I’m really getting excited about the name [name]Abilene[/name]. My husband brought it up the other day, he really likes it and I love the way it sounds…very cute, some southern charm ( even though we are from NY) and comes with a great familiar nick name I love- [name]Abby[/name]. My question is… I know it’s a city in [name]Texas[/name], I’m not familiar with the city, does anyone think there are bad connotations connected with the name? Is it silly to name a daughter a name that has no other connection but to a city that has no importance to the parents? Also, do you see any problems down the road because the name is so obscure? I also have a son named [name]Isaac[/name], good combo with [name]Abilene[/name]? Thanks guys!
I like it. I’m not one to overthink names so I myself wouldn’t worry about having a connection to the city. What matters is that you both love the name.
I’m not sure about the city myself. The name has a pretty, delicate sound, similar to [name]Adeline[/name] (not my favorite but I can appreciate it objectively.) Written, it does make me think of abalone, but that’s not a bad thing at all - abalone shells are beautiful. I think I might assume it was a feminization of [name]Abel[/name], rather than a city name.
There are other names that would work better with, or be more akin to, [name]Isaac[/name]. Biblical/Hebrew names, or names with bite.
[name]Dinah[/name]
[name]Rebecca[/name]
[name]Naomi[/name]
[name]Maeve[/name]
[name]Tess[/name]
[name]Clio[/name]/[name]Cleo[/name]
[name]Sybil[/name]
[name]Sabine[/name]
[name]Agatha[/name]
[name]Quince[/name]
That said, I think [name]Abilene[/name] is totally fine with [name]Isaac[/name] (which is lovely, btw)
[name]Abilene[/name] isn’t necessarily a bad city or one with negative connotations but I would say lots of people might equate it with country bumpkins and a Bible Belt mentality, no offense of any berries from [name]Abilene[/name] because I don’t think it’s necessarily true.
The name Abeline might be a nice similar name to consider if that bothers you. However since you’re not in [name]Texas[/name] I don’t think it’s much of an issue.
[name]Abilene[/name] reminds me of Abalone when I read it.
That would bother me, because I would constantly associate my daughter with a gastropod. I might be the only one who makes the connection, though.
Nope. See above. You and I both Dovah. Gastropods, and what about “a baleen” as in a whale’s krill-filtering mouth-seive? Hm.
Yummy, yummy krill…mmm.
By itself, it’s okay if you don’t mind the city or the other associations. I was at a Target the other day, and there a six year old who answered to [name]Abilene[/name]. If you like the sound, go for it, but I suspect it’s going to explode in a few years due in part to The Help, even though that character is Aibilene, and it has the right combination of sounds to be similar enough to the hugely popular [name]Abigail[/name]. And it has the cute [name]Abby[/name]/[name]Abi[/name] nick that is probably setting this up for big popularity.