See the results of this poll: What to use in my combos?
Respondents: 39 (This poll is closed)
- Honor/Filler MN : 24 (62%)
- Non-Honor/Non-Filler MN : 12 (31%)
- Other: 3 (8%)
I think that it would be a shame not to honor your grandmothers when [name_f]Mae[/name_f] is a great way to do so. You could always use two middles names, as [name_f]Mae[/name_f] is very short. As someone who was named after both of my great-grandmothers, I love the fact that I’m connected to them in some form, as I never got to meet them. At the end of the day, you should go with the name that you feel happiest with and not worry about whether it is too boring/popular etc!
I think [name_f]Mae[/name_f] is sweet. I don’t think a name is ‘filler’ when there’s a reason as good as honoring two grandmothers behind it.
In all honestly I really dislike honor names. I’m the kind of person that thinks my kid doesn’t come to this world to honor anybody but themselves, so, personally (and I know this is very personal) I want to give them a name that it’s only theirs. Plus, it brings trouble sometimes; if you honor a member of the family the others can get jealous and all of that. However, I understand why people use honor names and why it’s very important for them and how much meaning it can carry.
So, if you really like [name_f]Mae[/name_f], go for it. I you REALLY want to honor the granmas, go for it. If it carries a lot of meaning for you, go for it. It may be seen as a filler name, but if it’s important to you, it shouldn’t matter in the end.
P.S: Since you said one of your grandmas doesn’t like her name, why don’t you talk with both of them so they can give you some names both of them actually like? Maybe they both have a favourite name they would like you to use. I think it could be a cute way of honor them! You can always ask them what they prefer!
@rosiemarch Thank you! I’m glad to hear that you like being named after your great-grandmothers and enjoy the connections.
@emsky Thank you for your input! I guess I worry more that others would just see it as a filler since they wouldn’t know the backstory behind it.
@marielalie Thank you for your opinion! Luckily, my family cares very little about honoring, but would be thrilled if I did. Although, if I was planning to have kids with a SO then that would definitely be something to watch out for because I know some families take it very seriously. If that turned out to be the situation I was in I probably wouldn’t honor anyone. No one likes family drama!
Unfortunately, one of my grandmothers (the one with the mn [name_f]May[/name_f]) passed away when I was in college, so I never had the opportunity to talk about kids/great grandkids with her. My other grandmother is picky to say the least 
She doesn’t know much of what she does like (besides [name_u]Reese[/name_u], an old boyfriend’s name), but she knows all of what she hates and won’t hesitate to say so 
[name_f]Margaret[/name_f] [name_f]Mae[/name_f] would be really sweet. GO FOR IT!!! I’m not married or expecting and I have names picked out for my six or seven children, Lol. So you’re not the only one. But yeah, I rally like both together. And [name_f]Honor[/name_f] names totally [name_m]Rock[/name_m], never mind any naysayers. I’m sure your daughter would be very pleased to be named after special and important people and share a connection and listen to stories about them/from them. [name_f]Margaret[/name_f] [name_f]Mae[/name_f]
Well, we’ve decided not to use family names because we both have large, complicated families with just too many people to honour!
You’re lucky in that the name you’re considering honours both grandmothers, so you’re covering your bases. And [name_f]Mae[/name_f] will go with almost anything as a first name, so you could get really creative there to balance it out if you like, or use two middles as pp suggested.
However, I must admit that I find [name_f]Mae[/name_f] very dull in the middle, especially as the second of two middle names, where it just seems entirely superfluous to me. But honouring family members comes above such considerations for many people.
I have 2mn’s and both are honor names. The first, [name_f]Sophie[/name_f], was the fn of both of my mothers grandmothers - the second honors obscure family history and everyone for the last 200 years has had one like it.
