I am starting this thread mainly just for fun(no, I am not pregnant) but I am sure somebody may find inspiration or just interesting ideas here.
So, the main question is: why did you use the certain and not another name for your lovely one? Was a meaning/sound/namesake the main reason?
This was planned to be addressed to berry moms but I’d be happy to hear stories about naming pets, book characters, things or maybe relatives…So, everyone is welcome to tell!
I’ll start first, the name is [name_f]Cornelia[/name_f] [name_f]Hermione[/name_f] [name_u]Winter[/name_u] aka [name_u]Nelly[/name_u] or [name_f]Hermione[/name_f]. All three names are hugely important to me and also have connection between each other. It’s [name_m]LONG[/name_m] so feel free to skip and just answer if you don’t like reading such stories or something.
[name_f]Cornelia[/name_f] - here I’ve got a ton of reasons and namesakes but the main is that I have loved [name_f]Cornelia[/name_f] since I was a child. I have never known a lot of girls named this and always wondered why, like it’s just such a pretty name and why not to use it for your precious daughter? (I am more selfish now and hope few others use it so my [name_u]Nelly[/name_u] will be one of kind 
Joking.) Then, we both admire [name_u]Corrie[/name_u] ten Boom(birth name [name_f]Cornelia[/name_f]; a legendary and knighted woman) and I am of Jewish background (not fully but I have these roots). I have found sources that confirm [name_f]Cornelia[/name_f] most likely also means “heart”, which is one of my favorite words. [name_f]Cornelia[/name_f] Africana was an admirable woman too; noble, heroic and very smart and well-educated; a great mother as well. Also, I like [name_f]Cornelia[/name_f] Funke and her works much; “Inkheart” is a great movie as well. I may add even more but I am sure I’ve said enough about only first name. (OK, more fun I can say I find [name_f]Cornelia[/name_f] [name_m]Hale[/name_m] quite cool ;)).
[name_f]Hermione[/name_f] - another childhood favorite. I am proud to say [name_u]Nelly[/name_u] shares her second name with two most wonderful book characters ever; and I am a book person in full. [name_f]One[/name_f] is [name_m]Shakespeare[/name_m]'s queen of [name_f]Sicily[/name_f] and another - J.K.Rowling’s fun and pretty nerd. I can sing the praises of them all the day long but enough would be to say they both made mistakes but were chaste and clever.
Plus [name_f]Hermione[/name_f] is derived from [name_m]Hermes[/name_m], who was a god of luck, speed and travel; the greatest things ever. He likes humans and sometimes cheated so to help them; his [name_m]Roman[/name_m] name is [name_u]Mercury[/name_u] which relates to one of the most talented musicians ever; plus, [name_m]Hermes[/name_m] had a magnificent son in the [name_u]Percy[/name_u] [name_m]Jackson[/name_m] series.
Another namesakes include superb actresses and a painter, [name_f]Hermione[/name_f] [name_m]Hammond[/name_m], an author of very inspiring works.
[name_u]Winter[/name_u] - the most beloved season…Time of snow, frost patterns on the windows, dark, mysterious nights, beautiful snowflakes dancing in the lantern’s light, skating and skiing, bright fancy multicolored hats and scarfs, [name_m]New[/name_m] Year and [name_u]Christmas[/name_u], gifts and warm words, happiness and time spent with family. Cosy woolen sweaters and socks, cranberry-flavored Starbucks coffee, sleds and snow angels. My vision of her.
It was important to find a [name_u]Winn[/name_u]-related name and I think I did my best here. [name_u]Winter[/name_u] was a sudden, last-minute wave in my head… But I adore it more and more with every day.
[b]And connections between all three:/b: [name_f]Hermione[/name_f] was a character in The [name_u]Winter[/name_u]'s Tale; [name_f]Cornelia[/name_f] is [name_m]Roman[/name_m] and [name_f]Hermione[/name_f] is connected with Greek god’s name who was also esteemed by Romans; [name_f]Cornelia[/name_f] is a cool, light-blue or emerald name to me(doesn’t mean it’s cool in the modern meaning/unfriendly, just like cool color) and [name_u]Winter[/name_u] is a cold season with cool weather and wind.
You may think my whole name story is far-fetched, pompous or just blah(I understand it might seem so to other people, I realized a few other connections exist only after [name_u]Nelly[/name_u]'s birth) but it’s how I see it.
Yeah, it was long but I am even more excited and interested to hear your stories and naming journeys; feel free to share as much as you like. Ready, set, go!
Well, I named her twice… I’ll only tell story two though. Daughter’s name is [name_f]Aphrodite[/name_f] [name_u]Marian[/name_u] Illyria.
