Name Rants

Why are honor names (the subtle/creative ones) for boys so hard to come up with? I have so many ideas for creative honors for girls but only one for boys…

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This isn’t aimed at anyone in particular, and is really a nitpick more than anything, but I kind of wish people wouldn’t say stuff like “don’t worry, there are so many other names out there” when someone finds out that they can’t use a name that they love for whatever reason. It can feel kind of hurtful, even though that’s obviously not the intention, particularly when it’s that person who’s telling them they should probably reconsider. It’s a lot harder for some people than others to find names they really love, and some just feel a special connection with a certain name, so having one be rendered unusable can be a huge blow. And when people respond like that it can almost feel like they’re saying “it’s just another name, get over it” when to them it means much more than that, and can’t just be replaced by another equally good or similar-sounding name. It kinda reminds me of the whole “plenty of fish in the sea” thing– well-intentioned, but usually not really doing much to help and sometimes even making the person feel worse.

I’m certainly not saying we should stop advising others not to use names at all, I just dislike this particular comment, and think we should try to be more sensitive in situations where it might be really difficult for someone.

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i don’t think i’ve ever made that comment myself, but i’ve always interpreted that as comforting rather than cold? a sort of “it sucks that you can’t use this name that you love, and i acknowledge that, but i’m trying to remind you that it’s going to be okay, you’ll find other names to love eventually and it’ll be alright” - trying to support rather than downplay how much it sucks to lose a fave!

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I know that’s how most people mean it, and I may very well be in the minority when it comes to disliking it– I just personally find it hurtful when other names are brought up when I’m sad about that one specifically.

I want to clarify right away that this isn’t prompted by any particular post, but I feel like I’ve seen an uptick recently in Name Sightings posts that include emojis like :flushed: or :grimacing: or finish with a “…” that seems to imply judgement, and it bothers me because while it’s totally fine to dislike a name and share that dislike on the forums, it seems mean-spirited to meet a real person (or come across them online) and then unbeknownst to them, turn around and post something criticizing or mocking their name, or that invites others to do so. [name_m]Even[/name_m] a “not my style, but an interesting sighting!” seems like a kinder way to go about that if you must clarify that you don’t like a name you’ve met/seen/overheard/etc.

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This kind of makes me think of the silver lining optimist instead of being empathetic. I used to think I was being helpful when I would offer a bright side comment, but then I learned that it’s not helpful and I had to make a deliberate decision to not keep doing that. Anyway, like you said, I think comments like the one you mentioned are well-intentioned and meant to help someone think of a positive side, but I agree that thry can come across as unsympathetic. And again, names mean more to some people than others, so some people might genuinely think it’s not a big deal. But I think empathy is just as important, whether you relate or not!

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I still like names but I don’t like any name in particular right now :sob: They all feel like equally beautiful but not so much that I fall in love with them… I turned to like names in general and onomastics instead of specific names

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when a name you love gets hardly any likes on the name of the day thread and now you feel inordinately sad about it :grimacing:

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It sucks that double middles don’t work with my long last name :confused:

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Anyone else not want to pass down their surname to their future children but have a partner with a difficult one? [name_f]My[/name_f] partner’s surname is an unpleasant adjective beginning with g and rhyming with “close”

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I had different concerns myself but if you’re looking for other options for your surname, I wonder if you’ve thought about maiden names from yours or your partner’s family lines. Though I should add - there’s nothing inherently wrong with that surname.

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When you want to honor someone but you hate their name :sob:

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@Inlakesh
That’s unfortunate :smiling_face_with_tear: Does their name have any variants you like?
[name_u]Or[/name_u] if you’re okay with more subtler honors, perhaps you could honor that person with a name inspired by their favorite color, flower, birthstone etc… or a name inspired by a special memory with them (ex. [name_f]My[/name_f] grandma and I played a fairy inspired roleplay game when I was a kid and her character was called [name_f]Linnea[/name_f])

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I’m actually not sure what my partner’s mother or grandmother’s maiden names are but you’ve inspired me to ask! One thing I have considered is taking on my chosen family’s surname (Rainer) and that being the name my partner and I share and pass down

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Oh yeah, I have some options, I just wish it could be a little more straight forward sometimes.

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That’s a lovely idea!

Combos are just not coming together for me right now :pensive:

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When your new roommate has 11 siblings but none of their names are cohesive / the majority are super common so they’re not incredibly interesting…
:pensive: :pensive:

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Anyone else feel like they’re just running in circles with names lately? Mainly girl names for me, it’s been several months since I had a new name crush, it’s so frustrating :sob: There’s so many that I like/want to like but I’m just not feeling it

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Me exactly rn :smiling_face_with_tear: it sucks

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