These boards are fun but seriously- can people start explaining WHY they like names. Most answers to posts are pointless. It would be helpful to state Why we like them and give this some thought.
Well some people really like names because a person will have to live with the name for the rest of their lives. Also if a woman is having a baby she sometimes needs help deciding, and a lot of times people can point out things that the person did not think about like mispronounciations or misspellings or even the possibilities of teasing when the child gets older. These boards really help some people out.
Okay, I will start with a few names:
[name]Penelope[/name] - I like it because it reminds me of a parakeet holding a parasol.
[name]Rupert[/name] - I like it because it sounds like a man wearing a striped jacket who is selling ice cream.
[name]Celeste[/name] - I like it because it sounds like a Pre-Raphaelite maiden with long, thick, wavy brown hair who is lounging on a crescent moon.
[name]Veronica[/name] - love it because of the mean girl in the [name]Archie[/name] comics. Go figure!
[name]Arthur[/name] - love it because of [name]King[/name] [name]Arthur[/name] and because it was my father’s middle name. And because of [name]King[/name] [name]Arthur[/name]‘s carousel at Disneyland.
[name]Peter[/name] - love it because of [name]Peter[/name] [name]Pan[/name], [name]Peter[/name] Rabbit, and [name]Peter[/name] of [name]Narnia[/name].
[name]Alice[/name] - love it because of [name]Alice[/name] in Wonderland.
[name]Laura[/name] - love it because of [name]Laura[/name] Ingalls [name]Wilder[/name]. One of the first longer books I ever read when I was about six or so was “[name]Little[/name] House in the Big Woods”.
[name]Love[/name] [name]Max[/name] and [name]Maxwell[/name] because of the Beatles’ song about [name]Maxwell[/name]'s [name]Silver[/name] Hammer.
[name]Genevieve[/name] - I love names like this because they remind me of bathroom counters back in the forties with make-up jars everywhere and brushes and a huge mirror and a little metal and velvet stool. There is a lot of hairspray and there are curlers and bobby-pins everywhere plus a lovely little hand mirror.
[name]Philip[/name] - love it because it means “lover of horses”. What a nice meaning! Also love [name]Prince[/name] [name]Phillip[/name] in “Sleeping Beauty”.
[name]Julie[/name] - Have you ever read “Up a Road Slowly”? Great book!
[name]Jim[/name] - “[name]Treasure[/name] Island”
[name]Tommy[/name] - “[name]Pippy[/name] Longstocking”, “Dr. Doolittle’s Voyage”
[name]Annika[/name] - “[name]Pippy[/name] Longstocking”
I could go on and on. I think I will spare you!
You mean why they like a particular name? Why do you like names? I don’t like all names, and yeah, not everyone gives a reason they like or prefer a name, or why they think they don’t like a name. I don’t think why you like a name is that important for everyone to answer. I like to give long answers! And several others go into explanations as well, but when you meet a person and you like their name, do you analyze why you like their name? Not everyone can or wants to articulate what quality some names have that make them better than other names. Might have been their favorite name for decades, or they like it upon hearing it for the first time.
It’s the sound and the spelling, how popular or not it is, if it’s past its peak or should be reconsidered from ages ago, social/economic status image, whether or not it has some meaning (name meaning or personal meaning), how it sounds with the last name, etc. It’s a language fashion, cultural fascination thingie - which is, everyone has a name, they know how well or poorly it’s served them so far, whether it seems to suit their emerged personality. This personality tends to favor certain things over others, romance or strength or clarity - all names have some image. This may be the longest lasting choice you ever make, and probably is for most people who do it.
It’s the natural tendency to form opinions and want to share them with others, even helping other people name their children. They might not know all about what to think of. It’s a little more interactive than watching football on tv and rooting for your home team, you might actually have some influence and some input - parents want to hear that people will like the name they choose, because I imagine there’s so much to think of in preparation, that even the right name stays hidden or doesn’t slap you in the face like you thought it would.
Everyone needs a name in life, that’s your tag, this is your kid but this is what everyone is going to call them for maybe 100 years, you get this name when nobody knows hardly anything about you. What I don’t get are people who don’t think about it enough, are happy with some random name that sounds ok, or come to us with no ideas at all. I imagine them, but they don’t share my interests, I guess.
