I don’t love the name [name_u]Aiden[/name_u] (or [name_u]Jayden[/name_u], [name_u]Hayden[/name_u], etc) but I feel they receive an extraordinary amount of hate and I really don’t understand why. I’ve seen people go at [name_u]Jayden[/name_u] for being a “made up name,” but all names were made up at one point in time. Plus, it is essentially [name_u]Jaden[/name_u], which is biblical, just spelled differently. Can someone enlighten me as to why the [name_u]Aiden[/name_u] family of names gets so much heat? I don’t really love any of them but I think some are pretty solid
I get where you’re coming from. I know a few [name_u]Aiden[/name_u], [name_m]Braden[/name_m], [name_m]Caden[/name_m], of various ages. Named thus way before the craze hit (and has since lingered). I think of those people when I hear all the animosity, because they aren’t bad names at all. In fact they are quite nice – the ones with legitimate history behind them anyway – and it must be a bit annoying to have your name suddenly be mega-popular and ragged on.
I think the negatively stems from the super popularity of not just [name_u]Aiden[/name_u], but the fact that it set off this rhyming name scheme that really went over the top and out of control. On Nameberry there are also a lot of name snobs (said lovingly!) who feel this way about many popular names/dated names/etc. The names just become very cliche and so lose their appeal.
If I met an [name_u]Aiden[/name_u] or [name_m]Braden[/name_m] or [name_u]Jaden[/name_u] or [name_m]Caden[/name_m] today I wouldn’t be surprised, and it’s nice to be surprised…well, most of the time anyway. I wouldn’t tell the parents they are horrible people. I’d just feel very blah about it and smile at their probably very cute child.
Firstly, there’s nothing wrong with [name_u]Aidan[/name_u] (the correct spelling). It’s just very popular and I think people here are bored of hearing the sounds.
Secondly:
Flugmendalol: A ‘name’ I just made up now. I literally sat down and typed out some sounds. It has no connection to any other word or name.
[name_f]Catherine[/name_f]: A name with an etymology. Hekate > [name_f]Aikaterine[/name_f] > [name_f]Katerina[/name_f] > [name_f]Katherine[/name_f] > [name_f]Catherine[/name_f]
Names developed over time from root words in other languages. This isn’t ‘making up a name’ it’s the development of a name and the two things are very different.
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I agree, you can’t just manufacture a name, but I believe [name_u]Aidan[/name_u] and [name_u]Hayden[/name_u] are both legitimate names, as [name_u]Hayden[/name_u] was a surname that developed into a first name, the same way that [name_m]Harrison[/name_m], [name_u]Addison[/name_u], [name_u]Carter[/name_u] and [name_u]Logan[/name_u] have. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with [name_u]Aidan[/name_u]/[name_u]Aiden[/name_u] and [name_u]Hayden[/name_u] for me, my best friend’s been set on naming her first born son [name_u]Aiden[/name_u] since we met, nearly 4 years ago, so I mainly connect it to her (the same way she connects [name_f]Florence[/name_f] and [name_f]Martha[/name_f] to me, for the same reasons).
The same thing occurs with my name - [name_f]Hayley[/name_f] was at one time, considered a bit classic, making [name_u]Haley[/name_u] and [name_f]Hailey[/name_f] seem new and exciting, but, that spawned [name_f]Haylee[/name_f], [name_f]Haylie[/name_f], [name_f]Hayleigh[/name_f], [name_f]Haeley[/name_f], [name_f]Haleigh[/name_f], [name_f]Hailee[/name_f], [name_f]Halee[/name_f], etc, so now, my name is another one that people groan at when they see it, and my spelling, although it preceded [name_f]Hayley[/name_f], is seen as another trashy name choice. Now, 20 years after I was born, [name_f]Kayleigh[/name_f]/[name_f]Kaylee[/name_f]/[name_f]Kailee[/name_f], etc have joined in as well, so that wonderful ay-lee sound is ubiquitous, and a lot of people have grown sick of it. Some days, the comments I get at work about my name make me wish I was named [name_f]Ernestine[/name_f] or [name_f]Gertrude[/name_f], at least those only have one legitimate spelling!!
I find the rhyme-y, faux unique stuff annoying. You claim you want a unique name yet all you’re doing is adding letters/sounds to an uber popular name. Zaiddyn is not unique, it’s just [name_u]Aidan[/name_u] with a Z. I really don’t understand this line of thinking today. There weren’t tons of Gyphany/Biffany/Ziffiny or Bennafer/Zennyfer/Lynnifer when I was young.
The biblical figure was named [name_u]Jadon[/name_u]. The pronunciation is closer to ‘yah-dun’ or ‘jah-dun’. It doesn’t rhyme with [name_u]Aidan[/name_u]. I’d wager that most of the people using [name_u]Jayden[/name_u] have no clue about [name_u]Jadon[/name_u].
