How did you choose your children's names?

[supershifty]

I'm 47 and don't plan on firing off any more kids. My girls are 18+20 now. I and the now ex didn't want to know what sex of child we were getting so had to debate on names.

The tradition in my family was that the first born son takes the fathers christian name as middle name. My name is David, my father's name was Alan - so David Alan and so forth. Much the same in a lot of families. We had so much difficulty trying to decide on a boys name that we gave up, not because of arguing - just couldn't decide, it was in limbo. We wanted to be prepared for the birth to announce a name, but it wasn't going to happen.

We picked heaps of girl's names - so much easier for some odd reason. We didn't want names of other girls in our respective families (although we liked many of them) The ex knocked out a few names because they were a "*****'s name" of someone she didn't like ("nasty girl", in case the filter kicks in)

Glad I had girls though. We called them Ashley Paige + Sheridan Kate - sorted.

How did you go?

Cheers!

[Dusty1]

My daughter got Charlotte because of Charlotte Bronte, and because it's my Mum's middle name. She got middle names of Annie (her grandmother's middle name) and Violet (my grandmother's middle name). She is the only grand daughter in my parent's seven grandkids.

Having twin boys was kinda easy. We wanted them to have something in common apart from being brothers, so they got three letter names. Max and Jim.

I have two middle names, William (maternal grandfather's first name) and Gordon (paternal grandfather's middle name).

My boys are Max Robert (middle name of her grandfather) Gordon, and Jim William Earle - after Steve Earle who music has meant a good deal to me over the years.

It's also the case that as I am the youngest and last to have kids, first names were mostly taken, so it was mainly middle names for us.

[Bearman]

Robert is the ongoing traditional name in my family. It's my Grandfathers name, my Dad's middle name and my middle name. My Brother made it his son's middle name and my Sister's eldest son also has that as his middle name.

I don't have kids of my own and never will but if I ever did have a son his middle name would be Robert. In choosing his first name I would ask myself 3 questions:
- Will this name get him bashed in the school yard?
- Will people have trouble spelling it and cause him to have to spend his life correcting people?
- is this name flavour of the month with every second boy getting this name?

The answer to these questions would have a big bearing on the name I would choose. I would also avoid idiotic new age spelling of names as well. He would likely end up with a really blokey name.

As for girls, I like old fashioned lady like names. She'd never get a skanky name or be named after a euro car.

[old_mate]

The name arthur has been in my dads family for as far back as the family tree goes - my son is the 7th or 8th generation to have it in his name (my dad and I share it as a middle name with my son)

Jax's (or Jackson's) first name was chosen because the wife and I are sons of anarchy fans hahaha. It's pretty sad that mums new kitten was called Opie because Jax loves the little thing

[Bushbasher]

I picked my daughters first name just because I liked it, only to discover later that it was a top 3 flavour of the month name at the time. Her middle name was my wife's choice and was her granny's name so she became Emily Grace. My son, on the other hand, was my wifes' choice start to finish and she insisted he have my name first and her fathers name second so he became Nicholas Thomas.
I don't know how many times I've had prescription repeats for me with my sons middle name on them instead of mine and vice versa. I'm so sick and tired of correcting the chemist I have just given up.

[zilo]

We named them after parents, their parents, uncles etc.

No middle names because we both hate them.

[Franco Cozzo]

I was named Damien because I was born on Friday the 13th, after the main character in the movie "The Omen".

Unfortunately everyone spells my name with an A instead of an E and it gives me the ***** to no end.

[Lotte]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

I was named Damien because I was born on Friday the 13th, after the main character in the movie "The Omen".

Unfortunately everyone spells my name with an A instead of an E and it gives me the ***** to no end.

If this is for truth, your parents are officially epic

My mate named his kid Archer after the cartoon.

My parents put a lot more thought and originality into my sisters name than mine. To be fair, they were convinced I was going to come out a boy, so when I didn't they had to scramble to family names.

I'm stuffed if I have kids. I had enough trouble naming my cats.

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by Lotte

If this is for truth, your parents are officially epic

My mate named his kid Archer after the cartoon.

