Is there anyone that you would love to name a child after, but you can’t stand their name? Mine are my aunts [name_f]Janet[/name_f] and [name_f]Gertrude[/name_f]–they’re the only family members I would consider naming a kid after but I hate their names (and so do they!). Would you use the name of a loved one even if the name itself didn’t appeal to you or would you try to find some other way to honor them without using their exact name?
Personally I couldn’t name my child something I disliked; I would pick a variant or another way to honour them. Some people do feel they need to use the exact name though.
You can use variants, or names with similar sounds, e.g.
[name_f]Janet[/name_f]- [name_f]Jane[/name_f], [name_f]Joanna[/name_f], [name_f]Jeanette[/name_f], [name_f]Annette[/name_f]
[name_f]Gertrude[/name_f]- [name_f]Gerda[/name_f]
Are their middle names or surnames, or variants of them, usable? You can also use names of something they enjoy or relate to them- their favourite character, plant/flower, city, etc.
What are [name_f]Janet[/name_f] & [name_f]Gertrude[/name_f]'s favorite names? I imagine they’d be honored to be consulted (assuming they’re still around).
[name_f]My[/name_f] son’s middle name is [name_m]Milton[/name_m]. He is named for my grandfather that passed the day before my son was born. I did not care for the name, but loved the man. I’ve never regretted putting it in the middle spot and have come to like the name [name_m]Milton[/name_m]. I think it is equally fine to use another name with some similarity as a way of honoring a special person in your life. (I do think girls are more likely to share and care about their middle names.)
Have you thought about using your aunt(s) middle name(s) or maiden name(s) or a variation of them? You could also look for names with similar meanings to [name_f]Gertrude[/name_f] and/or [name_f]Janet[/name_f].
BTW, my aunt [name_f]Janet[/name_f] was raised by my great-grandmother [name_f]Gertrude[/name_f].
[name_f]Janet[/name_f]
[name_f]Janae[/name_f], J’nae
[name_f]Jeannette[/name_f]
[name_u]Jan[/name_u]
[name_f]Janice[/name_f]
[name_f]Janis[/name_f]
[name_f]Jana[/name_f]
[name_f]Jane[/name_f]
[name_f]Nettie[/name_f]
[name_f]Janie[/name_f]/[name_f]Janey[/name_f]
[name_f]Nanette[/name_f] ([name_f]Nettie[/name_f])
[name_f]Annette[/name_f]
[name_f]Janet[/name_f]'s International Variations: [name_f]Gianetta[/name_f] (Italian) [name_f]Zaneta[/name_f] (Russian) [name_f]Janneth[/name_f] (Scottish) [name_f]Sioned[/name_f] (Welsh). [name_f]Gia[/name_f] is cute.
[name_f]Gertrude[/name_f]
[name_u]Rue[/name_u]
[name_f]Trudy[/name_f]
[name_u]Rudy[/name_u]
[name_f]Gert[/name_f]/[name_f]Gertie[/name_f]
[name_u]Truly[/name_u]
[name_u]True[/name_u]
[name_f]Greta[/name_f]
[name_f]Gigi[/name_f]
[name_f]Gertrude[/name_f]'s International Variations: [name_f]Geerta[/name_f] (Dutch) [name_f]Gertraud[/name_f], [name_f]Gertrud[/name_f], [name_f]Gertruda[/name_f] ([name_m]German[/name_m]). [name_f]Geerta[/name_f] is kind of cute.
Maybe there is a way to combine the names into one name that is acceptable in the middle spot. [name_u]Gannet[/name_u], Gerette/[name_m]Garett[/name_m], Truette, [name_f]Jade[/name_f] (the beginning of [name_f]Janet[/name_f] and the end of [name_f]Gertrude[/name_f]).
[name_f]Janina[/name_f] feels like [name_f]Jemima[/name_f] to me. [name_f]Janiya[/name_f]? [name_f]Janthia[/name_f]? [name_u]January[/name_u]?
