This has been said before, but Iâll say it again: if you want to use a name from a culture or language youâre not very familiar with, please do your research on things like meaning, pronunciation and usage. Itâs a matter of respect. Make the effort. A pronunciation doesnât change because you like another one better.
And another one: Iâve never really understood using a name to honor someone âbecause it sounds similarâ. If that works for you, thatâs obviously fine, but it wouldnât work for me. Iâd either go with the actual name or a variation, or something else completely that has special significance, like I did with Zakynthos.
For example I go by Laurie. If my hypothetical grandchild was named Emery after me because they both end in ree Iâd probably be like âokay? I guessâ lol
I do agree IF the name is completely foreign to your country, however, especially in Europe there are many names that have crossed (many) borders and have been used in others countries for many years with a pronunciation that fit the countryâs language patterns.
Nikolai or Amelie would be examples of that when looking at their usage in Germany. The emphasis of both names shifted and became closer to the pattern of similar names that had been in usage at the time, such as Nikolas or Emily.
Families which speak either French or Russian would probably use the native pronunciation of these names at home, however, many people who have those names or gave those names to their children switch to the German-ised pronunciation when speaking German.
Itâs not that they think enforcing the pronunciation would be bothersome, no, they like both pronunciations int heir respective languages.
However, when you start using a name that doesnât already have a common pronunciation in the country you live in, I do think it makes the most sense to turn to the language of origin and go from there. Especially if the names are from a different culture and you have no connections to it.
Still, Iâm a little more lenient when you use a pronunciation that may not sound the same as the original language but which makes sense within the language youâre using it in, say using French Florine but pronouncing it FLAW-reen rather than flo-REEN. Or not rolling the R in Orfeo or pronouncing Gianna as gee-Ah-na.
I agree, but in that case I wouldnât consider the name to be âfrom a different cultureâ because if itâs used regularly, it becomes part of your own culture in a way, even if it has a different origin.
Thatâs definitely true. In that case i was thinking more along the lines of using Korean names (without a Korea connection) in Australia, for example. Itâs best to just use the Korean pronunciation then or at least one that would make sense in [name_f]English[/name_f]. A total no-go for me would be using the french pronunciation of a Korean name in Australia just because you think itâs prettier.
I LOVE the longer ones (Zephiro, Prospero, Othello, Leonardo, Santiago, literally half my of list), but the shorter ones donât appeal to me either. I like a few but itâs a rare sight
Yes exactly! So [name_u]Emmett[/name_u] and [name_u]Elliot[/name_u] both have traditionally feminine beginnings (Em- and Ell-) AND endings (-ette sounding). I have no clue how they ended up being predominantly male names.
I think anything can be an honour for other people, however, when people ask âcan [name_f]Lola[/name_f] be an honour name for Charlotteâ in the polls thread, I always vote ânoâ. Because of course it can be an honour name if you see a connection between the names, if every time you say [name_f]Lola[/name_f] you think of [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f]. But then anything works as an honour name, you could use [name_f]Emily[/name_f], if that makes you think of [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f].
To be honest, Iâd even say [name_u]Ryan[/name_u] and [name_m]Ronan[/name_m] are only very personal honour names, rather that ones that would work for everyone wanting to honour a [name_u]Ryan[/name_u]. Itâs not a connection that would be clear to others, really.
I feel like one needs to decide if they want to honour someone for themselves (wanting to make yourself think of that person) or wanting the person youâre honouring to know that youâre naming your kid after them.
In the latter case I feel similar to @ethelmary, if someone wanted to honour me and wanted me to know about the honour, picking [name_f]Olivia[/name_f] because it shares the [name_m]Ol[/name_m] sound or [name_u]Perry[/name_u] because it shares the P and Y, Iâd just feel like they were looking for a connection in their preferred name (which is totally fine, no one expects to be honoured in a name - Iâd rather them pick a name they love or ask me how Iâd like to be honoured if there is no clear connection to my person).
I feel the same way about [name_f]Beatrice[/name_f] and [name_f]Eloise[/name_f]. I like [name_f]Elise[/name_f] and [name_f]Beatrix[/name_f] slightly more but overall those sounds just donât do it for me!
I do like [name_m]Theodore[/name_m] (and Theodora) but I would probably not use these names for my own children.
Some others have mentioned this, but I feel like you can call your kid whatever you want if they have a more traditional name to fall back on. Growing up, many of the people I knew had different combinations of the same set of more traditional names but nicknames were common and accepted by everyone. If a girl was named [name_f]Margaret[/name_f] and went by [name_f]Bunny[/name_f] or Hilly or [name_u]Happy[/name_u] or whatever else, no one cared! Name and then call your child whatever your family wants-they can always return to their formal name if they want.
Love Lora, Loren, Lorence and Lorabelle! And Loren on a boy or Lauren on a boy should happen! What makes Ellen and Lauren girls names but Allen, Ellis, Laurent and Soren mostly boys names? That confuses me.
Different take about nn, it is harder but sometimes peopleâs first names just donât them (not just trans, enbyâs, Ect). I donât think it makes sense to plan call a child a nn of there middle, why not just have the middle as the first? Sometimes people go by their full middle, which has some exceptions because maybe your middle is Legacy or Legend that your parents didnât want as your first. But unless there is a specific reason, just have the middle as the first. (With the exception of pet names like Bunny, Sweetheart, Bear, because they are clearly not full names {unless some people are but Iâve never seen it}.
this is news to no one but I am in the âif you feel it works, it worksâ camp for honors
like: robert to honor a morrigan
the morrigan I know went by âmarybobâ for a significant portion of her life
bob comes from robert
therefore robert honors morrigan
does it make sense ?? barely. but I was thinking about morrigan when I made a robert combo and to me, that means that it is an honor. at the end of the day and honor isnât for other people to see, itâs for you, the child, and the person you are honoring. so if it makes sense to you thatâs the ultimate declaration of whether it makes sense or not.
[name_f]My[/name_f] preferences on common place names: [name_u]London[/name_u] is better on a boy, [name_f]Frances[/name_f] is better on a girl and [name_u]Paris[/name_u] is better on the city. (And I think [name_f]Frances[/name_f] makes more sense than [name_u]Francis[/name_u] as a name)
I agree with you that anything can be an honour name if you personally feel it honours that person / the name makes you think of them / it makes sense to you. The thing is though, if youâre asking other peopleâs opinions for if something can work, e.g. âcan [name_m]Carmichael[/name_m] work as an honour for Jamesâ, the majority of people are not going to see it. [name_m]Even[/name_m] if there is a long story which you explain behind that (your uncle [name_m]Jim[/name_m] had a car which he called [name_u]Michael[/name_u] etc), most people still arenât going to make that connection. That doesnât mean it canât work as an honour if you really feel it works. But if youâre asking for thoughts and then flip round and say âwell technically anything can work as an honourâ when people say they canât see it, I think that destroys the point of asking (not saying you or anyone else does this, just using that as an example). Like it can still be helpful to know what other people think/if it makes sense as an honour to others, even if technically anything can be an honour.
The best nn for [name_m]Theodore[/name_m] is [name_m]Thor[/name_m]. I said what I said [name_u]Teddy[/name_u] is cute too, but I slightly prefer it as a nn for [name_f]Theodora[/name_f]
Aw Iâve never thought of [name_f]Matilda[/name_f] nn [name_u]Teddy[/name_u], thatâs cute. Iâm neutral on [name_u]Theo[/name_u], but I definitely prefer it on girls as well
[name_u]Teddy[/name_u] is cute too, but I slightly prefer it as a nn for [name_f]Theodora[/name_f]