Words, Not Names (Yet?)

General Name Discussion
1

I am punch drunk on words as well as names. Which means this is a pretty cool time to be alive and on nameberry, because more and more former “only” words are now used as names as well.

Many I already love, like [name_u]Ruby[/name_u], [name_u]Linden[/name_u], [name_f]Marigold[/name_f], [name_f]Lilac[/name_f], [name_f]Clarity[/name_f], [name_m]Fenton[/name_m]. Stones, trees, flowers, shrubs, virtue words, surnames, and more.

A few I have begun to love recently, like [name_u]Frost[/name_u], [name_f]Afternoon[/name_f], [name_f]Evening[/name_f], [name_u]Vesper[/name_u].

Some I wish would go back to being words only like [name_m]Craven[/name_m], Strider, [name_m]Drover[/name_m], [name_m]Striker[/name_m] (what I can’t help but think of as assassin/thug words) and the (to me) consumer society words like [name_u]Chase[/name_u], [name_m]Cash[/name_m], [name_u]Royce[/name_u], and [name_f]Diamond[/name_f].

Sometimes though, emboldened by the wide naming horizon of today, I begin to fantasize about Words Which Are Only Words Now, but Who Knows in the [name_u]Future[/name_u]…

Here are some of my favorites (OCD and nameberry blend like a fine Meritage). :slight_smile:

Apothecary. Cornucopia. Chalcedony. Veranda. Vitality. Kite. Evinrude.

Pamplemousse. Mossops. Bruges. Palomino. Mapleton. Chesterfield. [name_m]Davenport[/name_m].

Frock. Luncheon. Crestfallen. [name_f]Rhapsody[/name_f]. L’Heure [name_u]Bleu[/name_u]. Bismarck. Thistle.

Maritime. Tidy. Pantry. Therapy. Jaunty. Priory. Frontispiece.

Marionberry. Gooseberry. Spinster. Library. Museum. Candelabra. Candolier.

Rhubarb. Blancmange. Nesselrode. Deglet [name_f]Noor[/name_f]. Frango. Syllabub. Persimmon.

Cardamom. Corduroy. Lazuli. Ptarmigan. Pheasant. Nutmeg. Harvest.

What are some words you love and wouldn’t mind seeing in the far blue yonder become names?

2

I love word names but I use them in stories so I can use them. Recently, I used Puzzle (boy), [name_u]Halcyon[/name_u] (boy), [name_u]Gentry[/name_u] (girl), Bodkin (boy), [name_m]Sly[/name_m] (boy), [name_f]Glory[/name_f] (girl), [name_f]Honey[/name_f] (girl), [name_f]Caprice[/name_f] (girl), Murmur (boy), [name_m]Wilder[/name_m] (boy), [name_m]Talon[/name_m] (boy), Darken (boy), Solace (girl) and [name_m]Wolf[/name_m] (girl). In my book, people get renamed with word names when they pass certain milestones in their training and the words describe something about them. There’s a cute scene where he’s trying to name [name_m]Wolf[/name_m] and goes through all of these as potentials for her name – [name_u]Rebel[/name_u], [name_u]Sage[/name_u], Savvy, Salient, Nimble, Sprite, [name_m]Thorn[/name_m] (he says “because you’re such a thorn in my side”), Solo, Lonesome, [name_m]Lone[/name_m] [name_m]Wolf[/name_m] (that’s where he figures it out). When she gets fussy, he says "Maybe I should call you [name_m]Fussy[/name_m] or Finicky or Persnickety? Tell me I can call you Persnickety? It is so fun to say.”

