Database entries you’d like to see amended

Please use this space to flag up any name descriptions that you find inappropriate and would like to see changed. [name_m]Feel[/name_m] free to suggest new wordings or important points to include/remove if you wish.

We will review your suggestions and make changes wherever we feel it’s appropriate.

Thanks in advance for your help in tackling this!

6 Likes

[name_u]Jory[/name_u] (boy) - “For a girl” is the only comment.
[name_f]Sigrid[/name_f] - The comment seems rather dismissive/negative to me.

First I want to thank you for the time you’re putting in to fix a few of these descriptions. It makes a huge difference.

I’ll come back with more as I find them but the first to come to mind was [name_f]Irma[/name_f]. The “from the experts” description in and of itself wasn’t a bad thing but the wording felt sarcastic and belittling to me.

Not sure if this fits here as it’s not “problematic”, but:

On the name page for [name_f]Keil[/name_f] (also mentioned on the one for [name_m]Kiel[/name_m]) it’s called a “[name_m]German[/name_m] name meaning wedge”, when it really, really isn’t a name. Should be “from a [name_m]German[/name_m] word meaning wedge” instead. Also the pronounciation is wrong, it’s stated to be “keel” but in fact sounds exactly like [name_u]Kyle[/name_u].

Also why does [name_m]Curry[/name_m] have a proper Origin while [name_f]Curry[/name_f] is “just” the word? Why is [name_f]Icy[/name_f] a variation of [name_f]Tundra[/name_f] and [name_f]Nordica[/name_f]?
Still not sure if this is the kind of thing you want us to point out, but I did ¯_(ツ)_/¯

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Could the meaning given for [name_f]Mary[/name_f] (and its many variations) be changed? I was under the impression that the meaning is uncertain and while “bitter” is one possible meaning, there are other theories as well - including Ancient Egyptian for “beloved” or “love”. I wouldn’t want parents to be put off by the “bitter” meaning when a lot of scholars believe it has a different origin.

In the description of [name_f]Edith[/name_f] it says that the wife of [name_m]William[/name_m] the Conqueror was called [name_f]Edith[/name_f], but she was called [name_f]Matilda[/name_f].

Thanks for spotting that, @genevievereine. I have updated the description, along with several others mentioned above.

[name_m]Just[/name_m] found the entry for [name_f]Non[/name_f], where the term “violently conceived” is used. I’m not sure if this is supposed to mean “through rape”, but if so, you should spell it out as to not play the topic down (and if not, you should also word this more clearly).

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Sometimes the descriptions for Dutch names are off. Of course there are sounds that are difficult to capture but I noticed that [name_m]Stijn[/name_m] is described as being pronounced as stain while it is closer to stine rhymes with fine/line/dine.

It’s not a very big deal but I thought I’d let you know

Not sure if this fits but - African and Native American should not be name categories. There are so many languages spoken among Africans and Native Americans. This is like presenting European names or [name_f]Asian[/name_f] names as a category.

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I’ve got a few lol

[name_m]Axel[/name_m] is a classic name, the description makes it sound like it’s some edgy modern rockstar name like [name_m]Ace[/name_m]

[name_u]Bellamy[/name_u]- a male example is [name_u]Bellamy[/name_u] [name_u]Blake[/name_u] in the 100. The description makes it sound like it can’t be used for boys

[name_u]Calder[/name_u]-maybe add pronunciation. I assumed it was [name_u]Cal[/name_u] like [name_m]Calvin[/name_m] for years, not like call

[name_m]Killian[/name_m]- doesn’t have a violent meaning, it means church or monastery

[name_m]Atticus[/name_m]- go set a watchman came our 4 years ago. I feel like if it were to change peoples perception of the name [name_m]Atticus[/name_m] it would have by now

[name_f]Noa[/name_f]- [name_u]Noah[/name_u] [name_m]Cyrus[/name_m] is feminizing a boys name. [name_f]Noa[/name_f] is just a girls name.