I was 8 when my mom (Single mother) decided on what she would like and gave me options to choose from - and then deftly talked me into her favorites… lol. So I’ve ALWAYS loved that my mn’s have strong family ties that bind me to people who died long before I was born. Therefore… I think [name_f]Mae[/name_f] is a really great way to honor both of your grandmothers! What makes the name particularly interesting and intriguing in your case is the full weight of the lives of your grandmothers behind that name… not just it’s three letters. You could come up with an obscure name with the coolest meaning in the world and it still wouldn’t be as personal and cool as [name_f]Mae[/name_f] - at least to me. But I am currently considering [name_f]Anne[/name_f] as a mn for our baby due in [name_f]May[/name_f] as it was my DH’s grandmothers name and she passed away days before we found out we were having a girl. (Also my godfather - who was there when I was born - died days before we found out we were pregnant so [name_f]Josephina[/name_f] might be a mn option as well to honor him and his impact on my life. Maybe we won’t go with either, who knows).
@fifi44 Thank you for commenting! I’d actually only use [name_f]Mae[/name_f] so it would honor them both.
@ew314 Thank you! I am lucky that one name would cover both; I think that’s what makes it so special too! I’d only use one middle name, so my top combo right now is [name_f]Tessa[/name_f] [name_f]Mae[/name_f]. Although, I worry that it sounds too country (especially since I like the idea of using the fn mn combo on a regular basis) or, like you said, dull.
@lexiem Thank you for your input! Congratulations on your baby girl! Family is so important to me, so I’m glad to hear that you also enjoy having mns that honor your family and are considering it for your daughter. You’re so right about personal meaning being important; I even have some fondness for combined meaning in my top combo [name_f]Tessa[/name_f] (to reap/gather) and [name_f]Mae[/name_f] (derived from [name_f]Margaret[/name_f], pearl; [name_f]Edit[/name_f]: it also means mother in Portugese!). It’s just that uncertainty about the appearance (filler) and sound (too dull? too country?) issues. Your comment really described how meaningful those honors are above those things I’m worried about, thank you.
I am not a fan of honors since I think everyone deserves their own name, something they can claim as their own and not be reminded that it was once their grandmother’s or their grandfather’s or their fathers or their mothers, etc.
But that’s just me. I think if you want to honor, [name_f]Mae[/name_f] is a great option, but I also don’t agree with using a name that the person you are honoring doesn’t like or honoring someone who doesn’t want to be honored. I don’t want my children to use my name on their kids, and if they did despite me telling them not to, then I don’t think I would feel very honored.
It’s only a filler name when there’s no meaning behind it.
This exactly. And in that case, it’s very rare that a name is actually just a ‘filler’ name.
I chose “other” because I think you should go with [name_f]May[/name_f]/[name_f]Mae[/name_f] only if you are absolutely head-over-heels in love with it. If that’s the case, it’s awesome that it just so happens to also honor your grandmother. However, you label it a “filler” name (and I know what you mean because there are those “typical” middle names that I hear so often that it seems someone just threw it in there to fill a spot) which leads me to believe you don’t passionately love it so I would find something else.
@moondreams Thank you for your comment! Part of me says do it because there isn’t a name that my grandmother will like, no matter what I name the child so I might s well honor both grandmothers At the same time, you make a great point. I wouldn’t want any kids of mine to use my name.
@southern.maple Thank you! I guess I mean more that the name will seem like a filler to others.
@lawsonhaley Thank you! I guess in a way that’s true. I think I am swayed by outside opinions though and growing up with [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] as a middle, which it seemed like every other girl had, makes me concerned about mns that are more common.
@julz802 Thank you! I don’t adore the name. I like the combined meaning of the fn and mn I’d probably use and the personal meaning. But the fact that it’s a popular mn and it sounds very country fills me with doubts about it. Although, I’ll admit that girl names are hard for me anyways, so I don’t get as obsessed about them as boy names.
[name_f]Tessa[/name_f] [name_f]Mae[/name_f] is great!
@fifi44 Thank you