Two of my favourite names, Thorfinn (boy) and [name]Garnet[/name] (girl) get sooo much negative feedback and I don’t understand why and I find it quite upsetting - I love them too much to let go but I don’t want my kid to have a rubbish name!
Thorfinn is a very common name on the Scottish island of Orkney, where my fiance is from, and it is a traditional name in his family, and we really want to use it.
However, we won’t be raising our kids in Orkney, we’ll be raising them in Edinburgh or [name]Lancashire[/name]. I post quite a bit on the [name]Baby[/name] Names section on yahoo answers, and almost EVERYONE completely destroys this name, they say it’s made up, “unprofessional” and just generally awful and ugly.
[name]How[/name] can anyone deny that “Thorfinn, son of [name]Magnus[/name]” is nothing but incredible?
And with [name]Garnet[/name]… it’s really not much different from [name]Charlotte[/name] and [name]Scarlett[/name], but these are already taken in the family, and [name]Ruby[/name] is too common - I don’t understand why it gets so much hate!
Thorfinn- I understand that it’s common where your fiance is from, but it just doesn’t work in lots of other places. It does sound like it’s made-up and is just [name]Thor[/name] and [name]Finn[/name] smushed together. I think it would be better recieved if you were to maybe name a daughter [name]Thora[/name] [name]Finley[/name] or a son [name]Thor[/name] [name]Finley[/name].
[name]Garnet[/name]- I do agree with what you said about this name. However, it has a more masculine sound than all the other names you mentioned. Maybe [name]Amoret[/name]? It’s uncommon and has a similar structure as [name]Garnet[/name], but is feminine, literary and will probably be better recieved.
[name]Garnet[/name] is one of my guilty pleasure names for a girl. I think it is fabulous and completely usable.
Thorfinn is a name I am unfamiliar with, so I will base my response on what you’ve said about the name. I think it is totally usable for your future son, given your personal connections and love of the name. Go for it! Thorfinn, son of [name]Magnus[/name] is a pretty powerful punch!
Thorfinn is very common in Norway, and I see it very much as an old man’s name. Could you do [name]Thor[/name] [name]Finn[/name] instead? If not, let people think what they think, if he’s growing up in [name]Lancashire[/name] there are going to be some pretty horribly named kids around. Ok, anywhere in [name]England[/name] and [name]Scotland[/name], lots of horrible names going around. So Thorfinn doesn’t sound like [name]Harry[/name] and [name]Alfie[/name], it’s still a name.
[name]Garnet[/name] is beautiful. I don’t find it masculine at all.
I’m not too sure about the name Thorfinn, but as raqkel had said, you could always name your son [name]Thor[/name] with the middle name [name]Finley[/name]. But, I happen to like the name Thorfinn (though it first made me think of dorsilfin). But, if you were to name him that i suggest using the nickname [name]Thor[/name] or [name]Finn[/name], and only call him Thorfinn when he is at home possibly.
As for the name [name]Garnet[/name] for a girl, I apsolutly think that it could work for a girl! It is definatly spunky, and unique (which is definatly an added plus). As for nicknames…ah, that’s another story. But as for all of the megative feedback, i think that you and your fiance should make the decition despite others negative input. Good [name]Luck[/name]!
I know a very nice woman named [name]Garnet[/name]. I like it. It’s a lovely stone and a lovely name.
I’m not familiar with Thorfinn, but it does sound a bit like endorphin to me. It’s not the worst name I’ve ever heard though. It’s just unusual. If he ends up not liking it, he has two perfectly good nickname options in [name]Thor[/name] and [name]Finn[/name]. If you and your husband like it, go for it. Your family will come around and who cares what strangers on the internet have to say? (Well, except for us, anyway:))
Although Thorfinn might be common where your fiance is from, if your child won’t be raised in Orkney it may work better as middle name. I’m not familiar with it, so to me it sounds like a name an aspiring writer came up with for their [name]Lord[/name] of the Rings-style fantasy series they’re working on. I do like [name]Finn[/name], but combined with [name]Thor[/name] it’s a very ‘big’ name for a person to carry in a place it’s not common. I like [name]Magnus[/name] a lot, though- there is a baby [name]Magnus[/name] in our playgroup and I think it’s adorable!
As for [name]Garnet[/name], I have known two men with this name and haven’t heard of it being used on girls so I would assume it was a man if I saw the name on paper. I do think it is more usable than Thorfinn though (not saying Thorfinn isn’t usable).
I’d bet you’d get a lot of support for [name]Garnet[/name] on here. It seems like a name most berries would go crazy for. It’s not my style, but I don’t see any difference per se between it and [name]Ruby[/name] or [name]Pearl[/name]. It also has the similar sound to the names you mentioned, so it seems totally usable. I like the possible nn of [name]Nettie[/name], which is super cute.
