I want to provide you all with an update concerning the name of our little one, expected to arrive on July 30th at 7:32am. I went into this pregnancy with the name to end all names ... Aenore, a lovely name meaning "light" and "sweet". I'm just kidding ... that is how I like my coffee. It just means "light" or, in a pinch, "bright light". It is so unused it is the next best thing to a totally made up name. In general, I disagree with totally made up names because, if none of the other three billion parents have thought of it yet, maybe it is just you? I am also against made up spellings. Odd spellings do NOT make a name unusual just as odd pronunciations do NOT make a name unique. My favorite in this latter category is Michelle pronounced "Meechelle". We can all see the i there and we know it says an i sound like it does in "fig". It just compounds the complexity of MY life to have to remember in your one, special case it says e as in me. Yes, this is all coming from a bitter, chubby girl named "Lisa", the most popular girl name of the 70s. Oh wait. With an i pronounced like the e in me. So I'll just move on to other things I think about when naming.
My list of important things in a particular order:
1) pretty sounding
2) familiar enough to be pronounced successfully by reasonably intelligent people
3) not so common there will be three or four of them in every class
4) a name with family significance
5) not trendy sounding
6) something with a nice meaning
Claire Frances adheres to the list except for #4. Avery Belle, I am afraid, falls short of #3, #5 and #6, as it means something strange like "ruler of the elves". Aenore wasn't a bad attempt according to my list but as you can see from John's list below, it falls remarkably short.
John's list of important things:
1) it does not sound foreign (so ironic)
2) it doesn't sound like any other word in the English language (right. so in direct opposition to #1)
3) isn't also the name of his slightly overweight (but so nice) bank teller
4) it sounds like a hedge fund manager's name (stay with me)
5) it sounds "right"
So my list of super super girls names (I have names for an entire flock of girls arising from future marriages) are not so super after all. See if you can identify the John rule broken for each name.
Aenore - didn't make it past #1 but never would have survived the remaining rules
Maisie - stopped dead by #4
Morgan - clearly the name of a future bank teller, so you can just forget about the house of morgan, arguably the most successful banking family in the world EVER
Violet - disqualified by rule #2
Harriet - passes all rules with flying colors and hits #5 squarely!
Penelope - yes and yes
"Consuela" - I am not kidding. This name came about on the same night as Penelope as we watched "Eligy" with Penelope Cruz in which she looked not a bit trampy but 100% beautiful Audrey Hepburn. Her character's name was Consuela. Which, I think, is possibly the most foreign sounding name I've ever heard. And how it sounds like a hedge fund manager, I do not know. I have all kinds of problems with this name so it falls off the end of the list.
So, coupled with Lauran (a family name on my side), Harriett Lauran, to be nicknamed "Hattie" is a possible winner. Yes, that is a stylized "t" on the end, a nod to other great names out there with stray ts (Bridgett, to name one). If you can unread paragraph one, maybe you should do that now. Tee hee I am such a hypocrite hee hee. hee?
So please, comment! So far it has elicited a lot of "huh." responses. Dad, you are a lovely man to say you "love" the name. And I love you!
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i like violet and penelope. i always wanted to be a penelope...i thought penelope pyne sounded so cute! lol! a friend of mine just had a girl and named her that and they call her penny. now, would you pronounce it the usual penelope or penny-lope? i like maisie too. harriett...wouldn't be my first choice, but it isn't my child! :) she might end up being called harry. is the middle name lauran w/ an 'a'?
ReplyDeleteLisa:
ReplyDeleteI actually do like most of your picks. Aenore could be a favorite if I were creating crossword puzzles for Will Shortz. Lotsa vowels. Need vowels. Since I am not, that was a deal breaker. Older, traditional names have an edge for me unless of course the name has been co-opted by a vapid vagabond Hollywood vixen. "Penelope" lasted only until LoDog reminded me of Ms. Cruz.
-- I have, over the years, perceived a cool reception to "Geran" as well as "Jenica". In my defense, "Geran" conformed to Lisa Rule #4 and the originality of "Jenica" may have opened a floodgate of them. Actually, I have met or read of 4 Jenica's; none of them born before mine. Searching http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/babynames/ over the past 50 years finds NO Jenicas; at least none that made it into the top 1,000. Perhaps one of your several blog readers (all 4) have knowledge of Jennie clones.
What about Eve? Original (duh). EASY to pronounce by normal people. Meaningful (double duh). A name with family significance. You think? A pretty good crossword answer (review comment re the need for vowels). Should be a winner in John's lineup as well. Well, I never had a bank teller named Eve.
Love you
Dad
P.S. LISA JEAN: Remember that whatever the name of the kid, they will likely not like it. It may even be changed to the "preferred name" on their High School Graduation Program.
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