why do people use the term “Real Names”. I’m not trying to start drama. I’m genuinely curious. All names were ‘made up’ at some point in time and isn’t any name a person gives their child real, as in it exists and is not imaginary.
I don’t know. My mum uses the term “proper names” which I suppose is the same as “real names”, maybe it’s a generation thing? I honestly don’t know, but it does annoy me also, i think it’s a shame if a child overhears their name not being called “real” or “proper”, imagine what that would do to their self-confidence!
Real names have a history of being used as names and have an etymology. Made up names do not. There is no meaning in the name [name]Jayden[/name]. It’s made up, it has no meaning.
Putting a few of your favorite sounds together doesn’t make a name a name. It makes it a few sounds put together that you call your child.
Names were not ‘made up’, at least not many of them. They came from something before them and developed naturally over time. They are from specific language elements that have specific meanings.
Made up names: [name]Fiona[/name]. Written as a character in the 1700s I think? So fairly recently. However, it’s a very logical feminization of [name]Fionn[/name], and it has had plenty of usage since.
Lots of [name]Shakespeare[/name] names. Again, he made up names for characters. However, he did so using existing name elements, not random sounds, so they can be said to have a meaning. And they have, once again, had lots of usage since.
[name]Kaylee[/name], Jaycelee, [name]Jailyn[/name], they are really just sounds. No history, no meaning. I suppose there are people who like that in a name.
And despite all of this, I wouldn’t use the phrases ‘real name’ or ‘not a real name’. It sounds a bit condescending when obviously Paelynn is someone’s name, even if it’s devoid of entymological history. 
[name]Kayleigh[/name] is an Anglicism of the Scots Gaelic word Ceilidh (pronounced the same) I believe 
[name]Kayleigh[/name] a combination of two trendy sounds into a two-syllable, ends-in-lee format. Although it may sound like other names or words, it doesn’t really have much of an etymology beyond that. I don’t like the term “real names” either, but I do understand why people use it. I have to reject your claim that “all names were made up at some point.” In reality, names evolved over time from earlier, similar forms through translation and changing cultural and linguistic practices. Some names have histories that can be traced hundreds or even thousands of years in the past, occasionally even to some of the earliest forms of written language. I find this history beautiful and fascinating. [name]Isis[/name], for example, can be traced back 4500 years, and probably existed in some form even further back than that. It’s evolved over time to become what it is- it certainly wasn’t [name]Isis[/name], I-S-I-S, in its earliest stage. I would love having a name that had that kind of history, knowing that my name has existed almost as far back as we can accurately trace language. If I sat down and said, “hey, [name]Bree[/name] is a nice sound, and [name]Lynn[/name] is a nice sound, I’ll name my daughter Breelynn,” it wouldn’t have the same kind of depth that [name]Isis[/name] has, in my opinion. No name I can ever come up with will equal 4500+ years of history.
Yes, all names are real. I think the term "real name’ is used to convey “established name.”
‘established name’ sounds so much better to me. And yes even names that have a long history and traceable Etymology can be considered ‘made up’. The very first name ever, someone had to come up with that, even if they just took them from words that meant something. I usually prefer established names, as most modern trendy names sound silly to me, but I have also heard ‘made up’ names that sound very pretty to me.
and let me tell you, it is not fun hearing that your name isn’t real. My name is [name]Lorelei[/name] which was very rare when I was growing up. I either heard
“That is so beautiful”
“Well that’s…different”
“That isn’t even a real name. were your parents dumb”
I think “real names” are names that have a history of being used as names, it also has something to do with spelling. I have a friend that wants to name her baby, Lytle. What the hell is that? There are names that I just don’t like ([name]Reuben[/name], [name]Bartholomew[/name], [name]Rebecca[/name], [name]Danielle[/name], etc.) and there are just stupid “names” (Neaveah, Lytle, etc.)
I agree that ‘established name’ is a more accurate title. Mclola, I’m sorry people were rude to you about your name growing up. They were the idiots, though, because [name]Lorelei[/name] has quite an established history as a name. It’s a beautiful name and I even like the myth behind it. The [name]Marilyn[/name] [name]Monroe[/name] character doesn’t hurt either.
The Australian actress [name]Rebel[/name] [name]Wilson[/name] (yes, that’s her real name) has a brother named Ryot and sisters named Anarchii and [name]Liberty[/name].