[name_f]Aphrodite[/name_f] is (rather obviously) for the Greek [name_f]Goddess[/name_f] of love and beauty. I studied classics, and I’ve always loved mythology, so having a name that related to that felt natural to me. [name_f]Aphrodite[/name_f] is the only [name_f]Goddess[/name_f] who wasn’t raped or chose to stay a virgin, she was in control of her amorous relationships, except her marriage which she was literally forced into by [name_m]Zeus[/name_m]. She’s fascinating, a bit of a drama queen, but I’ve always adored her myths. Several of my favourite paintings is of her; [name_f]Venus[/name_f] Veticordia & Astarte Syriaca by [name_m]Dante[/name_m] [name_m]Gabriel[/name_m] Rossetti and The Pearls of [name_f]Aphrodite[/name_f] by [name_m]Herbert[/name_m] [name_u]James[/name_u] [name_m]Draper[/name_m], to mention a few.
[name_u]Marian[/name_u] is amusingly a female variant of [name_m]Marius[/name_m], which derives from the name [name_m]Mars[/name_m] - the [name_m]Roman[/name_m] counterpart to Ares who was one of [name_f]Aphrodite[/name_f]'s two big loves. This is not why we chose it, but I find it rather intriguing. [name_u]Marian[/name_u] is for Maid [name_u]Marian[/name_u], from [name_u]Robin[/name_u] Hood which is one of my other obsessions. I’ve always loved [name_u]Robin[/name_u] Hood, and [name_u]Marian[/name_u] is a fantastic namesake. She’s funny, clever, badass woman. It’s also for one of my favourite songs, “[name_f]Marianne[/name_f]”, by [name_f]Tori[/name_f] [name_m]Amos[/name_m], and a gargoyle sculpting character called [name_f]Marianne[/name_f] in a fantastic novel called The Gargoyle. This name was Husband’s “normal” pick and I’m incredibly pleased with it.
Illyria is the land [name_f]Viola[/name_f] comes to after the shipwreck in [name_m]Shakespeare[/name_m]'s play Twelfth [name_m]Night[/name_m]. Husband adores [name_m]Shakespeare[/name_m], and he really wanted a name relating to that, even though this was actually my pick (it was in her “original” name, and I liked the idea of carrying it on). Illyria is also an ancient region in Macedonia where Husband has ancestors from.
I think they go together wonderfully, they’re different, but they all feel like sea foam, waves, sunshine, beauty and happiness.
My Cats:
Sir Galahad is ironically a girl. She just had that extreme adventurousness and a fascinating for hunting things since she was little, and I’d never use Galahad for a baby (which I kind of regret now). Sir Galahad is of course one of [name_m]King[/name_m] [name_m]Arthur[/name_m]'s most awesome knights.
[name_f]Princess[/name_f] [name_f]Buttercup[/name_f] is my other cat. She’s always been very dainty and loves just lying around being pretty. [name_f]Princess[/name_f] [name_f]Buttercup[/name_f] is from one of my favourite books and movies, The [name_f]Princess[/name_f] [name_f]Bride[/name_f].
No kids, but I’ll chronicle the naming of my Portuguese Water Dog puppy. Her name is Jetta, aka Jett or LBD ( little black dog)
I picked Jetta because its kind of a guilty pleasure name on my list, too associated with the car to work on a kid. Luckily, it fits my puppy perfectly.
She’s all black, and Jetta means black. In addition, she’s super quick like a Jet plane, and very energetic. That said, it would have been odd to give her a sweet name like Lily. Jetta is just wild and spunky enough to suit my little darling
@mclevine: absolutely love your daughters name!
Well I’m down to just two furry creatures now as I’ve lost both a rabbit and a guinea pig in the past few months. I’m an animal girl and am actually currently doing doing an animal behaviour and welfare course at uni with the hope to go on to do veterinary medicine, so these really are my babies.
My first baby is Bodie the border terrier who is sleeping there in my avatar. He is like my child. He’s named after the border terrier my hero the vet and author [name_u]James[/name_u] Herriot owned who was in turn named after Bodie from the TV series The Professionals. He’s just a crazy little man that loves his cuddles and I think his name suits that as it’s soft but fun.
My other little darling is my guinea pig. She is called [name_f]Polly[/name_f], picked mostly because it began with P like all my previous piggies (Pogo, [name_f]Poppy[/name_f] and [name_u]Peri[/name_u]) and I just liked it. I literally couldn’t have picked a better name as she is a strawberry roan which means she’s just all ginger freckles and she has such a cheeky wee face. She just personifies (guinea-pigifies?) the name [name_f]Polly[/name_f] to me.