I disagree that you can’t make up a name, writers do it all the time. [name_f]Cora[/name_f] was invented by [name_u]James[/name_u] Fenimore [name_m]Cooper[/name_m], [name_f]Jessica[/name_f], I believe when I remember correctly by [name_m]Shakespeare[/name_m] (I may be wrong about that) and [name_f]Vanessa[/name_f] by [name_m]Jonathan[/name_m] Swift.
Names like [name_f]Renesmee[/name_f], [name_f]Coraline[/name_f] and Katnisss may also become more popular over the next few years whether you like them or not.
I think what makes a name is it being recognized by society as a name. [name_u]Jayden[/name_u] and [name_f]Neveah[/name_f], no matter how we may or may not dislike them, have reached that status and can no longer be seen as made up. I think what makes [name_u]Aidan[/name_u] more preferable to many is the fact that this is a name with greater heritage which is not necessarily related to a certain economic class. The newer rhyming names are predominantly associated by many in the mind with a lower socioeconomic class (justifiably or not). As nobody wants their child to be associated in such a way it can cause people to become snobbish about a name. I had this same problem when honouring my mother when naming. Where I come from, her name has no specific socioeconomic associations but where I live it has a very negative socioeconomic association. [name_f]Jacqueline[/name_f] is considered equivalent to names such as [name_m]Kevin[/name_m] and [name_f]Chantal[/name_f]. To avoid this causing a problem, we used it in the middle name slot.
Also, as other posters have said, names can become so popular that it can become boring to hear them, but then again, I have the same issue at the moment with [name_f]Emily[/name_f] and [name_m]Leon[/name_m], two names with long heritage just so overused in my area.
When I see arguments about the validity of made up names, I feel like I am in the movie Groundhog [name_u]Day[/name_u]. This argument comes up sooooo much…about as often as the names [name_u]Aidan[/name_u]/[name_u]Jayden[/name_u]/[name_m]Caden[/name_m]/[name_m]Braden[/name_m] do in real life. So tiresome. Agree to disagree, that is pretty much what it comes down to every time.
Pretty much this, haha, you’ll rarely find people who agree on the made up name debate!
Two words: Over saturation.
Where I live, those names are definitely popular with the low socioeconomic class. I don’t see any [name_m]Braxton[/name_m]/[name_m]Jaxon[/name_m], or [name_f]Nevaeh[/name_f] or anything like that, it’s pretty much only [name_u]Aiden[/name_u]/[name_u]Braeden[/name_u]/[name_u]Jaden[/name_u]/[name_u]Kayden[/name_u]. And for an area that use a lot of classics and common biblical names, those names stick out and not in a good way.
My thing with it is just the over use of it. [name_u]Aidan[/name_u] is great. I have a cousin who’s 7 that’s [name_u]Aidan[/name_u] [name_u]Mackenzie[/name_u], I absolutely love his name.
On the flip side we have a family friend who has three grandchildren, [name_u]Brayden[/name_u], [name_m]Raiden[/name_m], and [name_u]Jaden[/name_u] (g), who are within 6 months of each other and it makes things confusing when all the kids are around. Plus her grandson [name_u]James[/name_u] ([name_m]Raiden[/name_m]'s brother) feels very out of place.
Totally this.
I don’t mind [name_u]Aiden[/name_u] and [name_u]Hayden[/name_u] so much, because they’ve actually got history behind them.
It’s all the names that seem to have spawned off them that I dislike.
[name_u]Jayden[/name_u], [name_u]Kayden[/name_u] and [name_u]Brayden[/name_u] are the original culprits.
These “delights” appeared in the comprehensive list of names for 2013…
[name_m]Zayden[/name_m] (and other spellings)
[name_m]Rayden[/name_m] (…)
Drayden (…)
[name_m]Tayden[/name_m] (…)
Layden (…)
Blayden (…)
[name_u]Payden[/name_u] (…)
Shayden (…)
Trayden (…)
[name_m]Bayden[/name_m] (…)
Yaiden (…)
Slayden (…)
Vaden (…)
Dayden (…)
Nayden (…)
Wayden (…)
Thaden (…)
Chayden (…)
Clayden (…)
And they’ve even started mutating together, there are also “gems” like…
Makayden
Jakayden
Dakayden
Markayden
… on the list too.
Make. It. Stop.
My cat is asleep on my lap, so my response is longer than I intended!
To me, the hatred for the “-aden” names is a lot like the hatred for the “add-a-lyn” trend: although some of the names have been used as names before the last 15 years, to some of us, it feels like parents arbitrarily picked a suffix and picked a prefix or first letter and just put them together and assigned the outcome to their children. I agree that [name_u]Aidan[/name_u] and [name_u]Hayden[/name_u] (and on the “-lyn” side, [name_u]Evelyn[/name_u] and [name_f]Jocelyn[/name_f]) are totally fine names on their own merits - it’s the Raydinns and Braelynnes that frustrate me.
Also, I don’t men to imply that this is the case for everyone who picks an “-aden” name, but to many people who care a lot about names, the trend has gone on long enough that using one of them feels really lazy - like, there’s no way the parent gave this huge decision much thought at all. I’m sure that’s not always the case, but it’s a perception that contributes to the hatred.
