Joy & Austin 31: Adding Evelyn Mae

[Alisamer]

Just now, fundieundies said:

Not everyone has to have some grand four syllable name with rich meaning that dates back to the Mayflower or whatever. You can do that for your characters and still let people walk around with 'common', 'meaningless' names like Amy, Mae, Ann, Bo, Lynn or Li . Being proud of your fancy names for pretend people is fine and all, but it's probably not wise to do it on a forum which may well be populated with people named Mae or Amy. We get it, you dig fancy names.

Hey, you got both my first and middle names in there as common and meaningless! (TBH, they are super, incredibly common.)

I don't know about anyone else's characters but mine have all kinds of names. One is Gideon. One is Brandon. One is Nobody. 

Whatever fits, person or character.

[viii]

2 hours ago, SorenaJ said:

I’m a writer, I can spend days or weeks selecting the perfect name for my characters, looking at meaning, background, ancestry, personality etc, so honestly yes, a filler middle name like Mae does seem very “what the heck, why not?” 

Oh, you're one of THOSE writers. That explains a lot. 

[SorenaJ]

2 minutes ago, Twirling Dervish said:

But they are the words that came out of your mouth!

Quote please. I don't believe I ever said that. 

[JenniferJuniper]

My sister named one of her kids Jennifer Mae.

Upon hearing the name for the first time, my father said "What may she do?"

[mango_fandango]

It really does not bloody matter what someone calls their child. Most people likely don’t think of Mae or Rae or other similar name as just “filler”. Yes those kinds of names are “common” but there’s nothing wrong with that. I reckon a lot of people do just pick a name because it “sounds nice”. 

I like writing too. I don’t spend days or weeks choosing the “perfect” name for characters, because to me it does not matter, plus it can get very boring if I’ve got lots of characters to name. I do look into things like the year the character(s) were born and their nationality, but it’s mostly a case of googling “popular 90s names” or “top girls’ names in Germany” (as an example) and picking one I like the look of. 

[bal maiden]

Is there audio of Joy or Austin saying the name anywhere? Just wondering if they're pronouncing it with 3 syllables: Ev-uh-lyn; or two: Eve-lyn? As far as I'm aware, in the UK, it's Eve-lyn for the male version of the name (like Evelyn Waugh), and Everlyn for the female. But not sure if this is the case in the US?

[Twirling Dervish]

Just now, SorenaJ said:

Quote please. I don't believe I ever said that. 

You have made at least eight comments about how piss poor names like Rae, Mae, Kay and Ann are to you. It doesn't have to be a direct quote to  know exactly what you meant and that you meant it as a criticism. Are you really going to die on this hill of your own making?

[FakingIt_MakingIt]

I think it’s a pretty name, much prettier then I was expecting actually ... a lot better then some of her relatives for sure. 

[SorenaJ]

3 minutes ago, mango_fandango said:

I like writing too. I don’t spend days or weeks choosing the “perfect” name for characters, because to me it does not matter, plus it can get very boring if I’ve got lots of characters to name. I do look into things like the year the character(s) were born and their nationality, but it’s mostly a case of googling “popular 90s names” or “top girls’ names in Germany” (as an example) and picking one I like the look of. 

I bet you get get more plot writing done than I do, though, as I spend most of my names picking fancy names leaving too little time to write much.

Kinda like spending ages making the perfect family in Sims, or the perfect house, but then never playing them. 

[Alisamer]

4 minutes ago, mango_fandango said:

I like writing too. I don’t spend days or weeks choosing the “perfect” name for characters, because to me it does not matter, plus it can get very boring if I’ve got lots of characters to name. I do look into things like the year the character(s) were born and their nationality, but it’s mostly a case of googling “popular 90s names” or “top girls’ names in Germany” (as an example) and picking one I like the look of. 

I tend to look at things similar to what you look at, and also think a little about their background. The non-humans get more unusual names (Nobody, Sprocket, Sapphira, Nova, Gideon). I do have a bit of a corvid theme going on with some of the human names, however. But then there are also some where I was like "OK, sure. That sounds good." One was named after a hot artist I saw at a convention once!

[SorenaJ]

6 minutes ago, Twirling Dervish said:

You have made at least eight comments about how piss poor names like Rae, Mae, Kay and Ann are to you. It doesn't have to be a direct quote to  know exactly what you meant and that you meant it as a criticism. Are you really going to die on this hill of your own making?

Apparently. People will read into it what they want to read, clearly. Whatever makes you happy. I never said all 3 letter names are horrible. Far from it. 