My dog’s name is [name_m]George[/name_m]. He already had the name when we got him, but I convinced my family to keep the name because of the namesakes {[name_m]George[/name_m] Takei, [name_m]George[/name_m] [name_m]Milton[/name_m], [name_m]George[/name_m] Weasley…}
No kids, but we named our dog [name_f]Nova[/name_f] because my fiance is an space nut and we wanted something related to astronomy. Also [name_f]Nova[/name_f] means ‘new’, so it seemed apt given her new beginning (she’s a rescue).
Well I know this will just end up with me rambling but it’s such a cute idea so… I chose [name_m]Dominic[/name_m] because:
~I greatly admire [name_m]Dominic[/name_m] Monaghan. He was the strongest reference I had for the name, and I do think my son shares a lot of his better attributes.
~Monaghan starred as [name_f]Merry[/name_f] in ‘The [name_m]Lord[/name_m] of the Rings’, which as a book-lover is one of my favorites and also a very dear connection to my father.
~Synesthesia causes me to picture this name as a deep green, my favorite color, so when I hear it spoken it appeals to many of my senses at once.
~I also happen to be drawn to D names ([name_m]Desmond[/name_m], [name_u]Darren[/name_u], [name_u]Dean[/name_u]) as well as the -ic ending, so it strikes me as a perfectly balanced name.
~And lastly, because he wasn’t a [name_m]Gabriel[/name_m]. At the time I was sure that would be the name of my first son, until I saw his little profile at my 20 week ultrasound and decided it didn’t fit. I chose his full name, [name_m]Dominic[/name_m] [name_u]James[/name_u], immediately on the walk back to my car and it just fits him perfectly.
Middle name [name_u]James[/name_u] has more than enough incredible namesakes to speak of, but I particularly chose it because it is [name_m]Harry[/name_m] [name_m]Potter[/name_m]'s middle name. That book series is immensely significant to me and [name_m]Harry[/name_m] is a very admirable character. He also grows up never knowing his father and as I am a single mother I think overcoming that part of his stuggle definitely appealed to me. As I said, I chose this name at 20 weeks, but when [name_m]Dom[/name_m] was born I just knew I had the right combo. He has a very light birthmark directly in the middle of his forehead. His hair covers it, but I think it’s the sweetest thing. =]
[name_f]Lana[/name_f]- my tortoiseshell domestic shorthair was named years and years ago after [name_f]Lana[/name_f] Lang on ‘Smallville’. My mother, sister and I were obsessed with that show at the time and the actress who played her ([name_f]Kristen[/name_f] Kreuk) had “the same coloring” if you will: black hair and striking green eyes. She is definitely a feisty little rescue cat, so we wanted to say away from nice demure names that would only be ironic on her.
[name_u]Dylan[/name_u]- my miniature Australian [name_m]Shepherd[/name_m] was named for the gorgeous bright blue color of his eyes. It was also the name of a favorite actor of mine, so essentially my mom stole it off my baby name list for our pet… But as I was 15 at the time, I let her have it since it fit him so well. A Welsh name meaning “son of the sea” was perfect for our little blue merle who loved to swim with us in the backyard pool.
[name_u]Cody[/name_u]- is a Dachshund/Pug mix. My mom actually had the name chosen before the puppy. My sister and I found this adorable little wrinkled guy, made her come see him, she in turn dragged my stepdad along, and all of us fell in love. I didn’t look up the meaning until afterward. It means “helpful; or pillow” so we tend to go with the latter. He’s a bit of a handful but very sweet and sleeps in the bed every night… right up by the pillow, haha.
My soon to be baby boy is due 09.15.2013. I chose to name him [name_u]Carter[/name_u] [name_u]James[/name_u]. My hubby and I really liked [name_m]Ethan[/name_m], [name_m]Collin[/name_m], [name_m]Connor[/name_m], and [name_u]Carter[/name_u]. A family member already has [name_m]Ethan[/name_m]. So with the names left [name_m]Connor[/name_m], [name_m]Collin[/name_m], and [name_u]Carter[/name_u] we loved [name_u]Carter[/name_u] the best. [name_u]Carter[/name_u] is classy, ages well, professional, and sophisticated. [name_m]Just[/name_m] what we were looking for in a name. The name fits an athlete, businessman, nerd, common guy, etc. [name_u]James[/name_u] is a family name on my husband’s side. His paternal grandfather’s name was [name_u]James[/name_u] and his father and uncle middle names are [name_u]James[/name_u]. So that’s how we came up with [name_u]Carter[/name_u] [name_u]James[/name_u] for our baby boy 
Not a mom, but I do have a dog. She’s a puggle and I named her Munchkin. I am quite a big [name_m]Wizard[/name_m] of [name_m]Oz[/name_m] fan and I felt it was so perfect, since she’s on the small side.
