What's wrong with Hope?
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What's wrong with Hope?
| Wed, 10-25-2006 - 9:39pm |
My husband loves the name Gracie, but I really feel it is too trendy! Grace/Gracie is used so much lately. I really like the name Hope, I thought it was a nice alternative to Grace. Everyone seems to think it is just okay. (Maybe for a middle name, people say.) I thought it was a timeless name like Grace? What are your thoughts? Thanks.

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Hope is my middle name. It may sound cliche to some, but 29 years ago I was born prematurely and weighed under 5 pounds. Back then they told my mom not to expect me to live. So of course she "hoped and prayed" I would survive. As a kid I always liked explaining where I got my middle name from, it made me feel special :-).
I think names like Hope, Grace, Faith etc. are very pretty and often give special meaning to a name.
I also find names like this a bit expected and cheesy, to be honest. By all means, if you have a special reason for wanting a name along those lines, go ahead and use it -- just be aware that thousands of other parents will be using the same name (usually giving the same explanation).
There's also the problem of the names possibly becoming ironic (and therefore teasing potential). What if Grace isn't very graceful (this was a running joke in my own family, actually ... anytime someone tripped, spilled something, etc. they were bound to hear "way to go, Grace"). Or what if Faith turns out to be an atheist, Hope seems hopeless, Charity is selfish or Chastity is ... well you get it. LOL
I think that's one of the reasons I dislike these more obvious word names. After all, there are so many names out there with similar, beautiful meanings. You don't have to resort to using the word itself, KWIM?
For example, here's a brief list of names that actually mean grace or hope:
Charis
Grazia
Hannah
Grainne/Grania (doesn't literally mean grace, but it has been Anglicized as Grace in the past, so you could understandably use the nn Gracie if you wanted)
Asha
Esperanza
Also, you may be hearing the "maybe for a mn" comments because virtue names are overwhelmingly popular as filler mn choices. Parents who can't seem to come up with a mn they like (or simply don't bother to) tend to randomly throw Grace, Faith or Hope in the mn slot (right along with Ann, Lynn and Marie). So while it may have meaning to you, others tend to see it as a very common filler type name.
HTH
~Kelli
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There's nothing wrong with Hope if that's the kind of name you like.
I actually think it's very pretty.
I personally love the name Hope.
In the end, choose a name that YOU and your DH love, regardless of what everyone else thinks.
AJ, enjoying life with C.
I'm not sure why Hope doesn't do as well as Grace -- maybe partly b/c Grace has a lighter sound? One of my best friends is named Hope, so that gives me a very positive association with the name. Her family nicknamed everyone by adding an -ie or -er to the end of their names, so she went by Hopie or Hoper a lot at home, which was cute for family.
I think that if you love Hope, you should use it. It's certainly not as trendy as Grace, and it has that timeless quality you're looking for.
Other names that might have a similar feel...
Faith
Joy
Charity
Honor/Honora
Leah
Mae
Mary
Dawn
Helen
Ellen
Anna
Hannah
Cara
Abigail
Beatrice
Felicity
I hope you can find something you both love. Good luck!
Stephanie, mom to Megan Joy (nn Meg) and Julianna May (nn Annie)
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