I’ve been interested in names for a while, being a writer/[name_m]Sims[/name_m] player, but one pattern I’ve noticed among the name nerd community is that traditional names with a long history are preferred, whereas more recently created names are shunned and dismissed as trashy. I’m interested in video games, fantasy novels etc. and would like to name my future kids something in that style, so I’m looking for something non-traditional, or at least uncommon.
Would this inconvenience my future kids at all, e.g. when trying to get a job? I’m not going to call them anything too outlandish, but having a very boring, safe, traditional name myself makes me want to use something more unusual.
The short answer is- yes, to a certain extent people tend to associate made up sounding names with low class people and will make judgments accordingly. Personally I think people also make this assumention about names with a long history that are unrecognizable and sound made up. While this might not have a huge effect on someone’s day to day life judgments like that from employers and schools might make life a little harder than it needs to be.
Well, it depends.
Modern, made-up names do feel trashy to many, including me (of course this is just my personal opinion)
However, that doesn’t mean you can’t name your child(ren) something uncommon or even not that traditional. There are so many unique names with rich history, or crazy variations of more traditional names. [name_m]Just[/name_m] because you wouldn’t be using a modern, made-up name doesn’t mean you’d have to go for [name_m]John[/name_m], [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f], [name_f]Mary[/name_f], [name_m]George[/name_m] or anything like that
Some examples of unique names with history are [name_m]Aurelius[/name_m], [name_m]Octavian[/name_m], [name_f]Saskia[/name_f], [name_m]Lysander[/name_m], Timoleon, [name_m]Attila[/name_m], [name_f]Cassiane[/name_f], Desideria, [name_f]Nephele[/name_f] etc. In addition, some unique variations of well known names are: [name_m]Arnaud[/name_m], [name_m]Georges[/name_m], [name_f]Melusine[/name_f], [name_f]Mette[/name_f], [name_f]Annika[/name_f], [name_f]Ekaterina[/name_f], [name_f]Arrosa[/name_f], [name_m]Heino[/name_m], [name_f]Elspeth[/name_f], [name_m]Mikhail[/name_m], [name_f]Eleni[/name_f], [name_f]Graziella[/name_f], [name_f]Arete[/name_f] etc etc
When it comes to the “will they be able to get a job?” question, well, I do think that an employer would be more likely to hire a [name_f]Mariah[/name_f] than they’d be to hire a Marosellonia (just a dumb example, but you get it)
I agree mith previous posters, it’s not about if a name is made up and more if it sounds made up.
If the legitimacy of a name matters to you, but you also want a [name_f]Fantasy[/name_f]-feel, there are lots of old, medieval names out there for you (my first thought was [name_f]Melisandre[/name_f]). Or ancient greek (Despina, [name_f]Macaria[/name_f], Hyperion) etc etc.
If you’re worried your kids will have trouble finding a job with an out-there name, well, that’s a whole other problem. I understand if you’d rather play it save, but I personally feel like that’s no way to face discrimination. And the good news is: uncommon names are becoming more and more common. So I guess my advice is to use what you love and hope there will be less name prejudice in 20+ years.
You can always give your kid the first name you love and a middle name that’s safe. If Nimeria [name_f]Grace[/name_f] [name_m]Smith[/name_m] finds Nimeria too cumbersome, she could put N. [name_f]Grace[/name_f] [name_m]Smith[/name_m] on resumes.
For what it’s worth, the names I’m considering for a future daughter are [name_f]Elora[/name_f] and [name_f]Arwen[/name_f], and I’ve seen a lot of negative opinions towards them because the former is kind of dubious when it comes to legitimacy, the latter is from an invented language so not technically “real”. I don’t think these are too awful. Maybe it’s because I used to hang out in a certain community of name nerds who are very picky and have a strict policy when it comes to names and their history, but it’s made me really worried that my future kids are going to be discriminated against because of their names.