Also, and again this isn’t the case for everyone who picks an “-aden” name, but sometimes you hear of people using them because they want them to be unique: people will say that they want their child’s name to be something no one has ever had, and they then use Zaydynne, which as a previous poster just sounds like [name_u]Aidan[/name_u] with a Z at the beginning. That makes it feel like people are trying to get to uniqueness on a technicality. Plus, the name Zaydynne is going to blend in in the sea of Paydens and Slaidyns and Treighdins anyway, which doesn’t make the name sound or feel unique at all and undermines its very purpose.
To a lot of people that you’re likely to see posting on this site (myself included to an extent), it’s important to pick names that have histories behind them. You’re right that all names originated somewhere, but some have long histories and some do not. To me, there’s nothing wrong with either caring about that or not caring about that, but to lots of people you’ll meet on Nameberry, it’s really important that a name have history, hence some of the hatred.
Finally, I also agree that oversaturation is part of it. People are just sick of hearing the same sounds all over the place.
TL, DR: they feel arbitrary and/or lazy; these names aren’t unique and yet some parents use them because they want to use unique names; made-up names don’t have history; people are tired of seeing/hearing them.
[name_f]Duana[/name_f] over on [name_f]Lainey[/name_f] Gossip just posted a fantastic name nerd article that happens to address this. I love her explanation and how she delves into it as a broader issue than just the “den” names: http://www.laineygossip.com/Duana-Names-Why-Do-You-Hate-Evelyn/Lifestyle/26708
Here’s what she says. It happens to be in response to someone asking her why she “hates the name [name_u]Evelyn[/name_u]”, which she doesn’t really, but anyway, she explains it like this:
“What you’re reacting to, I think, is my eyerolling at people who think it’s the newest best secret discovery ever. That’s a bit …short-sighted, I would say. It is the newest evolution of a series of names, and there’s no surprise that it’s become attractive, but with attractive comes popular. If not now, then soon. Here’s what I mean. Think about it like a flow chart, or a tree diagram. (People still use these, right?) A few years ago, [name_f]Ava[/name_f] was the hottest name going, right? Everyone loves [name_f]Ava[/name_f]. When it gets too popular, some people change direction and go for [name_f]Ella[/name_f], and some of those subdivide and go for [name_f]Isabella[/name_f], which is of course now its own behemoth. Other people went for [name_f]Emma[/name_f], and when that gets too popular, the ‘Ev-ah’ part of [name_u]Evelyn[/name_u] starts to sound like a fresh alternative. For a certain brand of parents, this is why [name_u]Elliot[/name_u] is now so attractive for girls, and for others, this is where we get [name_f]Adelaide[/name_f]. Or maybe the last big name burst you remember was [name_f]Madelyn[/name_f] or [name_u]Madison[/name_u], with all its attendant spellings. People get really attracted to sounds, and move onto whatever the freshest version of the name is, which is why trends happen without anyone conspiring to make them so. Think about little boys’ names. Sure, you turn up your nose at [name_u]Brayden[/name_u] and [name_u]Jaden[/name_u], but I bet you considered [name_u]Brooklyn[/name_u] or [name_u]Mason[/name_u] or [name_m]Declan[/name_m] or [name_m]Nolan[/name_m] or [name_m]Nathan[/name_m], because they sound stylish and right just now. See what I mean? So while Evelyn may not have happened in Oz just yet (what IS happening? who are Lily’s classmates? hook me up!) I would say that it will, at some point. And again, I have nothing against the name, but I sort of roll my eyes when people say ,“Well we just had no idea that Sophie was so popular!” Really? You had no idea? Is that not on you, at a certain point? Anyway, trends will happen and as I always say, they happen because the names themselves are good. And I’m not under any delusion that going with a less-popular name means you won’t wind up living beside another family who wanted to be equally trend-averse and so both of you have little Cordelias. I just think forewarned is forearmed where mushroom clouds of names pop up. There’s nothing wrong with Evelyn, but that’s a reason why many parents may follow in your naming footsteps.”
I really don’t know…I have been wondering this myself for awhile. I think maybe the popularity of all those names? Or all of the variations? I’m not too fond of of most of these names myself, except for [name_u]Aidan[/name_u] and as a close second [name_m]Caden[/name_m], but I don’t despise them. I can’t really picture most of the names aging well though. I mean, little [name_m]Zayden[/name_m] or [name_m]Braden[/name_m], is going to grow up and suddenly the cutesy name that was cute on a little baby is on a hairy, sweaty adult male.
I don’t mind the names, but they are just everywhere. At the elementary school where I work there are 7 [name_u]Jayden[/name_u]'s, 2 [name_u]Aidan[/name_u]'s, [name_m]Cadyn[/name_m], and [name_u]Hayden[/name_u]. There is also a [name_f]Caylee[/name_f], Kaily, [name_f]Kayley[/name_f], Maylee, [name_f]Jaylee[/name_f] & Zaylee.