🏹 what is your ideal name?

[readingreverie]

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.

[bemiranda]

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 it’s floral

[bemiranda]

And by religious I mean Catholic, and it can’t sound old fashioned at all either lol

[SparkleNinja18]

Uncommon, more modern than classic (for boy names in particular, I’d 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

[midnight.melody]

I’m 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 aren’t 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 I like names that are classics, without sounding too out of date either (like Lydia, Eleanor, Edumnd, etc.).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 it’s meaning related or a name of a celestial body. So in summary, I’m kind of all over the place with my naming preferences

[futuremama]

ummmm that it feels right

I’m 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. I’d 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 isn’t a dealbreaker if it’s 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. I’ve 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 “I’m not wonderful with specifics” & then went on this whole rant

[vida]

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

[clair.de.lune]

For Girls~

[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 don’t mind Top 10 names— popularity doesn’t deter me— 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 boys’ 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] “top two” 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;DR—

• [name_u]Honor[/name_u] names
• Ultra-feminine (girls), ultra-masculine (boys)
• Nickname options
• Popularity doesn’t matter: if the whole world was of Lucy’s or Jack’s, I’d most likely have one, too

[hellobanjo]

2 or 3 syllables, common enough to be easily understood as a name , not unisex, looks nice when written out, cute nicknames are a bonus

[may.rose]

Classic/vintage, easy to say and spell. I prefer shorter names!

[Greyblue]

I’d say:

• unique but not too frilly
• has a potentially unisex vibe or nickname
• bonus if it has literary connections or a connection to something I like

[kasatka]

Like with every rule, there are exceptions! However, I would say that most of the feminine names I like have a certain “whimsical” 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 haven’t 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.

[itsjustjack]

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: I’m unlikely to use [name_f]Catherine[/name_f] since it will often be “misspelled” 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 “boys” 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] “Wes,” [name_u]James[/name_u] “Jamie,” [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] “Libby,” [name_f]Catherine[/name_f] “Kit” rather than “only” the short forms). Good nicknames are a plus.
• I shy away from names with nicknames I don’t like, even if I love the long form of the name.
• I shy away from names I don’t like the long form of even if I love the nickname.
• I love nature names, especially if they’re 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, it’s a weird hang up I can’t get over).

[tallemaja]

wow i love how detailed some of these responses are! so interesting!

for me it’s 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 isn’t a must - though if they have a summery vibe i’m okay with them being a little longer, eg. amaya, mariana, luisa. they’re still not too long, familiar and quite sweet, but longer and more out-there!

[whatchamacallit]

A name that has been in use for at least 100 years (usually longer).

I love a good nature and/or mythology connection.
The more meaningful connections I can make with a name the happier I am with it usually.

[name_u]Honor[/name_u] names for the middle spot.

I suppose I am attracted to the R and S sounds.

[LeafTree]

For girls I love nature names, especially ones that are unique, I also tend to like ones that have a connection to nature but aren’t just the word straight up e.g I’d prefer something like Serpentine than Snake (sorry that’s a bad example I know)

I also like a few mythological/pagan names, I like names that are mysterious.

Ideally I’d like it to be out of the top 1000 for first name, but I know that’s not the case for some of the names I’d 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.

[XxIzzixX]

I am all over the place.
I don’t 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 don’t 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 I’m not from there. I just love learning about other places, and want to explore them one day!!!
Xx

[choupette]

I enjoy names of lots of different styles. But when thinking of names that I could actually conceivably use for a child, I am very particular.

• A traditional name with a history
• Broadly European in character
• Not hard to spell or pronounce for people in my local area. I would also be hesitant to use a name with more than one common spelling or pronunciation
• I tend to favour names that end in A for girls, though there are exceptions, like [name_f]Genevieve[/name_f]
• Longer than one syllable (three or four is optimal for me)
• Has good connotations - either religious/spiritual (Christian) or cultural (e.g. music, literature)
• I’m a language/etymology nerd, so a good meaning can make a name more appeal to me more, and a bad meaning can be off-putting
• Familiar but unusual (though I do make exceptions for some popular/classic names, like [name_m]Alexander[/name_m], that fulfil my other criteria)

[aiksx]

• names i find shine have a slight edge or ethereal quality that sparks a ‘wow, that’s beautiful’ reaction whenever i think of it

• it would include a shorter first name with a longer, wordy middle name(s) ! very berry of me, but i can’t resist

• if the name travels well and works in multiple languages is an important consideration for me

• personal meaning and vibe > literal meaning, especially for names that have more debatable etymologies

• i enjoy nicknames, and find myself drawn to names that have the option for those should my child prefer it

• ideally, a name closer to being unknown than in the top ten, but it isn’t a big deal if it means that people are familiar with it

[snowmaiden]

Something that makes my heart sing and feel fiery! It’s 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!)