My son is called [name_m]Edwin[/name_m] [name_u]August[/name_u], [name_m]Edwin[/name_m] is his fathers name who passed away about 8 months ago, so I wanted to honor him in his sons name. [name_u]August[/name_u] was chosen by his Grandma (his father’s mother). She says she liked [name_u]August[/name_u] because [name_m]Edwin[/name_m] was born in [name_u]August[/name_u], and his father was too, so it honors him again.
As for pets…
I have two cats, [name_f]Rosie[/name_f] & [name_f]Plum[/name_f]. [name_f]Rosie[/name_f] was just a name that I liked but didn’t think I’d ever use for a child so I used it and [name_f]Plum[/name_f] was already named when I rescued her and I happen to love her name! I did have another kitten for a while, but he lives with my mum now, and I named him [name_u]Daryl[/name_u], after the character from The Walking Dead, haha!
No kids yet, but…
My book character is called [name_u]Dakota[/name_u], because she needed a country/redneck sort of name that wasn’t frilly feminine. I’m currently debating on her middle name, because she likes to refer to herself using her full name. At the moment, the placeholder is [name_f]Fern[/name_f], but [name_u]Dakota[/name_u] [name_f]Fern[/name_f] kinda sounds like a type of plant.
Pets…
I have a blue betta fish named [name_u]Darcy[/name_u], named because it’s unisex, and the fish somehow gave off a Mr. [name_u]Darcy[/name_u] vibe (must be the deep color of her scales and her graceful, flowy fins). I think it’s a girl, but I can’t be sure.
I just wanted to note that female bettas have very short fins, while the males have very long, flowing fins and are generally more colorful.
The characters in the book I am currently writing have a special reason to their names. Here they are…
The main character is named [name_f]Aria[/name_f]. The name [name_f]Aria[/name_f] means “lioness,” and the [name_f]Aria[/name_f] in my book is similar in ways to the lion. She is fiery and loud; she has a short temper; she is dangerous and beautiful at the same time. Also, the name [name_f]Aria[/name_f] is similar to my own name, and I imagine my personality is the same as hers in many ways. And, [name_f]Aria[/name_f] is my favorite girl’s name.
The love interest in my story is named [name_u]Mason[/name_u]. [name_u]Mason[/name_u] is of course my favorite boy’s name. Also, [name_u]Mason[/name_u] ranked #2 in popularity in 2012. It is a very popular and common name, but the [name_u]Mason[/name_u] in my story contrasts that-- he is no where near common or normal. Also, when I think of [name_u]Mason[/name_u], I think of blonde hair, so the character in my book has blonde hair.
[name_u]Harper[/name_u] is the name of another character. He-- yes, this [name_u]Harper[/name_u] is a boy-- is sort of the popular guy, good looking, and all of that. The name [name_u]Harper[/name_u] is getting more and more popular, but for mainly girls. Originally, my [name_u]Harper[/name_u] was a girl, but I wanted to shake things up a bit and changed [name_u]Harper[/name_u] to a boy. Most people wouldn’t imagine a boy when they think of [name_u]Harper[/name_u], and that is the exact reason why I wanted it.
Another character is [name_f]Wren[/name_f]. The wren is a type of bird. When I think of birds, I think of small and frail ones. So, the [name_f]Wren[/name_f] in my book is small, frail, and bird-like.
The last character I am talking about is [name_f]Serafina[/name_f]. In my story, she is the “mean girl.” When I think of mean girls, I think of the name [name_f]Sara[/name_f] (no offense to all the [name_f]Sara[/name_f]'s out there!). But, when I asked around, no one liked [name_f]Sara[/name_f] as her name. I was looking at the variations of [name_f]Sara[/name_f] on Nameberry and came across [name_f]Seraphina[/name_f]. I changed the “ph” to an “f,” and bam! I have a character.
These were the main characters in my story and the reasoning behind their names. I hope I helped!
In one case. I used the name [name_m]Orin[/name_m] because it means ‘dark-haired’ and the character was evil (or dark).
I enjoyed reading the replies, so interesting!
@Otter: yeah, I remember your double journey. [name_f]Hope[/name_f] you won’t have to go through this again with this babe.
@larkub: thanks, I am glad you like it, I am in love too
@tay2thestars: Exciting…[name_u]Dakota[/name_u] [name_f]Fern[/name_f] is plant-ish, but cool. Maybe [name_f]Febe[/name_f] or [name_f]Fione[/name_f] instead of [name_f]Fern[/name_f]?