What do you think about alliteration?
Does it only work with the first and middle names? First and last names?
Does it depend on the names you’re going to use?
Would alliteration keep you from choosing a name you really like or has personal meaning to you?
I think alliteration can be well done or over the top. It is hard to described when I like it and when I think it is too much but I think it depends on the other sounds in the names. Here are examples.
[name_f]Sarah[/name_f] [name_u]Sawyer[/name_u] … sounds too sing songy to me.
[name_f]Susan[/name_f] [name_u]Sawyer[/name_u] … sounds fine to me.
[name_f]Serena[/name_f] [name_f]Susan[/name_f] [name_u]Sawyer[/name_u] … just seems like too much.
[name_u]Aidan[/name_u] [name_m]Anderson[/name_m] … doesn’t work for me with the repetive d’s and n’s as well
[name_u]Arlo[/name_u] [name_m]Anderson[/name_m] … sounds fine too me
[name_u]Arlo[/name_u] [name_u]Alex[/name_u] [name_m]Anderson[/name_m] … sounds okay
I’m not a fan. I’ve always found it to be too much.
I love it! Im considering it for my baby in [name_u]March[/name_u]. None of my other 4 kids have it, so this is my last chance. Makes it sound like a comic book character. (peter parker, clark kent, lois lane, bruce banner, etc)
It all depends on the exact names proposed. My DH has an alliterative name. I barely noticed when I met him. I think most of the time it’s far less awkward-sounding than a first name that rhymes or clashes with a surname. (ie. [name_u]Jessie[/name_u] Wessler or Iya Kant.)
I think alliteration is perfectly fine, and can be quite nice. You just have to strike the right balance so it’s not too repetitive or sing-songy. I don’t understand ppl who say it’s a no across the board.
I’m not sure I’d have alliteration myself, but I don’t mind it depending on the number of syllables and how many repetitive sounds there are. So it works in some cases, in others it just sounds silly.
I never realized that they all had alliterations.
I think it depends on the name. For characers I like to use alliteration, because its catchy, but with real baby names, I’m a little picker about it. One of my favourite combos for a long time was [name_m]Rhett[/name_m] [name_m]Remington[/name_m] [name_u]Walker[/name_u]. I decided there were too many rrr’s in there though and took it off my list. Another combo I liked in theory for a girl was [name_f]Susannah[/name_f] [name_f]Johannah[/name_f] (I know, I know). When I say it out loud, they sound different, but written they look too close to the same name for me.
I don’t mind alliteration as long as it’s not too contrived. And as far as I’m concerned it really only matters, anyway, if it’s first and last name alliteration, because that’s what you deal with daily. A name like [name_m]Tommy[/name_m] [name_m]Thompson[/name_m]? No. But [name_m]Trent[/name_m] [name_m]Thompson[/name_m] is fine. I wouldn’t use complete alliteration with any child of mine, because then the initials would be KKK. I don’t really like any K given names enough to begin with, so it hardly matters in my case. However, certain phonetics can cause the sound of alliteration regardless of whether the letters match, so that is another thing to keep in mind. I like [name_u]Casey[/name_u] and [name_m]Caleb[/name_m], and they could be considered a little sing-songy with our last name. I also like [name_f]Caroline[/name_f], which would make it effective alliteration, but not sing-songy.
I personally don’t think I would name my child with an alliteration name. It sounds okay in some cases, but most are too much for me. That’s just my opinion.
I know lots of people whose first and last names have the same initials (once, when bored sitting in a meeting it occurred to me that there were five people sitting in a row across from me who all had this!) And as my sister’s name started with the same letter as our surname I guess I always assumed it was fairly normal.
The first I heard of anyone thinking it was abnormal was when I was pregnant with my first, and my mother in law said something about “of course you wouldn’t use an “R” name because then it would be like [name_u]Mickey[/name_u] Mouse!”
It doesn’t bother me personally, but as others said, certain combinations can be too alliterative. I don’t think I’d go for three matching initials either.
Last time round, when coming up with a girl’s name we decided on an M first name, so I ruled out my top choice for a middle because it also started with M. But I decided it was a real pity not to use it (didn’t matter, he was a boy anyway), so this time round I think I’ll probably use it anyway, though unsure if first name will still be M or not.
My husband and I are [name_u]Blake[/name_u] and [name_f]Brittany[/name_f] [name_u]Bo[/name_u]-en; we get a lot of comments on it and before we had kids were frequently asked if we’d give them B names. B ended up the only letter we declared off limits. I personally really like alliteration; it’s catchy and memorable. Granted, it can sound cartoonish, and it doesn’t work for all names and letters, but it’s a great way to make a striking name!
I like alliteration on first and middle names, especially with C names. I love the name [name_f]Calliope[/name_f] [name_f]Catherine[/name_f]. But I think it all depends on the syllable count and how the name flows. I don’t prefer first and last name alliteration, but I think with the right names it sounds fine.
I love alliteration, for me it makes a name more memorable.
I think it depends on the specific names/sounds involved. My daughter’s first and last names both start with M and I don’t think it sounds bad. I know people with first and last names both starting with R, J, and C/K sounds and they all sound fine to me. I hate S alliteration almost 100% of the time, though. It sounds hissy to me.
It depends on the names chosen. Sometimes it can be lovely, other times, not so much. I have an alliterative name, and people don’t tend to notice until the find out my middle name.
Does your middle name just add to the alliteration of your last and first?
I added another question to the original post. A lot of people have said that it really depends on the name and the sound.
So I was wondering; If there was a name that was really personal to you or you really wanted to use would you not use it because of alliteration or would you ignore that and use it anyway?
I’m in the minority here, but I HATE ALL alliterative names. They just sound silly. I think first middle and last names should all start with a different letter. Definitely would avoid.
Okay, okay. I have one type of exception. If they have the same letter but a different sound.
Example:
[name_f]Grace[/name_f] [name_u]Gardener[/name_u], NO. [name_f]Geraldine[/name_f] [name_u]Gardener[/name_u], okay.
I just don’t get the appeal of alliterative names.