If this makes any sense, I’d love to hear about the names you feel you ought to like and don’t, and the names you feel you shouldn’t like but do!
For example, my style leans simple, familiar and traditional, so I feel like [name_f]Lucy[/name_f] and [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] should be my cup of tea but… nope. Whereas [name_f]Arden[/name_f] and [name_f]Marlowe[/name_f] don’t fit that description at all, but I can’t get enough of them!
I think there was a thread like this before but I can’t find it; no need to be particularly negative about the names you don’t like because hopefully this is just fun
I really like [name_f]Teagan[/name_f] and absolutely adore [name_m]George[/name_m], neither of which make sense for my style I usually dislike modern names like [name_f]Teagan[/name_f], and names that only work in [name_f]English[/name_f] like [name_m]George[/name_m], but there’s something about the 2 of them I just love!
The number one name I probably should love but don’t is [name_f]Sasha[/name_f] (m) – I really like boy names ending in -a and I love Slavic nickname names, but this one just doesn’t do it for me! Although I reckon I’d change my mind if I met one in real life
I don’t know why I don’t like [name_m]Theodore[/name_m], because I love [name_m]Theo[/name_m] etc and [name_m]Liodor[/name_m] so it doesn’t make any sense. It might be a hang up from long ago, reading [name_m]Little[/name_m] Women and taking on Laurie’s opinion that he dislikes his real first name In general, I love what I call geeky cute names that I feel [name_m]Theodore[/name_m] falls into (e.g. [name_m]Edwin[/name_m], [name_m]Esmond[/name_m], [name_m]Alfred[/name_m], Henry). It is mostly a mystery.
I don’t think I have any unexpected likes because my taste is so broad, but I’ll come back if I think of any
I don’t like [name_m]Theodore[/name_m] either. But [name_m]Leodore[/name_m] is nice. But even [name_m]Leodore[/name_m] doesn’t sound like a name to me. I guess it’s the ‘Door’ in these 2
Probably [name_f]Phoebe[/name_f]? It fits my style so well but I cannot like it. But I like [name_f]Belphoebe[/name_f], even when I don’t like [name_f]Belle[/name_f] as a standalone
[name_m]George[/name_m] for boys. I have [name_m]Walter[/name_m], [name_m]Ernest[/name_m], [name_m]Victor[/name_m], [name_m]William[/name_m], [name_m]Edgar[/name_m] and [name_m]Charles[/name_m] on my list so it would be quite predictable that I would have [name_m]George[/name_m] too. I don’t, and frankly there was a time I liked it. I think I have heard of too many boys named [name_m]George[/name_m] so now I don’t like it.
The two names that jump to mind as names I should like but don’t are [name_f]Ramona[/name_f] and [name_f]Waverly[/name_f]. Both have been recommended to me before, but I’ve just never got the appeal! I usually loveee ‘R’ names, as well as the other sounds in [name_f]Ramona[/name_f], but idk. [name_f]Waverly[/name_f] just doesn’t seem like a name to me for some reason?
[name_m]Vice[/name_m] versa, I love [name_f]Regan[/name_f] for a girl which I think deviates quite a lot from my regular style, same thing with [name_m]Miles[/name_m] for a boy.
I have a list, but it’s mostly because it sounds like something else
[name_f]Phoebe[/name_f] (it sounds like a type of mold to me)
[name_f]Noelle[/name_f] (my psychopathic uncle was Noel)
[name_f]Petra[/name_f] (sounds like putrid)
[name_f]Blythe[/name_f] (sounds like a skin condition and just doesn’t have a plesant sound)
[name_f]Zola[/name_f] (I’ve watched to much [name_f]Marvel[/name_f], I used to love this name but Arnim [name_f]Zola[/name_f] ruined it)
[name_f]Amber[/name_f] (I watched the [name_f]Amber[/name_f] Heard / [name_m]Johnny[/name_m] Depp deformation trial religiously)
[name_f]Esther[/name_f] (it sounds to harsh and to soft at the same time)
I feel like I should like the distinctive and unexpected sounds of Greer, the sharp and interesting Guinevere, and the intriguing Laszlo - and I don’t hate them - they’re kind of cool - but I struggle to really like / love them.
