We have [name]Wyatt[/name], [name]Weston[/name], [name]Ryder[/name], [name]Atticus[/name], etc but do you think that [name]Laramie[/name] has a chance of becoming an option for those who are tired of the same ole, same ole cowboy/western names?
rollo
It definitely catches my attention since it’s such an outlier.
[name]Laramie[/name] reminds me of the name “[name]Jeremy[/name]”. Personally, I don’t like the way it sounds and it wouldn’t suit my current last name.
To me, I don’t think it will.
What makes the Western-y/surname-y names like [name]Wyatt[/name], [name]Weston[/name], [name]Ryder[/name], and [name]Atticus[/name] work is their syllables are clearly emphasized.
In [name]Laramie[/name], I feel like the first syllable drags the energy of the name down.
Before I dive in, let me say I actually quite love [name]Zeke[/name]/[name]Zeb[/name]/[name]Wyatt[/name]/[name]Levi[/name] type cowboy cool names.
But [name]Laramie[/name] sounds like the likely nickname [name]Larry[/name], which I don’t like at all anyway. Then add in the play The [name]Laramie[/name] Project, which makes me immediately think of the murder of [name]Matthew[/name] [name]Shepard[/name] and permanently ties the memory of that particular murder case/hate crime to [name]Laramie[/name] specifically.
I couldn’t use it.
[QUOTE=stripedsocks;1673670
But [name]Laramie[/name] sounds like the likely nickname [name]Larry[/name], which I don’t like at all anyway. Then add in the play The [name]Laramie[/name] Project, which makes me immediately think of the murder of [name]Matthew[/name] [name]Shepard[/name] and permanently ties the memory of that particular murder case/hate crime to [name]Laramie[/name] specifically.
I couldn’t use it.[/QUOTE]
The first thing I thought about was The Laramie Project as well. It would also be an issue for me.
However, objectively I like the sound of the word. It’s got a great soft lilt to it - not a fan of Larry as a nn but you might be able to swing Lam or Ram.
It just makes me think about the murder of [name]Matthew[/name] [name]Shepard[/name] as well.
I think cigarettes! and while that may make me think of a cowboy Im sure that its a good connection!
[name]Wyatt[/name] et al. sound strong and sturdy to me whereas [name]Laramie[/name] sounds very soft. It doesn’t sound like a rough & tumble cowboy’s name… Probably in part due to the -y end sound & the soft L and R.
Whenever I hear [name]Laramie[/name] I always think of [name]Matthew[/name] [name]Shepherd[/name]… That being said I like the sound and look of it, I just don’t think I could ever use it.
My first thought was cigarettes too.
While I don’t care for the name myself (only because of its weak sound, I suppose), I’d just like to say that it remains the name of a city in [name]Wyoming[/name], with thousands of residents…the point being that for them, it’s simply their town, not necessarily something evoking bad memories of a crime. It’s also a surname, and for those bearing that name, it’s also just, well, their name. So not everyone has negative associations.
I also think of cigarettes when I think of [name]Laramie[/name].
It reminds me of the murder.
I haven’t heard of either the cigarettes or the murder, so if these were out of the picture how would you view it as a good western style name?
I suppose, by sound alone, it is a pretty decent, Western-y sounding name, but I really could never separate it from [name]Matthew[/name] [name]Shepard[/name]. I’ve met his mother (she tours around as an anti-hate advocate) and the [name]Laramie[/name] Project is a widely produced play later made into a film. Twenty years ago, [name]Laramie[/name] might’ve sounded like a cool Western name, but now I think it just sounds tragic.
It may be in the same ballpark as using [name]Columbine[/name] for a girl. If you do decide to use it, you should at least do so with the knowledge that a lot of people who meet him will have these associations in their minds. Better to know ahead of time and make an informed decision than find out after the fact, right?
[name]Laramie[/name] is a nice name, but I don’t necessarily think “Western” when I hear it. Like someone else mentioned, my first association with the name is [name]Matthew[/name] [name]Sheppard[/name].
No because it sounds too girly. Sounds like [name]Lara[/name], [name]Amy[/name], [name]Bellamy[/name] combined.
I also immediately thought of The [name]Laramie[/name] Project and the murder of [name]Matthew[/name] [name]Shepard[/name]. I suppose it has a bit of a similarity to [name]Jeremy[/name] that does make it more wearable and name-like than some other place names, but I find it really difficult to disassociate it with [name]Matthew[/name] [name]Shepard[/name].
Murder and cigarettes aside, yes, I do think [name]Laramie[/name] has a strong “Western” style to it. I can also picture a [name]Laramie[/name] as someone on a dude ranch, lasso and all, galloping away into the sunset on a horse.
Thanks valkyrie I am glad that someone else can see that too.
rollo