Anyway, I love word names :stuck_out_tongue: I’ve known people names:

[name_m]Noble[/name_m]
[name_m]Valiant[/name_m]
[name_u]Justice[/name_u]
[name_f]Winsome[/name_f] – It’s super cute because he introduced himself to me like “[name_f]Winsome[/name_f]. As in charming and handsome.” crooked smile
[name_f]Whimsy[/name_f]
[name_m]Wilder[/name_m] [name_m]Hawthorne[/name_m]
([name_f]Elodie[/name_f]) Bramble
[name_u]Fable[/name_u]
[name_u]River[/name_u]
[name_m]Fox[/name_m]

And I like all of those. Words I wish could be names or that I like as names:

Boys:

[name_m]Valiant[/name_m] – used to love this name
[name_u]Finch[/name_u]
[name_m]Bravery[/name_m]
[name_u]True[/name_u]
[name_f]Poet[/name_f]
[name_u]River[/name_u]
[name_m]Bard[/name_m]
Merit
Kite
[name_m]Boone[/name_m]
[name_u]Lyric[/name_u]
[name_m]Fox[/name_m]
[name_u]Justice[/name_u]
[name_u]Sterling[/name_u]
[name_m]Atlas[/name_m]
Adventure
[name_m]Bishop[/name_m] (but too religious – i love it from Aliens)
[name_u]Blaze[/name_u]
[name_m]Hawthorne[/name_m]
[name_u]Cloud[/name_u]
[name_f]Cypress[/name_f]
[name_m]Crane[/name_m]
Dare
Equinox
Jester – though not a good image really…I like the similar [name_m]Jesper[/name_m] which is a legit name
[name_m]Noble[/name_m]
[name_m]Quest[/name_m]
[name_m]Rush[/name_m]
Swift
[name_m]Rune[/name_m]
[name_m]Quill[/name_m]
[name_u]Cloud[/name_u]
[name_u]Frost[/name_u]

Girls:

[name_f]Reverie[/name_f]
[name_f]Willow[/name_f]
[name_f]Saga[/name_f]
Mist
Lithe
[name_f]Symphony[/name_f]
[name_u]Story[/name_u]
[name_u]Fable[/name_u]
[name_u]True[/name_u]
[name_f]Dulcet[/name_f]
[name_f]Sonnet[/name_f]
[name_f]Ethereal[/name_f]
Whisper
Memory
[name_u]Ember[/name_u]
Bramble (i know a [name_m]Wilder[/name_m] [name_m]Hawthorne[/name_m] with sister [name_f]Elodie[/name_f] Bramble)
[name_u]Cloud[/name_u]
[name_f]Clarity[/name_f]/[name_f]Clarion[/name_f]
[name_f]Cypress[/name_f]
[name_f]Epiphany[/name_f]
[name_f]Fauna[/name_f]
[name_f]Imagine[/name_f]
[name_f]Lotus[/name_f]
[name_f]Merry[/name_f]
[name_f]Psyche[/name_f]

And on and on :stuck_out_tongue: I started a thread forever ago you might like – Nameberry - Welcome to the Nameberry Forums

From yours, I like:

Kite
Pamplemousse – I don’t like this but what is it? Is it furniture (judging by it’s rank with Chesterfield and [name_m]Davenport[/name_m])
[name_f]Rhapsody[/name_f]
Thistle – isn’t this just fun to say ^^
Jaunty – In a book I’m reading, there’s a character named [name_m]Jonty[/name_m] ^^
Lazuli

3

@dantea - Pamplemousse is the [name_m]French[/name_m] word for “grapefruit,” actually. :stuck_out_tongue: I love many of the names on your list; I briefly considered [name_f]Cypress[/name_f] for my third and I have [name_f]Clarity[/name_f] and [name_f]Willow[/name_f] on my long list should I have another girl. :slight_smile:

@lesliemarion - Some fascinating word-names on there! Vitality and Priory especially struck me. Nutmeg has a cute built-in nickname with [name_f]Meg[/name_f], but also the major potential for teasing with that other syllable… sad. :confused:

4

I’ve known a few people with word names in real life, and also a sibling pair with number names, strangely enough - the brother was named [name_u]Seven[/name_u], the sister Trillion (which she always wrote in scientific notation as 10 with the exponent 12). Their dad was a math teacher - a bit overly cute for me.

5

I really hope Rhubarb makes it into the naming world!

