Hello, I’m [name]Kirsten[/name], and I’ve got a baby-naming issue that I hope I can get some advice on. [name]Ever[/name] since I was about 15 years old, I’ve wanted to name my first baby boy Trygve (pn. [name]TRIG[/name]-va). My great-grandfather Trygve [name]Carlsen[/name] moved from Stavanger, Norway to the United States with barely anything in his pocket and became a carpenter to support his family (he was an only son with six sisters and a deceased father). His life story has always inspired me, and I wanted to be able to pass on that admiration to my son. I had planned on putting Trygve on the birth certificate, but since Trygve doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue for non-norwegian speakers, I wanted to call him [name]Trig[/name]. My husband realized how much this name meant to me and even though he’d wanted a “junior” his whole life, he agreed to the name Trygve, with his name as the middle. Essentially, our boy would be Trygve [name]Jay[/name] [name]Lachlan[/name], known as [name]Trig[/name].
But, when [name]Sarah[/name] [name]Palin[/name] was slammed for her kids’ names, I began to have doubts. I hate [name]Sarah[/name] [name]Palin[/name], so I don’t want that association with her, and I’m worried about all the negative reactions people had to the name [name]Trig[/name]. When she originally was the vice-presidential nominee, I wasn’t too worried (hoping it would all just go away), but now, a few years down the road, I’m expecting that first baby boy. Now, I’m freaking out.
Any advice? I’ve imagined my boy as [name]Trig[/name] for so many years, and I hate to just give up on it. Should we put Trygve on the birth certificate but call him by a whole different name (if I can find one I love)? Should we use Trygve as a second middle name? Should we consider [name]Carl[/name] or [name]Carlsen[/name] instead? Or another Norwegian name? Help! [name]Baby[/name]'s daddy is not sure what to do either - he’s not a [name]Palin[/name] fan, but I think he’s also gotten connected to [name]Trig[/name] [name]Lachlan[/name]…
[name]Hi[/name]! I had a hard time pronouncing Trygve at first, but now that you’ve listed the pronunciation, it makes total sense to me.
Trygve doesn’t make me think of the Palins at all, but [name]Trig[/name] is unfortunately 100% [name]Palin[/name] to me (if I were to hear of a baby [name]Trig[/name], I would automatically assume that his parents were diehard [name]Palin[/name] fans), so if that’s an issue for you (and trust me, I completely understand where you’re coming from) :-), you could always use Trygve as a middle name, with [name]Carlsen[/name] or [name]Jay[/name] (or whatever other names you’ve been considering) up front.
I think that [name]Carlsen[/name] Trygve is really handsome, but [name]Carlsen[/name] [name]Lachlan[/name] doesn’t have that best flow to me. [name]Even[/name] so, if that’s what you wanted to use, I think the meaning to you is more important than the flow.
I’m really sorry this issue has come up, and I hope you’re able to find a solution that works for you.
To add to the above, you could also keep Trygve as a first name (I think it would be such a shame for you to let it go) and simply call him by his middle name ([name]Jay[/name], [name]Carlsen[/name], etc.) or by his initials instead of [name]Trig[/name].
And if you think you can call him [name]Trig[/name] without thinking of [name]Sarah[/name] [name]Palin[/name], you could always still call him [name]Trig[/name].
Unfortunately, [name]Trig[/name] does remind me of [name]Sarah[/name] [name]Palin[/name]. Ick. But, I refuse to let her affect my life at all… which is why I’m keeping [name]Willow[/name] on my list!
Trygve means a lot to you, and I don’t think you should give someone you don’t even like the power to affect your decision. If you introduced me to Trygve (rather than [name]Trig[/name]), I probably wouldn’t even think about it right away. Hopefully she won’t be around long enough for it to be an issue anyway, but until then, maybe you could call him Trygve to others (it’s a unique and legitimate name, which is fun and memorable) and call him [name]Trig[/name] amongst friends who know you’re not a fan of SP.
If you’re still not at ease, [name]Carlsen[/name] would still be a nice way to honor him.
Good luck!
This may be a stretch (not knowing what the future brings, and all), but why not name this baby boy after his father, like your husband has always wanted, then name a second son Trygve when (hopefully) [name]Palin[/name] is out of the limelight. Then both boys will be named after highly important men in your life.
I realize that this plan is banking on 1) you wanting more kids, 2) you having another boy and 3) [name]Palin[/name] leaving the spotlight. This may be more gambling than you want to take…
I also loved the idea of just going with the name and introducing him as Trygve to new acquaintances and strangers. [name]Trig[/name] could be your at-home pet name. Then, when the Palins are not a household name anymore, he could go by [name]Trig[/name] in general public.
One more thing to keep in mind: just because [name]Trig[/name] is a unique name does not mean [name]Palin[/name] has the corner on it. You have loved it for a long time, and in your life, that means more than what some political figure named her kid. I hope that the fear of using the name won’t cause a lifetime of regret of not using it.