The world is changing. One no longer has to have a traditional European name to be successful in life. Those who continue to insist being called [name_m]Henry[/name_m] or [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] is the key to success are the people holding us back. Twenty years from now, employers will not have the luxury of tossing out resumes because the applicant is called [name_u]Jayden[/name_u] or [name_f]Nevaeh[/name_f].
[name_f]Elora[/name_f] is close enough to lots of existing names to fit right in and nameberry claims [name_f]Arwen[/name_f] has Welsh history. Neither are difficult to pronounce.
Both [name_f]Elora[/name_f] and [name_f]Arwen[/name_f] are legitimate names, they, or variants, are becoming increasingly popular and this will not be a problem, there’s more of a problem with names like Qayliearh “[name_u]Kay[/name_u]-lea”, something that looks so out of the box everyone goes what?
I read this and I was wondering what kind of names you were thinking about and I scrolled through the comments. Honestly I think they are fine. They are not difficult to write or pronounce and they are not unheard of. [name_f]Arwen[/name_f] being one of the characters of the [name_m]Lord[/name_m] of the Rings may be, or not, a plus for you. I agree with a previous poster that a more safe middle name option would be great in case the kid prefers it but I think they are fine, honestly.
Although for me personally it is important for a name to have a long history, I absolutely don’t think this is something that matters objectively. I don’t think you need the approval of the rest of humanity, past or present, to sanction your choice of a name. The most important thing is that the name has meaning for you, whether etymological or personal, and it sounds like the [name_m]Lord[/name_m] of the Rings names have both. (This is why I would never object to [name_f]Neveah[/name_f], by the way, even if I wouldn’t use it myself.)
Of course, it is important to weigh into consideration that it is the child who will have to wear the name, so I would stay away from anything that would cause practical difficulties: anything that is impossible to spell or pronounce, or outlandish or impractical word names ([name_m]Rogue[/name_m], Tannin, [name_f]Afternoon[/name_f]), or words from other languages that would be ridiculous for native speakers of that language (Lustig, for example), etc.
So I think wearability and appropriateness do matter - but they are different from legitimacy.
I would say that naming a child Susary after grannies [name_f]Susan[/name_f] and [name_f]Mary[/name_f], for example, or taking a name like [name_f]Arwen[/name_f] from a book, is absolutely fine. Names like [name_f]Anneliese[/name_f] and [name_f]Miranda[/name_f], one a smoosh and the other a literary coinage, had to be invented at some point.
I’ve read up a little on this, and it can kinda go both ways. An invented modern name does tend to invite peoples assumptions that your child is inferior to a child with a traditional name, but I think if it isn’t too out there, and your child wears it well and u are confident about it, it can actually give a child an edge that people like.
Legitimacy doesn’t matter to me, but then again, I do love unusual names mixed with traditional names. I’m with @kew above fer sure. Wearability is the key. I think the flow of the names is part of wearability, too, which is what I’m still playing around with.
[name_m]Even[/name_m] if I didn’t know what inspired [name_f]Arwen[/name_f] or that it was already a form of a Welsh name, I would still say it reads and sounds legitimate. It’s elegant. On a personal level, what I don’t like is when there are jumbles of letters, misplaced letters, or addition of letters that really didn’t need to be there. People already provided examples of that in this thread… lol and they’re great examples. What might render [name_f]Arwen[/name_f] illegitimate would be Arrwhyne, Airwein, Arweyne, Arwinne, and Arywen.
Likewise, [name_f]Elora[/name_f]… well, I realized why it looked so familiar after looking it up. Ellora caves. I write (or used to, need to get back into it) in a historical setting based in [name_f]India[/name_f]. I rather like the name, actually! It’s elegant, it has a cheerful sound to it. That all gets ruined if it gets spelled like Eiloria, Elyora, Ellnorya, Ellorra, etc.
