I never really see these names being discussed anywhere and I was just curious what impressions people had of them. [name_f]Do[/name_f] you like them? Why or why not? What kind of vibes do they give you? I’m not considering them for myself, but just curious!
[name_f]Mariana[/name_f] - This is one of my favourite names actually! It sounds summery, down-to-earth and friendly!
[name_f]Adriana[/name_f] - It’s not bad by any means, but to me it sounds a bit dated, so I don’t love it.
[name_f]Bethany[/name_f] - Not a fan. I hope I don’t ruin your own perception of the name by saying this, but I can only picture middle-aged American women when I hear it. Although, I’m biased because for me it’s been forever tainted by [name_f]Bethany[/name_f] from [name_f]Girl[/name_f] Defined, a homophobic & misogynistic [name_u]Christian[/name_u] youtube channel that went extremely viral a few years ago
[name_f]Lea[/name_f] - Not sure if this is meant to be pronounced like [name_u]Lee[/name_u], [name_f]Leia[/name_f] or [name_f]Leah[/name_f]. I don’t like how the pronunciation isn’t intuitive, but it’s a perfectly fine name, I just find it slightly boring.
[name_m]Etienne[/name_m] - Really like this! It’s not a name I’d see myself using, but it has a handsome, velvety sound.
[name_u]Bryant[/name_u] - It’s very 00’s romcom american football chad guy to me haha
[name_m]Byron[/name_m] - This one is underrated imo! It feels romantic because of the [name_m]Lord[/name_m] [name_m]Byron[/name_m] association, and [name_u]Ronnie[/name_u] is a cute nickname.
[name_u]Chance[/name_u] - It’s okay, a bit too wordy for me.
[name_m]Aaron[/name_m] - Also a name I consider just fine. There’s nothing wrong with it, it just feels a bit bland, even though, like I mentioned, I like nickname [name_u]Ronnie[/name_u].
[name_f]Mariana[/name_f] / [name_f]Marianna[/name_f] - the two give me different vibes - [name_f]Mariana[/name_f] has a bit more flair, and summery-ness; [name_f]Marianna[/name_f] is a bit more buttoned up-19th-century-novel
[name_f]Adriana[/name_f] / [name_f]Adrianna[/name_f] - prefer [name_f]Adriana[/name_f] - kind of sparky and cool but established
[name_f]Bethany[/name_f] - one I’ve always quite liked - you rarely hear it!
[name_f]Lea[/name_f] - is this Lee-uh or [name_u]Lee[/name_u]? I don’t love [name_u]Lee[/name_u], I prefer [name_f]Lia[/name_f] or [name_f]Leah[/name_f]?
[name_m]Etienne[/name_m] - pretty distinctive and stylish
[name_u]Bryant[/name_u] - not wild on it - reminds me of things like [name_u]Wyatt[/name_u], [name_u]Wiley[/name_u] and [name_m]Grant[/name_m] which aren’t my vibe
[name_m]Byron[/name_m] - poetic and cool - are the ‘Byronic hero’ associations completely appealing? Hmmm
[name_u]Chance[/name_u] - I like it - it’s cool and charming with a bit of the fantastical
[name_m]Aaron[/name_m] - solid and rugged (but I only like the UK pronunciation - sorry!)
I love Marian(n)a and [name_m]Etienne[/name_m]! I want to love Adrian(n)a because its beautiful but it has so many different pronunciations (I can think of 6) which is a turn off for me, it just feels like it would be annoying to have to correct people all the time. I do love [name_f]Adrienne[/name_f] though. I love [name_f]Beth[/name_f] and [name_f]Annie[/name_f] so [name_f]Bethany[/name_f] used to be on my list but I picked up a negative association so now its in the like for other people category. [name_m]Aaron[/name_m] is fine, nice solid name, and I could maybe get on board with [name_u]Bryant[/name_u]. I’m not wild about the rest.
I think they’re all mostly decent except for [name_u]Bryant[/name_u]. Makes me think of [name_f]Anita[/name_f] [name_u]Bryant[/name_u]. She ran a big anti-gay political campaign and managed to remove what little legal rights gay people had in [name_f]Florida[/name_f] in the late 70s. It took 21 years for the rights to be restored again. So I really dislike her.
[name_f]Bethany[/name_f] is a gorgeous name, really, but it’s lowered because of one really nasty one
I think [name_u]Chance[/name_u] will grow on me, but I haven’t heard it before that I remember… But I really like it so far!
I dislike [name_f]Lea[/name_f] (never know how to pronounce it), [name_u]Bryant[/name_u] (just not for me), [name_u]Chance[/name_u] (just not for me), [name_m]Aaron[/name_m] (just not for me)
I like [name_f]Mariana[/name_f], [name_f]Adriana[/name_f], [name_f]Bethany[/name_f], [name_m]Byron[/name_m].
I LOVE Etienne!!
