Thoughts on Names without Meaning

General Name Discussion
1

I’ve seen quite a few posters who were disappointed when they found out that they were not named for any other reason than their parents thought it sounded nice. I look at names I like and I also look at the meanings ([name]Cecilia[/name] is out for me; it means blind!) I’m just not sure there are any “family” names that we would like to use or continue to use, and we would rather that our children had their own names.

[name]Both[/name] Margarets in his family go by [name]Peggy[/name], there are far too many Edwards between both our families and some other names just don’t have nice variations that we could use. I just don’t want our kids to be disappointed to find out that their names don’t have a really special meaning. My name doesn’t, but I have a pretty unique name and I love it, but he is named after his father. What do you think Berries? What are your experiences with finding out why your parents gave you the name you have?

PS. I’m also thinking about trying to find names that have similar meanings to our names and seeing if we like any of those. It’s just proving to be more difficult than I originally thought.

2

I don’t think that a good name has to have a special meaning. [name]Just[/name] because [name]Cecilia[/name] means blind doesn’t mean it’s a “bad” name, at least not in my opinion. Most meanings behind names are subtle, such as [name]Cecilia[/name]'s, so they don’t have much of an influence. It’s likely that your kids may look up the meanings of their names at some point in their lives, but I doubt the meanings would seriously affect them, unless they were super obvious.

That being said, I also think that for some people, meanings, particularly familly meanings, are important. If / when I have kids, I think I might like for them to have family middle names as a way of honoring my loved ones. While I do not think honoring or giving a special meaning to a name is necessary, I do think it can be a nice touch sometimes.

Ultimately, my name was chosen because my mom simply liked it. I have never resented the fact that my mom did not consider the meaning behind my name, which is pearl, in case you were wondering.

3

I’m a female named after my father. My name is [name]Randel[/name] and although I love having a unique and mostly male name people are very judgemental and often confused by name. I get called everything from [name]Rachel[/name] to [name]Rochelle[/name]. I’ve even had to show my liscence to prove I am who I say I am. You could try naming your children the pickett-smith way. [name]Jayden[/name] for [name]Jayda[/name] and [name]Willow[/name] for [name]Will[/name].

4

I’m not disappointed by my name’s lack of a meaning. I was named by my grandmother due to some extenuating circumstances that left my parents preoccupied. I am a tiny bit disappointed by the commonness of my middle name but it’s not devastating.

5

The name I ended up with on my original birth certificate was picked because it sounded nice to my parents. My mom actually had some really great names that were meaningful to her selected but because people would pitch a hissy fit about the names, she caved into the pressure. I ended up legally changing it at 18, ironically choosing from the very same names my mom had been considering but got talked out of. My mom got to help name me all over again.

Now fast forward 27 years later and I’m 8 months pregnant, the names I picked out for first and middle for my daughter have caused an uproar with certain people, it doesn’t matter to them that the names have a great deal of meaning behind them for me and that I’ll be able to tell my daughter interesting stories about why and how her name was chosen, or that the meanings of the names themselves are positive…nope they all seem to just want me to pick something pretty sounding. More often than not I get suggested names that I know have a negative meaning [bitter, blind, lame, pig, etc] or negative association [i.e. stripper type names].

6

I know my parents, along with many others, chose my name because they simply thought it was pretty. I don’t always think that is a bad thing. There are many many names that I love simply because I love the sound or feel of them and not because of their meaning or history. Although the names that are both sound lovely and meaningful are the best choices in my mind (meaning I wouldn’t choose a name solely for meaning and vice versa).

Keep in mind that most of our parents and all those before them did not have the luxury of google or nameberry to tell them the origin, meaning and history of each name in a split second. Of course there were books, but I imagine only dedicated namers (the berries of the past) took the time and energy to do the kind of exhaustive research we do today in a matter of seconds.

7

I ended up with a name that means bitter, so to some people it has a bad meaning but I love it. It makes me sad when perfectly lovely names like [name]Claudia[/name] and [name]Cecilia[/name] are thrown out just because of their meanings. I have seen tons of debates over the meaning of [name]Cecilia[/name] and how blind is not to be perceived the way it is intended. I don’t know, I haven’t done true research on it. [name]Cecilia[/name] is such a nice name to me because of the [name]Saint[/name] who bore it. To me meanings aren’t as important, but that is just me.

