Baby names

[junglesteve]

What are some interesting baby names you've come across? Ezra has always been a cool name in my eyes.

[pffh]

Sæborg Ninja. Because those are two very valid female names in Iceland and together they are pronounced like cyborg ninja.

[Joran]

In what way?

My wife and I had a daughter a year ago. I created a name bracket where my friends and family could vote on names and give feedback about which names they liked and which names they disliked.

http://www.bracketmaker.com/tmenu.cfm?tid=369662

In the end, Natalie won... and the wife overruled and went with Fiona. I got middle name rights and chose "Xin", because a X as a middle initial is awesome.

Our basic criteria was:

1) Cannot be in the top 100. As a "Michael", I didn't feel particularly unique.
2) Has to be easily spelled, with no alternative spellings.
3) Can be pronounced by my Chinese parents, so no "th" sounds. My brother was supposed to be "Matthew", but my dad could not get the "th" sound right.

P.S. I've always liked the name 'Miranda'. I enjoyed Shakespeare's The Tempest when I was younger and it has a nice sing-song quality to it.

[Erloas]

I think the trick here is realize that you aren't picking out a baby's name, you are picking out a future teenager and adults name. As such, there are many names that seem cute for a kid that don't end up cute later.

Also taking a normal work or name for something else and changing a letter to a y does not create a name.

I was reading an article recently that something like 30% of parents regretted the name they gave their kid after a couple years.


Also of some note for here is a location would be helpful, its a very international community and an interesting name in one language doesn't work in another language.
Anecdotally one of my older friends married a woman from Germany, but she hates the way Americans pronounce her name so she has been going by another name for something like 10-15 years. I don't think she officially changed it, but he said only a hand full of telemarketers and her parents ever call her by her real name. I've heard her real name like twice and it is one that I'm sure most people would get wrong, but I can't ever remember what it is, which is just as well.

In general I'm a fan of the more traditional names.

[RandomNPC]

Try a baby name book. When you're done picking one you can loan it out to your young single friends with a note in it to pick a name so you can "Talk later" and have them leave it around for their parents to find....

[Aedilred]

I've always liked the name "Edmund". It's traditional without being stuffy, unusual without being wacky, and can easily be shortened to a conventional "Ed" if they like.

Also, as someone who spent much of his childhood being addressed as if he were a train, because children are fundamentally unimaginative and like comparing people to fictional characters, the worst an Edmund is going to get on that front is either Blackadder (no problems there) or the only child from Narnia who actually had a personality.

[Pika...]

I would love to name a daughter Serenity, with the middle name Princess. Been waning the first name since I was 12/13.

For a son? If not my name, then perhaps the first name after one of my two favorite D&D characters: Rexfelis or Sardior. Or possibly Laharl after a video game character which helped shape who I am.

For a middle name: Gygax.

[Mauve Shirt]

I would love to name a daughter Serenity, with the middle name Princess. Been waning the first name since I was 12/13.

For a son? If not my name, then perhaps the first name after one of my two favorite D&D characters: Rexfelis or Sardior. Or possibly Laharl after a video game character which helped shape who I am.

For a middle name: Gygax.

Your male children would suffer so horribly. :smalltongue: Naming someone like they came from middle earth is a bad idea.

[Dr.Epic]

What are some interesting baby names you've come across? Ezra has always been a cool name in my eyes.

On a personal note, I knew a kid by that name and he was more annoying than any given character in one of Michael Bay's Transformers films.

Back on topic, I can't really think of any.

[Mauve Shirt]

I would love to name a daughter Serenity, with the middle name Princess. Been waning the first name since I was 12/13.

For a son? If not my name, then perhaps the first name after one of my two favorite D&D characters: Rexfelis or Sardior. Or possibly Laharl after a video game character which helped shape who I am.

For a middle name: Gygax.

Your male children would suffer so horribly. :smalltongue: Naming someone like they came from middle earth is a bad idea.

[Ravens_cry]

If you must, call them a Hobbit name whose short form is a homonym for an English name, like Samwise.
Ethan is a name I like. Morgan is a name I have appropriated for myself as part of my Internet nom de plume of choice, Morgan Sutherland, and I think makes a nice name for a brunette with straight hair. I liked Coraline enough that I might consider naming a child that, hopefully a girl, the trouble been the confusion that would result between it and Caroline.

[Lady Tialait]

I like Italian names, even though I'm English/Irish descended, and my husband is African American/German descended. Mind you, our first son's name is Andrew after my husband's middle name. I wanted to name him Andreas or Ambrogino...but I got vetoed because I was drugged up.

[Pika...]

Your male children would suffer so horribly. :smalltongue: Naming someone like they came from middle earth is a bad idea.

Well, I always thought Eilistraee, or possibly Lolth were beautiful names for a second girl. O.O

[Mathis]

Matthew has always been a strong name for a boy in my eyes, for all walks in life. It's powerful, easy to pronounce for most people (assumption on my part) and as long as you're in an English speaking country it shouldn't cause any trouble. However since I'm from Norway I would probably go with something like Sigurd. Both might be boring but they have a certain timeless but dignified substance or gravitas about them. For a girl though, an English name would have to be Abigail I think for the same reasons as mentioned above, and it shortens to the incredibly cute Abbie/Abby. Same thing for the Norwegian name Hedda, except that it doesn't shorten to anything.

Silly names however? I haven't personally encountered any that raised my eyebrows except for Leon. I never liked Leon. To any Leon's out there, nothing personal but your name just gives me a bad feeling.

[Xyk]

I'm very fond of Jada for a girl. Jadan for a boy. Of course, that's only if I only had one. Two children with pretty much the same name would be cruel.

[Serpentine]

Someone mentioned Morgan before, that's a name I quite like, for a boy or a girl. I also like Serendipity, but my sister's name already comes from that.*

I like Linden (boy or girl) - was nearly called it, in fact - Xavier (boy), and Jezebelle and Lillith (girl).
I go through a lot of baby name websites looking for names for D&D characters. I think native American - north and south - names are often quite lovely, and if I recall correctly some Australian aboriginal names are nice too. I also tend to like Welsh names. They always sound kinda musical.
Two of my latest characters are Alwynn (male) and Kariana (female). I think they're both quite nice, and I'm actually considering Alwynn as a potential son name.



*These two are lumped together because of a set of books: Morgan is a unicorn in several Serendipity Books, which is itself named after a pink seaserpent character in the same books.

