Names that we use today were “made up” at some point in the past. So, I’m just wondering why it’s so awful now.
I think there’s a big difference between nomads in the desert 4000 years ago making up a name and people today making up a name.
Names work harder today than they ever have in the past.
I don’t think it’s a horrible sin or anything, but “made up” names are just harder to live with. “Corrected” by people who don’t recognize them. Mispronounced. Spelled in 100 crazy ways. Seen as weird by interviewers, teachers, and college admissions offices.
Given the choice, I’d rather my child had one less difficulty in life if it’s something I can easily prevent.
If myself and my immediate family were the only ones who ever see or use a name I’d probably be a lot more bold in my choices.
Again, there are obviously far worse things you can do to your child than name them Sabeline or something. It’s just a matter of perspective. What’s more important? Being unique or having fewer headaches and challenges in life?
There really isn’t. [name]Every[/name] name was made up at some point and most were word names originally I believe. It’s a matter of preference. For me, I would almost never use a made up name because I was an English major and am currently a student in Civics so I spend a lot of time thinking about the past. I have a deep love of literature and just couldn’t pass up the chance to give a child a name with history, with namesakes to look up to. Most non-made up names have them. For example, my favorite names: [name]Lucy[/name] (as in Pevensie), [name]Eamon[/name] (Irish form of [name]Edmund[/name], as in Pevensie or [name]Edmond[/name] Dantes), [name]William[/name] (Dad’s name). [name]Even[/name] though I know I wasn’t named after anyone, there are still people in history that I have a little more love for because they share my name ([name]Kate[/name] Chopin, [name]Princess[/name] [name]Kate[/name])
The other day, some woman asked my friend “What’s a [name]Mistin[/name]?” and she’s had enough problems with name confusion that when she meets people she often says “You know when it’s not really raining yet, but it’s just mistin’?” for people to get that she’s not [name]Misty[/name].
They aren’t horrible on principle, as long as they don’t go to extremes with spelling. It’s just some individual ones that are highly questionable, that I’ve seen. Xikariyus, or something, is entirely different from [name]Jaden[/name], which is ridiculously trendy, but there’s nothing wrong with it.
I have a classmate with the name Arisbay (pronounced [name]Air[/name]-iz-bay) and as far as I know, it’s made up but still sounds like a name with substance. Made-up names are alright as long as it doesn’t sound like the name of a disease.
There are so many beautiful names, so I don’t see why someone should make up a new one for their child. To me, it’s “low class” people who do this. I’m a teacher and I’ve taught in private schools and public schools in low socio-economic areas, and, I have to say, those are the schools that have the crazy made-up names. The private girls’ school I taught at had [name]Annie[/name], [name]Carrie[/name], [name]Cassandra[/name], [name]Celeste[/name], [name]Charlotte[/name], [name]Emma[/name], [name]Jessica[/name], etc. Those names are lovely. No need for [name]Braelyn[/name] or Jairyn, like at the public school.
I think the biggest downside is that a person with a made-up-just-for-them name is going to spend a lot of time and energy explaining, spelling, correcting, and more or less apologizing for having a name that seemed like a good idea to his/her parents at the time. Invented names are especially difficult when parents don’t follow spelling and pronunciation guidelines and choose instead to be “kreeaytiv” about it.
Example: I work with children and, through work, I met a boy named Arasho several years ago. After doing my best to pronounce it, his mother rolled her eyes at me and insisted that his name was properly pronounced as [name]Horatio[/name]. Okay, but no one would have ever guessed that correctly, because the letters she chose simply do not spell the sounds of the name she wanted to convey with them. Also, [name]Horatio[/name] is a perfectly fine name in its own right (but one that she had apparently never heard, since she thought she invented it).
Personally I prefer names that are from root words so that they actually have a meaning. Though I don’t mind “made-up” word names.
The statistical consensus is that parents in low socio-economic areas tend to feel either less pressure to conform or less desire to follow cultural rules and traditions (depending on how you want to spin it).
They feel that standing out is more important than blending in, as it might give their child a leg up in the world to be “different”–when it fact the reverse is more often true.
This is partially upheld by research, as people in the extremes of society do have a tendency to have more unique names. However the reasons they are in the extremes of society differ. It’s more likely that someone with a non-traditional name AND a low socio-economic background will wind up in prison than in the NBA. And it’s more likely that someone with a non-traditional name AND a high socio-economic background will wind up as a celebrity chef.
It seems similar to the lottery. The poorer you are the more likely you are to play the lottery.