6

Wow. I did not know that. This is my thing I learned for the day. Now pronounce it for be because it looks like pam-pel-moose or pam-pel-mouse >.<

Persephone’s second middle is the Willow. It has amazing imagery and symbolizes immortality and healing. I have Cypress in another combo (Inanna Cypress Andromeda). The Willow and the Cypress are both used in graveyard imagery and connect to Hades and the Greek Underworld. :slight_smile:

7

[name_m]POM[/name_m]-pluh-moose. (I kind of miss college [name_m]French[/name_m] class and getting to say fun words like that! :))

I love the imagery in [name_f]Persephone[/name_f]'s name. It just puts me in mind of springtime and renewal. :slight_smile:

8

I’m going to admit…some of those words gave me a good, stomach sore laugh. I certainly hope Luncheon, Pantry, Library, Museum, and especially Therapy don’t ever cross over into the naming word. Therapy especially got the giggles going!

There are certainly words I love the sound of like antebellum, monarch, horizon, and cataclysm, but I would rather their beauty be used for poetry and not for names. :slight_smile:

The most successful word names for me seem to be ones that not only have lovely sound, but also meaning. Pantry does have a quirky sound, but it’s still just a room to store food in. There’s a fine line to be walked concerning word names!

9

Girls:
[name_f]Tulip[/name_f]
[name_f]Rainbow[/name_f]
[name_f]Reverie[/name_f]
[name_f]Wisteria[/name_f]
Lisbon
[name_f]Andorra[/name_f]
Manana (Tomorrow in Spanish)
Marionette
[name_f]Lavender[/name_f]
[name_f]Lily[/name_f]
[name_f]Jade[/name_f]
[name_f]Autumn[/name_f]
[name_f]Novella[/name_f]

BOYS:
[name_m]Cove[/name_m]
Nip
[name_m]Cap[/name_m]
Lint (wishful thinking!)

10

Marionette is really really pretty >.< That needs to go in a story somewhere.

11

They made me laugh too. :slight_smile:

And yet, it is odd how [name_m]Thor[/name_m] and [name_f]Thora[/name_f], [name_f]Thalia[/name_f] and [name_m]Thurston[/name_m], and maybe even [name_m]Theron[/name_m] are considered names and yet Therapy seems like it could never be a name. Because so many current names were simply not seen as names in the past. I know that growing up I would never have met your three of four favorite names: [name_f]Luna[/name_f], [name_f]Violet[/name_f], [name_m]Fox[/name_m]. People in my small town would have said, “Naming her kids after a planet, a flower, a wild animal? Bring on another [name_f]Debbie[/name_f] or [name_m]Scott[/name_m]!”

I do actually think Pantry and Veranda might someday enter the name realm. Priory too and maybe Harvest? To me, a pantry is more than a storage area and a veranda is more than a patio. They are special areas which foster hospitality and comfort, coziness and sociability. Priory is one of those clergy words that as a crazed Anglophile and granddaughter of a minister I love and Harvest has such a rich meaning and sound.

[name_m]Harvey[/name_m], not so much!

PS I love Monarch too, can see that as a name in a Celtic Monarch of the [name_u]Glen[/name_u] way.

12

I love word names, especially from nature.

Have you seen this pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/tiffanywbwg/my-imaginary-well-dressed-toddler-daughter/
Quinoa and her friends have some awesome names
Meme
Peplum
Ombre
[name_f]Tamarind[/name_f]
Absinthe

13

[name_m]How[/name_m] I wish Solace was a name… sigh

14

I have Solace in one of my name combos. [name_f]Viviana[/name_f] Solace [name_f]Margo[/name_f]. And I used it in my NaNo book for a cute little girl. :slight_smile:

You all might be interested to know that I just used Remedy for a girl in my book too. :slight_smile:

15

Apothecary. Cornucopia. Chalcedony. Veranda. Vitality. Kite. Evinrude. - I like Chalcedony. Veranda is also nice. What does Evinrude even mean? Apothecary and Cornucopia seem a little off as names to me, but I suppose them being names eventually is not that farfetched. Vitality is alright but nms. Kite seems strange at first - I’d go with [name_u]Kit[/name_u] - but it is similar to [name_u]Kit[/name_u] which I guess makes it seem nameish?

Pamplemousse. Mossops. Bruges. Palomino. Mapleton. Chesterfield. [name_m]Davenport[/name_m]. - I don’t like Pamplemousse - just seems like too much. Mossops sounds strange but I think just [name_m]Moss[/name_m] as a name would sound kind of nice.