[Blisstake]

I don't think about this much, since I can't stand the idea of having kids, but I've always been fond of "Kendra."

[Starscream]

I'm a little leery on the whole "having kids" issue. So's my S.O., but she is adamant that she wants one (just one) someday just not now or in the near future. I refuse to even commit to "someday".

So I made her a deal. I'll agree to someday have a kid if I get to name it after a Batman character. No, really.

So far she has agreed to Alfred, Edward, James, Tim, or Johnathan for boys. And Selina, Pamela, Barbara, Cassandra, or Helena for girls. She's still not sure about Bruce.

But that's not the point, dangit. I want a Batman name that is actually recognizable as a Batman name! I want a Harleen, Jervis, Talia, Oswald, or Waylon.

Yes, they are slightly odd names, but I figure no one will recognize them but people who already know such characters, i.e. fans. And they will think it is cool. Probably.

My current hope is that I can convince her to accept one of the normal names, but with a slightly unusual middle name. James Gordon sounds normal enough. So does Selina Kyle. I'm personally holding out hope for Pamela Lillian Isley, which is two normal names and one odd one. Technically Bruce Wayne is normal sounding, but I'm having enough trouble even getting plain Bruce approved.

Yeah, my (potential someday) kid is going to despise me. Unless he/she is a major Batman fan. I'd better start reading them the comics when they are still in diapers.

[Lady Moreta]

I'm a traditionalist... I like old-fashioned and Biblical names. Every so often my husband and I talk about what we'd name our kids (should we ever have some)... at the moment, the first-born boy is likely to be Andrew Timothy. Andrew being my father-in-law's middle name, Timothy being my husband's first name. He has his dad's name as a middle name and liked the idea of coming around in a circle. I figure for a boy he can have the final say and I like the name anyway :smallsmile: I really like the name Corran for a boy, but I got it from a book so I'm a little too embarrassed to ever really suggest it... besides, I think it's too out-there for my husband (he's even more traditional than I am).

Girls - girls names I struggle with. I can come up with lists and lists of boys names I like, but I struggle to come up with girls names... at the moment, I like Elizabeth, but that's about it. We decided that the first-born daughter would have my first name as a middle name, and I have struggled to come up with names that sound good with Rebecca as a middle name...

On the other hand, we (well me) are still on the fence about kids anyway so it may become a moot point!

I do like more unusual names, but would never use them myself. For instance, a friend has a daughter named Mackensie Tayla - which I think is really very pretty, though I'd never use it myself (and I cringe every time I look at the spelling of Tayla/Taylor). Other friends have a little girl Bethenney Olivia Rose, which I think is lovely (though once again, not sure what's so wrong with just spelling it Bethany)... though I admit, I mostly like that because with her surname added in, her initials spell BORG :smallbiggrin:

[John Cribati]

If I am ever given free license to name a child... may the deity of your choice help that one.

I'd probably go for something that sounds normal but is spelled in an outlandish way.

Rebbeka or Franclynn, or Isxaac (the x is silent)

[Lady Moreta]

Rebbeka or Franclynn, or Isxaac (the x is silent)

Okay, Rebbeka and Isxaac I get - well, at least I understand what name they're meant to be. Franclynn though? Not a clue.

And as a Rebecca myself, I blame people like you for the fact that no one knows how to spell my name any more :smalltongue: there are too many variations! no one spells it normal any more!

[Pika...]

Okay, Rebbeka and Isxaac I get - well, at least I understand what name they're meant to be. Franclynn though? Not a clue.

And as a Rebecca myself, I blame people like you for the fact that no one knows how to spell my name any more :smalltongue: there are too many variations! no one spells it normal any more!

Who's to say what's normal? Or that your spelling was the first? He might have stumbled on the very first archaic spelling. :smallbiggrin:

[Whiffet]

An interesting name or a good name?

I prefer the more "boring" names. Since I have a few teachers in the family, I can assure you that "creative" names are annoying. If you give a kid a bad name, he or she will be spelling/pronouncing it for people constantly. Not only does it get old for the kid, the people on the other end aren't always amused either.

If we are just talking about interesting names, I've heard of a family naming their seventh kid "Seven". And my dad knew a man named George who named all of his sons George. There were at least three of them, probably more. Plus I know an old guy who... let's just say his is the sort of name you think people only make up for pranks because they sound really inappropriate.

[Lady Moreta]

Who's to say what's normal?

Me. Of course :smalltongue::smallwink::smallbiggrin:


Or that your spelling was the first? He might have stumbled on the very first archaic spelling. :smallbiggrin:

As for my name specifically... I'm pretty certain that either Rebecca or Rebekah is the original spelling...


I prefer the more "boring" names. Since I have a few teachers in the family, I can assure you that "creative" names are annoying. If you give a kid a bad name, he or she will be spelling/pronouncing it for people constantly. Not only does it get old for the kid, the people on the other end aren't always amused either.

I too have a few teachers in the family and you're quite right. I think of the friends who named their daughter Bethenney - it's a pretty name and a pretty spelling, but I just think of how annoying it's going to get both for her and for everyone she comes in contact with, when she gets older. At the moment, her mother has commented that she appreciates people making the effort to spell it correctly... but this woman is the type of person who will blow her lid at anyone who spells it wrong. In this case though, if you're going to give an unusual spelling, that's your perogative, but you can't really get upset and offended if people then spell it wrong!

I'm so paranoid about odd name spellings now that I tend to ask everyone how to spell it, even when it's a very mainstream 'normal' name.

[Pika...]

An interesting name or a good name?

I prefer the more "boring" names. Since I have a few teachers in the family, I can assure you that "creative" names are annoying. If you give a kid a bad name, he or she will be spelling/pronouncing it for people constantly. Not only does it get old for the kid, the people on the other end aren't always amused either.

If we are just talking about interesting names, I've heard of a family naming their seventh kid "Seven". And my dad knew a man named George who named all of his sons George. There were at least three of them, probably more. Plus I know an old guy who... let's just say his is the sort of name you think people only make up for pranks because they sound really inappropriate.

I have kinda fantasized about the George thing. It would really be nice. If I have a son I it would be II. If I have two the second would be III. And so on.

Also, I can trump all those bad names. Try living with the name Jesus in an English speaking culture. Cost me months of paperwork, and hundreds to correct that mistake. >_>

[Lady Moreta]

Also, I can trump all those bad names. Try living with the name Jesus in an English speaking culture. Cost me months of paperwork, and hundreds to correct that mistake. >_>

I worked with a gentleman with that name. Totally threw me the first time I saw it written down... then he explained how it was pronounced :smallsmile:

Now I get complimented on being one of the few people in an English speaking culture to actually say it properly :smallbiggrin: (apparently I say it properly, not just as someone making an educated guess)

[Pika...]