My parents put a lot more thought and originality into my sisters name than mine. To be fair, they were convinced I was going to come out a boy, so when I didn't they had to scramble to family names.

I'm stuffed if I have kids. I had enough trouble naming my cats.

Yeah thats the official line, they couldn't agree on a name up until I was born as they were arguing about it during the pregnancy and then I came out on the Friday 13th and Dad was like thats it, Damien.

Mum wanted Kieran and Jullian but Dad wouldn't agree, didn't like Jake either lol.

[Bridgette01]

My wife presented me with a list of names. "you can choose any 3 from this list" Ahhh ok I said and picked 3 names that were not too offensive. She then chose 1 name from my list of 3. The rest is history

[EgoFG]

Um .. the conveyancer we used on our first home purchase

[superyob]

My children all have traditional names. I'm not a fan of fad names that are deliberately misspelt so the owner can feign annoyance when the unsuspecting gets it wrong... I do see some 'beauties' at times...

[XP6]

Originally Posted by superyob

My children all have traditional names. I'm not a fan of fad names that are deliberately misspelt so the owner can feign annoyance when the unsuspecting gets it wrong... I do see some 'beauties' at times...

Touché

[GasoLane]

Originally Posted by superyob

My children all have traditional names. I'm not a fan of fad names that are deliberately misspelt so the owner can feign annoyance when the unsuspecting gets it wrong... I do see some 'beauties' at times...

Terry Pratchett has said that because people 'muck about with names so much' whenever he does a Book signing he always asks how they spell their name.

Even if it's Ann !

[XP6]

My wife let me choose a name for our child, we did want to know what sex until birth so I had to pick two
I like older more traditional names, boys names are easier because the last name doesnt change... like tradition he would take my name as middle and I liked Jamieson so Jamieson Paul.
Girls name was harder, to me the middle name needs to help the name roll off the tongue and need to match with any last name... cant predict who they marry(if they do that is), so just happens my wife family(Italian)tradition was to use an already used family name... the wife's middle is "Jo" so used that, 1st was harder I wanted an older traditional name that meant something I came up with Savannah which like a savanna means the provider or to provide(dates back to the 1600's).
We had a girl, Savanah Jo... I dropped the 2nd N just to be different

[supershifty]

What prompted me to start this thread was this:



I mean, ffs, why would you do that to someone you're gonna love and cherish. We don't choose our names - it's a gift from our parents that stays with us for life. I rather like my name, got no choice but to though.

Cheers! (David)

[Lotte]

Originally Posted by supershifty

What prompted me to start this thread was this:

image

I mean, ffs, why would you do that to someone you're gonna love and cherish. We don't choose our names - it's a gift from our parents that stays with us for life. I rather like my name, got no choice but to though.

Cheers! (David)

The parents seem to have a "KH" and "Y" fetish.
I'm guessing they're a little peeved their daughter didn't graduate from "Khyndyrgartyn"

[Syndrome]

Originally Posted by supershifty

What prompted me to start this thread was this:

image

I mean, ffs, why would you do that to someone you're gonna love and cherish. We don't choose our names - it's a gift from our parents that stays with us for life. I rather like my name, got no choice but to though.

Cheers! (David)

Almost as bad as Heavenly Hiraani Tiger Lily Hutchence. Why would anybody want to inflict a lifetime of misery upon their children?

[Lotte]

Originally Posted by Syndrome

Almost as bad as Heavenly Hiraani Tiger Lily Hutchence. Why would anybody want to inflict a lifetime of misery upon their children?

Jacko calling his kid "Blanket" probably takes the ultimate cake for celeb inflicted children names.

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by Lotte

Jacko calling his kid "Blanket" probably takes the ultimate cake for celeb inflicted children names.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moon_Zappa

[champ]

Named our daughter after the greek ancients "Olympia".

[b2tf]

Originally Posted by supershifty

What prompted me to start this thread was this:

image

I mean, ffs, why would you do that to someone you're gonna love and cherish. We don't choose our names - it's a gift from our parents that stays with us for life. I rather like my name, got no choice but to though.