Frock. Luncheon. Crestfallen. [name_f]Rhapsody[/name_f]. L’Heure [name_u]Bleu[/name_u]. Bismarck. Thistle. - Frock sounds too much like a certain cuss word. [name_f]Rhapsody[/name_f] and Thistle are the only ones of this like I could see working, and I sort of like them.

Maritime. Tidy. Pantry. Therapy. Jaunty. Priory. Frontispiece. - I don’t see any of these ever working, except MAYBE Maritime (there is [name_f]Marina[/name_f], [name_f]Maren[/name_f]/[name_f]Marin[/name_f], etc.), but I could be wrong.

Marionberry. Gooseberry. Spinster. Library. Museum. Candelabra. Candolier. - The first two, Marionberry and Goosberry, seem somewhat usable. And maybe Library.

Rhubarb. Blancmange. Nesselrode. Deglet [name_f]Noor[/name_f]. Frango. Syllabub. Persimmon. - Rhubarb is interesting, [name_f]Noor[/name_f] is nice, Persimmon is quite interesting.

Cardamom. Corduroy. Lazuli. Ptarmigan. Pheasant. Nutmeg. Harvest. - Cardamom feels faintly usable since I once imagined my best friend had a secret twin sister named Cardamom, LOL. Actually, all of these seem somewhere closeish to usable. This seems like the closest-to-usable set by far.

A few weeks ago there was a list of crazy names linked to, many of them word names. I somewhat liked:

[name_f]Tigerlily[/name_f]
Oasis
[name_f]Vanille[/name_f]
[name_f]Orchid[/name_f]
Aero
Neon
Legacy
[name_m]Rogue[/name_m]
Savior

16

Apothecary made me LOL, but I understand what you’re saying about the ethereal-sounding words. But I agree that the meanings are important. I love several of the virtue words and [name_f]Reverie[/name_f]. [name_f]Solstice[/name_f] sounds more wearable than Equinox. My name is a virtue word, and our girls mn choice is a synonym for it.

If I made a list of awesomely bad sibsets, it would start with [name_f]Flora[/name_f] and [name_f]Fauna[/name_f].

17

[name_m]Ah[/name_m], a kindred spirit!

I believe an Evinrude is an outboard motor! :slight_smile:

18

[name_f]Flora[/name_f], [name_f]Fauna[/name_f], and Merrywether? Wasn’t that what those delicious little fairy beings were called in Sleeping Beauty? A great cat name trio! :slight_smile:

19

I love a lot of word names, but most of yours are a little too much for me. These are a few of my favorites:

[name_m]Valor[/name_m]
Merit
[name_f]Revel[/name_f]
Revere
[name_m]Prosper[/name_m]
[name_m]Ransom[/name_m]
[name_m]Arrow[/name_m]
[name_f]Sonnet[/name_f]
Brave
Evermore
[name_m]Earnest[/name_m]
[name_m]Whistler[/name_m]
[name_u]Navy[/name_u]
Swift
[name_f]Marvel[/name_f]
[name_f]Clemency[/name_f]
Howl
[name_f]October[/name_f]
[name_u]November[/name_u]
[name_f]Whimsy[/name_f]
[name_m]Fleet[/name_m]
Fairlight
Larkspur
Lightfoot
[name_f]Starling[/name_f]
[name_f]Sparrow[/name_f]
[name_f]Winsome[/name_f] - but all I can see is “You win some, you lose some…”
[name_f]Cameo[/name_f]
Mayfair
Loveday
[name_f]Posey[/name_f]
Darling
[name_u]Vesper[/name_u]
[name_m]Atlas[/name_m]
[name_u]True[/name_u]
[name_u]Wren[/name_u]
[name_u]Sailor[/name_u]
[name_m]Hawthorne[/name_m]
Wolfsbane
[name_u]Winter[/name_u]
[name_f]Poppy[/name_f]
Kitten
[name_f]Primrose[/name_f]
[name_m]Noble[/name_m]
[name_f]Fawn[/name_f]

And it also just occurred to me that I could see Cardigan having appeal as a name. Not for me, but for someone adventurous.

20

One of my favorite words is serendipity. I have mixed feelings on it crossing into the name world, but I could see it happening.