More [name_m]Tru[/name_m] names:
[name_f]Trula[/name_f] [name_f]Jane[/name_f]
Truella [name_f]Jane[/name_f] - nn [name_f]Elle[/name_f], [name_f]Ella[/name_f], [name_f]Ellie[/name_f], [name_u]Elia[/name_u], [name_u]Rue[/name_u]
[name_m]Petru[/name_m] - nn [name_f]Petal[/name_f]
Petrula - nn [name_f]Petal[/name_f]
[name_f]Astrud[/name_f]
[name_f]Gertrude[/name_f] [name_f]Janet[/name_f]
[name_u]Ruby[/name_u] [name_f]Jane[/name_f]
[name_u]Ruby[/name_u] [name_f]Annette[/name_f]
Ruanne
Annarue, [name_f]Ana[/name_f]-[name_u]Rue[/name_u]
[name_f]Ruth[/name_f] [name_f]Jeannette[/name_f]
[name_f]Gerianne[/name_f]
[name_u]Ruby[/name_u] [name_f]Jade[/name_f]
Jaroo
I’d love to honor my grandmother [name_f]Shirley[/name_f], but can’t stand the name. I’ve strongly considered using [name_m]Sherlock[/name_m] instead, and though I’d have the guts to use it as a sons first name, my fiance would never go for it at all.
But yes, I believe that if your relative is still alive then consulting them is a great idea. Maybe they have a name they really love that you could use instead of their name, and maybe you’ll love their suggestion. And if you don’t, well, you’re not obligated into using their suggestion in the end.
Someone suggested using the initials of the person and creating a name from that. [name_f]Janet[/name_f] and [name_f]Gertrude[/name_f], you could find a J name and a G name, then you could create name option with those initials.
There are other ways to honor someone besides using a hated name.
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most commonly, I think people stick the name in as a middle name. [name_f]Gertrude[/name_f] or. [name_f]Janet[/name_f] could go in the middle spot and rarely be used again.
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very often, a more appealing variant of the name is adopted. A [name_f]Gertrude[/name_f] can be honored by naming a child [name_f]Trudy[/name_f] or [name_u]Truly[/name_u] and a. [name_f]Janet[/name_f] can be honored by naming a child [name_f]Janelle[/name_f], [name_f]Janice[/name_f], [name_f]Janette[/name_f].
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You can use names that begin with the same letter. A [name_f]Gertrude[/name_f] can be honored by selecting names [name_f]Grace[/name_f], [name_f]Gwendolyn[/name_f], or [name_f]Gillian[/name_f]. A [name_f]Janet[/name_f] can be honored by selecting names like [name_f]Josephine[/name_f], [name_f]Juliet[/name_f], or [name_f]Jade[/name_f]. Of course, the only way these really become honor names is if they become part of the story of how the child’s name was selected.
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my favorite type of honor names is one that reflects something special about the person be honored.
So perhaps Aunt [name_f]Gertrude[/name_f] was a gardener who taught you all about flowers and gardening. I can imagine the naming story as “we selected [name_f]Lily[/name_f] as your name because Aunt [name_f]Gertrude[/name_f] grew the most beautiful lilies and I loved the afternoons I would help in the garden.”
Or maybe Aunt [name_f]Janet[/name_f] shared a passion for classic movies with you and the naming story might be something like “I used to love to spend rainy days with Aunt [name_f]Janet[/name_f] watching old movies. We bothers especially loved [name_u]Vivian[/name_u] [name_u]Leigh[/name_u] in Gone with the Wind so that’s why we chose to name you [name_u]Vivian[/name_u].”
[name_f]My[/name_f] nana’s name is [name_f]Arlene[/name_f] [name_f]Ruth[/name_f], and I don’t care for either name, so I search for variants all the time!
I would try to use the actual name — especially if it was only a middle name that would not be used very often, anyways (or even “bury” the name after other names I liked, making it a second or third middle). To me the sentiment is more important than aesthetic considerations. If the name was truly awful/trendy/unpronounceable (I do not include [name_f]Janet[/name_f] and [name_f]Gertrude[/name_f] in this category — these are classic, solid names that just happen to be unfashionable nowadays) I would try to use a variant or a direct translation of the person’s name ([name_f]Jane[/name_f], [name_u]Jean[/name_u], [name_f]Joanna[/name_f], [name_f]Giovanna[/name_f], [name_f]Gertie[/name_f], [name_f]Trude[/name_f]) or their last name.
Apart from that, I would just skip the idea of honouring the person. Sure, you could look for a more subtle way of honouring the person —*her initials, her favourite colour, her place of birth, asking her to name the child. But to me that doesn’t technically count as being someone’s “namesake”. Naming a daughter “[name_f]Sophia[/name_f] [name_f]Jade[/name_f]” just isn’t naming her after aunt [name_f]Janet[/name_f] [name_f]IMO[/name_f].
