Sometimes I [name_f]LOVE[/name_f] word names, sometimes I argue with myself there are enough lovely names to choose from without using words.
Then I remember all the flower names. I think it is safe to say I approve of all the botanics.
I also like most of the season, month and day names.
I’m not sure about some of the occupation names. I like [name_m]Archer[/name_m]. [name_u]Hunter[/name_u] is cool but what if [name_u]Hunter[/name_u] grows up to be a vegetarian? I cannot get my head around [name_u]Sailor[/name_u].
What are others thoughts?
I adore occupational names, it’s a guilty pleasure of mine! [name_m]Archer[/name_m] is my absolute favorite. [name_m]Baxter[/name_m], [name_m]Fisher[/name_m], [name_u]Mercer[/name_u], [name_m]Sayer[/name_m], [name_m]Keifer[/name_m], [name_m]Fletcher[/name_m], [name_u]Walker[/name_u], [name_m]Jagger[/name_m], [name_m]Miller[/name_m], [name_m]Bishop[/name_m] for boys and [name_u]Sailor[/name_u] for girls. I love them so much!
I like most flower names. I don’t even think about them as of word names, to be honest.
As for other word names, for me it depends. I like some a lot, but really dislike others. The ones I like include [name_m]Arrow[/name_m], [name_u]Oak[/name_u], [name_u]River[/name_u], [name_m]Bear[/name_m], [name_u]Phoenix[/name_u], [name_u]Finch[/name_u] and [name_m]Wilder[/name_m] for boys and [name_f]Clementine[/name_f], [name_u]Juniper[/name_u], [name_f]Olive[/name_f], [name_f]Aria[/name_f] (again, I don’t think of these four as of word names), [name_u]Halcyon[/name_u] and [name_u]Ever[/name_u] for girls.
I tend to dislike virtue names.
Because meanings are so important to me I have an instant affinity for word names. They convey a picture very clearly. When we hear [name_f]Daphne[/name_f] we might have 10 different ideas about what it means to us. At least until we actually look up the meaning. But [name_f]Violet[/name_f]? Well… it’s right there! You might have other connotations in addition to it’s meaning but it’s hard not to picture the delicate flower first.
The way I see it:
YES
Rose, Violet, Daisy etc
April, May, June, August
Harmony, Melody, Aria etc
Coral
Marina
ACCEPTABLE
Grace, Temperance, Hope etc
Skye
NO
Destiny
Archer, Fletcher, Milkman, Farmer etc
King, Queen, Duke, Bishop etc
Rainy, Stormy, Cloud etc
Oak, Elm, Forest, Bush etc
Arrow, Cannon, Rocket-Launcher etc
Bear, Goose, Rabbit, Hyena etc
Blue, Brown, Mauve, Teal etc
For me, it seems that most of the time if the word can also be a verb e.g ‘to arch’ ‘to rain’ then I can’t see it as a name. I also disapprove of titles as names. Names which also happen to be words are ok, like Marina and Aria.
Surnames, to me, denote that a person belongs to a specific group. Say my name was Augusta Baker. When saying it out loud what I mean is that I’m…
‘Augusta of the Baker group’.
This tells you which person I am in the wider family unit. If, by contrast, someone announced themselves as Fletcher Baker (using an occupational surname in place of a first name) I find that the combination jars in my brain and instead of hearing…
‘Fletcher of the Baker group’
…I hear…
‘the Fletcher in the Baker group’
…which leaves me wanting to ask, ‘Right… but what’s your name?’
It’s a hard feeling to put into words and I’m not sure I’ve done it justice. Basically, in terms of occupational surnames, if they end up sounding like a double barrelled surname then I don’t recommend it.
I think history has to come into it: [name_f]Felicity[/name_f] has a thousand year history as a name and a word, she’s not starting from scratch explaining it every time. [name_m]Tiger[/name_m], Duck, [name_m]Painter[/name_m], [name_f]Italy[/name_f] and Table don’t have any familiarity as baby names but do have very clear and widely recognised meanings from other contexts. As a rule of thumb I’d say you need to ask yourself: ‘is it immediately clear when yelling the name in a park that you aren’t summoning an ironically named pet? When introducing yourself is it obvious that you are not an 19th century prep school boy introducing yourself by your surname rather than your [name_m]Christian[/name_m] name?’
^^ And all of this… lol. Good summary.
I adore quite a lot of word names, none really bother me much.
I love word names, though hunter is not a favorite. Botanical names are great and so are words that just inspires good thoughts/moods. [name_f]Reverie[/name_f] is an absolute favorite of mine.
^ This exactly!!