I worked with a gentleman with that name. Totally threw me the first time I saw it written down... then he explained how it was pronounced :smallsmile:

Now I get complimented on being one of the few people in an English speaking culture to actually say it properly :smallbiggrin: (apparently I say it properly, not just as someone making an educated guess)

Welll...I am Hispanic by race, not by culture, so I always pronounced it the English way because it sounded "right" to me. I had religious people arguing with me at least once a week, and occasionally the anti-religious person.

Most people did not care, though. :smallconfused:

[Whiffet]

Also, I can trump all those bad names. Try living with the name Jesus in an English speaking culture. Cost me months of paperwork, and hundreds to correct that mistake. >_>

I don't think you've trumped the worst name. The one I didn't actually post, because its pronunciation is not appropriate. Sounds like one of the worst words out there. :smallwink:

[Lady Moreta]

Welll...I am Hispanic by race, not by culture, so I always pronounced it the English way because it sounded "right" to me. I had religious people arguing with me at least once a week, and occasionally the anti-religious person.

Most people did not care, though. :smallconfused:

Oh, really? I've never come across anyone who pronounced it Jesus, not hey-sus or whatever the phonetic spelling is... I would probably have looked at you funny but not said anything :smallsmile:

[Xyk]

I once knew a guy named (I kid you not) Bichin Wang. Sooo funny. Don't ever name a child Bichin or Wang.

[Pika...]

Oh, really? I've never come across anyone who pronounced it Jesus, not hey-sus or whatever the phonetic spelling is... I would probably have looked at you funny but not said anything :smallsmile:

Lol. Yes, I got many a funny look. The mean looks, though...

It is basically like getting someone screaming at you saying "It is not Tomato, it is Tomato!!!".

[Joran]

Sorry, incoming long quote blocks/responses.


I like Italian names, even though I'm English/Irish descended, and my husband is African American/German descended. Mind you, our first son's name is Andrew after my husband's middle name. I wanted to name him Andreas or Ambrogino...but I got vetoed because I was drugged up.

Well, two things working against that:

1) Wife made it absolute clear to me on pain of death, or at least lasting pain and injury, that I was not to name the baby while she was asleep.

2) The paperwork didn't need to be finished until we left, 2 days after the baby was born. I actually held up production because it took me 2 hours to figure out what middle name to use.


If we are just talking about interesting names, I've heard of a family naming their seventh kid "Seven". And my dad knew a man named George who named all of his sons George.

Your dad knows George Foreman?! I liked the kids names from Neil Gaiman's Stardust. Sons in descending birth order (Primus, Secundus, Tertias, Quartus, Quintus, Sextus, Septimus) and daughter (Una).


Girls - girls names I struggle with. I can come up with lists and lists of boys names I like, but I struggle to come up with girls names... at the moment, I like Elizabeth, but that's about it.

I'm the exact opposite. I had multiple girls' names in mind, no boys' names. That's why I was relieved that we had a girl. Girls' names seem to have more latitude than boys' names. As proof, top 100 boys' names comprise 43.78% of the total births while top 100 girls' names comprise 31.3% of total births.


So I made her a deal. I'll agree to someday have a kid if I get to name it after a Batman character. No, really.

So far she has agreed to Alfred, Edward, James, Tim, or Johnathan for boys. And Selina, Pamela, Barbara, Cassandra, or Helena for girls. She's still not sure about Bruce.

I like Bruce a lot. Cassandra... has unfortunate implications, both in the original Greek theology and Cassandra Cain.

[John Cribati]

Okay, Rebbeka and Isxaac I get - well, at least I understand what name they're meant to be. Franclynn though? Not a clue.

Franklin.

Also, my dog will be named Phideaux.

[Lady Moreta]

I'm the exact opposite. I had multiple girls' names in mind, no boys' names. That's why I was relieved that we had a girl. Girls' names seem to have more latitude than boys' names. As proof, top 100 boys' names comprise 43.78% of the total births while top 100 girls' names comprise 31.3% of total births.

Heehe, I'm gonna be screwed if/when we have kids we have girls. I like slightly more unusal names for girls, but my husband is a real traditionalist... I can easily see us butting heads. And the fact that yeah, I just can't come up with girls names I actually like.

edit: Franklin?! Wow... okay I would never have gotten that one. I thought it was girls name.. .some sort of variation on Franncine...

[Pika...]

Also, my dog will be named Phideaux.

Oh, and I always figured Pazuzu would be an awesome pet bird's name.

[John Cribati]

Who's to say what's normal? Or that your spelling was the first? He might have stumbled on the very first archaic spelling. :smallbiggrin:

The oldest source I know of spells it "Rebekah"

[Lady Moreta]

The oldest source I know of spells it "Rebekah"

The oldest source I know of (King James Bible) also spells it Rebekah... which makes sense to me, since it comes from the Hebrew 'Rivcah' (probably spelling that wrong)... but 'kah' makes sense to me to have come from 'Rivkah/Rivcah' however it's spelled.

[Serpentine]

Heehe, I'm gonna be screwed if/when we have kids we have girls. I like slightly more unusal names for girls, but my husband is a real traditionalist... I can easily see us butting heads. And the fact that yeah, I just can't come up with girls names I actually like.Compromise - a traditional name that's fallen out of fashion for so long it's unusual now :smallwink: I'm sure you'd be able to find a few even just going through the Bible or some history books.

[Coidzor]

Morgan, Dominic, Marcus, Leto, Cleito,

[Lady Moreta]

Compromise - a traditional name that's fallen out of fashion for so long it's unusual now :smallwink: I'm sure you'd be able to find a few even just going through the Bible or some history books.

Damaris? Zillah?

Both are Bible names :smallsmile: they're pretty I think, but I doubt the man would go for them...

[Serpentine]

I found a list from 1890, but they're all really boring :/ List's here (http://www.babycenter.com/0_10-most-popular-baby-names-of-1890_1738090.bc) if you're interested.

edit: Better lists here (http://www.galbithink.org/names/us200.htm). A few nice ones, though. Like Jemima - just don't tell her she's named after the Playschool doll :smallwink:

Wow... Couple of gems from the 1810s: Sophrona and Permilia. Never heard those before. I do quite like Erasmus, too.