Unexpected likes include some more modern/trendy choices: Nashly, Elexia, Wrenley, Knox, Reeve, Paisley, Hadley
and ones where I don’t enjoy a close variant: Jamie / Jem (dislike James), Sarai (not wild on Sarah), Zadie (not Sadie), Eve and Eva (not Evie), Wilkie and Wilbur (not William)
Unexpected like - I’m not into most Victorian revival type names, the [name_f]Harriet[/name_f], [name_f]Eloise[/name_f], [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f] type … except for [name_f]Frances[/name_f]. I love the sound of [name_f]Frances[/name_f] and nicknames [name_m]Frankie[/name_m] or [name_f]Fern[/name_f].
Unexpected dislike - I used to like [name_f]Persephone[/name_f] and then just stopped. Sunniva’s another name I don’t like despite it being up my alley, I think because it sounds too close to “son-of-a”.
Generally, I enjoy Biblical, classic, and/or cottagecore names. However…
I do not like the name [name_f]Alice[/name_f]. It ticks almost all of my boxes, and I love its simplicity and vintage flair, but for whatever reason it has never been a name I wanted to use.
I do like the name [name_f]Freya[/name_f]. This light, whimsical name always makes me sigh that it is not more like the rest of my list. [name_f]Freya[/name_f] was actually in my original UC from 4+ years ago, and I have never stopped loving it.
I do not like the name [name_m]Noah[/name_m]. It honestly amazes me that this name is as popular as it is. I think the prominant “no” at the beginning throws me off. Objectively, I should be a fan of this name, but I am not.
I do like the name [name_m]River[/name_m]. It is such a peaceful sounding name. I don’t think I could bring myself to use it, but it is still one of my favorite nature names for boys!
I usually lean towards Muslim, Arabic, Persian, and Russian names that have good meanings. But somehow, I find [name_m]Jafar[/name_m] too plain, and [name_m]Aziz[/name_m], [name_m]Hamid[/name_m], [name_m]Majid[/name_m] are too “much” for a little baby, unless they’re prefixed with [name_m]Abdul[/name_m], like [name_m]Abdul[/name_m]-[name_m]Aziz[/name_m], [name_m]Abdul[/name_m]-[name_m]Hamid[/name_m], [name_m]Abdul[/name_m]-[name_m]Majid[/name_m]. Unexpectedly, I like [name_u]River[/name_u], which is an English word, and English isn’t my first language.
For girls, I should like [name_f]Halima[/name_f] because it’s Arabic and has a beautiful meaning, but it feels nothing special to me. Instead, I like [name_f]Inga[/name_f], which means “guarded by Ing” but I have to leave it in my GP list.
I think because my style is more traditional, like [name_f]Lucy[/name_f] and [name_f]Marianne[/name_f], I’m surprised of how much I adore Cyrah and [name_f]Vianna[/name_f]! I feel similarly with [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f]— I’m not a fan of it at all, it reminds me of feathers [name_f]My[/name_f] style with boys is more eclectic, but I’m shocked that I don’t like [name_m]Harry[/name_m] very much (I do arguably like him but not enough to have it listed) or [name_m]Benedict[/name_m]! And I was originally surprised to like [name_m]Peregrine[/name_m] and [name_m]Ledger[/name_m] and [name_m]Hawthorne[/name_m] but I think I just have many different boy names that they all group together well!
I almost chose [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] as one of mine. I just can’t get into it!
I’ve always been an [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] disliker, but I think if I were American I would like her more - the ‘nor’ sound that comes out in an American accent is so much prettier than the ‘nuh’ sound in a [name_f]British[/name_f] accent.
How funny, I feel the opposite! The grass is always greener on the other side, I suppose.
Unexpected dislike: [name_f]Eliza[/name_f], like I know it should be my cup of tea, it would go great with the names on my list already, and I already have other variants of nicknames of [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] on the list, plus the association of [name_m]Hamilton[/name_m] the musical (+ actual history) but it just doesn’t do it for me.
Unexpected like: [name_m]Knox[/name_m], idk why or how I really love this name, I wish I had a story or something. But I just started liking it big time, lol
I just joined Nameberry today, despite using it a lot as I helped my daughter name her baby girl. I have six grown kids of my own, so we are heading into the grandchildren phase. I simply love names, always have. I have a very bad case of Covid, so here I am. I have really enjoyed commenting on some posts, putting myself in someone else’s thought process.
For instance, one lady really loved the classic names. I just don’t. I’m not a fan of [name_f]Agatha[/name_f] or [name_f]Mabel[/name_f] or [name_m]Henry[/name_m] or [name_m]Carl[/name_m]. But I had a great time helping to think up classic names that are still workable for a modern kid.
Some boy names I strongly dislike are those that reflect violence: [name_m]Remington[/name_m], [name_m]Bowie[/name_m], [name_m]Colt[/name_m], etc.
