Sierra - Return of the Strawberries and New Babies

[Scrabblemaster]

This afternoon I talked with my parents about my name. My name is not a name like "John" or "Jane" (in Germany in my generation something like Sarah or maybe Christian). My parents tried to choose a name for me and my brother so that we would not end up saying "Yes, here" with 2 or 3 other kids whenever the name was called in school, without choosing a strange name. I think they made a very good job and I really love my name. But when I started school (we had two first classes in my school) in the other first class there was a girl with my name (my parents were a little bit surprised, but nothing more). But during my nearly 30 years of life I only met 4 women with my name. And I ALWAYS sort of freaked out because I was so happy about it .

My brother's name is unusual in our region, I think I never met another person with my brother's name. I really love his name. And our names have nothing in common, well except our last name .

I don't know why, but I don't understand why parents choose popular names for their children. Each their own, but let me speak for myself: I had 3 boys named Christian, 3 boys named Tobias and 4 girls named Sarah and 2 girls named Sabine in my first class. There are so many beautiful special names out there, I am very very thankful that my parents chose a classic name, and not a trendy one. The only reason for me to choose a trendy name would be, if this name had a tradition in my family, or in Mr. Scrabblemaster's family.

BUT (and it's a huge but, because it ignores ALL the things I wrote above): Mr. S. and me talked about potential names of our potential children and he came up with a trend name for the boy that has EXACTLY the same first letter that my brother and two of my cousins have (and it is the name of a person I DO NOT LIKE). And I was like:

[JermajestyDuggar]

1 minute ago, Scrabblemaster said:

I don't know why, but I don't understand why parents choose popular names for their children.

In America, they don't much anymore. There will always be a list of most popular names. However the list of top 20 names 100 years ago may have added up to 50% of all babies born that year while today, the percentage is much lower. Especially with girl names. There are so many girl names used these days that you may not come in contact with that many other children with that name. Even if it is in the top 20.

[Pretzel]

@Scrabblemaster did you hear of the urban legends of Rosa Schlüpfer and Axel Schweiß as well? It's so funny to see that there's pendants to Oranjello and Le-A in our language and culture. I've been told these stories of someone else knowing someone who worked somewhere where these people went to the same class/were born in the same hospital/did this or that like a thousand times already. By now it should be very clear that they just don't exist. 

 I doubt that these specific urban legends are associated with racism but rather hint at the stupid word play and maybe create a chuckle out of some people because they can't believe the idiocy (but keep on telling these stories as if they were real). 

[Scrabblemaster]

@PretzelAbsofuckinglutely!!!!! Do you know the joke about the girl called Wilhelmina Clausen (or something like that)? For all not-german-People:  The initials WC are a short version for restrooms in Germany.

@JermajestyDuggar In Germany there is the trend to name children after names that were popular about 100 years ago. Some names I really like, others ...  not.

[picklepizzas]

And yet, none of these names are worse than Spurgeon. 

[missegeno]

I went to school with 2 girls with the last name of Hogg -- Ima and Meeta. Just out of curiosity, I googled their names. There was an Ima Hogg born in 1882 who was known as the first lady of Texas. Apparently she signed her name I. Hogg, or Miss Hogg. Obviously, not the one I went to school with.

I'm not sure what year this would have been, but I'm curious if this was in the eastern midwest. My mom sometimes complained about a coworker she had who was named Ima Hogg but insisted it was pronounced like Vogue but with an H.

[Pretzel]

11 minutes ago, Scrabblemaster said:

@PretzelAbsofuckinglutely!!!!! Do you know the joke about the girl called Wilhelmina Clausen (or something like that)? For all not-german-People:  The initials WC are a short version for restrooms in Germany.

@JermajestyDuggar In Germany there is the trend to name children after names that were popular about 100 years ago. Some names I really like, others ...  not.

Haha, YES. I do know poor WC. The list goes on and on, how about we introduce poor Wilhelmina Clausen to Reiner Zufall (so the poor little 'loo' is meeting 'pure coincidence'). Maybe Axel Schweiß could need some Franz Brandwein for odor purposes? 

And big yes to classy old names being totally in fashion right now in Germany. However, contrary to the silly-and-cre8tive-and-tryndy-spelling names that less educated folks seem to have a tendency towards, the old classy names are preferably chosen by elitist classist people who like to think very highly of themselves, insinuating that they're oh-so-much better by choosing something with reference to intellectuals or to something/someone with a long history within the elite. 

[Scrabblemaster]

47 minutes ago, Pretzel said:

However, contrary to the silly-and-cre8tive-and-tryndy-spelling names that less educated folks seem to have a tendency towards, the old classy names are preferably chosen by elitist classist people who like to think very highly of themselves, insinuating that they're oh-so-much better by choosing something with reference to intellectuals or to something/someone with a long history within the elite. 

Yep you nailed it. I do not like the last group of persons because it comes with so much arrogance. And the pressure upon these children might be  much higher than on other children, I assume. Just guesswork here but I would not like to compare myself to other people with the same name, who did many great /good/ noble things. It could encourage you, but if not it might be only overwhelming / back-breaking.