[Starscream]

A few nice ones, though. Like Jemima - just don't tell her she's named after the Playschool doll :smallwink:

Or a pancake syrup.

[Phae Nymna]

If you don't mind the negative connotations some mythological names invoke, (sometimes just because people are stupid, and mind you, not all of these have bad connotations) I really like:

Loki
Ajax
Echo
Cassandra
Persephone
Demeter
Balder
Jupiter
Bacchus
Hermes
Aesculapius
Bragi

And here is a list of names of historical people I adore or seek as role models, and whose names I would not mind branding a child with:

Franklin (D. Roosevelt)
Claus (Von Stauffenburg)
Oscar (Wilde)
Amelia (Earhart)
William (Clinton)
John (Lennon)
Julie (Andrews)
Angela (Lansbury)
Bysshe (Percy " " Shelley)
Henry (The Fifth)
Eleanor (Roosevelt)
Daniel (Savage or Choi)
Harvey (Milk)
Ike (Eisenhower)

And a few more that I just really like:

Jacques
Phillipe
Monica
Titania
Oberon
Patrick
Gioachino
Rosa
Hero

[CrimsonAngel]

Yes, name your child Jupiter. Do it. And then name another Professor.

[Epinephrine]

My daughters' names are:
Morgan Faye
Teagan Branna
Rowan Darcy

and my son's name is
Ciaran Finn (I wanted Ciarán, but it was vetoed...)

I'm pretty happy with them, they're all turning out well :smallcool:

[Kain05]

Compromise - a traditional name that's fallen out of fashion for so long it's unusual now :smallwink: I'm sure you'd be able to find a few even just going through the Bible or some history books.

Like my daughters names:

Ceridwyn Lenore (Ceri) and Wilhelmina Isis (Yes, like Mina from Bram Stokers Dracula, we even call her Mina)

[Asta Kask]

For sheer coolness, no one beats Paracelsus (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paracelsus): Philippus Aureolus Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim.

It is rumored that his manner is single-handedly responsible for giving us the word "Bombastic".


An example of his writing: I am Theophrastus, and greater than those to whom you liken me; I am Theophrastus, and in addition I am monarcha medicorum and I can prove to you what you cannot prove...I need not don a coat of mail or a buckler against you, for you are not learned or experienced enough to refute even a word of mine...As for you, you can defend your kingdom with belly-crawling and flattery. How long do you think this will last?...Let me tell you this: every little hair on my neck knows more than you and all your scribes, and my shoe buckles are more learned than your Galen and Avicenna, and my beard has more experience than all your high colleges.

[Whiffet]

One of my favorite male names is Nathan. I also like Jonathan, but Nathan is better. It's used less, for one thing, while still being a nice normal name that won't make the kid suffer.

[John Cribati]

One of my favorite male names is Nathan.

I watched Misfits. I have a love/hate relationship with that name.

[Kobold-Bard]

If it helps, at least in the UK apparently you can't sue for copyright/trademark/whatever violation on names, so you could name your child Yoda, iPod, Xbox or Buzz-Lightyear and there's nothing anyone can do about it.

Or Tarzan, if I ever have a kid I want to name them Tarzan.

[Joran]

Oh right, cool names. Since there are so many similar surnames in Asia, a couple people took matters into their own hands and came up with unique names.

Jenova Chen. He's the lead designer of fl0w and other artsy video games. He self-picked the name Jenova after the character from FFVII because there were too many Jason Chens.

Jennifer 8 Lee. Yes, her middle name is 8. She decided that there were too many Jennifer Lee's, so she came up with a unique middle name to differentiate herself.

[Lady Moreta]

edit: Better lists here (http://www.galbithink.org/names/us200.htm). A few nice ones, though. Like Jemima - just don't tell her she's named after the Playschool doll :smallwink:

I don't think I could handle having a child named after a Playschool doll!


One of my favorite male names is Nathan. I also like Jonathan, but Nathan is better. It's used less, for one thing, while still being a nice normal name that won't make the kid suffer.

I like Nathan too... but my sister was once engaged to a Nathan and he broke it off, so I'm not sure the name is really usable in my family... I quite like Nathaneal though.

[Recaiden]

I've heard some very cool names on people. Babies are going to be kids and then adults relatively quickly though; I can't think of a cool baby's name. But for cool names (which must have at one point been given to babies): I'm fond of Nikolai, Shadowlynn, Mallet, Scott, and most names that don't mean anything.

Personally, I currently support the idea of not naming children, and letting them pick a name when they're an adult. Call them 'child', or by their family name (the only one their getting for now) or maybe a number: 1, 2, etc..

As for actual, moderately normal names I'd give a child, Lauren or some variation is first for girls, Scott or Aidan for boys. Though I really need to acquire a stock of gender-neutral names too.

[Joran]

Personally, I currently support the idea of not naming children, and letting them pick a name when they're an adult. Call them 'child', or by their family name (the only one their getting for now) or maybe a number: 1, 2, etc..


Half of the fun of being a parent is naming them. The other half is dressing them up in silly clothes and taking pictures to enjoy now and to blackmail them later. The third half is waiting for grandkids and spoiling them rotten.

[Whiffet]

Personally, I currently support the idea of not naming children, and letting them pick a name when they're an adult. Call them 'child', or by their family name (the only one their getting for now) or maybe a number: 1, 2, etc..

Continuing as a vehicle for the teachers in my family... just how would that work out in the world if people did that? The poor people who interact with kids, especially the teachers! So many "child"s, so many 1's and 2's and 3's! The family name could work, but would still get confusing with siblings. Heck, identical twins get confusing enough already.

Heh, one year my math class had identical twins in it. The regular teacher eventually learned to tell which was which, but it was fun if we had a substitute. :smallbiggrin: It was also fun when they were both taking physics at different times of the day and the teacher (who already had trouble with names) couldn't remember who he had and when.

[Lady Moreta]

Heh, one year my math class had identical twins in it. The regular teacher eventually learned to tell which was which, but it was fun if we had a substitute. :smallbiggrin: It was also fun when they were both taking physics at different times of the day and the teacher (who already had trouble with names) couldn't remember who he had and when.

Urgh... speaking as a person who once had a teacher who couldn't remember my name - let me just say, that it really sucks and I feel sorry for the twins who were in your class. I had a maths teacher once who for the first term called me by my sister's name (he'd taught her in the past and just couldn't keep the two of us separate, depsite their being 3 years between us). He got over that in term 2, but for the rest of the year called me Rosemary - which from memory, was the name of one of his kids which is where I think he got it from. I HATED it... I was constantly getting in trouble for not answering questions, but he never called me by my real name!