[Granwych]

15 hours ago, SorenaJ said:

Evelyn is such a gorgeous name. I actually guessed it unofficially, wrote down on my laptop in my Duggar documents, but chose Adalyn, Emersyn and Emery as my official guesses, because Michelle has a lesbian sister called Evelyn, and I didn't think they'd want to name their child after her. So I went with something very close to it. Can't believe I was right, at least unofficially!

The middle name is, as everything the Duggars do, half assed. It's basically "oh yeah, I guess social convection dictates that she needs a middle name, so let's just add Mae, I don't even know". It's not even a name! It's a sound! (And a boring, I don't care about anything one at that) it's a filler middle name, that shows you've put zero effort into giving your child a middle name. There are thousand middle names that would have been better, and they chose... Mae. 

Oh rubbish!   Mae was my late mother's middle name.  Several of her grandgirls have it incorporated in their names; it's no "filler," nor is it boring or the result of zero effort.  Nobody's making you like it but there's no need to denigrate it.

 Also, Mae is a diminutive form of Mary, as in the Duggars' Gramma Mary.  Maybe they chose it to honor her.

Edited August 28, 2020 by Granwych
Addendum

[JanasTattooParlor]

18 minutes ago, bal maiden said:

Is there audio of Joy or Austin saying the name anywhere? Just wondering if they're pronouncing it with 3 syllables: Ev-uh-lyn; or two: Eve-lyn? As far as I'm aware, in the UK, it's Eve-lyn for the male version of the name (like Evelyn Waugh), and Everlyn for the female. But not sure if this is the case in the US?

I’m from the Southern US and I’ve never heard the pronunciation Eve-lyn before. I’ve always heard it pronounced Eh-va-lyn, which, if they’re called her Evy, would make sense to call her Eh-vy. I guess we’ll have to wait to hear what they say, but growing up in a similar region of the US as them, I think it’s the pronunciation I put above. 

[Meggo]

32 minutes ago, Alisamer said:

I tend to assume people put plenty of thought into their children's names, whether it sounds like they did or not. Even if the end result is something I personally cringe at. My college roommate's mother's middle name was just a single letter - but there was a reason behind it! (TBH I thought it was kind of a dumb reason, as did my roommate and her mother. But there was at least some thought there!)

 

I would agree but I do not think my parents actually DID put much thought into it. I should ask them again.

My first sister goes by her first & middle names - (not her real name) Mary Ann (because that's what my mom wanted to call her - not Mary, Mary Ann). Second sister came along and they couldn't think of anything go with... let's call her Janet. So she's Janet Ann. (also not her real name). 
I came along and they at least branched out a bit - but my mom told me that she kind of gave my dad the responsibility of my middle name - let's say it's Katrine. We only knew/know one person with an even remotely similar name - and it's my cousin who was maybe 10 when I was born? And her name is Katrina. So it's just … weird. I don't know that THEY gave it much thought. 

My son's middle name is not at ALL what we'd have chosen for him - but it's the name his birth mom had named him when he was born - so that's his middle name. Not a "filler" - but SO common right now you'll find 3 of them in every class I'd imagine. And we were happy to give him that connection. No thought went into it on our end (except thinking to include that in his name- I'm kind of glad I didn't have to think up a middle name - one name was hard enough!!) 

[fundiesarefascinating]

12 minutes ago, Granwych said:

 Nobody's making you like it but there's no need to denigrate it.

This! Wow. I personally think that names are often deeply tied to our identity (and hold meaning for us), so to call names "meaningless or filler" seems like a rather harsh, personal criticism. Ouch. I would be quite hurt if someone ever said that about my name because it's a huge part of me/my identity. I'm genuinely disturbed by such a callous term being used to describe something so personal about people. 

[SweetLaurel]

2 hours ago, SorenaJ said:

’m a writer, I can spend days or weeks selecting the perfect name for my characters, looking at meaning, background, ancestry, personality etc, so honestly yes, a filler middle name like Mae does seem very “what the heck, why not?” 

I am a writer too - have over 20 books published - and now I want to write a book with Mae as the heroine.   I can 'see' her now.   I mean, if you don't like it that is fine.  But saying it is a crap/filler name is...kinda harsh maybe?  

Edited August 28, 2020 by SweetLaurel
punctuation

[mango_fandango]

Naming a child is always a difficult decision to make and often stressful. Names can always be changed later on in life if so wanted. There’s not much point in getting hung up over what some D-list celebrity named her baby. 