THANKS EVERYONE!
I like the thoughtful responses. My whole point was that I fell in love with the Beyond [name]Jennifer[/name] and [name]Jason[/name] series (the original Nameberry) due to the logic of the groupings and the desire to make harmonious, reasoned matches. Of course everyone has opinions but we have lost sight of reasoning why and really thinking about our choices. [name]Pamela[/name] and [name]Linda[/name] made me aware that thinking about names and groupings is a worthwhile endevor.
The reason these nameboards turn me off is they are like most other blog response posts- pointless. “I like …” (and then they list 75 combinations of whatever).
When you CAN articulate your thought process and reasonings for opinions I think you add value to the conversation. If you CANNOT articulate the hows and whys of your choices your just giving another pointless and disconnected list.
This is a fabulous look into these names and I appreciate them all the more for your explanations. Kudos!
First of all, I think a lot of taste depends on personality, and I’m a romantic who simultaneously wants a name to function smoothly for the wearer when he or she uses it for everyday things, so usually I’m trying to balance these needs. I tend to be more traditional with boy names than girl names because I think boys are judged more rigidly along gender lines when it comes to names (although I’m reconsidering this stance as times change). I find I’m attracted to a lot of vowels, L-names, N-names, S-names, and V-names, so this is reflected in my lists as well. I’m not yet fluent in Spanish but I can make myself understood and read the basics, and many of my neighbors and friends growing up were Latinos, so I have developed an appreciation for the sound of Spanish names. I read my fair share of British literature growing up, and my parents are kind of Anglophiles, so there’s that influence, too. I think name taste comes down to what you’re accustomed to and what you’re attracted to.
A few names I like and why:
[name]Serena[/name]: It has a pleasant meaning which is obvious but still sounds like a name, and I only met one [name]Serena[/name] growing up. It’s a pretty sound, and also connotes strength when I think of [name]Serena[/name] [name]Williams[/name]. Beauty, tranquility, strength, and utility. Yikes, I didn’t mean to rhyme that…
[name]Linnea[/name]: I learned this name from the children’s book “[name]Linnea[/name] in [name]Monet[/name]'s Garden,” which is a nice childhood memory, and I associate it lightly with both botany and art. It’s an unusual botanical name that’s nevertheless easy to say and as a bonus, it’s the next best thing to naming a daughter [name]Princess[/name] [name]Leia[/name]–[name]Star[/name] Wars fans, take note!
[name]Veronica[/name]: This name oozes sophistication to me, and is great fun to say, plus I like the unusual meaning. It works well in many cultures and is both feminine and strong, young and old (mostly old in the recent past but is so alluring that I think it works on the young quite well).
[name]Nathaniel[/name]: I think of [name]Nathaniel[/name] [name]Hawthorne[/name], which to me means talent and a certain autumnal American aesthetic. I like both [name]Nathan[/name] and [name]Nate[/name] but prefer the full name, and I think this one translates well across classes.
[name]Jude[/name]: I like the old-school uncommon biblical names, for the most part, but this one also has the straightforward punch of a boy name from the fifties, which makes it more accessible and lively, and an added dash of glamor from [name]Jude[/name] [name]Law[/name] (whether or not one approves of his private life, that is one damn attractive man). Dare I add that I like “Hey [name]Jude[/name]?” It’s becoming a little trendy so I’m keeping an eye on it…
[name]Lars[/name]: It’s like the brother of [name]Miles[/name] (cool, cool, cool name) who can’t get compared to [name]Miley[/name] [name]Cyrus[/name]. It’s both simple and unusual where I live, with its charming Scandinavian mystique. 
: ) We have similar taste and I love that you bring up the classic and unique "[name]Linnea[/name]: I learned this name from the children’s book “[name]Linnea[/name] in [name]Monet[/name]'s Garden” as this is where I learned it from as well and I secretly dreamed my middle name was [name]Linnea[/name] and not [name]Linn[/name].
I saw a name of the day “[name]Linden[/name]” a few days back and ever since I keep coming across the word in books- like “The Historian” by [name]Elizabeth[/name] Kostova. It is not a character but they mention [name]Linden[/name] trees a lot.
These meaningful associations stick with me long.
Much thanks guys!