A thread to share the names you adore but can’t use, whether it’s due to popularity, pronunciation, or association.
For me—
Lucifer
[name_m]Anakin[/name_m]
[name_f]Lydia[/name_f] (I have a close relative)
Driftwood (too wordy)
[name_u]Honor[/name_u]/Valor (too wordy)
[name_f]Styx[/name_f] (too weird)
Archangel
[name_m]Adolf[/name_m] (I genuinely love this name, but the association is too strong!)
[name_m]Judas[/name_m]
[name_u]Jerusalem[/name_u] (just too much)
Ealton (too close to [name_m]Elton[/name_m] [name_m]John[/name_m]— not that that’s necessarily a bad association, but it’s too much)
[name_u]Mercury[/name_u] (so many associations. I could never get past them. [name_u]Freddie[/name_u] [name_u]Mercury[/name_u], the substance, the planet, the god…)
[name_f]Saoirse[/name_f] (cultural appropriation-ish)
[name_u]Raiden[/name_u] (same as [name_f]Saoirse[/name_f])
[name_m]Eliseo[/name_m] (same as [name_f]Saoirse[/name_f])
[name_u]Bodhi[/name_u] (same as [name_f]Saoirse[/name_f])
I think
[name_u]Jerusalem[/name_u] (in the middle)
[name_f]Saoirse[/name_f]
and [name_u]Raiden[/name_u] are pretty usable.
[name_u]Mercury[/name_u] seems pretty usable as well.
[name_f]Styx[/name_f] is quite interesting.
I knew a boy named [name_m]Anakin[/name_m]. He was [name_f]Indian[/name_f], so I guess it was a cultural name for him.
I’m dead set on [name_m]Vance[/name_m] and [name_f]Ophelia[/name_f] as firsts for my kids, so that eliminates:
[name_f]Venus[/name_f]
[name_f]Verity[/name_f]
[name_f]Valencia[/name_f]
[name_f]Verona[/name_f]
[name_f]Juliet[/name_f]
[name_f]Lavinia[/name_f]
[name_m]Vincent[/name_m]
[name_u]Vale[/name_u]
[name_f]Valeria[/name_f]
[name_m]Otis[/name_m]
[name_m]Osiris[/name_m]
[name_f]Olive[/name_f]
[name_u]Chance[/name_u]
[name_u]Orion[/name_u]
[name_u]Oberon[/name_u]
[name_f]Cordelia[/name_f]
Perfectly good names I’ve associated with people I know:
[name_m]Jacob[/name_m]
[name_f]Caitlin[/name_f]
[name_m]Andrew[/name_m]
[name_f]Caroline[/name_f]
[name_u]Hayes[/name_u]
[name_m]Joshua[/name_m]
[name_u]Blaise[/name_u]
[name_u]Robin[/name_u]
Names I kind of like but have given to characters and I don’t feel like changing their names:
[name_m]Ulysses[/name_m]
[name_m]Harvey[/name_m]
[name_u]Ari[/name_u]
[name_u]Wilder[/name_u]
[name_u]Harbor[/name_u]
[name_u]Baylor[/name_u]
Cultural appropriation:
[name_f]Mariposa[/name_f] (I’m also lepidopterophobic)
[name_f]Graciela[/name_f]
[name_m]Zev[/name_m]
[name_f]Margalit[/name_f]
[name_m]Bence[/name_m]
[name_f]Emese[/name_f]
[name_f]Mei[/name_f]
[name_f]Akiko[/name_f]
[name_m]Eliseo[/name_m]
[name_f]Fairuza[/name_f] possibly
[name_m]Makoa[/name_m]
the -lani group
I’m mourning [name_u]Rex[/name_u], [name_u]Milo[/name_u], [name_m]Caspar[/name_m], [name_u]August[/name_u], [name_m]Bastian[/name_m], [name_m]Miro[/name_m] and [name_u]Jude[/name_u], which I’m pretty sure my partner won’t say yes to for our baby.
I honestly love the name [name_f]Rose[/name_f] it’s a beautiful romantic choice so elegant but I cannot use it due to my daughter’s father vetoing the name. Also I think with [name_f]Rose[/name_f] even if I was to have another daughter way way way into the future I wouldn’t use [name_f]Rose[/name_f] because of one of my closest friends having a [name_u]Peyton[/name_u]-[name_f]Rose[/name_f] I just think having a [name_u]Peyton[/name_u]-[name_f]Rose[/name_f] & a [name_f]Rose[/name_f] running around is too much especially as they will most likely be spending a lot of time together. I love [name_f]Rose[/name_f] to pieces but I just can’t see myself naming a daughter [name_f]Rose[/name_f] despite for years visualising having a daughter called [name_f]Rose[/name_f].
Daphne, [name_f]Daisy[/name_f] and [name_f]Dahlia[/name_f] (all too cartoon character-ish with my partner’s last name)
[name_f]Elodie[/name_f] (friend used it)
[name_u]Jarrah[/name_u] (friend used it)
[name_u]Arlo[/name_u] (too popular and two friends used it)
[name_u]Darragh[/name_u] (as above with the girl’s D names)
[name_f]Flora[/name_f] (best friend’s favourite name, though if she gives me permission I will use it)
[name_f]Isla[/name_f], [name_f]Grace[/name_f], [name_f]Hazel[/name_f] (all in the top 10 where I live, though may still consider them)
Found out the person I was going to honor with it doesn’t actually like his name. I love it, but I have decided, with the help of the Berries, that it wouldn’t be best to honor someone with a name they don’t even really like.
Already used in the family:
[name_f]Nicole[/name_f]
[name_f]Makayla[/name_f]
[name_u]Paisley[/name_u]
[name_f]Kaycee[/name_f]
[name_f]Kaylee[/name_f]
[name_f]Kendra[/name_f]
S/O vetoed:
[name_f]Princess[/name_f] (still using as a middle tho because it’s a very personal thing for me)
[name_f]Kulture[/name_f]
[name_f]Chicago[/name_f]
[name_f]Miracle[/name_f]
[name_u]Halo[/name_u]
A lot of vetoed ones I’m trying again anyways because he usually changes his mind
Same! I love [name_u]Nova[/name_u] and [name_f]Scotia[/name_f], but I live there. Maybe if I live somewhere else in the future, I could use either to honour my roots
Other names I love but can’t use:
[name_u]Michael[/name_u] - A family member’s name that I don’t want people to think I’m honouring
[name_m]Duncan[/name_m] - Same as [name_u]Michael[/name_u]
[name_f]Pearl[/name_f] / [name_f]Perla[/name_f] - Same as [name_u]Michael[/name_u]
[name_f]Arwen[/name_f] - [name_f]My[/name_f] cousin used it
There are a few names I can’t use because of associations/history, but it’s not an issue because I don’t like the names anyway.
The only name that really comes to mind for me is [name_u]James[/name_u] - I love it so much and I so, so wish I could use it, but it is the middle name of someone my partner really dislikes and the association is really strong for them.
There are ways to reinvent the name and bring new life back to it. [name_u]Theo[/name_u] or [name_u]Teddy[/name_u] brings a youthful feel to an otherwise older, more classic name.
I also plan to honor my grandfather whose first name was [name_u]Oliver[/name_u], even though he hated it and always went by his middle name, which was [name_m]Guy[/name_m]. Sadly he passed away a couple months ago so he won’t be here to meet my future son, but I hope he would have been proud to share his name, even if it wasn’t his favorite.