Oh yes- I say something like ‘soandso did this/is pregnant/gave birth today’. My mum’s reply-‘Is this real life or nameberry’ Lol its like she thinks its a whole other planet.
My hubby knows about my love of baby names! I bought [name]Pam[/name] and [name]Linda[/name]'s book ([name]Baby[/name] Name Bible) before we were even TTC. I am constantly reading that book, and it helped us name both of our girls! I didn’t discover this website until after I had [name]Willow[/name].
I do recommend this site to every one of my pregnant friends, hoping it will inspire them to be brave enough to use whatever name they love, but not brave enough to attempt something Kr8tiv!
The only people know I’m on nameberry is my SO (who thinks I’m crazy but is grateful he doesn’t have to be my sounding board) and two friends who are pregnant and were frustrated about not having a good outlet for questions and advice away from their families -> that said I don’t think either has actually posted anything yet.
My grandmother doesn’t know about Nameberry specifically but does know about my obsession with names. My sister has stumbled upon the site(since it was on my Google search feed) but she didn’t really say much about it. Other than that no, it’s not a secret just never comes up in conversation.
This is so funny!!! I do this too and i CANNOT believe so many berries do too!!
Though i don’t think my obsession started young. At least not with naming people. When i was a kid i was much more into naming things. I would name my calculator, fruits, etc. And always funny middle aged names, like [name]Barbara[/name] or [name]Al[/name]!
My interest in (human) names came when all of my friends started having kids. (I’m in my late 20s)
That’s when the idea of having a small human became possible in my mind, so the revival of the name interest happened recently.
It is kinda weird, thinking about it. Because you’re right, it’s a very sweet and innocent interest. But when you tell people about it, they don’t get it. They assume your obsession with baby names is an offshoot of an obsession with babies. That’s true now, but I’ve been name obsessed since I was maybe eleven or twelve. [name]Way[/name] pre-baby obsession.
Maybe we should all “come out” as name nerds. 
Educate and inform the public, and claim our name nerdhood. We’re here, we dig names, get used to it!
I think it’s telling that most people who love names are avid readers, or at least somewhat literary. And if you think about it, a name is like a one-word poem, with layers of meaning from the historical to the purely sonic. And you get to assign this micro-poem to something as complex and eternal as a human being. The juxtaposition is staggering, and the challenge and joy of it is intoxicating.
That’s a great point! [name]Every[/name] time I casually mention a name to my husband or my mom, they give me “the eyebrow” because they think I want another baby and that I want like 5 or 6 kids, which is definitely not true! I’m sure I’ll obsess over names long after my child naming days are over. It’s actually kind of irritating, because I love talking about names and their histories, but I can’t because everyone thinks I’m just baby obsessed. :mad:
Nameberry is definitely my dirty little secret only one friend knows I am a name nerd. She always jokingly tells me I should become a professional baby namer, I so wish that could be my job:).
That is so true. Names also have a strong magical association. They represent knowledge and truth. It’s about more than just the name. Anyway, I was reading (re reading) this beautiful book called Lighthousekeeping by [name]Jeanette[/name] Winterson and I found this passage so beautiful and true:
“Names are still magic, even [name]Sharon[/name], [name]Karen[/name], [name]Darren[/name] and [name]Warren[/name] are magic to somebody somewhere. In the fairy stories, naming is knowledge. When I know your name, I can call your name, and when I call your name, you’ll come to me.”
So true, [name]Ottilie[/name]. There is magic in a name. I am reminded of this passage by G.K. Chesterton on the “plain” and common name [name]Smith[/name]:
But, if we look at the plain word itself, we suddenly behold a poem. It is the name of a great rugged and primeval craft, a trade that is in the bones of every great epic of antiquity, a trade on which the “arma virumque” have everlastingly depended, and which they have repeatedly acclaimed. It is a craft so poetical that even the babies of village yokels stand and stare into the cavern of its creative violence, with a dim sense that the dancing sparks and the deafening blows are in some way wonderful, as the shops of the village cobbler and the village baker are not wonderful. The mystery of flame, the mystery of metals, the fight between the hardest of earthly things and the weirdest of earthly elements, the defeat of the unconquerable iron by its only conqueror, the brute calm of Nature, the passionate cunning of man, the origin of a thousand sciences and arts, the ploughing of fields, the hewing of wood, the arraying of armies, and the whole beginning of arms, these things are written with brevity indeed, but with perfect clearness, on the visiting card of Mr. [name]Smith[/name]. The Smiths are a house of arrogant antiquity, of prehistoric simplicity. It would not be at all remarkable if a certain contemptuous carriage of the head, a certain curl of the lip, marked people whose name was [name]Smith[/name]. Yet novelists, when they wish to describe a hero as strong and romantic, persistently call him [name]Vernon[/name] [name]Aylmer[/name], which means nothing, or [name]Bertrand[/name] Vallance, which means nothing; while all the time it is in their power to give him the sacred name of [name]Smith[/name], this name made of iron and fire. From the very beginnings of history and fable this clan was gone forth to battle; their trophies are in every hand, their name is everywhere; they are older than the nations, and their sign is the Hammer of [name]Thor[/name].
