s/o Names you like but rarely hear

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We named out daughter Helen. Everyone comments on it.

I really like the name Amittai for a boy but it was a no go with my dh.

I would totally comment on Helen. Great name!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We named out daughter Helen. Everyone comments on it.

I really like the name Amittai for a boy but it was a no go with my dh.

This was my grandmother's name and I pushed for it for our daughter, but DH couldn't get behind it. We went with Eliza instead, for his grandmother.

My sister is pregnant and plans to use Helena if it's a girl. I like Helen better but I guess she likes the more updated vibe.

[Anonymous]

Margaret and Augusta

[Anonymous]

Anna, Agnes, Daisy, Violet, Simone

[Anonymous]

I love the name Valerie, haven't met any younger girls with this name.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So, it's cultural appropriation. So, I side-eye people who appropriate culture that is not their own. So, you get defensive about that. So, you post a nonsensical question about "ownership."

That's what.

NP here. Hold the phone, so someone who's 100% Irish, though multiple generations American, is engaging in cultural appropriation if they name their daughter Aelish? Even if they have an Irish last name? And this is because they're now "American", not Irish? Then what names ARE American and acceptable under this reasoning?

If you didn't know how to pronounce the name growing up, it's not your culture. You're trying to put out that you have a connection to Ireland that is not there. There are Irish Americans that are still very closely connected to this culture -- they have living Irish people in their families, or they travel back and forth and keep close with relatives in Ireland. But those names aren't exotic to those people, they're just names. So again, if you didn't hear these names growing up, if you had to be taught how to pronounce them when you were thumbing through baby name books: then you are part of the diaspora, you are Irish American, you are not Irish. And it might hurt your feelings to learn this, but nobody hates Irish Americans who don't understand they're not actually Irish more than the Irish do. It's a pretense. That's why the Irish PP in this thread put an obligatory "Sully from Boston" dig in her response.

Sincerely, a Murphy

PP here - let me be clear, I have no dog in this fight. I'm a drop Irish along with half a dozen other nationalities and gave my kids family names. This is a thread about names, not about migration patterns and sociology. My point is, if "Irish Americans" aren't allowed to use certain names because of cultural appropriation, what names ARE they allowed to use? You're implying that for the vast majority of us generically "American" folks that have no remaining connection to the countries our ancestors came from, that there are names that are off limits and names that are permissible. Which names are which? Which names are permissible to you? Would you extend this rational to Italian Americans? African Americans?

Also no dog in this fight, as my kids' names aren't Irish. But I will point out that if you met me and my DD "Niamh Murphy" at the playground, you'd have absolutely zero idea if my DH was born in Ireland, or if my mom was, or if I "travel back and forth" to Ireland. Are you going to quiz me to make sure it's acceptable for me to have used the name? What if I spelled it "Neve," does that make it better for you? If not, why is Kathleen okay but Neve not? For that matter, what if I named her Caitlin but pronounced it "Kathleen" (I.e. correctly), is that appropriation?

The fact of the matter is that there are no "American" names, other than Pocohontas, Massasoit, etc. Every name an American uses is taken from some other culture. There is no logical reason why Sean is okay but Aelish is not.

[Anonymous]

Phoebe
Jemima
Gemma
Georgia
Daisy (as a nn for Margaret)
Greta
Trudy (but Gertrude, ugh)
Alice

Abel
Calvin
Graham
Damon
Aaron
Dennis
Seth

[Anonymous]

I've seen a couple baby calvins lately in my Facebook feed

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Anna, Agnes, Daisy, Violet, Simone

Omg, my mom is an Agnes and she always thought ( still does) that it is one of the ugliest names ever. At age two refused to answer when they called her. A cousin was going to be named that and she overheard and shouted out "NO!" so they named her something else.

Just offering another perspective.

Names that I love are:

Benjamin, Alice, Beatrice ( or Beatrix), Daniel

[Anonymous]

Aletheia
Araminta
India
Leonie
Louise
Mary
Veronica

Aaron
Arthur
Daniel
Edmond
Harold
Louis
Michael
Richard
Robert
William

[Anonymous]

Lola

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Daisy. I love that name and I am a traditionalist.

And Minnie (as a nickname). Met a perfect little girl in LA a few weeks ago and her name was Minnie - 16 months old and talking in full sentences! Cute as a bug and a perfect Minnie! I think her formal name was Amelia or Wilamina.

My grandmother'a name was Daisy and I always intended on using it if I had a girl. All boys and done so it won't happen for us....I hope others use it!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Aletheia
Araminta
India
Leonie
Louise
Mary
Veronica

Aaron
Arthur
Daniel
Edmond
Harold
Louis
Michael
Richard
Robert
William

You rarely hear William, Michael, Daniel? I hear them (esp William) all the time!

[Anonymous]

Sally
Millie
Tallulah

Oscar
Otto
Ike

[Anonymous]

Declan
Gigi
Talia
Stephan