Would you avoid any name ending in -a...
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Would you avoid any name ending in -a...
| Mon, 02-19-2007 - 4:04pm |
Would you avoid any name ending in -a/-ah if your first child was named Noah?
- Yes, they'd be too matchy.
- It's okay for a boy's name, but not for a girl's.
- It's okay for a girl's name, but not for a boy's.
- No, it's fine. Stop thinking so much.
You will be able to change your vote.


Darla
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Thanks belle_petite for the siggy!
LOL I'm completely in the minority, but I would avoid another "a" sound ending unless it was absolutely THE name, KWIM? The number of syllables and beginning initial/sound also make a huge difference. For example, Noah and Nora would be a definite no, Noah and Lola would be too similar for me, and Noah and Alexandria (two- and FIVE-syllables) work fine, IMO. Hope that made sense.
FWIW, none of our children's names begin OR end the same. ;)
HTH
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I agree - I think it depends on the names.
I would be more likely to think about it the other way around. That is, with a son Noah I would want to choose a name for a second son that is melodic and not distinctly more masculine. That doesn't necessarily mean that baby number two should also have an -ah ending (although I rather like Noah and Jonah for brothers), Eliot/Elliott, for example, is a favourite of mine and on the softer side for boys (though, interestingly, it is derived from the Biblical Elijah, which does have the -ah ending... another option might be the Greek form Elias, or the Greek form of the aforementioned Jonah, Jonas, if you don't like the two -ah endings). Diphthongs, where two vowel sounds blend into each other as in the OH-AH of Noah or the EE-UTT of Eliot or the EYE-USS of Elias, produce a more melodic sound in male names. I would avoid names with harsh sounds, like a hard K or CH, and probably all one-syllable names... Joshua is similar in feel to Noah, but Josh is much harsher.
If baby number two is a girl, I would neither look for nor avoid names ending in -a/-ah. More important, to my mind, would be a name that is distinctly feminine. That could mean a very feminine-sounding, modern name like Carissa, which is clearly feminine in sound (not a name I'm recommending at all, just came to mind for an exagerated feminine sound). But it could also mean a traditional, well-known female name. Elizabeth and Katherine, for example, don't have a specifically feminine sound but would of course never be mistaken for male names. I would avoid unisex names for a sister to a Noah (though most people think of it as a male rather than a unisex name, Noa for girls is fairly popular among Jewish families right now). Biblical names would be an obvious place to look, as they generally sound natural together, and if you're looking for ideas other names of Hebrew origin might be a place to start.
Of course, please take all of this with a grain of salt... I have a tendency to overthink these things, especially after years of involvement in gender issues both in academia and in activism. Brothers named Noah and Roch would sound odd. Brother and sister named Noah and Morgan might cause confusion. But that leaves many options open. Don't worry that a name you love doesn't form a perfect "set", as long as the pairing doesn't sound really wrong.
ALL my children end in A-AH !!!
Do you find my children's names too matchy?
Lynda
mother to Elijah, Isaiah, Joshua and Angelina