I agree that a “real name” is an established name with a long history. “Made up names” are more modern and often made up by this generation. I dislike made-up names because it’s like the parent is saying (regardless of whether it’s what they actually think or not): “My child is so unique, I must name them something that nobody has ever been named before.” The parent may not actually see it that way, but I do and I find it so arrogant. Plus, older, more established names are so much more beautiful!
You must watch [name]David[/name] [name]Mitchell[/name]'s Soapbox (Naming Your Child) on youtube! He’s a British comedian with an hilarious take on why you should give your child a normal name: Naming Your Child | David Mitchell's Soapbox - YouTube
Actually, [name]Jayden[/name] is a real name, albeit misspelled. It’s an ‘American’ (meaning parents who like the way it looks) variation of [name]Jadon[/name], which is a legit Hebrew name.
I grew up with a different name that really has no history and no namesakes, but it is a real French word, so that’s better than [name]Nevaeh[/name], I guess.
Most established names (I think that’s the best term) weren’t created because some guy thought [name]Aura[/name] and [name]Lia[/name] sounded good together, so he named his daughter [name]Aurelia[/name]. [name]Aurelia[/name] comes from the Latin word for gold (aurum) and so actually has a meaning. Most likely, the original names were words, and eventually through different accents and dialects they would be pronounced differently. Like [name]Aurelia[/name], most names come from words in ancient languages and weren’t just created out of thin air.
Then, names from another language are translated so they are pronounced and written more easily, such as [name]Elizabeth[/name] into [name]Isabella[/name]. Then, for the many names, shorter diminutives are developed. For [name]Alexander[/name], we have [name]Alex[/name], [name]Xander[/name] and much more. Also, when most girls were named [name]Mary[/name] and most boys were called [name]John[/name], in many families and circles they needed to distinguish [name]Marys[/name] and Johns from each other, so pet names like [name]Polly[/name] and [name]Jack[/name] developed. And even from there, diminutives became longer with completely different names, such as from [name]Margaret[/name] to [name]Meg[/name] to [name]Megan[/name].
For nearly every ‘established name’, you can trace it back to it’s original word form, I hypothesise.
[name]Jayden[/name] is said different AND spelled differently, and many/most users don’t know anything about [name]Jadon[/name] from the meaning on, so what makes [name]Jayden[/name] the same name as [name]Jadon[/name] and not just a parallel evolution coincidence?
I use the term ‘proper names’ too, it’s not that I am trying to offend anyone, but names like [name]Jaxon[/name], [name]Mikayla[/name], [name]Nevaeh[/name] and [name]Kinsley[/name] are just names that I don’t consider “proper” or fitting names. But that doesn’t mean that I think others shouldn’t be allowed to name their kids that, we all have different tastes and that’s just the way it is, just as well as there are names that I like that other people don’t like.
I didn’t know they were pronounced differently, but this is coming from the girl that thought [name]Penelope[/name] was pronounced Penel-ope for several years, so don’t mind me. (I did a bit of research, and you are right BTW) Also, I agree with you that most people who use it just like the sound and spelling, and that the [name]Aidan[/name] trend is more likely responsible.
However, there must be a few parents who might have just been going for an English phonetic spelling of [name]Jadon[/name] (as Behindthename lists the English prn as [name]Jayden[/name], but I’m not too sure if that’s a legit prn). Some parents do spell a name phonetically, or the way they want it to be pronounced rather than deal with correcting it all the time (the reason that my friend’s name is spelled Heleena; for the long e in the middle) but most parents just probably think it sounds cool. That’s the point I was going for, I think.
Out of curiosity I did a search for the name [name]Kayleigh[/name] on Ancestry.co.uk. The 1911 census lists a [name]Walter[/name] [name]Kayleigh[/name] [name]Smith[/name] living in [name]Wales[/name].
I agree with you about the spelling [name]Kaylee[/name] etc but [name]Kayleigh[/name] as a name seems to have been in existence for about a hundred years at least.
[name]Pamela[/name] was a name made up by a 16th century novelist. Some scholars think he might have been referring to a couple of Greek roots, but no one contests that it was completely made up by this one man. Yet after hundreds of years, it’s an established name,largely by virtue of its age. Other names, like the [name]Saxon[/name] name Cerdic, were once very common, but have fallen out of use. Only time will tell whether [name]Jaden[/name] and [name]Nevaeh[/name] survive to be regarded as established names.
I feel the same!! i actually have said weren’t all names at one point ‘made up’!!
Lytle is an established Scottish surname dating back to the early 1200s in recorded history. It is certainly not in the same boat as [name]Nevaeh[/name].