As you say though, the rest of my class thought it was a great joke.

[Whiffet]

Urgh... speaking as a person who once had a teacher who couldn't remember my name - let me just say, that it really sucks and I feel sorry for the twins who were in your class.

Don't, they're easygoing guys. They got a kick out of it.

[AtlanteanTroll]

On a personal note, I knew a kid by that name and he was more annoying than any given character in one of Michael Bay's Transformers films.

You do too? Ezra must be taboo.

I've totally decided that I'm naming my kids Sophia Jean and Giovanni. Though, I would totally name my kid Pikachu if I could get away with it ...

[Pika...]

You do too? Ezra must be taboo.

I've totally decided that I'm naming my kids Sophia Jean and Giovanni. Though, I would totally name my kid Pikachu if I could get away with it ...

I feel Gargamel would be an assume name, so I am right there with you. :smallwink:

[Diva De]

I've always liked the name "Edmund". It's traditional without being stuffy, unusual without being wacky, and can easily be shortened to a conventional "Ed" if they like.

Also, as someone who spent much of his childhood being addressed as if he were a train, because children are fundamentally unimaginative and like comparing people to fictional characters, the worst an Edmund is going to get on that front is either Blackadder (no problems there) or the only child from Narnia who actually had a personality.
Edmund was the bastard son in "King Lear". A magnificent, clever bastard, but still.

My sons are Aiden Drake ("fire dragon") - for my fantasy nod - and Logan, for my XMen nod. My husband and I have agreed that if we were ever to have another son, his name would be Harrison, for my all-time favorite actor (Han Solo, Indiana Jones, AND Bladerunner?!). If we had a daughter, her name would be Marle (pronounced Marlee) from Chrono Trigger, for a video game nod.

My naming criteria is easy to spell, easy to pronounce, uncommon, but not get-beat-up-or-picked-on-by-other-kids uncommon.

EDIT: OHMYGOD I was thinking aloud and reading name lists. and I came up with Marle Gwen (video game/Arthurian legend) and realize that...said aloud...IT RHYMES WITH HARLEY QUINN! SO happening if we ever have babies again.

[MonkeyBusiness]

Damaris? Zillah?

Both are Bible names :smallsmile: they're pretty I think, but I doubt the man would go for them...

I think these are lovely names! Zillah is also a character name in Madeline L'Engle's A Swiftly Tilting Planet. And the letter "Z" makes a grand initial, in my opinion!

What excellent taste you have!

[Lady Moreta]

I think these are lovely names! Zillah is also a character name in Madeline L'Engle's A Swiftly Tilting Planet. And the letter "Z" makes a grand initial, in my opinion!

What excellent taste you have!

Why thank you :smallredface::smallsmile:

I'm still not convinced that the husband would go for it... he's more boring than me :smalltongue: - more importantly, I'd want to check how it's meant to be pronounced... I wouldn't want to give a kid any name I didn't know how to say properly.

[Esprit15]

A friend of mine was named Vashti, which always seems to get attention.

[Legend]

I'm a fan of many of the names from Zelazny's Amber series.

[Serpentine]

Drake's a name? Might have to go with that for a boy! Think I could get away with Melusine? She could contract it to Mel - not a name I especially like, but it'd be up to her.

[Lady Moreta]

Drake's a name? Might have to go with that for a boy! Think I could get away with Melusine? She could contract it to Mel - not a name I especially like, but it'd be up to her.

It's making me think 'magazine', sorry Serps :smalltongue:

Vashti is pretty - not sure if I'd ever use it, since the only person I've ever heard of with that name doesn't end well (book of Esther in the Bible, she was the queen before Esther, gets killed for disobeying the king).

Speaking of girls names, I like Hadassah (Hebrew version of Esther)... since I was sort of on the subject.

[Castaras]

If I ever have kids, I'm almost certainly going to go with "ordinary" names. I may love the sound of some names, but I'd rather give a kid an ordinary name and let them pick up a strange and exotic name as their nickname if they want (aka I'm Elizabeth, but have the nickname of Castaras :smalltongue:).

Maybe Thomas. Or Alex. Or Sophie. Or Hannah. :smallsmile:

[Brother Oni]

3) Can be pronounced by my Chinese parents, so no "th" sounds. My brother was supposed to be "Matthew", but my dad could not get the "th" sound right.

You can always do the way that Hong Kong Chinese do, have a given English name (for all the English people who have trouble pronoucing anything :smalltongue:) and a Chinese 'middle' name.

I had the same problem with naming my children, except the given name also had to work in Japanese due to my wife's parents. We named our son Alexander as there was already an accepted katakana romanisation for it ( although we had to pick the one that wasn't for the Final Fantasy character), and his Chinese name roughly translates to 'Bright Spear'.

[MonkeyBusiness]

Why thank you :smallredface::smallsmile:

I'm still not convinced that the husband would go for it... he's more boring than me :smalltongue: - more importantly, I'd want to check how it's meant to be pronounced... I wouldn't want to give a kid any name I didn't know how to say properly.

Well, "Zillah" contracts nicely to "Zil", which is also the name of those finger cymbals used in belly dancing. :smallbiggrin: And I think it can blend nicely with other names that are more traditional ...

<stops self> Not that this is any of my business, mind you. I'm just really excited about this name. In my mind, it has all the best qualities of a name: it's unusual, but not bizarre, can be pronounced the way it is spelled (ZIL-ah), has that awesome letter Z, has a reference that is meaningful to the family (the bible, and maybe a cool fantasy novel) yet is not blatant with that association. That last one is a toughie: it's hard to create a name that will have mostly positive associations, yet not label the kid right off the bat.

Ever read The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Patterson? She's an American author of award-winning young adult novels: she also wrote The Bridge to Terebithia, which is even more well-known. Anyhoo, Gilly has an unusual name. Her name revelas a great deal about her past, which she desperately wants to escape. Good book ... but it also gives an interesting perspective of the confusing negative and positive impact of a beautiful name in the already confusing life of the main character.

[Joran]

You can always do the way that Hong Kong Chinese do, have a given English name (for all the English people who have trouble pronoucing anything :smalltongue:) and a Chinese 'middle' name.