Anyway, I think that even if a name has a meaning that isn’t the greatest, it becomes special because you used it for your child.

8

I would look for any connection that is meaningful, even if you don’t want to honor family. [name]Do[/name] you have a literary hero(ine) that you love? Is a color particularly meaningful to you? [name]Do[/name] you have a faith you’d like to honor? [name]Do[/name] you want to honor your homeland/hometown/home state? Anything like that? I think you could get creative with honoring, too. Having significance in my combos is huge for me, but I grew up hearing that my parents picked [name]Ashley[/name] [name]Marie[/name] “just because it sounds good”. I recently found out that two of my great-aunts have the MN [name]Marie[/name], so that makes me appreciate my name a lot more!

Here’s a few of my combos, and the reasoning behind them, if that gives you any inspiration:

[name]Isabelle[/name] [name]Aurora[/name] [name]Grace[/name]. [name]Grace[/name] is my grandma’s MN. I love [name]Isabelle[/name] for a billion reasons, lol, but the two foremost are that it’s French (my best friend was from [name]France[/name]; she passed away from surgery complications last [name]December[/name]) and that it’s reminiscent of the biblical [name]Elizabeth[/name]. I struggle with moderate depression (have for over 5 years), so the idea of starting over again is very important to me. [name]Aurora[/name] (and its meaning, “dawn”) reminds me of this, and I hope it’ll serve to remind my children that they can always start over again, too, no matter what they’ve done.

[name]Violet[/name] [name]Ophelia[/name] [name]Claire[/name]. Purple is both my and my grandmother’s favorite color, and it also happens to be my other grandmother’s and father’s birthflower. I am a huge [name]Shakespeare[/name] fan… while [name]Ophelia[/name]'s not the best namesake, and I’m not a huge [name]Hamlet[/name] fan, I do really love the name in general and love that it reminds me of [name]Shakespeare[/name]. [name]Claire[/name] is for my dad and brother–it’s meaning is almost identical to their MN, [name]Robert[/name].

[name]Caleb[/name] [name]Elias[/name] [name]Joseph[/name]. [name]Caleb[/name] is for the Biblical character–my favorite Bible character ever. :slight_smile: I love the Biblical Josephs, too, and [name]Joseph[/name] is in honor of my sister ([name]Natalie[/name]). We both have a [name]Christmas[/name] name, so I like that my [name]Christmas[/name] name ([name]Marie[/name]) is after [name]Mary[/name], my sister has [name]Jesus[/name] ([name]Natalie[/name] means “[name]Christ[/name]'s birthday”), and so my son would have [name]Joseph[/name], so we’d be [name]Mary[/name], [name]Joseph[/name], and [name]Jesus[/name]. :slight_smile: I like [name]Elias[/name] as it is a form of [name]Elijah[/name], another favorite Bible character. I met a sweet little old man named [name]Elias[/name], though, and I guess it’s not really in honor of him–I just like that it reminds me of his spunk and sweetness, haha.

[name]Everett[/name] [name]Joshua[/name] [name]Charles[/name]. [name]Everett[/name] really has no significance–I like [name]Joshua[/name] because it’s a variant of [name]Jesus[/name], who I definitely would love to honor! And [name]Charles[/name] is for my mom. She always wanted a little boy named [name]Charles[/name], nn [name]Charlie[/name], and I’d like to give her a little [name]Charlie[/name]. :slight_smile:

[name]Jack[/name] [name]August[/name] [name]Cole[/name]. [name]Jack[/name] is for my grandpa, dad and brother (they’re all Johns; my grandpa went by [name]Jack[/name]). [name]August[/name] is in honor of a character on a TV show I love (sounds cheesy and pathetic, I know! Let me explain, haha). On the show, he’s this blind soldier/spy who just takes his handicap in stride, and is so positive and strong. I think it’s a great reminder to my children to treat everyone with respect (especially the handicapped!), and to always make the best of their situation.

[name]Helena[/name] [name]Beatrix[/name] _____. This is a new addition to my list (hence, the lack of second MN!). I like the Biblical associations to the meaning of [name]Helena[/name] ([name]Isaiah[/name] 42:3 and [name]Matthew[/name] 5:13-16), and I like that [name]Beatrix[/name], in a way, honors my grandfather (who was only L. B.–no full name, just two initials).

Anyway. [name]Just[/name] a few ideas. :slight_smile:

Good luck!

