Like the name but wouldn't use it.....

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-18-2006
Like the name but wouldn't use it.....
11
Mon, 01-29-2007 - 11:58am

I was wondering what some of the reasons are for not using names if you like them. I had the poll for Gemma, and this was selected by a few people. Some people have brought up the GEM/JEM cartoon from the 80's but that doesn't bother me. What really determines if you use the name?
Thanks

Some of the names I love but CAN"T use:

Claudia - DH doesn't like meaning

Esme - DH won't go for it

Mallory - DH doesn't like meaning

Emma - too popular

Maxine - not common enough/ people will make fun of Maxie

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iVillage Member
Registered: 08-26-2006
Mon, 01-29-2007 - 12:41pm

Since I have not any children yet most names are fair game except for ones my siblings have named their kids or they have claimed.
Lucky for me this is a short list :)
Katherine, nn Katie/Kate
Beatrice, nn Bea - I love this one, but alas my sister called it years ago
Margot

My style is all over the place - so when I do start having kids I will have to pick a direction.
Example: Harper v. Rachel - I love both of these, but they wouldn't work as siblings

Also, some of my favs are too similar and I will be forced to chose...sigh
Example - Iris and Isla - I could never use both, I will probably go with Iris.

Finally, a few of my favs are becoming too popular and thus I will not use them. However, popularity doesn't bother me with the classic - Elizabeth, Sarah, Luke, James, etc. Most of the boy name I like are classic, so I don't worry too much about those. For the girls I would use a less common nn - Libby and Sadie.
Here my are some of my favs that are too popular:
Lily - my favorite from childhood
Lila - a recent fav that I fear will sound dated when she is an adult
Adeline, nn Addie - The nn is too popular for me, I could still use this if I went with the nn Ada...
Nora - I have to keep my eye on this one
Max
Grayson - I might go with just Gray or Graham, nn Gray
Ivy
Violet
Eva

Good luck,
Brooke

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-07-2006
Mon, 01-29-2007 - 12:54pm

Brooke, do you really think Ivy is so popular? I ask because for seven or so years now I've been planning on naming my first daughter Ivy. What's your take on its popularity?

Thanks!
Erin

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-12-2006
Mon, 01-29-2007 - 12:59pm

In 2005 Ivy was ranked #303 by Social Security.

Anjie

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-05-2006
Mon, 01-29-2007 - 1:08pm

It's easy to like a name you hear on someone else (or someone else's list). It's hard to commit to "the name" for your own child- as you well know!

For me, it was kind of like choosing a marriage partner. When you find it, you just know.

In naming children, sometimes it comes down to seeing and holding her/him.

By the way, I've been a collector and lover of names for most of my life. Gemma has been among my personal top 25 for ten years or more *smile*. Good luck, Ginger

Ginger

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-08-2006
Mon, 01-29-2007 - 5:15pm
I think popularity also has to do with the area you live in. For example I know that on the social security rankings girl names like Madison, Taylor, Kaylee and Mackenzie rank faily high but in our neighborhood there are none. We are surrouned by little Elizabeth's, Katherine's, Olivia's, Sophia's, Anna's, Victoria's and Julia's.
I don't know any baby Ivy's personally but my friend plans to use it if she has a girl as it was her grandmother's name.
iVillage Member
Registered: 06-14-2003
Mon, 01-29-2007 - 5:28pm

When we were pg w/ ds#4 we really wanted to give him an unusual name, especially compared to our other 3 boys. I put out polls here & talked w/ a few people about the name. We got mostly negative feedback, but a few very positive too. We chickened out & gave him another name that "went" better w/ our other boys. Well, he's 3 yrs & 4 mos old now & we still regret not giving him the "odd" name that we wanted to. The name would have suit him perfectly & he's got a personality that could have gone well w/ it.

My suggestion is to name your child whatever you want if you really, truly love the name regardless of what people here or elsewhere say. The only exception is if your child might get serious teasing if they had the name. I don't see anything wrong w/ Gemma ... & I don't know anything about the GEM/JEM cartoon from the 80's.

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-29-2005
Mon, 01-29-2007 - 7:04pm

<<>>

About the only things that would make me not use a name I truly loved (short of dh hating it or just liking another name more LOL) would be ...

1. too similar to one of my other kids' names. Definitely more of a concern/obstacle when you already have three other children to consider (for example, Stephanie kind of rhymes with Devanie, Lila is too close to Aila, the nns Nate or Tate are out because of Kate, etc. ... not all names on my list, but you get the point). ;)

2. it sounds absolutely terrible with our ln. Cora McCormick is out for obvious reasons, as would be Jaromir (how'd that sound with our Irish ln? ROFL) or Marek (no names that begin or end the same as our ln ... though I have considered a few M fns).

3. we have a bad association with the name itself: ex-girlfriend/boyfriend, school bully, well-known murderer or dictator LOL ... things like that. The Jem cartoon from the 80s wouldn't fall into this category for me, just to be clear. ;) I actually think the nn Jem/Gem is very sweet, and even the association with the show isn't a bad one (it's not like she was a villain or anything. Heck, she was pretty darn cool when I was eight or so!).

Popularity is also a concern, but it wouldn't keep me from using a name I honestly loved (obviously LOL). I would just take it into consideration, weighing the pros and cons, possibly considering alternative nns so she didn't have to be Emily number five all through grade school (like we did with Abigail), things like that. ;)

HTH


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iVillage Member
Registered: 09-29-2005
Mon, 01-29-2007 - 7:10pm

<<>>

I believe I've seen you mention this a few times before, and I'm really curious ... what was the "odd" name you wish you'd given him (and what is his name)? If you don't mind sharing, of course. ;)


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iVillage Member
Registered: 08-26-2006
Mon, 01-29-2007 - 7:54pm

In the past 15 years Ivy has jumped for 875 to 303. Last year alone it went from 406 to 303. Granted 303 is still relatively uncommon, but I see this name only going up. Violet is growing too because of Jen and Ben's baby and the Incredibles movie. I think that people like names similar to Lily and Ivy makes a great alternative. I would go with Rose or Iris because they have stayed around 350 for the past 15 years. If you want something less common: Roselyn, Calla, and Adelia are great options. Ivy's big jump just on the SSA list makes me nervous, so I would keep my eye on it. All that being said, today I find Ivy refreshing and I know the sweetest baby named Ivy Anne. Currently Iris is my favorite girls name.

Brooke

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-20-2003
Tue, 01-30-2007 - 12:11am

Ginger kind of explained how I feel about some names.

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