I had the same problem with naming my children, except the given name also had to work in Japanese due to my wife's parents. We named our son Alexander as there was already an accepted katakana romanisation for it ( although we had to pick the one that wasn't for the Final Fantasy character), and his Chinese name roughly translates to 'Bright Spear'.

I have a Chinese name but it's not anywhere in my official, legal name. My daughter has her Chinese name as her middle name, just because it starts with an 'X' and X is awesome.

My wife is Thai and her parents gave her a Thai first name and an American middle name. The issue is that half the time she goes with her Thai name and the other half she goes by her American name, so it's pretty confusing how I should introduce her =P

[Esprit15]

Vashti is pretty - not sure if I'd ever use it, since the only person I've ever heard of with that name doesn't end well (book of Esther in the Bible, she was the queen before Esther, gets killed for disobeying the king).
She thought it was fitting due to her dislike of rules. We also joke that based on the meanings of her names (the description sounds like one for Jesus even though she's not religious) we should just call her Shesus.

[Xyk]

I'm a fan of many of the names from Zelazny's Amber series.

I think Brand would be a great boy's name. Benedict is too long and Random is no good. I don't remember any other names, it's been quite a while. I think one started with a 'C'. :smallconfused:

[Esprit15]

I think Brand would be a great boy's name. Benedict is too long and Random is no good. I don't remember any other names, it's been quite a while. I think one started with a 'C'. :smallconfused:
Random is clearly a girl's name.:smalltongue: (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hitchhiker%27s_Guide_to_the_Galaxy)

[Nopraptor]

Alot more bible stuff here then I expected...

Anyway, I know it might be a little confusing for English speaking folks but Shai is a good name, its pronounced the way its spelt, its unisex (my brother is named Shai but so are many women) and it has a nice meaning-gift, boon etc. (from god if your into that sort of thing) oh, I forgot to mention its from Hebrew

[onthetown]

My favourite names for a boy are James and Alexander. I love Ezra, too, but my bohunk named one of his D&D characters that so we won't be able to use it for a son (I don't want to name any of my kids after any characters that I used in gaming or in writing). But James is the top runner -- not Jim, James. James sounds very strong and practical to me, whereas Jim is sort of just... comical.

I've never really thought about girl names. Boyfriend would like our daughter to be named Josephine, which I think is really pretty. One of my fav names is Michelle; barring the fact that I am a Michelle, and I'm mad at my mom for giving that name to me. I don't like the idea of naming a kid after myself, so I can't use it. Sigh. :smallamused: I also like Caitlin.

[Lady Moreta]

Well, "Zillah" contracts nicely to "Zil", which is also the name of those finger cymbals used in belly dancing. :smallbiggrin: And I think it can blend nicely with other names that are more traditional ...

<stops self> Not that this is any of my business, mind you.

Considering that I still haven't made up my mind as to whether I want kids... and that any first daughter we have will probably end up as Elizabeth Rebecca, due to my utter inability to find any other girl's name I like that goes well with Rebecca... I don't think you have anything to worry about :smalltongue:


I think Brand would be a great boy's name. Benedict is too long and Random is no good. I don't remember any other names, it's been quite a while. I think one started with a 'C'. :smallconfused:

Brand is making me think of the character from David Eddings' Belgariad series :smallsmile: - also making me think of the guy I knew at uni whose name was Braid.

[Whiffet]

My favourite names for a boy are James and Alexander. I love Ezra, too, but my bohunk named one of his D&D characters that so we won't be able to use it for a son (I don't want to name any of my kids after any characters that I used in gaming or in writing). But James is the top runner -- not Jim, James. James sounds very strong and practical to me, whereas Jim is sort of just... comical.

I've never really thought about girl names. Boyfriend would like our daughter to be named Josephine, which I think is really pretty. One of my fav names is Michelle; barring the fact that I am a Michelle, and I'm mad at my mom for giving that name to me. I don't like the idea of naming a kid after myself, so I can't use it. Sigh. :smallamused: I also like Caitlin.

Make Michelle her middle name, then. As another Michelle, I agree that it's a nice name.

Caitlin? What about Caitlyn or Katelyn or Kaitlin or Kaitlyn or... huh, I just remembered why I hate that name. Stick with Michelle. The only variation you're likely to see is Michele, and Michelle is much more common so she won't be asked how to spell it nearly as often.

James, heh. Makes me think James Bond. I want to make jokes about it when I meet a James, but most people don't take that very well. Were you ever tortured by adults with the song that goes "Michelle, my bell..."? :smallfurious:
At least I never had it as bad as the poor Lukes of the world.

[Aedilred]

People don't like being compared to James Bond? What's wrong with them?!

[John Cribati]

she was the queen before Esther, gets killed for disobeying the king

She just got banished, actually. Because she didn't want to show up naked in the middle of the palace where a drunken king and his (possibly drunken) friends were. The reasoning behind this is obvious.

[Das Platyvark]

Boys:
Elden
Withel
Aloysius
Sanngetall (Wierd, but one Odin's many names)

Dashiell is cool for either gender.
Girls:
However plain it might be, I've always been a bit partial to the name Sylvia.
Lucia
A character in a story I wrote once was called Manila Guilt, which seems a bit cruel to name a child.

[Starshade]

I found a list from 1890, but they're all really boring :/ List's here (http://www.babycenter.com/0_10-most-popular-baby-names-of-1890_1738090.bc) if you're interested.

edit: Better lists here (http://www.galbithink.org/names/us200.htm). A few nice ones, though. Like Jemima - just don't tell her she's named after the Playschool doll :smallwink:

Wow... Couple of gems from the 1810s: Sophrona and Permilia. Never heard those before. I do quite like Erasmus, too.

Erasmus? The danish writer Ludvig Holberg wrote an comedy, "Erasmus Montanus or Rasmus Berg", making fun of a character who thought too much of himself, and who was named Rasmus Berg, but altered his danish "berg" (meaning mountain), into latin Montanus, and added an E to his firstname, to make it more "latinish". The name Rasmus is still used in scandinavia, tho i think more in sweden, possibly also denmark, than in norway.
Btw, the version Erasmus is the original form Rasmus is taken from, old christian name, from medival/renaissance era.

[Esprit15]

She just got banished, actually. Because she didn't want to show up naked in the middle of the palace where a drunken king and his (possibly drunken) friends were. The reasoning behind this is obvious.

The name just keeps getting more and more fitting (not due to events, thank goodness).

[Lady Moreta]

She just got banished, actually. Because she didn't want to show up naked in the middle of the palace where a drunken king and his (possibly drunken) friends were. The reasoning behind this is obvious.

