I’ve been struggling with this for a while, so I figured I would finally put it out there.
I don’t get why people love, or even like the name [name_m]Barnaby[/name_m].
Seriously, I feel like I’m missing out on some big magical secret. I’ve really tried but… to me this [name_m]Barnaby[/name_m] feels awkward and dweeby - it sounds like the kid at school who is endlessly teased for being an Urkle type. What am I missing? What am I not seeing?
I don’t get this one either!! I always feel like I’m somehow mispronouncing it and when I finally say it right I will like it. So far, that hasn’t happened yet. [name_m]Barnabas[/name_m] is even worse. Maybe its because I’m from Wisconsin and I see barns all the time. I just don’t understand why someone would want to name their kids after a place to store cows and hay.
I think the charm is in the clunkiness. To me [name_m]Barnaby[/name_m] is quirky and bookish. It’s not very versatile though, and it would take an especially cool nerd to pull it off. I think Brits can get away with using names like [name_m]Barnaby[/name_m] much easier than Americans can.
See I like [name_m]Barnabas[/name_m] considerably better - it makes me think of hardened and crusty pirates having folklore-style adventures in Barbados. Though that still doesn’t make me like it enough to want to use it for a child.
I dont like it that much either. I’m not sure why because I like cute ‘old man’ names like [name_m]Wilfred[/name_m], [name_m]Alfred[/name_m], [name_u]Stanley[/name_u] etc but I’ve never liked [name_m]Barnaby[/name_m]. I think it’s because of the [name_m]Barn[/name_m]- starting.
I do see why you wouldn’t like [name_m]Barnaby[/name_m]. I used to be indifferent, but now I love it! I just imagine a little boy exploring a library and reading books full of possibility and adventures. I don’t really know what it is, once I get an image I like, I start to love a name. I really dislike [name_m]Barnabus[/name_m] though, it sounds really brutish to me.
Ack. I’m not a fan either. I have family friend who named his dog [name_m]Barnaby[/name_m] some 9ish years ago. So to me I never saw it as anything but a pet name for the last decade. I was stunned it was being used on humans. …and that it was shed in a favorable light!
[name_m]Barnaby[/name_m] lover here! I do not see it as clunky or nerdy AT ALL! I do not get why people have that impression. When I think of [name_m]Barnaby[/name_m], I get two distinct feelings - cute and cuddly (probably because of [name_m]Barnaby[/name_m] Bear) and playful, mischievous and cheeky. I see a cheeky little monkey of a boy who loves to rough-and-tumble and get into trouble, but is sweet and kind and loves his family. That’s why I love it. I am British though, so maybe Americans have a different impression of it.
myosotis: Thanks for sharing your imagery of [name_m]Barnaby[/name_m] - for me that kid (with that imagery) is a [name_m]Sebastian[/name_m] or a [name_m]Cyrus[/name_m]. I can totally see why you would love it thought with that association.
psg007: I had never even heard of [name_m]Barnaby[/name_m] [name_m]Bear[/name_m] before your post. Of course I had to look it up - what a completely different approach to the name for me. Very interesting. Thank you for sharing. I do expect that the cultural impression of [name_m]Barnaby[/name_m] is different in the UK than it is the US. I wonder if it’s overall more favorable? (Maybe I should relocate and see if it grows on me? lol).