Mariana / Marianna - It’s sort of cool, like [name_f]Marina[/name_f] but a little more extra Adriana / Adrianna - It’s ok, a bit to frilly for my tastes but not a bad name Bethany I actually like it a lot, it sounds a little bit midcentury but also not completely dated or overly casual/trendy. I also like the nickname [name_f]Beth[/name_f] Lea - Not my favorite, the pronunciation is confusing and it looks incomplete. I don’t mind [name_f]Leah[/name_f] or Lee/Leigh though
Etienne - Not really my style but it’s fine, it’s pretty unique Bryant - I feel very neutrally about it Byron - I don’t mind it, though I always had a hard time knowing how it was pronounced before I heard someone say it out loud Chance - Another one that’s just ok, though I knew someone with this name who I found really annoying so maybe I’d like it more if it weren’t for that Aaron - Idk why but I’ve never really liked it, I think the double a’s at the beginning just sort of look unappealing to me. Though it’s not the worst
[name_f]Mariana[/name_f] - nothing wrong with it at all, but I’m not a fan, it just feels a little clunky
[name_f]Adriana[/name_f] - similar vibes to mariana to me, perfectly fine name but not for me
[name_f]Bethany[/name_f] - i think we need to give it a decade sinse all of the 2000s bethany’s again, very not for me
[name_f]Lea[/name_f] - like [name_f]Leah[/name_f] without an h? its a cute and simple name, little basic but nothing at all wrong with that, i like it
[name_m]Etienne[/name_m] - stunning, i love it, wouldn’t personally use it as it has a kind of gp feel, but as a name i think its so regal
[name_u]Bryant[/name_u] - i think this is really cool and usable, has like a cool theatre vibe, haven’t met anyone with this name
[name_m]Byron[/name_m] - not a fan personally, i accosiate it with the author and the place and the place has kind of tainted it for me, its a cool name alone tho
[name_u]Chance[/name_u] - kinda cool, not something i would personally use but its really interesting, same energy as charming or chase
[name_m]Aaron[/name_m] - very not for me, not a fan of the double ‘a’s or just the vibe in general, but if you love it good for you
Mariana/Marianna ~ soo pretty, I love [name_f]Marianne[/name_f] because of Sense and Sensibility but [name_f]Mariana[/name_f] is used in [name_m]Shakespeare[/name_m] (Measure for Measure) and sounds pure Italian romance to me. I actually know someone with a baby [name_f]Marianna[/name_f]!
Adriana/Adrianna ~ I think of [name_f]Adriana[/name_f] Caselotti who was the voice actress for [name_u]Snow[/name_u] White! Again used by [name_m]Shakespeare[/name_m], in The Comedy of Errors, she is a wonderful proto-feminist character. I’d honestly consider using it myself but I can’t unsee the ‘Adrian’ element which is such a middle aged man name to me
[name_f]Bethany[/name_f] ~ pretty, Beth/Betty is cute but I’d rather get there via [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f]. More classic. I was often mistaken for a [name_f]Bethany[/name_f] at school being a [name_f]Stephanie[/name_f]! Oh and I don’t know the nasty one other replies have mentioned.
[name_f]Lea[/name_f] ~ pure [name_f]Lea[/name_f] [name_u]Michele[/name_u] to me, haha. I slightly prefer [name_f]Leah[/name_f] or [name_f]Lia[/name_f].
[name_m]Etienne[/name_m] ~ not sure how it’s perceived in [name_u]France[/name_u] but to me it seems sleek and cool.
[name_u]Bryant[/name_u] ~ too surnamey for me
[name_m]Byron[/name_m] ~ whew I would not want to be named after notoriously rakish and incestuous?! [name_m]Lord[/name_m] [name_m]Byron[/name_m], his poetry is lovely and all but he’s not my ideal namesake!
[name_u]Chance[/name_u] ~ too wordy for me
[name_m]Aaron[/name_m] ~ underrated tbh, again Shakespearean! but a complicated character (person of colour who is considered a ‘villain’ by the other characters but is actually probably just a victim of persecution). There were a few in my class in the 90s.
mariana is gorgeous, and marianna is really pretty also, though they feel very different to me. mariana is summer but marianna is spring. when i was going through it a couple of years back, i had a stuffed toy lamb i brought with me everywhere, and i called her marianna !! i think i like both for pretty ‘mari’ and the lovely imagery they evoke in my mind
adriana and adrianna do less for me, though i’m not sure i could justify why - the sound is pretty but doesn’t excite me (while i love the pretty ‘mari-’ of the previous names) and the imagery/vibe is less clear or exciting. i prefer adriana here, because adrianna just feels like a less ‘correct’ version of adriana, and not a distinct name. she also feels maybe a bit dated? i like the nickname ‘addie’ though <3
adriana:
bethany has a very pretty sound, but very… normal ?? bethany was very popular in my country when i was born (#27) but somehow i’ve never met one, so it has a kind of artificial sense of datedness ?? the more i think about bethany, the more i like her though, with the soft th and lovely meaning. if she had never been popular, i think she’d be on my list.
lea is a little too little for me i think. i’ve always loved leah, but never liked lia, and i think lea sits a little closer to the love end? but she’s still a little… basic maybe? that feels mean. i also like french léa, and though she has a different vibe (and slightly less appealing sound to me), she feels a bit cooler and more vibey. the other trouble with lea for me is that she feels quite intrinsically linked to lea michele for me as a theatre person, which isn’t an association im obsessed with. making the moodboard has given me a bit more appreciation for lovely lea though !!
(no moodboard for most of the boys bc vibes are much harder)
etienne has been on and off my list since i’ve had one, but at the moment, i’m very fond of him ! an enormous improvement of stephen. this was my hs french teacher’s son, so it feels a bit like default french boy, but i like the sound.
etienne:
bryant does nothing for me. that’s just a guy i guess.
byron has a mixed vibe for me: it’s a little bit romantic because of lord byron, but mostly just feels like a mixture of priggish and burger chain.
i feel like i shouldn’t like chance, but i kind of really do? a bit too wordy, but a cool sound, and a kind nostalgic feel? i feel like chance would be love interest in a poorly written but deeply enjoyable romcom. he gives me a vibe i can only describe as baseballcore
aaron is just another guy, but like ten years older than bryant. i don’t really like the look of the double-a, and the whole name feels a bit dated.
It sounds summery, down-to-earth and friendly!