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Will This Name Doom My Baby?
After years of trying, we are thrilled to be expecting a baby girl. I didn't think the naming would be hard ... I've always liked "Mallory" because it's cute, but not that common. But while looking up name meanings I was horrified to discover that it means "ill-fated young woman." Now I'm a little unsure.
- Ill-Fated Mom
Let's talk for a minute about the meaning of meanings.
Of course, none of us want our kids' names to mean something awful. But where did this idea come from that a name's "meaning" is some obscure Latin root you track down via twists and turns through Middle English and French?
What you're talking about isn't a meaning, it's a derivation. Mallory may derive from a French word meaning "unlucky" (nobody's quite certain). Unless that origin is part of our current language, though -- as in names like Destiny and Rose -- it's just a scholarly curiosity.
Think of it this way: If you look up the word "jerk" in the dictionary you might find it comes from an Old English word meaning "prepare." But if somebody calls you a jerk, that doesn't mean they think you're well prepared, does it? Now try asking the next dozen people you meet what the name Mallory means. My guess is you'll get more blank stares and references to the old sitcom "Family Ties" than derivations from Norman French.
So what does Mallory really "mean?" Well, it's a familiar English surname that used to be a rare male given name. Then starting around the 1940s, the soaring popularity of Valerie rubbed off a little on the rhyming name Mallory, tilting it to the girl's side. The name had sitcom exposure in the '80s, when other surname crossovers like Ashley, Courtney and Lindsay were also taking off. Yet Mallory never approached the popularity of those hits.
Today, that leaves Mallory in an enviable style spot. It's familiar, but not common. It feels classically feminine enough for traditionalists, but contemporary enough for more creative namers. People really like this name. That, to me, is more important than any scholarly derivation.
What do names mean to you? Share your experiences here. And if you have your own question to Ask the Name Lady, drop her a line!
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 3)
10-21-2010 @ 3:41PM
Lauren said...Looking up the name meaning is fun, but its not like kids often "live up" to it. And often the social context means more, for example, Richard isn't as common because of the nickname Dick. Used to be a perfectly fine nickname, but certainly not in today's vulgar mind-set. I'm sure that hasn't deterred some parents, but it has for others.
Reply
10-22-2010 @ 12:20AM
ouida said...i am trying to find out what my name means and what my kids' names mean,and i don't know how to search,can anyone tell me.
Reply
10-22-2010 @ 8:28PM
pudgywump said...you can go to babynameaddicts.com it's a great website to search names and find new ones. good luck!
10-22-2010 @ 10:04PM
Bella said...Most baby name books give the meanings of each name - and the ethnic origin too.
10-23-2010 @ 12:17AM
HUH said...not to mention the obvious...but you are on a computer and there are many sites that will tell you..try google...
10-22-2010 @ 12:26AM
ouida said...i am trying to find out what mine and my kids names mean.can anyone tell me what link to go under...
Reply
10-22-2010 @ 8:25PM
Ann said...You can go to the library and look for a baby name book or buy one or you can go on-line and google baby names and meanings.
10-22-2010 @ 8:32PM
Aurelio said...you can find almost every name meaninng at follow link
www.meaning-of-names.com
10-22-2010 @ 8:35PM
Kyoteee said..."Mallory" is a lot better than T'Kaneeee'Sha or DuhWayne or Princess or KanDeese or other such stupidity. What a child is named has an enormous impact on his/her life ... forever ... always negative if it's a name obviously chosen by mixing a few Scrabble tiles up and lining them up.
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10-23-2010 @ 12:12AM
Phred said...Almost as bad is giving a kid a name that may be well known in some country outside the US, but the majority of people here can not spell it, or pronounce it, makes it rather hard to get a job.
Do not name a kid something with no vowels in it if you are in a country that speaks English.
10-24-2010 @ 12:25AM
Lita said...I saw a news story about a woman whose mother named her Marijuana Pepsi. Her mother would not allow teachers to call her "Mary" or "MJ" or any other nickname. She grew up to be a lovely woman and holds a prestigious position at a university. While she says she likes her name, had I been her, I would have changed my name as soon as I turned 18, and bid mom adieu. While this story has a happy ending, you have to wonder what kind of person would even risk the possible, needless torment that this must have been directed at this child. Some people shouldn't raise a dust cloud, let alone children. (This woman did well despite her mother's foolish act.)
10-22-2010 @ 8:37PM
John said...Dear Ill-fated Mom and The name lady.
If you do name your son Mallory in this day and age you guarntee he will:
Have the crap beat out of him on a regular basis
Never be most popular with anyone except other outcasts
Most certianly have cut his odds of finding a girl to marry him
Be always viewed as the weak one in a group
Have a hard time getting into athletics even if he has a gift for them
Be pigeon holed as a nerd geek ood ball.
Let the odd Victorian Era names DIE. Yake it from someone whose parents labeled them with an odd first name I still bear scars both physical and emotional ones at the age of 53 from my terribly though out birth name.
Reply
10-22-2010 @ 8:57PM
ann said...To whoever wrote the silly reply about naming a boy Mallory:
The question from the expectant mom clearly indicates that she is having a GIRL, not a boy, so please learn to read, and quit with the misogynist ranting.
10-23-2010 @ 6:55AM
mary said...John,
She said she was thinking of naming her baby GIRL Mallory, not baby boy.
10-22-2010 @ 11:03PM
huskieqt05 said...if you read the first line it says she is expecting a baby GIRL! they were saying that the name was originally a male name...learn to read kk?? thanks!
10-22-2010 @ 9:05PM
Kim said...Uhhhhh...she said she was having a daughter...so now what's the prediction?? IMO I like the name..
10-23-2010 @ 12:17AM
catherine said...well gee john aren't you just a little ray of sunshine? If you are truly having all these problems because of your NAME...good god man...get a therapist and work through your angst or march your butt to the court house and change your name. At some point in your life...and trust me you are WAY past that point...you have to stop blaming your parents for all your own short comings. grow the hell up already.
10-22-2010 @ 8:52PM
Rick said...She's worried about "Mallory"? With all of the incredibly idiotic names that parents keep inflicting on their helpless, unsuspecting infants, I think Mallory is a breath of fresh air. But shouldn't she put "La" or "Sha" or "Ja" in front of it? Or maybe she should look to Hollywood, and name her child "Grass", or "Bumper" or "Mylanta". Look people, I understand the desire to get creative with your child's name, but please remember: It's the poor little kid that's going to have to carry this name around with them for the rest of their lives, not you. I have a cousin, and her parents named her Chrystann. The poor girl hates it - she gets teased all the time, and it gets "mispronounced" a lot. I started calling her "Pus-Head" as a joke, and she asked her mother if she could be called that from now on. So please young parents - don't do that to your child. Growing up is hard enough without having to try to stand up for a moronic name that your parents stuck you with.
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10-22-2010 @ 11:11PM
Steve said...Or go back further like "Chastity" or "Elijah Blue". At least she wasn't considering the name "Sarah Palin Smith" (or whatever surname she uses).
10-23-2010 @ 2:10AM
Elvis Lopez said...Please, parents. Think before you saddle your child with these cutesy names. These are some of the names I remember from my recent years teaching elementary school.
Boys = Grayden, Graydon, Gaydon (think about this one), Haydon, Braydon, Raine (he was 150 pounds in kindergarten), Shornie, Alexx, Lenard, Lucas, Lucass, and Lukas.
Girls = Aa'sh'liea (yes, there are two apostrophes in this unspellable name), Mackinlee, Mikenzy, Terra, Tara, Tarah, and Tiara.
I could write a book on how stupid, insensitive, and selfish today's parents are.