:smallconfused: *checks Bible*

Well... I fail at being a Christian :smallredface:

Oops...

[Esprit15]

:smallconfused: *checks Bible*

Well... I fail at being a Christian :smallredface:

Oops...

Don't worry, there are so many translations that one could actually say that she was killed. I wish you guys could just all agree on a version! It would make debating so much easier!

[John Cribati]

So... um... Names!

There are actually a few biblical names that I would name a child:

Rebecca, as previously stated, is my favorite for a girl's name, but I could go for something Asian-ish names. I like Takeo and Kairi. At the very least, they'll be middle names.

For a boy, I'm hooked on Toshihiro for now. I want my firstborn's son full name to be longer than mine (11 syllables), so "Toshihiro Montgomery" would be an awesome middle name (I have 2 middle names, too), and so long as my kid's first name has more than 1 syllable, I will reach that goal. :smallcool:

[Serpentine]

Erasmus? The danish writer Ludvig Holberg wrote an comedy, "Erasmus Montanus or Rasmus Berg", making fun of a character who thought too much of himself, and who was named Rasmus Berg, but altered his danish "berg" (meaning mountain), into latin Montanus, and added an E to his firstname, to make it more "latinish". The name Rasmus is still used in scandinavia, tho i think more in sweden, possibly also denmark, than in norway.
Btw, the version Erasmus is the original form Rasmus is taken from, old christian name, from medival/renaissance era.I know how old it is. The humanist Erasmus is one of my historical heroes, in fact.

[Lady Moreta]

Don't worry, there are so many translations that one could actually say that she was killed. I wish you guys could just all agree on a version! It would make debating so much easier!

No, I'm pretty sure I just had a stupid moment :smallsmile: And I checked it in the two Bibles that were within reach at the time (and are different versions themselves) and they said the same thing. Just - differently :smalltongue:

... as someone who owns 14 Bibles just on her own, I don't think I'm ever going to think there are too many versions :smalltongue:

[Esprit15]

Well the other day my girlfriend was reading some mythology and decided that she liked the names Echo and Psyche (pronounced sy-kee).

[snoopy13a]

If I ever have kids, I'm almost certainly going to go with "ordinary" names. I may love the sound of some names, but I'd rather give a kid an ordinary name and let them pick up a strange and exotic name as their nickname if they want (aka I'm Elizabeth, but have the nickname of Castaras :smalltongue:).

Maybe Thomas. Or Alex. Or Sophie. Or Hannah. :smallsmile:

Alternatively, you could go with an "exotic" name as a first name and an "ordinary" name as a middle name. That way, the kid could go by the middle name if he/she doesn't like the first name. This is a method used by some people who keep a traditional first name in the family that has fallen out of style.

Personally, I favor ordinary names.

[Brian Shanahan]

Well for sheer badassery, you can always name your son Setanta, and for girls Gráinne (as in Gráinne Mhaol) is the obvious choice. But then again pretty much any proper Irish name is good (fake ones are universally bad).

As regards biblical names I'm fond of Baruch myself, but then I've always been attracted to Spinoza's pantheism.

[Xyk]

Well for sheer badassery, you can always name your son Setanta, and for girls Gráinne (as in Gráinne Mhaol) is the obvious choice. But then again pretty much any proper Irish name is good (fake ones are universally bad).

As regards biblical names I'm fond of Baruch myself, but then I've always been attracted to Spinoza's pantheism.

One of the characters in my party is named "Seamus O'Flannahan". I kid you not. :smallannoyed:

[Serpentine]

Oh please. I've played with a Siph L. Uss :smallsigh:

[Agamid]

my nephew is called Coleridge.

i've met twins called Flora and Fauna (only problem is that Fauna's middle name is Kate...)

My best friend and her partner want to call their kids Lucifer or Gabriel (if they are a boy) or Euphemia if they have a girl.

I love the name Adelaide, but for a boy, Azmuth and Kali or Avarice for a girl. But i also really like some pretty standard names, like Michael and Tara.

And my name is Indian, Nikhilā, which means 'complete'.

[Lissou]

There was a guy in my art school names Jeronimo. I thought it was a cool name but I always thought of him charging into battle and yelling it, and that was a bit distracting.

I always have trouble pronouncing names that have apostrophes in the middle, or more than one capital (while being only one word). It's also hard sometimes to understand what common name people were going for when you see it written, because they wanted it to be unique and altered the spelling so much.

If I was to name an actual human being, I'd try for a name that isn't common, but very straightforward in its spelling. If I come up with very weird original names, I'm more likely to keep them for characters, who don't have to actually live with the name.

Oh, and I always get very weirded out when someone who is obviously female has a name that means "son of X" (in other words a name that starts with "Mac"). I always wonder if the parents did it on purpose or not.

[Serpentine]

I saw a program recently that included a discussion on bogans - one of the notable features of which subculture being the taking of normal names and spelling them in weird ways to make them more "unique". One of the people on there was called Meshel. Now, just from the way she talked and that, I thought she was a bogan. But apparently - iirc - she changed her name from Michelle to be more distinct, and then later was horrified to discover she'd changed it to a bogan name.

[Tragic_Comedian]

My uncle named his daughter Sunshine Love.

[onthetown]

Make Michelle her middle name, then. As another Michelle, I agree that it's a nice name.

Caitlin? What about Caitlyn or Katelyn or Kaitlin or Kaitlyn or... huh, I just remembered why I hate that name. Stick with Michelle. The only variation you're likely to see is Michele, and Michelle is much more common so she won't be asked how to spell it nearly as often.

James, heh. Makes me think James Bond. I want to make jokes about it when I meet a James, but most people don't take that very well. Were you ever tortured by adults with the song that goes "Michelle, my bell..."? :smallfurious:
At least I never had it as bad as the poor Lukes of the world.

Nope, I love Caitlin. It's special to me for a few reasons. And I'd want Michelle to be a first name, but whatever. If we have a daughter, we've already agreed on Josephine (which is the name of a grandmother or ancestor or something of his, and I think it's really pretty). A son will be James (his father's name here), or (his father's name here) James, because James was the name of a cousin I was as close as a brother to who died of leukemia. It was also family tradition before he died for the first son of the first son to be named James -- since he was the first son of the first son, and didn't have a son before he died, it was kind of broken. So I'd like to see it remembered, along with him.