9

I would never give my child a name without meaning, because meaning is extremely important to me. I don’t think that the meaning has to be literal; personal meaning can be just as, if not more, significant than literal meaning. [name]Ash[/name] gave some perfect examples.

10

In my case, my first and middle names are both after family. My first name is after my maternal grandmother, and my mn, Jane, came from my mother’s double first name ‘Mary Jane.’ I am honored to carry their names, and the actual meanings are nice. However, I would have preferred getting one family name, and one name chosen just for me. I have always viewed getting a name that parents ‘just liked’ as potentially very special – all the more so when parents chose a name that one or both are enthusiastic about and really love. Then it’s a reflection of them and a personalized gift that I would find very meaningful.

The literal meaning behind names is something I definitely consider, but do not find it as important as many other aspects of the name, including how the name sounds. I would not limit myself to just using names with amazing meanings. Literal meanings that are neutral were acceptable when choosing names for my kids. However, my children’s names are all Bible names, which is very meaningful to my husband and me since we’re Christians. (It worked out because Rebecca happened to be my favorite girl name.)

Regarding the meaning of the name Cecilia: I have an Aunt Cecilia. A few years ago, I felt inspired to order decorative name plaques for my aunts and uncles, which included their first names and poems about the meanings of their names. One name meant ‘soul,’ and another meant ‘bright and shining,’ – all good stuff to work with… except Cecilia. When I found out Cecilia meant ‘blind,’ I thought the whole idea was a bust. However, the lady who made them told me she would be using a meaning extrapolated from ‘blind’ – ‘trust and faith’. It was a surprising and beautiful idea, which turned out great.

11

We gave our 2 daughters first names that were all their own, and then middle names that were family names. We lucked out though because A. My husband and I have lots of family whom we are close to, and are happy to name our children after, and B. Our families for the most part have names that we like anyway.

If I didn’t feel like I really wanted to name my child after someone, I wouldn’t, and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that at all. If I wasn’t close to my family, or they had horrid names, then I wouldn’t use them.

On the other end of the spectrum, my family names their children after each other so much that I found it hard to actually choose a name that represents the person I was naming them after.

What I mean is for example, my husband’s mother’s name is [name]Christine[/name] [name]Louise[/name]. [name]Christine[/name] is after her aunt (my husband’s great aunt whom we see all the time) and [name]Louise[/name] is after her mother who shares the same middle name (my husband’s grandmother, and likewise). Anyway he really wanted to name one of our daughters after his mother, but felt that neither [name]Christine[/name] nor [name]Louise[/name] really represented his mother enough. He felt as though they didn’t belong to her.

So anyway the point is there are good and bad to using family names, but also to giving the baby a name completely their own. Really it just makes sense to go with whichever feels best for you. If your child comes to you later in life, asking why their name doesn’t “mean anything” you can just as easily explain to them why you didn’t name them after a family member.

12

[name]Cecilia[/name] actually means “the way of the blind”, it’s derived from a name that means “blind”. I think [name]Cecilia[/name] has a beautiful history!

Me and my siblings were given names from our family tree that our parents found pretty. When I’m looking at names for my baby, I want something beautiful, and we’re chosing a literary name for the middle spot. We’re not going to use family names.

13

I have no problem with names without special meaning, [name]IMO[/name] just loving a name because you think it’s beautiful and that association with your children is special enough, any meaning behind it is just an added bonus [name]IMO[/name].

14

Another thought, my fiance and I have [name]Isaac[/name] [name]Dante[/name] picked out for our first son. [name]Isaac[/name] was a compromise between [name]Isaiah[/name] and [name]Zachary[/name] and [name]Dante[/name] is one of his favorite video game characters. So yes, I’m naming my son in part after a!bossy, half demon. But after playing tthe series I’ve learned his funny, caring and a few other things I’d like my son to be. And the meaning of it was totally accidental but I love it which made a name I was iffy on, into a name I love [name]Isaac[/name] means laughter and [name]Dante[/name] is a form of [name]Durante[/name], meaning enduring. So when put together its laughter enduring which I love.

15

My parents chose my first name on the fact that it was the only on my dad agreed on. My middle name, though, has family connection. People always say [name]Lynne[/name] is a filler name with an unnecessary “e” so I always clarify the signifigance. I think that is how I’ll handle it also, nice sounding first name with significant middle names.

