caetlyn, Caytlin, Caetlin, Khaytlin, Caietlin, Keitlinn....

All that aside, if you really wanna name your kid Bich Irissiyayanaeai Krysstyl, be my guest. And good luck, you'll NEED it.

For those of us who find this kinda thing Hilarious, as long as we're not the ones cursed with the unfortunate names: http://www.notwithoutmyhandbag.com/babynames/index.html

[Shironu-Akaineko]

Personally, I would have voted for Azrael, but that's only because I finished reading "Good Omens" and that was one of the names of the characters. That and "Azrael" was the Archangel of Death.

He's also Gargamel's cat.

[ThePhoneGoddess]

If it's something you didn't check the real meaning of, It's a bad name.
Cheyenne is not 'a pretty name reminiscent of the Wild West'. It means Dog. The french trappers had a low opinion of the native americans they met and nicknamed them according to that opinion.
(if your name is Cheyenne, well now it means You, so you're scot-free.. Just please don't name your daughter that if she ever plans to visit French speaking places)

See, to me, this statement has a lot of buts and ifs after it.

The vast majority of people in the US don't associate the name Cheyenne with 'French for dog', they see it as a pretty name of an American town. Most people would shrug their shoulders if you tried to tell them if means 'dog', because over here, it doesn't. Here in the US it's just a pretty name of an American town.

This is exactly opposite of the name Candida. In English, Candida is a recent addition---it's the Latin name for a yeast infection. It's a very old and very common girls name in Spain and Italy, though, because of Saint Candida. If you tried to tell some Italian girl that her name meant 'yeast infection' in English, she'd probably just shrug her shoulders or laugh at you.

I knew a girl named Candida. Her parents were from Barcelona, and they had named their daughter after a family member. When they figured out what it meant over here, they simply adopted the nickname Candy for her. Once another girl in high school figured out what Candy's real name was, and gave her crap over it, and Candy gave her an awesome verbal smackdown for insulting her Mother's choice of names.

People seem really paranoid about names. I remember there was an incredible amount of vitriol on the IMDB boards when Gwyneth Paltrow named her daughter Apple. People were saying she should have her kids taken away from her and shit for 'creulty', which I thought was completely out of hand. I personally, like unique names within reason, and I thought Apple was a perfect 'unique' name---it's short, cute, doesn't have any really negative connotations, and is conventionally spelled.

My parents gave me a long name and then called me by a short, common nickname because they were so paranoid about me being made fun of at school. My fellow students responded by teasing me about my last name. I mean really, kids are going to tease no matter what name you decide on.

[Becks]

I'm thinking of naming my first daughter (if I'm lucky enough to have children) after my Mommy (Helen Elizabeth). Her nickname will be Lennie, and if anyone has a problem with it, too bad.

Last weekend, one of my nephews discovered my middle name and laughed. Hysterically. For a full 5 minutes.

He hurt my feelings. He REALLY hurt my mother's feelings.

Which brat was it? I want to know. Ooooooooooooooooh, he'll be in for a hurting when I come back in Octoberish.

[Bella_Vixen]

Which brat was it? I want to know. Ooooooooooooooooh, he'll be in for a hurting when I come back in Octoberish.

Michael. Little punk.

[RetailWorkhorse]

Her nickname will be Lennie, and if anyone has a problem with it, too bad.

I have a jade plant named Lennie! Actually, I name all my jade plants Lennie. This new Lennie (the 4th) isn't doing too well right now. The sun needs to shine somemore.

[Becks]

Michael. Little punk.

Ah. I guessed.

Tell him he's in for some hurting.