The rest is here: For Persons of the Name of Smith
Basically everyone I’m close to knows I enjoy nameberry and I talk about names with my SO quite often (OK, I talk, he nods and sometimes gives an opinions LOL). My sister hears about it quite often, too. (actually a little surprised she hasn’t made her way on here yet, I’ve kind of rubbed off on her).
It didn’t used to be public knowledge, though. I started liking names at a very young age and since nameberry wasn’t around, there was another name board I used to frequent for a good 5 - 6 years before coming here - only my parents knew about that one and thats because we had our computer in the living room and they monitored my usage and luckily she has always been supportive of my obsession, she didn’t think it was weird- in fact, she would always throw names at me from her customers and clients and such. But no one else knew about the other site. Nameberry came along after my name obsession became public knowledge.
I love that part of the quote. I love the name [name]Darren[/name], and it seems magical/special/appealing to me!
I also love that beautiful quote about the name [name]Smith[/name]. Sometimes we hear names so often that they lose their meaning and their original association. They lose their magic. Sometimes I will stop and really think about a name. I will try to strip it of any associations and try to see it and feel it from a clean/blank stand point. Suddenly, names like [name]Brenda[/name] or [name]Jessica[/name] regain some of their magic.
Only my mom knows I come on this site. I don’t even have an SO right now, but my two long-term boyfriends also knew about my name obsession and were good sports about discussing it with me. With my ex-fiance I frequented another name board but my last boyfriend knew about NB and would ask me about it occasionally (had I found any new names, could I ask what they thought of a name he liked, et c). I’ll probably not reveal the secret to any friends or boyfriends for a while from now on though, otherwise I’m afraid they’d think I was trying to have a baby, and that isn’t it at all! I just love names, haha 
No one knows about me spending time here. I don’t think any of my friends or family would understand.
I’ve been obsessed with names since my mom got pregnant when I was 10. She and I made a long list of names for her SO to choose from. That is when I came across my first baby name book.
Later on I made lists of names to go with different last names, so I was prepared for when I made my SO. I even looked up names from other countries too.
I still love talking about names and falling in love with new ones - even though I see no babies in my near future.
Dh knows I am here since we have software in place to track where people go (I hardly ever use the laptop for NB, am actually using it now for the firstime in months! Usually on my phone or nook) since we have several “older” children and certain blocks in place to prevent their innocent eyes from seeing things they should not 
but even so, I told him I go on here and he is cool with it, lol. I was on babynames for several years in the message board community then left there and went to a private board where I’ve been an active member for years (7?8?) so he is fully aware of my message board situation and how I enjoy it.
I did “like” nameberry on FB and often times will “like” their posts or comment…hoping that people irl are not as privy as to check it out and “find me” here discussing names for this current little one, most likely they have much better things to do with their time but you never know. I do know one mama on here irl and that is fine with me, she enjoys my taste in names and is open minded with them, but people irl in general, not “into” names as much as me and not “into” my style.
Thats why I didn’t really tell anyone about my obsession until I was an adult - I didn’t want them thinking I was attempting to or obsessed with having a baby. In fact, my ex knew and he was convinced that names = baby fever. TOTALLY not the case and I’m sure any member on here would agree with me, but you are right - a lot of times, outside of the naming community, alove of names somehow translates into an obsession with babies or having children even though it simply isn’t.
My husband knows I berry and perhaps my sister. I only use nameberry on my iPhone so it’s extra top secret. My friends and family would think I’m insane. My husband is extremely supportive of my name obsession, and I dare say he is almost a name nerd himself. He loves fantasy and has a strong interest in etymology, mythologies, history, and philosophy. He works with contracts of people who have died (so usually very old people) and brings me the interesting names he stumbles upon at work. He would never join nameberry himself but he’s a great sounding board.