[BlessaYourHeart]

I was at a ceremony once where a girl called Iona Crabtree got an award - in a room filled with preteens you can imagine the giggles 

My name is very very common in the UK and the rest of the world. But it's spelled the more European way so although I always had people with the same name as me, I seldom came across someone with the same spelling until I went to Spain and Italy. 

[nastyhobbitses]

Re unconventional names: I always thought Forest Whitaker gave his kids pretty cool names. Sonnet, True, Autumn, and Ocean. In particular, I kinda like that Autumn and Ocean tie in thematically with his name without being obnoxious.

[Glasgowghirl]

18 minutes ago, nastyhobbitses said:

Re unconventional names: I always thought Forest Whitaker gave his kids pretty cool names. Sonnet, True, Autumn, and Ocean. In particular, I kinda like that Autumn and Ocean tie in thematically with his name without being obnoxious.

He named his kids well, not names I'd choose but they are pretty names. The annoying thing about celebrities giving their kid stupid names is that sometimes people copy them. The children of celebrities are less likely to be bullied because of their names. 

[TuringMachine]

I think Emersyn is a good guess for if she has a girl. That name drive me up the wall though (for many little petty reasons that a lot of people would probably disagree with).

Maybe Grayson for a boy? Or Greysyn? The more Y's the better right?

[ButternutSquash]

1 hour ago, Glasgowghirl said:

He named his kids well, not names I'd choose but they are pretty names. The annoying thing about celebrities giving their kid stupid names is that sometimes people copy them. The children of celebrities are less likely to be bullied because of their names. 

There were sisters a few years younger than me in school who were named Autumn and Ocean... and their brother was more along the lines of "Mark".  Not sure why you'd go that route for two and then switch on the third.

[Glasgowghirl]

9 hours ago, BabyBottlePop said:

What drives me crazy is when people don't seem to have enough names like for multiple births and they name their kids varients of the same name, like Leah from Teen Mom 2's Aleah and Alliannah (I think I spelled them right). The Duggars are guilty of this with their Josie, Josiah, Joy Anna, Johannah crap. Whenever I see a "J" name that the Duggars didn't use, I always think about that. 

Worse it was Aleeah, she said it was to honour her step dad Lee. It's too similar to her own name, the tend to use her middle name Grace or Gracie now.

[Bad Wolf]

7 hours ago, missegeno said:

I'm not sure what year this would have been, but I'm curious if this was in the eastern midwest. My mom sometimes complained about a coworker she had who was named Ima Hogg but insisted it was pronounced like Vogue but with an H.

It was England in the 60s.

[BabyBottlePop]

12 minutes ago, Glasgowghirl said:

Worse it was Aleeah, she said it was to honour her step dad Lee. It's too similar to her own name, the tend to use her middle name Grace or Gracie now.

I have noticed that. She should have used Aleeah as the middle name in my opinion.

[Glasgowghirl]

6 minutes ago, BabyBottlePop said:

I have noticed that. She should have used Aleeah as the middle name in my opinion.

Yes, Leah didn't just give all her daughters A names but their middle names are themed too Hope, Grace and Faith, it's over the top.

[Gobsmacked]

4 hours ago, IrishCarrie said:

Some friends of mine had a little girl named Ella. Then they had a boy named Sam.

So far, so good, right?

Until the day Mom called them in for their tea...."SALMONELLA!!"

My Auntys in- laws were Ella and Sam. We always had to be careful to say their names that way round. It was tempting not to though!!

[missegeno]

I've also known a family with 3 kids: Brandon, Brandy, and Randy, in that birth order

[MargaretElliott]

4 hours ago, JermajestyDuggar said:

But if you look at the most popular twin name sets, most match in some kind of way. Most have the same first letter. Like Matthew and Michael

My twin and I have names that start with the same two letters, and both are incredibly common. And the nicknames rhyme. I get it, because my mother has a very rare name and she didn't want us to have that trouble, but still. Everyone gets us mixed up all the time, and we're not even identical. So confusing.

[candygirl200413]

The only positive I like with my extremely not common name is that it doesn't "rhyme" or "go with" my twin brother's name. I grew up with many twins having matchy names and it always annoyed me (cause I really strive independence as a twin).

[actuallyjessica]

If you think those are crazy names. There's this one family in Arkansas, they have 19 kids and all the kids names start with the letter J.

They saved up all the creativity from their daughters,Jana, Joy-Anna and Johanna and went absolutely wild and named one of their other daughters Jinger!

Absolutely crazy!

[JMO]

My sisters grew up with identical twins both named Donna. They had a cousin of the same age also named Donna. The cousin had the same last name so there were 3 kids with the same name in the same class. They had different middle names. 

[Rachel333]

I don't get why people can be so judgmental about parents who choose popular names. If they like the name so what if other kids have the same name? I get wanting to choose a unique name for your own child, but people can get really judgy about other parents' choices.

I think names are interesting but I hate all the racism and classism that inevitably comes into play in these discussions.

[bjr70]

Maybe Grayson for a boy? Or Greysyn? The more Y's the better right?

We had an intern last year who was a Krystyna. That must've been fun to spell constantly. The "y" thing needs to stop.