Thorfinn I’m not at all familiar with, but if – as you said – it is a family name in your husband’s family, who cares what other people say? It’s not like you’re making it up, so it’s not a “rubbish name” (i love that phrase!). I think you’ll just need to decide if you have a thick enough skin for it because you’ll probably get comments. I find it hard it hard to believe that NO [name]ONE[/name] over there has heard of it, even if it’s not from their particular area. And besides, it gives you the super sought-after nn possibility of [name]Finn[/name] and also the option of [name]Thor[/name] – what little boy wouldn’t want to be called [name]Thor[/name]!!!
I think the reason why Thorfinn probably gets a lot of hate is because its not a name that most people of heard of. It may be very common where your fiance is from, but its not a name that many people (outside of there) would be familiar with. I admit, I hadn’t even heard of it, until 5 min ago when I read your post. It’s not exactly my style…but if you like it, then use it.
While [name]Garnet[/name] is a lot more recognizable…it isn’t my cup of tea of either. Although its a jewel name…it doesn’t strike me as feminine. I personally just prefer really feminine sounding names. Again, if you like it…then use it.
I like [name]Garnet[/name]. I think it is different but nice. I agree with catheyc about Thorfinn. I think family names are important and trump what others say. Plus, [name]Finn[/name] and [name]Thor[/name] are awesome nicknames!!
I honestly wouldn’t put stock in yahoo at all, lol. I’ve never posted there, or even joined, but I hear such negative reactions to being on there, it seems like they rip everyone’s names apart, no matter what the style. [name]Garnet[/name] I actually really love. I found it to be too gem-like for the longest time, but lately I’ve really grown to adore it and picture the sweetest little girl. I would go with a more classic MN, though, since it’s a bit on the unusual side.
Thorfinn–it’s not my cup of tea, personally, but I can appreciate its meaning to you and your husband. But it’s certainly not made-up. And he could easily go by [name]Thor[/name] or [name]Finn[/name] if he wants something a bit more accessible. If people ask about it, I would just say, “Oh, it’s a family name.” I remember commenting that I loved this one lady’s son’s name when I saw her at my workplace, and she just said offhandedly, “Thanks, it’s a family name.” Nobody can fault you if it’s a family name! It’s such a noble thing to do. I can imagine if I ever use [name]Avery[/name] for a boy, I might get some flack for it, too, because it’s such a popular girls’ name, but it’s a big name in my family tree, so I’ll probably say the same thing.
While I’m not a fan of [name]Garnet[/name], the name is not going to harm or embarrass your child. I say if you love it, go for it! [name]One[/name] of the joys of parenting is choosing a name with meaning that you love. We named my daughter [name]Julia[/name] even though most of our family and friends hated the name. Now that [name]Julia[/name] is here we don’t get criticized for our choice-people just love the child regardless of the name.
On the other hand, I could see [name]Thorfin[/name] causing some teasing at school. For that reason alone, you might think about going with [name]Thor[/name] instead. [name]Thor[/name] is a strong name and perhaps [name]Finn[/name] could be a middle name?
I can see why Thorfinn gets such a negative reaction, sorry. I do love the name [name]Thor[/name], that would be a good alternative or nn. I don’t see why [name]Garnet[/name] would receive a similar reaction. It’s very pretty though definitely very unusual. I’m American so I have no idea what kind of names are common in [name]England[/name] ([name]Lancashire[/name] is a place in [name]England[/name] isn’t it?).
If you like Thorfinn and it has special meaning for you and your family, totally go for it! You can always call him [name]Finn[/name] for short if you want to, which everyone is familiar with at this point. I think it’s cool.
I’m with everyone else here - don’t take to heart what they say on Yahoo. They’re trolls, the lot of them, looking to rip anything apart. Seriously, I used to poke around there - then I stopped. Things were getting too mean, for my taste.
Anyways, I say go for it with Thorfinn. It has a strength to it that I like (probably from [name]Thor[/name]), and if it has meaning to you, go for it. It’s a pretty cool name.
As for [name]Garnet[/name] -not really my preference, but again, if you like it, go with it. It sounds more feminine to me, personally, and I think it could work.
I love, love Thorfinn and wish I had discovered it when I was looking for a longer name for my [name]Finn[/name]. I would use it in a minute. You can shorten it to [name]Finn[/name] for a more mainstream nn or use [name]Thor[/name] or [name]Tor[/name] if you want a more unique one. Torfinn is also a variant as in Norway they don’t really use [name]Thor[/name] any more but [name]Tor[/name]/[name]Tore[/name]. [name]Torin[/name] is an Irish name that has a similar sound and feel. but I really love Thorfinn. And Thorfinn, son of [name]Magnus[/name] does rock.
[name]Garnet[/name] I like, but feels a bit awkward. I recently came across the name in the school where I’m signing up my son for next year. I really liked seeing it, but not sure if I would use it. It doesn’t have an immediate wearable nn that I can think of. And it feels a bit harsh to me.
If you and your OH really love them, use them. good luck.
Try not to let it get to you. Everyone has their own opinion. There are some names people adore that I sit and wonder “am I really the only person who despises that name?” There are some names that should have died out decades, if not centuries, ago and so many want to bring them back.
For what it’s worth, I really like [name]Garnet[/name].
…after Thorfinn Hausakljufr i assume 
also he can go with either part as a nickname