Oh dear [name_m]Lord[/name_m], when I found out I was having a little boy last year, I was so happy I didn’t have to pick a girl’s name. I love family names, but the females on my side (and my husband’s for that matter) are not hitting on much. I love my grandmothers beyond all description, but their names are [name_f]Juanita[/name_f] [name_f]Jeannette[/name_f] and [name_f]Ruth[/name_f] [name_m]Fuller[/name_m]. If any of you Berries can tweak those into something I could use for a future baby girl, I’m all ears!
I personally wouldn’t use a name to honour someone unless I genuinely liked the name. Instead I’d use variations, for example my sisters name is [name_f]Georgina[/name_f] (sorry, hate it) so I’m planning on using [name_m]George[/name_m] as a middle name for a boy, as I quite like the name [name_m]George[/name_m].
If you really don’t like the names [name_f]Janet[/name_f] and [name_f]Gertrude[/name_f], I’d say consider alternatives. Some only work at a stretch, but they still work.
[name_f]Janet[/name_f] - [name_f]Jane[/name_f], [name_f]Ann[/name_f], [name_f]Annette[/name_f], [name_u]Jay[/name_u], [name_f]Janice[/name_f]
[name_f]Gertrude[/name_f] - [name_f]Trudy[/name_f], [name_f]Gertie[/name_f], [name_u]Rudy[/name_u]
I dislike most of my family member’s names. I’d love to use my dad’s name, which is also my grandad’s name, but it’s not my style at all, and sound wrong with all the names on my list (it’s similar to [name_m]Abdul[/name_m]). But I’ve tried honouring my parents in more creative ways than just using their names. Using my parents’/grandparents’ names feels a bit odd anyway, since it’s not like I ever use them. I think variants, or names similar to [name_f]Janet[/name_f] and [name_f]Gertrude[/name_f] would be a good idea, or a name/names that remind you of them.
I’m so glad for this thread. I’m struggling with my dad’s name. I think it is unusable. but my dad really liked the sea and he really liked [name_m]Hawaii[/name_m] (his birth place). He has passed now, but he would probably be appreciative if I allowed the sea and Hawaiian to inspire his honor name!
[name_f]My[/name_f] grandma is harder. She was famous for her pies. But I don’t see naming a kid Meringue. But I could maybe tweak her name into something I like.
I’m not big on honouring people with my child’s name - it’s not something I feel that’s important or something that I feel I have to do. However, if I was going to honour some of my family members, I’d love to honour my paternal grandmother ([name_f]Irene[/name_f]), my mum ([name_f]Annemarie[/name_f]) and my maternal great-grandmohther ([name_f]Yvonne[/name_f].)
[name_f]My[/name_f] grandparents [name_f]Geraldine[/name_f] and [name_m]Peter[/name_m]. [name_f]My[/name_f] [name_f]Nan[/name_f] passed away just under two months ago and since then I’ve been working furiously to find a first name to honour her with and found it a week or two ago: [name_u]Dean[/name_u]. Yes, it’s not for a girl. Yes, it’s not obvious but in my opinion that’s perfect. From the last syllable of her name, [name_u]Dean[/name_u] is a no-nonsense boy’s name with plenty of attitude and just the right amount of sweet. I love it.
For my Gramps I’m struggling. I like his name and would happily settle for the middle name [name_m]Peter[/name_m] but I want him to be a first name because he’s so important to me, an excellent role model now more than ever: I envy his courage and strength. And so this has led me to explore other options. [name_f]Petra[/name_f] was an obvious one, following the theme of naming a boy after a woman, a girl after a man, but they used that name for one of their dogs so I steered away. [name_f]My[/name_f] current choice is [name_u]Mason[/name_u]. [name_f]My[/name_f] Grampy was a carpenter and built his own house, working with stone & brick. That is the job of a mason.
So [name_u]Mason[/name_u] and [name_u]Dean[/name_u], after [name_m]Peter[/name_m] and [name_f]Geraldine[/name_f].
If I didn’t like the name, I would use it as a middle name or try to find a variation that would still honor them.
I have a grandmother named [name_f]Hedwig[/name_f], but I could never use this name! I like Haddie as a variation, though.