This is a slightly clumsy question, which I’m sure may come across as stupid to many people, but I was curious what you berries thought. [name]Do[/name] you find it weird when in a sibset, you find one of the top 5 names, and then an obscure, unusual name nobody has heard of?
For example, I knew a family with two kids named [name]Sophia[/name] and [name]Siegfried[/name]. They were obviously trying to be a little matchy with the same initial, but [name]Sophia[/name] is the number 1 name and [name]Siegfried[/name] is so out there and hasn’t been used for centuries. They are cute, charming names and cute charming kids, but do you find this weird?
It doesn’t bother me but it does strike me as strange sometimes. Usually, if you pick a popular name for one kid, you will probably pick one that has similar popularity because it is a common style. I understand sometimes a parent will use family name and a popular one, but I’d like to know everyone’s thoughts on this. I also knew a family with a boy called [name]William[/name], a boy called [name]Ethan[/name], and a girl called [name]Emma[/name], and a girl called [name]Novella[/name] ([name]Novella[/name] is quite similar to trendy [name]Ella[/name] – but still).
Any comments are appreciated! I know this is slightly critical and dumb, but any thoughts are welcome!
I do notice the disparity, but it does not look really incompatible to me the way a sibset of vastly different styles might, e.g., [name]Greer[/name] and [name]Elizabeth[/name].
This is interesting to me! My brother has 3 children. His wife is French so they used French names in their children’s names: Amabella [name]Celeste[/name], [name]Elisa[/name] [name]Jean[/name], and [name]Julie[/name] [name]Faye[/name].
I think Amabella & [name]Elisa[/name] sound much more ethnic than [name]Julie[/name]. Maybe that’s just my opinion though?
Some people are completely unconcerned and/or unaware of the popularity of names, which to those of us who have such an interest in names, seems completely foreign. When my some was little, we were part of a playgroup, and as the younger children of the parents in that group were born, I watched amazed (okay, maybe, aghast) as the four families I was closest to proceeded to name their children without a baby name book or popularity list in sight. [name]One[/name] family gave names very little thought until they went to the hospital. Another mom and dad ‘went out to lunch and talked about it and decided.’ In a couple of hours! With no regrets. And both those families made very nice choices. I once remarked to another mom that I had always loved the name [name]Michael[/name], but wouldn’t use it because it was too popular. She then wondered how popular her son’s name was, and I immediately responded #2. She was amazed that I knew and wanted to know how I knew. When I told her about the SS list, she was surprised that anyone would be interested. To her, and I expect, many others, popularity is just not an issue. She remarked that day that she thought everyone should just choose the name they liked.
Perhaps this is the case with your example family, or perhaps style or associations are more important to them than rankings. If you think about it, [name]Sophia[/name] and [name]Siegfried[/name] both have a “[name]Count[/name] and [name]Countess[/name] [name]Von[/name] something or another living in a castle on the Rhine” vibe about them. Compatible in their own way.
I do find that a bit weird, but I think I prefer it to siblings who both have super trendy names. Perhaps one is a name the mother has loved for years and used it regardless of it’s popularity but then wanted to step out of the box a little bit with another child.
This is (sadly) an absoultely true story: I have a friend who named her son [name]Aiden[/name] a couple years ago (which was so trendy I wanted to cry) but on top of that her younger daughter is named [name]Ava[/name]. (Clearly a trend once the kids got a new puppy named [name]Ally[/name]). So…
Yes, when I saw the newest [name]Berry[/name] book I laughed my head off, and yes if she ever gets pregnant again I will totally buy it for her. =]
Yes, it makes me want to know the stories behind their name choices. For instance, I know irl a family with sons [name]Paul[/name]
and [name]Aaron[/name]…mom was pregnant with a girl and not telling the name. I figured it would be [name]Sarah[/name], [name]Elizabeth[/name], [name]Hannah[/name], something along those lines…no, guess what it was? [name]Kristina[/name]! Why? Because [name]Paul[/name] and [name]Aaron[/name] were her DH’s brothers and [name]Kristina[/name] was the womans sister. So they were all named after relatives, where as [name]Paul[/name] and [name]Aaron[/name] happened to be classic Bibilcal names, [name]Kristina[/name] is a 70’s/80’s trendy name. None of those names were pulled out of thin air “because they liked them/they went well with each other”, so common theme just not apparent.
I actually like [name]Sophia[/name] and [name]Siegfried[/name] together. They’re both really old names with history, so even though they’re not equal in popularity, they do have a theme. And they’re beautiful and quite dashing!
I sort of know what you mean, although I think style and sound play a more significant role than popularity in sibsets, because name popularity is always changing…
Funny question. I asked a question similar to this a week or so ago, but it was instead about the importance of sibsets.
Anyway, I never notice subtle differences with sibsets. The only time I notice it is if you have a [name]Margaret[/name] and a [name]Calliope[/name]. That would seem strange to me at first, since they are both of such different styles. I do find it funny though, and would wonder if the couple split decisions on naming the kids. Like the mother named the first and the father named the second. They could have two different name styles.