Cheers! (David)

Maybe they're Welsh?

[Lotte]

Originally Posted by b2tf

Maybe they're Welsh?

Welsh alphabet doesn't have the letter K. And there's not enough W's.

[Road_Warrior]

The War Office and I discussed it well in advance. We both agreed we didn't want any yuppie, hipster or 'fad' names for our kids because they have to live with them forever. So we narrowed down a list of names for both sexes that we were happy with (traditional names) and when the respective babies came out we looked at them and said yep, that name suits him/her.

[Franco Cozzo]

One of the management staff where I work casually asked me how to spell my name for a name tag, so I told her, its spelt with an E, and she writes it down. then when I get the name tag its got an A in there...

She goes I thought I wrote it down wrong....

NO!

Been there for 8 years and every year my name identification tags have been wrong.

One year I got "Daimiem".

Or when someone asks my name over the phone, I get "Danny"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoMgnJDXd3k

[Lotte]

For some reason people can spell "Lotte" a hell of a lot easier than "Charlotte"
I never had any issues with my name till I left my home town (where everyone knew I hated Charlotte) and I decided I couldn't be stuffed informing new employers of my preferred name (I'd always planned to be Charlotte professionally anyway - keeps me a bit seperate in and out of work).
The mis spellings are atrocious.
Sharlotte
Charolet
Charlene (WHAT?!!?!!)
Shallot

The list goes on. Usually these are people sending me emails to "firstname.lastname@employer.com"

[Vincenzo]

First daughter is named after the lead character in the Earth Child series. Supposedly set in a time when modern man was living with Neanderthal man.

Aylah Maree (Aye -lar)

Second daughter is interesting. I was boarding with a family and the mother's name was Jolanta - Polish (Yo -lun tah). So, I combined the Yo with the Hawaiian Lani.

Yolani Jacinta (Yo-lah knee)

Last and final child is my son, he was given a traditional Irish name in celebration of his (our/my) heritage.

Deaclan Sean (deck-lin)(shawn). One variation of spelling is Deaglan, even though it is supposedly pronounced (deck-lin).


Cheers Vincenzo, Vinny, Vincent

[Franco Cozzo]

I remember in grade 6 we had our school photos like we always did each year, one of my mates name was "Sean" and the photographer pronounced it See-ann and he cracked the ***** hardcore.

[Crazy Dazz]

Eldest daughter was named after my first "love" who died in high-school (my wife also loved the name) then a name I liked (but would never get as a first name) but I apparently misspelt it so she now appears to be names after a town in the NT. Shortly after she was born, my beloved Grandmother passed away, so she received a 3rd name.

2nd daughter was named after her mother's two middle names (one of which was also MIL's middle name.) My wife's beloved grandmother had recently passed, so she too received a 3rd name.

Eldest son had been agreed in advance, he was to be given the name my late brother had chosen for his son (who turned out to be a daughter.) This also happens to be my middle name. Then my late brother's names as middle names.

3rd daughter's name changed between 3rd & 4th pregnancies. There's a lot of Irish in our families, we both love Irish names, and loved a particular name. But it didn't combine well with our surname, so it became her 2nd name, and we chose a name we both liked for the first. We decide to continue the tradition of third names, and she received my Mother's first name.

4th Daughters name was classic Irish. She was born on a saints day, so at the birth we decided to change her 2nd name to the female version, and as a 3rd she received my maternal grandmother's.

5th daughter's (who died in utero) name was a previous child in the house we bought, her name was on the door, and we loved the name.

2nd Son was another traditional name, probably more Scottish than Irish, followed by my father's name, and that of my disabled brother (who'll never have kids.)

nb: My FIL and MIL were well catered for by nephews and nieces before our kids were born.

[Crazy Dazz]

I went to school for many years with a kid called Dean, except it was spelt Deanne.
At the start of every year in high school, when they were calling out who had to go where, they would read his name out with the girls as De-Anne.

There was also a guy who had two names that could be either surnames or first names. The lists were always written as surname, first name, and the teachers would automatically transpose them when they called our names. Except for his. 9 times out of ten, they would call his as written, surname firstname.