I’ve wondered why people thnk they’re all aweful as well. All names were made up at some point in time. They didn’t just fall out of the sky. Some want to say they’d have to spell their name, pronounce it everyday of their lives, and/or they don’t have a meaning. [name]Truth[/name] is, I know very few people that don’t have to spell their name on a daily basis. I have friends named [name]Rachel[/name], [name]Sophia[/name], [name]Christina[/name], [name]Morgan[/name], and [name]Laura[/name] who have to spell their names almost daily. Most of the ones who don’t have to are [name]Heather[/name]'s, [name]Jessica[/name]'s, and [name]Jennifer[/name]'s. Many old names have various spellings, such as [name]Ann[/name] could also be [name]Anne[/name] and [name]Catherine[/name] could be [name]Catharine[/name], [name]Katherine[/name], [name]Katharine[/name], or [name]Kathryn[/name] just to name a few. As for pronunciation issues, I’ve seen several people on here consider using ‘established’ names like [name]Antigone[/name], [name]Fionnuala[/name], and [name]Ceridwen[/name]. I highly doubt many people outside (and even inside) the naming community know how to pronounce, let alone spell them. As for meanings, many people don’t care about name meanings, and really, how many people are going to walk up to you to talk about the meaning of your name? People also want to say it’s ‘low class’ to use new/recent names. [name]Truth[/name] is, people from all walks of life and social classes use new/recent names, and not everyone with old names are high class/successful people. I know school drops out/exotic dancers named [name]Elizabeth[/name], [name]Olivia[/name], [name]Isobel[/name], and [name]Catherine[/name], a former Mayor with two girls named [name]Braelyn[/name] and [name]Kyrie[/name], and a son named [name]Cy[/name] (pr. S-eye), and university professors named [name]Ryann[/name] (girl), Brantlee (girl), [name]Addison[/name] (girl), [name]Cove[/name] (boy), and [name]Teddy[/name] (boy, full name, not nickname).
Some “made-up” names work. Others don’t. I think the best test is to ask yourself, “What will this name look like on a resume one day? Would I hire someone with this name?”
I don’t think made-up names bother me as much as the kreatif spellings. Made-up names can work, especially if they have significant meaning or symbolize something relevant.
I worked with a woman who named her daughter [name]Lili[/name], but pronounced it [name]Lily[/name]. To me, “[name]Lili[/name]” is not creative. It’s a misspelling, and it is not phonetically correct.
And yes, made-up names are often associated with lower-class children, but that is not always the case. However, my local newspaper is publishing a series of stories about child poverty. Some of the names: Twins named [name]Trevin[/name] and Trendin, a little girl named [name]Novella[/name] … her brother’s name was [name]Karl/name Another little girl’s name spelled Kaydynce.
Hmm
To me, a made up name is like a homemade dress made without a pattern or a cake baked without a recipe. Sometimes it works, some people have a talent at throwing that kind of thing together. But often it’s an ill-fitting, awkward disaster or leaves a bad taste in your mouth!
Classic, storied, familiar names just appeal to me more.
[name]Just[/name] like with cakes & clothes I leave it to the experts
Real names are based out of language, they have an etymology - making stuff up looks uneducated and tacky.
Personally, I don’t think ‘made up’ names are terrible. But for me to really accept them as names they have to sound legitimate and look legitimate and probably have some type of meaning, either by using a word with meaning in the name or by having a personal meaning to it.
I hear that argument a lot, but it’s completely wrong. All names were not “made up at some point.” They evolved slowly over time. Nobody sat down and invented the name [name]Juliette[/name] because it sounded nice. It is a French form of [name]Julia[/name], with the French language suffix -ette. [name]Julia[/name] followed cultural rules and naming traditions in [name]Rome[/name], where it arose from [name]Julius[/name]. [name]Julius[/name] most likely evolved from the Greek [name]Jupiter[/name], which itself is composed of even older elements. So [name]Juliette[/name]'s history can be traced back to more than a thousand years before its language of origin (French) even existed. I think that that immense history gives the name something very beautiful and interesting, something I sounding out words on my couch could never give a name. To me, the history is a subtle connection to thousands of generations past, a type of oral tradition that survived the invention of writing. While there is of course no way to know, I like to think that maybe the Indo-European word that [name]Jupiter[/name] came from even earlier words, even to the beginnings of language itself. That idea seems a lot more appealing to me than “My mom made it up because she thought it sounded nice.”
This is it exactly for me. Perfectly put, thank-you!
And, I’m sorry, but made-up names sound common and uneducated to my ears.
Names like myrtle and gretel and [name]Gertrude[/name] just make me feel sorry for the poor kids who have to bear them.
A lovely and classy way to describe your feelings on this issue. I agree with you, Taz.
Wow, there are a lot of very good and educated points here. Thanks for the input everyone. (: I definitely have no desire to make up a name and slap it on my child, I was just confused as to why it’s such a taboo in the naming community. I was hoping this board wouldn’t turn in to an argument, and it didn’t! So it’s awesome that we can be civilized at times when it comes to a “naming controversy.” lol