And no, I wasn't tormented by Michelle. Mostly because it's my middle name -- I just go by it because I don't like my first name, Krista, which I've changed to Kris for those who already knew me as Krista, and those who don't know me as either I prefer to be called Michelle by. It's less confusing than it sounds, since most people just call me Kris anyway, but I really, really, REALLY prefer to be called Michelle...

[The Succubus]

Please, potential parents, read this.
As someone with a highly amusing name, I was subjected to a constant stream of name-calling, bullying and hurtful jokes at school. Although school and college are many, many years behind me, it left a very definite mark on my personality.

So before you think of naming your child after something in Middle Earth or D&D, remember that child is a person and they *will* resent you if you give them a s*** name. Trust me on this.

[Serpentine]

That's why, if I give an unusual name, it'll be something that can be contracted to something normal.

Also, I'm also definitely gonna name one of my children Linden - whether male or female.

[rakkoon]

I have problems with names like Rune, Odin, Grim and stuff. Cool names in a book but in real life? Also the twins Moonbeam and Sunshine. Cool elf names but in my high school?

I always liked Alexander, swore I'd name my son Alexander but was blessed with two female kits so that's that then.

[Serpentine]

Names like Sunshine and Moonbeam are never cool.

[rakkoon]

To make it worse they were translated into Dutch.
At least in English they are recognised as names.

[Serpentine]

...no, they're not. I'm more okay with words in other languages being used as names, but not words in the same language...

[Klose_the_Sith]

My girlfriend maintains a huge list of baby names she likes, ones that are interesting but not stupidly weird.

Off the top of my head, my favourites from it are Theodore, Rosemary and Kimberly.

[rakkoon]

...no, they're not. I'm more okay with words in other languages being used as names, but not words in the same language...

Well yeah, but you're a native English speaker... oh ... I see your point :smallsmile:

The opposite is also true, I know a guy with a Germanic name 'Bald', which is just wrong when pronounced in English :smallwink:

[Brian Shanahan]

One of the characters in my party is named "Seamus O'Flannahan". I kid you not. :smallannoyed:

O'Flannahan is probably referring to an ancestor called Flann or Flannan (the most famous of which has Ireland's premier hurling school (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Flannan%27s_College#Sporting_Achievements) named after him). And we all know Seamie is a real name (but if you really want to annoy him, try using the Scots form Seumas {same pronunciation}).

But getting back to my theme of Irish names, the worst 3 IMO are Shannon, Erin (in both those cases you're calling your daughter after geographical features named after women, use the originals Sionna and Eriú), and worst of all, Colleen (and all variants), seriously you're calling your daughter "girl (http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/cail%C3%ADn)", massive imagination fail there.

[rakkoon]

Hey, my daughter's name is 'girl'
Not that anybody knows this but nonetheless :smallwink:

It's like a man called Andreas, nobody cares that he's called 'man'

EDIT: unless it still means that in the language you speak, is that the case?

[Serpentine]

I've never met a nice Narelle.

[Brian Shanahan]

EDIT: unless it still means that in the language you speak, is that the case?

Yes it does (http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/colleen). I've a cousin with the name, and she's as annoyed with having it as I am with hearing it.

[rakkoon]

Aha. In that case I understand. There are people here too who call their daughter "woman". Literally the same word. Ah well.

I always liked Miriam as a child, kind of got over that.

[Brian Shanahan]

Aha. In that case I understand. There are people here too who call their daughter "woman". Literally the same word. Ah well.

I always liked Miriam as a child, kind of got over that.

Well I'm not so annoyed when someone is unlikely to know the true meaning of the name, that's why I usually let American Shannons or Erins go (because they're named to show that their great-grandmothers neighbours uncle's dog was quarter red setter, and thus they're Irish), but when you hear Irish people giving out names like that, well there isn't a smiley here to appropriately show my rage.

[Wardog]

I have problems with names like Rune, Odin, Grim and stuff. Cool names in a book but in real life? Also the twins Moonbeam and Sunshine. Cool elf names but in my high school?

I always liked Alexander, swore I'd name my son Alexander but was blessed with two female kits so that's that then.

Did you go for Alexandra then?

[rakkoon]

Hah, good point but no.
I picked a name that I'm still not sure how to pronounce in British English (what has the letter R ever done to you guys?)

[Agamid]

I've never met a nice Narelle.

the president of the committee for a charity i used to be on was called narelle. she was lovely. BUT she was also a history teacher at a private girls school in ipswich, so i imagine not everyone who knew her found her lovely.

I've only ever met one nice, well adjusted, would trust as far as i can throw, Sarah.

[rakkoon]

I knew a Bobtail called Sarah. She was sweet.

[MartytheBioGuy]

My fiancée and I have talked about names for our first two boys and our first two (and maybe a third) girls.

Boys:
Jesse Martin (my favorite boy name and my name)
William Fiero (my favorite brother and out best friend in college)

Girls:
Zipporah "Z" Christine (our favorite girls' name and her mother)
Arabella Catherine (A favorite name and her best friend)
Nora Caroline (two favorites)

She mostly came up with the names based on flow and syllable (she's a poet), I have a 1-syllable last name. I admit that Z might get some odd looks in school, but I think in general we could have come up with much worse. *cough*Moonbeam*cough*

[Marillion]

For girls, I really like Miriam and Phoebe. Haven't thought too hard about boys names, but Felix springs to mind as being awesome.

[Xyk]

I was thinking about this again. I like the names Nicole and Nikola for a boy or girl, respectively, but my middle name is Nicholas (after the saint because my birthday is near christmas), so I feel like I would just come across as vain by naming my kids that. Leonardo could be also be a cool middle name. He could have a nickname like "Leo", "Leon", or "Nards". I'm sure he'd like that.

[evil-frosty]

I like Aurora Jane, Abigail Marie/Maria, Emily Anne for girls. And Jacob Mark, Michael Andrew, James Bryan or Bryan James. Included middle names.

My future wife and I are currently debating over Bryan James or switching the order because of how the initials are which makes a lot of sense. Pretty standard names nothing overly unique and we like the names plus my fiancee would kill me if i tried to name one of our kids after some of my favorite characters from books or DnD. :smallsmile:

[Tyndmyr]

One of my players had a baby just the other day. Named the kid "Lance".

We had a rather notorious NPC a couple sessions back named the same thing...we keep joking he named the kid after that NPC, but he insisted it was just the logical choice for a weapon/kid name. Mace was apparently too starwarsy.

[Serpentine]

I had an American maths teacher who had a kid while he was in Australia. Named him "Gunna".