16

I don’t really care about the meaning of a name. I might think twice about a name with an extremely negative meaning (if there even is such a name) but association is still much more important. When I hear the name [name]Jane[/name], I think of [name]Jane[/name] [name]Austen[/name] and [name]Jane[/name] Eyre, not the obscure meaning. (I don’t even know what it is, and since it’s not a literal or virtue name, I expect almost no one else does, either, without looking it up.) Family, literary, celebrity, religious, and other associations are just a lot more salient.

But that said, I love the name [name]Matilda[/name] and the fact that it means “battle mighty” makes me love it all the more. I like powerful names for women the same way I like softer names for men.

17

My name really means nothing to my parents. They chose [name]Whitney[/name] [name]Elise[/name] solely because they liked the way it sounded and looked (my mother wrote it in cursive a million times when she was pregnant.) I always felt a twinge of jealousy because my older sister has my great-grandmother’s name has her middle name, and my brother has my father’s first name and my great-grandfather & my grandfather’s name as his middle name. I expressed this jealousy one time during one of my dramatic teenage stages and my mother really put it nicely when she said, “Why should you feel less important because you didn’t get named after someone? We felt that you were special enough to name you something that we loved all on its own, without any past meanings, so that you could be [name]Whitney[/name] and make it an important name.” I have always loved that she told me that. While they didn’t pick a name because it has a great meaning, or because someone in our family already had the name, it is still important to them because they loved it. Knowing they loved something enough without family ties to it made me love it a little more.

Anyway, that’s my story. I plan on telling my kids the same thing one day. Their names have no real meaning other than we love them. There are no past [name]Oakley[/name]'s, [name]Greer[/name]'s, or [name]Bristol[/name]'s and that’s okay because that is who they are and they are making those names great all on their own. :slight_smile:

18

Thanks for all of your input! I’ve started looking at names with the same meanings of important family members. I have at least two years before I need to worry about names, I just know it’s going to be a struggle because my partner has a VERY limited amount of names he likes. This has provided me with a lot of insight though :slight_smile:

19

My mum always says she dreamt what she named me and went with it because it felt right, she’d written lists of all the names she’s liked and actually got into an argument with my dad when he told the nurses my name was [name]Eliza[/name], my mother was adament she’d never written that on her list and was right, it was [name]Liza[/name] (pronounced [name]Liz[/name]-a) and even then she wasn’t sure until she had what she has called ‘the most mundane and beautiful dream’ of getting my brother ready for school and looking for me and calling out my name [name]Liza[/name] [name]Lee[/name] and after she woke up she said she knew it was my name and she refused to budge on that fact so my father had to give in but he gave me my middle name ([name]Mary[/name]) anyway my name and it’s meaning doesn’t have any significance (and it’s constantly getting mispronounced the first time people read it) but I love it and how I came to have it is the story so I think that’s enough in some cases

20

I think one name should have meaning like mine [name]Ebony[/name] [name]Anne[/name]- [name]Anne[/name] is a family name and I plan to:

[name]Isobel[/name] [name]Jamesie[/name] [name]Rose[/name]: [name]Isobel[/name] is my grandma’s name and [name]Jamesie[/name] is my nana’s name
[name]Sophie[/name] [name]Anne[/name] [name]Elizabeth[/name]: [name]Anne[/name] is a family middle and [name]Elizabeth[/name] fo my mum [name]Elspeth[/name]
[name]Miranda[/name] [name]Grace[/name] [name]Louise[/name]: [name]Grace[/name] is my great grandma and [name]Louise[/name] is my sisters middle name
[name]Eloise[/name] [name]Jamie[/name] [name]Anne[/name]: [name]Eloise[/name] is like a combo of [name]Elspeth[/name] my mums name and [name]Louise[/name] my sisters middle and [name]Anne[/name] see above

[name]Eamon[/name] [name]James[/name] [name]Bryan[/name]: [name]James[/name] is my dads and brothers middle and [name]Bryan[/name] is my grandads name
[name]Tiago[/name] [name]Harold[/name] [name]Isaac[/name]: [name]Tiago[/name] is the portugese form of [name]James[/name], [name]Harold[/name] is my pops name and [name]Isaac[/name] is my brothers name.
[name]Cooper[/name] [name]Tiago[/name] [name]Smith[/name]: [name]Tiago[/name] see above and [name]Smith[/name] is my maiden name

These may change when I get married to fit my future husbands family.