Theres a lot of names like [name_f]Vanessa[/name_f] or [name_f]Wendy[/name_f] for example that were “made up” at some point and yet people wouldnt bat an eye at them now. I think it depends on the name. Like [name_f]Daenerys[/name_f] is way too tied to Game of Thrones to me. Its not that she’s a bad namesake. But, will that child be able to escape dragon related jokes for the rest of their life? Especially since Game of Thrones is so popular? Idk.
I personally love the history and meanings behind names, so it matters to me.
I know that all names were ‘made up’ at one point - example: [name_f]Wendy[/name_f] - which made its first appearance in [name_m]Peter[/name_m] [name_m]Pan[/name_m], but is an accepted name due to the popularity of the story.
If you are worried about job opportunities, then I suggest a mainstream middle name like [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f]/[name_f]Jacqueline[/name_f] that they can use.
While I would agree that [name_u]Jayden[/name_u] was at its peak popular enough amongst all racial groups and income levels to become innocuous, I don’t think name-based discrimination will go away. I’d argue the racial and especially class divide between name choices has only gotten larger. Made up names that explicitly ‘sound’ made up by whatever the standards of the day are will still be associated with the lower classes. But [name_f]Elora[/name_f] and [name_f]Arwen[/name_f] don’t fall into that category, which I think is the distinction.
Oh this topic always gets my goat. I have an unusual name–first AND last–and yet somehow I’ve managed to get hired into a decent career. I’m a pharmacist so I get to see all kinds of unusual perscriber names. Like [name_f]Gypsy[/name_f], for example. Seriously, you wouldn’t believe how many doctors have very unusual names. Also, not so long ago, a man named [name_m]Barack[/name_m] [name_m]Hussein[/name_m] [name_m]Obama[/name_m] was elected president. Twice. And before that a man with the unusual name, [name_m]Lyndon[/name_m], was elected president. I’ll try to stop being facetious now.
[name_m]Even[/name_m] when people try to steer you away from unusual names because of some research they cite, that research doesn’t apply to years in the future when your kids will live because unusual names will be more and more common then. The US is trending toward more varied, unusual names. They will be the new norm.
Above all else, just use a name you love. [name_m]Don[/name_m]'t name or not name out of a place of fear. That will only cause the biggest name regret.
And if you’re talking about [name_f]Arwen[/name_f], there is absolutely nothing about that name which should prevent [name_f]Arwen[/name_f] from getting a job. Would you want [name_f]Arwen[/name_f] working for an employer that would discriminate against her for her name, anyway?
Not exactly on topic, but I like how this example illustrates how arbitrary name discrimination is. You list [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] and [name_f]Jacqueline[/name_f] as equals, here in Germany, [name_f]Elisabeth[/name_f] would be the “guaranteed success” name and [name_f]Jacqueline[/name_f] would be discriminated against.
This is how I feel when I see Germans talking about how low class/trashy Kevin is, because to me Kevin is one of the most generic possible male names.
And by that I mean it’s a name anyone from any walk of life can have and not be surprising. A mayor, a professional basketball player, a gangster, a legislator, a police officer, a murderer, a restaurateur, a reporter, a bank robber, a meteorologist, a drug dealer…those are all things Kevins around here done and been in the news for. Black, white, Hispanic, or Asian: Kevin!
I do think that’s something to keep in mind…which culture is a child part of? If they’re a part of a culture that frowns on certain names, then [name_f]IMO[/name_f] parents should consider that when they’re deciding on a name, but also be aware that that connotation isn’t universal. For example, I know that [name_f]Sharon[/name_f] & [name_u]Tracy[/name_u] are considered very lower-class in the UK; here in the US they’re just mom & grandma names but not lowbrow. I guess [name_m]Kevin[/name_m] is considered to be trashy in Germany (I had no idea)…which is funny because my almost-ten-year-old nephew is [name_m]Kevin[/name_m] & his maternal grandmother is [name_m]German[/name_m]. I’m not aware of any issues that were raised when my nephew was named, but I’ll have to ask my [name_m]SIL[/name_m].