Then I have a lot about mythology names…

[name_f]Callisto[/name_f] is probably the darkest myth there is. I’d make it more clear that you really shouldn’t use the name. [name_f]Callisto[/name_f] was raped by [name_m]Jupiter[/name_m] and has his kid, so his wife [name_f]Juno[/name_f] got mad and turned her into a bear. Then years later her son goes hunting and tries to shoot her (the bear), so [name_m]Jupiter[/name_m] feels bad and turns them into the contallations [name_f]Ursa[/name_f] [name_m]Major[/name_m] and [name_f]Ursa[/name_f] [name_m]Minor[/name_m]

[name_f]Atalanta[/name_f]’s description is pretty romanticized too. She’s not the brightest, a guy wins and marries her by throwing golden apples during the race to distract her

[name_m]Evander[/name_m] is a king in the Aeneid, not just a hero

[name_m]Remus[/name_m] didn’t found [name_m]Rome[/name_m] with romulus, [name_m]Romulus[/name_m] killed him then founded it without him.

And finally, [name_m]Roman[/name_m] gods and Greek gods are the same thing, they just call them different things. Same gods, same mythology. People really just know them by the Greek gods though, so I’d include what Greek gods the [name_m]Roman[/name_m] names are the same as.

[name_m]Jupiter[/name_m] is the Latin name for [name_m]Zeus[/name_m]
[name_f]Juno[/name_f] is the Latin name for [name_f]Hera[/name_f]
[name_f]Venus[/name_f] is Latin of [name_f]Aphrodite[/name_f]
[name_u]Neptune[/name_u] is Latin of [name_m]Poseidon[/name_m]
[name_m]Pluto[/name_m] you out as Greek but it’s Latin version of Hades
[name_f]Minerva[/name_f] is Latin of [name_f]Athena[/name_f]
[name_f]Diana[/name_f] is Latin of [name_u]Artemis[/name_u]
[name_u]Mars[/name_u] is Latin of [name_m]Ares[/name_m]
[name_u]Mercury[/name_u] is Latin of [name_m]Hermes[/name_m]

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I noticed that on [name_m]Melchior[/name_m]'s page it said that it was rarely used today “for good reason”, which I think should be amended.

1 Like

Hey there, I would love to see the entry for Rhona amended. It currently says: “Probably started life as a short form of Rhonwen, which we would definitely prefer.” However there seems to be no evidence for this claim. I have seen the name Rhona appear in the credits of movies and TV shows a few times, so there are certainly some notable and accomplished people in the world named Rhona.

Under the “Pop Culture” section of the page someone posted this: "“A name of uncertain origin which began to be used in Britain in the 1870s. The name Rona appeared at the same time and it is therefore reasonable to connect the two, especially since both were much used in Scotland. This would make the origin of the name a Scottish place-name, itself derived from Old Norse hraun-ey ‘rough isle.’ " (Source: The Facts on File Dictionary of First Names, 1983).” I think using this or another source may create a more useful entry.

Another name page I think should be amended is Lenora. It currently says “Used to be a modernized form of Leonora; now sounds more aged than the original.” I think Leonora feels older, while Lenora is a more modern version (with a simpler pronunciation and one less syllable). I don’t see how it sounds aged. I’ve only known younger people with the name. It actually sounds like a modern version of Eleanora to me, or a fun way to honor someone named Eleanor.

Also, I think the pronunciation for Dorian should be fixed. I’ve only ever heard it as “DOOR-ee-un.” I don’t know where “DAW-ree-un” comes from but I’ve never heard it said that way, except maybe by people with very specific regional accents.

If you decide not to change these pages I respect your decision! Just thought I’d give it a shot. Thanks for taking the time to hear us out! :slight_smile:

[name_m]Esra[/name_m] is a turkish female name that’s unrelated to the male, biblical [name_m]Ezra[/name_m]. The male name page even lists mostly women as famous examples!

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Kamala’s Hindi pronunciation is kuh-muh-lah.

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Similarly, there is only a girl page for [name_f]Amariah[/name_f], even though it’s described as being the name of male prophets in the Bible.

Re: [name_f]Claudia[/name_f], [name_m]Claudius[/name_m], [name_u]Claude[/name_u] etc. Many consider the term “lame” outdated and offensive when used to describe people with physical disabilities. I would suggest changing it to a more neutral term.

4 Likes

The entry for [name_f]Melvina[/name_f] seems a bit harsh: Melvin doesn’t deserve a feminine form, although plenty of parents – many of them undoubtedly named [name_m]Melvin[/name_m] – disagreed in the 65+ years this name ranked on the Top 1000.

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Eartha, [name_f]Nenna[/name_f] and [name_f]Nanette[/name_f] are three I’ve spotted with negative comments.

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Rosaleen. I think this name has a lot of potential.