Naming your child can be very difficult, so I wish you the very best of luck!
Is there an alternative spelling to Trygve that would make more sense to English speakers but still honor this name that you love. I like [name]Carlson[/name] for a first name:)
If you’re worried about the association, just avoid using the nickname, at least for the first few years. The full name will be seen as quite different, because it’s distinctly “foreign”. I expect people will stumble over the pronunciation and spelling, not that it’s that strange. Maybe I don’t have trouble because I know some [name]German[/name], so the idea of saying a final E readily occurs to me.
I say use it! [name]Sarah[/name] [name]Palin[/name]'s son is not named Trygve. This is the name you have loved for years and it honors your grandfather. The people close to you will know why you named your son Trygve, nn [name]Trig[/name] and that you weren’t copying [name]Sarah[/name] [name]Palin[/name]. If [name]Trig[/name] bothers you, you could nickname him [name]Trey[/name] or [name]Ty[/name]. Although I think calling him Trygve would be cool.
I like the idea of using the name and calling him by his full name rather than [name]Trig[/name].
For what it’s worth, I knew a little boy named Traagetan, called Traag (pronounced very similarly to [name]Trig[/name]), and so I don’t necessarily think of [name]Palin[/name]. But then again most people will.
I also liked the idea of naming him after your husband (first or middle) and using Trygve in the middle spot!
If it were me, I would use the name I love and just try to call him Trygve as often as I call him [name]Trig[/name]. As pp said, Trygve is not [name]Palin[/name]'s name and your association with the name goes further back than your knowledge of [name]Sarah[/name] [name]Palin[/name] and her family. My second choice would be to use DH’s first name (he wanted a junior anyway) and Trygve as a middle.
I vote for keeping with Trygve since you’ve had your heart set on it for so long. I’m a fellow [name]Palin[/name]-hater, so I get why you might not want that association. But don’t let her ruin this name for you! She has to disappear from the scene sooner or later…I hope
I really hope you name your son Trygve and call him [name]Trig[/name]. [name]Sarah[/name] [name]Palin[/name] does not own the name! If you just liked the name [name]Trig[/name], I’d probably say you should reconsider… but it means so much to you and you’ve imagined naming your child that for so long that I feel the name belongs to you! Your great-grandfather was Trygve FAR before [name]Sarah[/name] [name]Palin[/name] named her son [name]Trig[/name]!
Thank you so much for all your advice! My hubbs [name]Jay[/name] and I both sat down and read through all of your responses, and after talking it over a bit, I think we might keep the name we’ve always loved. Many of you have suggested introducing him as Trygve and using [name]Trig[/name] as a pet name or at home name until [name]Sarah[/name] [name]Palin[/name] somehow just goes away - I really like this. My one worry was that Trygve might be awkward to pronounce for some people, but hopefully as long as I say it correctly first, they should be able to repeat it. I think that I could see my baby [name]Trig[/name] without thinking of SP, but my main concern is that others won’t, and so using Trygve around others might help solve this problem. (of course, once he’s older and hopefully [name]Trig[/name] [name]Palin[/name] / [name]Sarah[/name] [name]Palin[/name] aren’t in the media all the time, he can go by [name]Trig[/name]. Or, before, if we can all stand a few “sarah palin fan?” comments)
Also, I like the idea of calling him TJ or maybe even [name]Jay[/name] as a nickname, but TJ reminds me of the TJ on [name]Gilmore[/name] Girls who I wasn’t exactly a fan of…
We’re not positive yet, but your thoughts have definitely helped quell some of my fears. Thanks again!
I know a Trygve! He’s about three now. When he was born, I thought it was the most bizarre name-- it just looked like a jumble of letters. When I found out the origin I liked it a little better, but I still think it’s not the easiest name to have if you live in the US. The Trygve I know pronounces it trig-vee, though, not trig-va.
[name]Sarah[/name] [name]Palin[/name]'s [name]Trig[/name] would definitely put me off using the name. I wouldn’t want my kid to share a connection with her in that way. And if I heard ‘[name]Trig[/name]’ called out by a parent to their kid, I might actually assume they were fans of [name]Sarah[/name] [name]Palin[/name] and used it as a sort of tribute.
If you know you have to use the name, and the associations don’t overpower your love for the name, then use it. Personally, taking into account the unfamiliarity and severe spelling and pronunciation issues plus the connection to [name]Sarah[/name] [name]Palin[/name], I would not, but that’s just me.
That is a wonderful way to honor the inspiring life of a family member! TJ could be a nn for Trygve [name]Jay[/name]. If not you could use a name that starts wiith the letter “T”. Or, [name]Carl[/name] Trygve [name]Jay[/name] if you like double middle names