I like names that are really, really fringe in the U.S., so it’s a good thing my husband reined me in. [name_f]My[/name_f] da is from the [name_f]Isle[/name_f] of [name_f]Skye[/name_f], in Scotland’s Western Isles, and I speak the Gaelic. [name_f]My[/name_f] husband is American (my mother was a first generation American of Finnish descent). I am a historian, so I alway wanted to pull those names: I loved the name [name_f]Boudicca[/name_f], but it was a hard pass for hubby. I also love a lot of Gaelic names, but even those I found manageable, such as [name_f]Aine[/name_f], [name_f]Sorcha[/name_f], [name_f]Niamh[/name_f], Aoifa, or [name_f]Gráinne[/name_f], my husband refused (probably wisely, as we live in the U.S.).
Boys names I love for no particular reason: [name_m]Ajax[/name_m], [name_m]Atticus[/name_m], [name_m]River[/name_m], [name_m]Holden[/name_m], [name_m]Asher[/name_m], Reul (Scottish Gaelic for “Star”)
Girls names I love for no particular reason:
[name_f]Desdemona[/name_f], Brèagha (pretty), [name_f]Islay[/name_f], [name_f]Tallulah[/name_f]
a name i like that i probably shouldn’t…josephine!
i’ve been head over heals for sweet josie, but it really does not fit with my style at all which is more spunky and playful but something about josephine just makes me so happy!
a name i don’t like but feel i should…tully
tully ticks almost all of my name boxes, she’s bright, playful and a lot of fun. whereas i cannot quite properly enjoy her, it’s a very nice name but it just doesn’t appeal to me the same way the names in my list do!
another name i like but feel i shouldn’t…caroline
i adore the name caroline! i think it’s stunning, i love the sound, the way it looks and all it’s nicknames. it’s another name like josephine where it’s a lot less playful and more classic. but i do really love caroline! i just love everything about this name, but it doesn’t fit many of the ‘names’ boxes i’ve got.
another name i think i should like which i don’t…sunny
i used to adore the (nick)name sunny, it was my favourite for a few years. but now, i’ve fallen in love with sunday and sunny just doesn’t have the same sparkle it once did. i just think sunday’s a better name, and were i to name a child sunday i’d want them to be called by that name!
I tend to gravitate towards longer, romantic, elegant, princess like names for girls such as [name_f]Seraphina[/name_f], [name_f]Vivienne[/name_f], [name_f]Odessa[/name_f] & [name_f]Juliette[/name_f]. If I had a daughter, I would use one of these names in a heartbeat!
Some names I unexpectedly like are:
[name_f]Mercy[/name_f] & [name_f]Hope[/name_f] (virtue names don’t usually appeal to me but these ones have been on my mind lately.)
[name_f]Winter[/name_f] - I love the nickname [name_f]Winnie[/name_f] !
[name_f]Lola[/name_f] - [name_f]Pretty[/name_f] but feels too popular for me to use.
[name_f]Amelie[/name_f] - but I don’t like [name_f]Emily[/name_f].
gp names like [name_f]Tigerlily[/name_f], [name_f]Rhaenyra[/name_f], [name_f]Bellatrix[/name_f], [name_f]Sunday[/name_f], [name_f]Elsa[/name_f], [name_f]Mariposa[/name_f]
[name_m]Boy[/name_m] names I unexpectedly like are:
[name_m]Carlisle[/name_m] (Yes haha like from [name_f]Twilight[/name_f] but I DON’T like the name Carl)
[name_m]Onyx[/name_m]
[name_m]Aslan[/name_m]
[name_f]Georgie[/name_f]
[name_m]Olivier[/name_m]
[name_m]Bjorn[/name_m]
Names I think I should love because they suit my style but I just don’t for some reason:
[name_f]Marianne[/name_f], [name_f]Ophelia[/name_f], [name_f]Adeline[/name_f], [name_f]Aurora[/name_f], [name_f]Romilly[/name_f], [name_f]Sophie[/name_f], [name_f]Wilhelmina[/name_f], [name_f]Olivia[/name_f] (These are pretty but I just can’t love them)
[name_m]Boy[/name_m] names I want to love but can’t:
[name_m]Edmund[/name_m] (I really dislike the nickname [name_m]Eddie[/name_m] & that feels unavoidable.)
[name_m]Jasper[/name_m]
[name_m]Sterling[/name_m]
[name_m]Gabriel[/name_m]
[name_m]Henry[/name_m] / [name_m]Hendrix[/name_m]