Edited August 28, 2020 by mango_fandango

[metheglyn]

55 minutes ago, bal maiden said:

Is there audio of Joy or Austin saying the name anywhere? Just wondering if they're pronouncing it with 3 syllables: Ev-uh-lyn; or two: Eve-lyn? As far as I'm aware, in the UK, it's Eve-lyn for the male version of the name (like Evelyn Waugh), and Everlyn for the female. But not sure if this is the case in the US?

I had an aunt Ev-uh-lyn (also sometimes called both Evie and Ev) and have had half-serious thoughts about using that form/pronuniciation of the name myself in the future for a child if I ever have one. But the other pronunciation I've heard for the spelling was Eve-uh-lyn with three syllables, not Eve-lyn as two. Interesting!

Edited August 28, 2020 by metheglyn
added info

[libgirl2]

59 minutes ago, mango_fandango said:

Naming a child is always a difficult decision to make and often stressful. Names can always be changed later on in life if so wanted. There’s not much point in getting hung up over what some D-list celebrity named her baby. 

I gave my son the middle name of Thomas after Thomas the Tank Engine! I know, weird, but I used to watch it all the time when I was pregnant (this is when it was on Shiny Time Station and not so popular) and loved the stories. He ended up being a huge fan as a little one. 

[VineHeart137]

19 minutes ago, libgirl2 said:

I gave my son the middle name of Thomas after Thomas the Tank Engine! I know, weird, but I used to watch it all the time when I was pregnant (this is when it was on Shiny Time Station and not so popular) and loved the stories. He ended up being a huge fan as a little one. 

No idea why but the first time I read this I thought you wrote that you had given him the middle name Tank after Thomas the Tank Engine and I was just like "YEAH Thomas is too obvious, go big or go home!" ? Really though, I love Thomas haha.

[Satan'sFortress]

4 hours ago, VBOY9977 said:

They also had Austin’s sister Rachael as a doula

Hmm.  I wonder if Jill was involved as well?  I'd actually feel bad for Jill if she wasn't.

Is the baby's nick name Evy as in Chevy or as in Stevie?

[VBOY9977]

6 minutes ago, Satan'sFortress said:

Hmm.  I wonder if Jill was involved as well?  I'd actually feel bad for Jill if she wasn't.

Is the baby's nick name Evy as in Chevy or as in Stevie?

They didn’t mention anything about Jill, but I don’t think many more people would’ve been allowed to be at the birth because of the pandemic. I was actually surprised they allowed Rachael because joy had mentioned it would only be her and Austin.

[Silas]

My middle name was legit a filler name, my mom flat out said she couldn't find anything she liked so they settled on something  that was sort of like my grandma's name but it was really only there because ya know, people are supposed to have middle names. It's not a typical "filler" (according to this post) middle name but it's filler all the same. My sister's middle name is a three letter, very common, "filler" sounding name but it had meaning and gave her a lifelong nickname that she uses in place of her legal first name.

Seriously? Just because you spend ten years naming fictional characters doesn't mean everyone else has to have the same name standards and for all you know, it took them ten years to pick it anyway. I can't imagine hearing a name and immediately thinking "oh what a dumb filler name" unless you knew the story behind it and guess what? You don't. 

The idea that everyone has to put the same amount of effort into choosing a name is just silly. I honestly think people should put less pressure on picking a name. Pick a name you like, make sure it doesn't mean anything awful, and roll with it. No one seriously cares about the meaning behind someone else's name. Last I checked having a long, meaningful, cool name that your parents stressed over for days doesn't get ya into college, heaven, or even cool nightclubs.

Edited August 28, 2020 by Silas
forgot a word, probably forgot more

[mpheels]

I think I’ve shared this elsewhere on freejinger over the years, but my name is easily written off as “basic” or “generic” or “thoughtless.” My first name is a diminutive form of a very common feminine name (actually, the most common girls name in the world if you count all the various forms). My middle name is the Anglicized version of a traditional Welsh boys name. Both names were thoughtfully considered - my first name is in honor of my dad’s childhood best friend who died a few before I was born. My middle name is in honor of my paternal grandmother who died when my dad was a teenager. Of course no one knows that until they ask and I explain, but maybe don’t judge people (or their parents) based on their name?

[JDuggs]

Joy referred to her as “Evy Mae” so it seems like she plans to call her that, instead of just Evy. So it makes sense to have a short one syllable name for the middle name. Evy Mae is right in line with Alyssa and Carlin Bates’s girls and with Ivy Jane. I think that names like Mae and Rae are the trendier versions of Ann and Lynn from my generation.

I do find it interesting that her name is the same as Joy’s aunt. In most families, people would speculate that she is named after her aunt. But the Duggars seem so disconnected from outside their immediate family, it maybe never even occurred to Joy that she was using a “family name.”