what do you guys look for in a name? do you have any ideal characteristics? what do you think makes the perfect name?
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my ideal name has a nickname i love! i also like longer, more formal names, with cuter nicknames. most names i like are classic, romantic, and could be considered old people names. nearly all of the names i like remind me of fall and winter.
Honestly, im not super picky when it comes to names and I genuinely love many different styles. However, my husband is INCREDIBLY particular. He wants a name that is Spanish or Spanish-friendly, religious, unique, and bonus points if itās floral
Uncommon, more modern than classic (for boy names in particular, Iād rather a previous usage of 50 years at the absolute most), has a meaning or association that I like or that matches my values, preferably no or minimal religious connection, main character vibes, and has a little bit of a dark edge because I think how I raise my kids will be more unconventional
Iām really picky when it comes to names , I usually dislike names that are too out there or not very well known, I like to stay in the well-known category. However, I do like certain names that arenāt very common either, which means unique names are a hit or miss for me. I like names that are classics, without sounding too out of date either (like Lydia, Eleanor, Edumnd, etc.). I adore girl names that have to do with outer space (like Celeste, Elara, Orion, Astra), whether itās meaning related or a name of a celestial body. So in summary, Iām kind of all over the place with my naming preferences
Iām not wonderful when it comes to specifics lol, the two things I have noticed are I tend to like shorter names, especially for girls, and names with a lot of vowels. Iād strongly prefer for them to not be in the top 300, but a few of them are (2 are in the top 10 ), so it isnāt a dealbreaker if itās the name in every other way. I like a wide variety of names, a lot of them are vintage that have a modern/chic vibe to me (like [name_f]Maude[/name_f], Maxine) & a lot of less conventional word names. Iāve noticed a heavy 1920s vibe to my list the last couple years, which has just really proved the 100 year rule to me (esp bc a lot of my fav names as a teen were very 1910s lol)
I like how I started this with āIām not wonderful with specificsā & then went on this whole rant
meanings are super important to me! i usually look for nature or spiritual meanings
i look for softer and shorter names, also uncommon & international
rio, zen & alma are my favs and they are the perfect examples of what i look for in names
[name_f]My[/name_f] ideal names are very feminine, to start. I love names with a classical sound, no matter the popularity. [name_f]My[/name_f] mum said once that she wishes a family name was incorporated in my name, such as [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f], which I love to do with my combos. [name_u]Honor[/name_u] names of some sort are of the utmost importance, spanning from my great-grandmother [name_f]Betty[/name_f] (where I get Elizabeth) to my favorite author [name_f]Louisa[/name_f] [name_f]May[/name_f] [name_u]Alcott[/name_u] (where I get the combo of [name_f]Lucy[/name_f] Mae). I donāt mind Top 10 namesā popularity doesnāt deter meā as I love classic, timeless names, which is what is currently higher in the database. Lastly, all of my names should have a nickname that keeps an honor or a feminine theme.
For Boys~
I only have four boysā names that I truly adore, which are all honors in some form. I love traditionally masculine names that are strong and timeless, as well. [name_f]My[/name_f] ātop twoā loves of [name_m]Alexander[/name_m] and [name_u]Jack[/name_u] are honors: [name_m]Alexander[/name_m] from a personal connection, as well as a rough variant of my middle. [name_u]Jack[/name_u] is less so (I count it as an honor for my other favorite author of CS [name_m]Lewis[/name_m], who went by [name_u]Jack[/name_u] in his personal life) but the combo on my UC itself is an honor. It is also the name of some of my favorite storybook characters.
TL;DRā
[name_u]Honor[/name_u] names
Ultra-feminine (girls), ultra-masculine (boys)
Nickname options
Popularity doesnāt matter: if the whole world was of Lucyās or Jackās, Iād most likely have one, too
Like with every rule, there are exceptions! However, I would say that most of the feminine names I like have a certain āwhimsicalā quality to them, at least in my eyes:
[name_f]Dahlia[/name_f]
[name_f]Mariana[/name_f]
[name_f]Eliska[/name_f]
[name_f]Benthe[/name_f]
[name_f]Nimue[/name_f]
etc etc.
I havenāt noticed as strong of a pattern with my masculine names, but I have noticed that I tend towards names with softer consonants at least 70% of the time.
I tend to look for and/or gravitate towards several things, though there are notable exceptions to each:
One consistent, recognizable spelling and pronunciation for the name, so that misspelling and mispronunciation is minimally likely (for example: Iām unlikely to use [name_f]Catherine[/name_f] since it will often be āmisspelledā as [name_f]Katherine[/name_f], [name_f]Kathryn[/name_f] etc.). I do make exceptions, especially for cultural names.
The majority of my favorite names are 2-3 syllables.
I tend to favor consonant-heavy names for all genders, but most especially for āboysā names.
I greatly prefer honor middles, and would exclusively use honor middles if I ever named a human child.
I generally prefer to use the long form of nickname names to using the nickname alone (for instance: [name_u]Wesley[/name_u] āWes,ā [name_u]James[/name_u] āJamie,ā [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] āLibby,ā [name_f]Catherine[/name_f] āKitā rather than āonlyā the short forms). Good nicknames are a plus.
I shy away from names with nicknames I donāt like, even if I love the long form of the name.
I shy away from names I donāt like the long form of even if I love the nickname.
I love nature names, especially if theyāre not floral (but I do have some floral names I love).
Mythology/Pagan connections are a huge plus, Biblical connections are noted but neutral.
Twin names always start with the same letter (I know, itās a weird hang up I canāt get over).
wow i love how detailed some of these responses are! so interesting!
for me itās rather simple! i usually like names that are short, familiar and sweet, maybe even cute. some examples of that would be toby, ozzie, lani & maisie.
i also love names with a summery vibe but it isnāt a must - though if they have a summery vibe iām okay with them being a little longer, eg. amaya, mariana, luisa. theyāre still not too long, familiar and quite sweet, but longer and more out-there!
For girls I love nature names, especially ones that are unique, I also tend to like ones that have a connection to nature but arenāt just the word straight up e.g Iād prefer something like Serpentine than Snake (sorry thatās a bad example I know)
I also like a few mythological/pagan names, I like names that are mysterious.
Ideally Iād like it to be out of the top 1000 for first name, but I know thatās not the case for some of the names Iād want to use.
[name_f]Pretty[/name_f] much the same for boys, although I can never find any names I love as much as girls names. Sometimes boys names I like can fall out of the criteria I talked about above.
I am all over the place.
I donāt have a specific style at all.
I probably look for names with awesome nickname options, since nicknames are a big thing for me!
But I like names from all over the world, I donāt have a specific nationality I stick with.
I love [name_m]Farid[/name_m], [name_u]Cohen[/name_u], [name_f]Kateri[/name_f], [name_m]Aarav[/name_m], [name_u]Amari[/name_u], [name_m]Bjorn[/name_m], & [name_m]Tadhg[/name_m], for example, which are from different bits of the globe. I love the idea of having names to honour different countries, even if Iām not from there. I just love learning about other places, and want to explore them one day!!!
Xx
Something that makes my heart sing and feel fiery! Itās more of a feeling and a love than it is any one thing. (Though⦠a great nickname or two never hurts. And I have no trouble coming up with those!)