i thought of a name-related question earlier and thought “oh i’ll post that on the poll thread when i get on nameberry!” then as soon as i logged on, i forgot what the question was 
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[name_u]Happy[/name_u] rant:
It feels so good when I see names from my ethnic heritage(s) being appreciated! 
Especially considering the fact that the cultures in question are more overlooked/lesser known. Recently I’ve seen some NOTD posts with names from my ethnicities and I couldn’t be more happy!
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Yes yes!! Me too! I try to appreciate names from a variety of cultures here on NB and I’m always so happy when I see others do the same! 
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So, I recently swapped out [name_u]Marie[/name_u] for [name_u]Marian[/name_u] in my UC, mainly as an experiment to see how it felt. I just now tried to change it back, when I realized (to my horror) that I no longer prefer [name_u]Marie[/name_u]! This was a quite shocking revelation, as [name_u]Marie[/name_u] has been one of my favorite girl names for years. Thankfully, it wasn’t my current number one. I’m feeling a bit sad and confused about it, which I know is silly.
Here is my reasoning for why I prefer [name_u]Marian[/name_u] to [name_u]Marie[/name_u] now:
In my accent, the first syllable of [name_u]Marie[/name_u] is very much a “muh” sound. The “uh” sound is quite unpleasant to me in general, and was the reason I took [name_f]Elise[/name_f] off my list a couple of years ago. Hopefully I don’t start feeling the same way about [name_f]Elisabeth[/name_f], but I feel like the first syllable is less pronounced than with [name_f]Elise[/name_f]. Anyway, I think [name_u]Marian[/name_u] has a much prettier first syllable than [name_u]Marie[/name_u], which ultimately led to the swap.
Thank you for coming to my TedTalk.
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I spend so much time trying to figure out if I like a name enough to use it as a first name. Like, how is it possible that I literally don’t know how much I like a name?
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I would add [name_m]Bastian[/name_m] to my list in a heartbeat if I could get away with the [name_m]German[/name_m] pronunciation only, but alas, I live in the US and that just wouldn’t work 
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I love to see Marian love! She’s so wonderful. 
This is so real it’s difficult realising you don’t love the name you’ve loved for ages anymore.
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I know I’m incredibly late to this, but I just wanted to say thank you both. 
it means a lot to know that my names are recognized and loved, especially by you two!!!
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[name_m]Just[/name_m] found out that a kid that was mean to me in school now has a girlfriend with an AMAZING name (first and middle 
) and it’s making me unreasonably mad. Like this was a decade ago and I have no idea what she’s like as a person… but he doesn’t deserve her 
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This made me laugh way harder than it should have 
and I agree if she has an amazing name he doesn’t deserve her.
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not really a rant, just something happy that I want to type out so I can remember it!!
Growing up, I’ve always liked my irl name fine on others but never really identified with it. I guess I was just so desensitized to it, it couldn’t hold any meaning for me. I remember telling my parents as a kid that I wished they gave me my almost-name. Over the years, I’ve used many different names in different communities, and used different names to refer to myself. I’ve always felt much more satisfied by all these names I chose than I did with the name I was given. But a few months ago, all the sudden, I began to fall in love with my name and the way it fits me!! I don’t know where this feeling came from, but it feels like both my first and middle name suit me perfectly. I’m truly proud of my name, and it feels like an expression of everything I am. No idea why this happened, but it’s wonderful and strange to feel this for the first time!!!
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Why do I only get out of name slumps by becoming infatuated with incredibly out-there, not-acceptable-for-real-life word names? I’m fairly certain that as much as I adore unusual names, I can’t (or at least *shouldn’t) name my sons Covenant or [name_f]Remember[/name_f] or [name_u]Soul[/name_u]. And yet I am absolutely in love with all of those, and I’m swooning over the idea of a little [name_f]Remember[/name_f] [name_m]Caspian[/name_m] and Covenant [name_u]Adair[/name_u], called [name_m]Rem[/name_m] and [name_f]Covey[/name_f]. 
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this is gorgeous though!! adding covenant to my list right away 
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your style is not outlandish, it’s a-freaking-mazing
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oh thank you 
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I feel this way sometimes, too. I know I’m not alone in saying that I love seeing your posts around here. Your names are always so stunning (I believe you introduced me to Alnilam earlier this year) and your style, especially the cadence of your combos, feels reminiscent of what was popular on Nameberry forums in the early days, when it trended more fantastical than classic!
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[name_f]Charlotte[/name_f].
I no longer love [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f].
It really does sadden me to say this, but she’s just not a love of mine anymore. She was the first name I made a combo for, the first name on my list, and when I joined Nameberry, her and [name_f]Lillian[/name_f] were the only names in my UC. I used to dream about my dream family as [name_u]Charlie[/name_u], [name_f]Lily[/name_f], [name_u]Alex[/name_u], and [name_u]Jack[/name_u]. But even though it honors people in my family, I always have to remind myself of it; it just doesn’t instinctively come to mind. And I really don’t love the nicknames. And though it’s such a popular name, I had never met a [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f]. Well, I just did, and she’s absolutely awful, with such a lasting connection to my family now. [name_m]Just[/name_m] awful! So I’ve been mourning the loss of [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f], though she’s still a middle name for [name_f]Melina[/name_f], it’s not going to last very long, I’d imagine. It’s awful when a name you loved for so long just doesn’t appeal.
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I think the feeling of “not belonging” is pretty universal… I sometimes think my names are boring compared to most people on the forums, but I am beyond the point of caring lol. [name_m]Just[/name_m] like what you like. I personally feel so inspired by the more whimsical, fantasy names that people have on their lists, yours included!
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So sorry to hear this!
Honestly, I had a similar thing with B3th /B3thany - I was obsessed with the name when I was younger, but I met an absolutely horrific one and I’ve never been able to like it again (aside from a fleeting moment where I contemplated using it for Elizabeth), but I can’t love it the way I used to.
It’s always such a hard feeling when you realise you’ve fallen out of love with a name that used to be one of your favourites.
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Oh Edmund… One of my sons has the middle name Pythagoras and my list seems outrageous compared to most Berry favorites. I’m so happy when I see your posts, because it feels like I’ve found a soulmate 
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