The 7 Biggest Mistakes Newbie Baby Namers Make

It is really sad the number of people who think how you "ought" not be judged on your name when up for a job is somehow how the world works.

Try finding quality employment (not service or labor) using the name Tyrone in most parts of this country then come back with that arrogant attitude how it OUGHT not to matter and how you don't want to work there anyway.Do that for a while, have lots of doors slam or telephone calls end with "Sorry, we're not hiring" and then come back like it doesn't matter.

are you telling me that hortense never got laughed at? just what are you saying?

My daughter's name is Violet, and I get a lot of flack for it being an "old fashioned" name, and yet it seems to be climbing back up in popularity.

I think it is a gorgeous name, but if you think about it, its as nonsensical (or sensible) as Gweneth Paltrow naming her daughter Apple. It is a color or a flower. Alot of the names that flow in and out of popularity are really just popular arrangements of letters, not any significant meaning, so whose to say these new popular arrangements are for the worse or better?

That's awesome! Great story and name.

My daughter's name was going to be Mary Margaret (what was I thinking????) But when she was born, she looked at me as if to say you're NOT calling me that. So, hello Marjorie.

As I entered the hospital in labor, I intended to name my son Pierson Zachary. When he was born, everyone in the room loomed over me asking, "What are you going to call him? What are you going to call him?". I looked at him and uttered... "Collin" (call him... Collin). Hours later, my mother said,"You can change your mind, the name is not on the birth certificate yet.", but it FIT him, so he became Collin Jay Wesley. Today, he is 15 and I cannot imagine my soft-hearted love bug being named that pretentious name I had thought to name him.

I agree with not choosing a popular name for your child, Red. As an Amanda, I've spent my whole life dealing with sharing my name with other people, both in school, on the summer swim team, you name it. Heck, in college there were two other Amandas in my dorm, one of whom lived on the same FLOOR! You can imagine the aggravation that caused when one of us got called from the front desk!

With both our daughters, my husband and I had already chosen the names (we didn't find out the gender beforehand, so we had names for boys and names for girls) based on their family ties and the meanings of the names, which we consider just as important as the names themselves. Our older daughter was named Nichola Virginia, after my grandfather Nicholas (who had died the year after my husband and I got married, so we both wanted to name our firstborn in his honor) and my husband's grandmother Virginia. Her name in combination with our last name means "Brave and powerful maiden who is victor of the people." With our younger daughter, we switched it around and let my husband pick the first name while I got to choose the middle one. We couldn't agree on a family name for a girl that we both liked, so my husband chose Amber, while I opted for the middle name Sophia after my favorite character on "The Golden Girls" and also because the name means "wise." Her full name means "One who is wise, brave, and powerful through knowledge gained by ancient wisdom." Quite a lot to live up to, but they are both worthy, and their names are different from the pack. Nichola loves her name because she knows she doesn't share it with anybody else and also because we've told her about the great-grandfather she's named after, and Amber's name always gets compliments as well. She hasn't said one way or the other whether or not she likes the combination, but then she's only four. Fortunately, it doesn't look like she'd be sharing her name with anybody else either. Time will tell.

Jack, I find your comment about negroes offensive. Caucasians can come up with some pretty ridiculous names as well. Don't just generalize.

I don't like the long-standing trend of naming little girls with English and Irish last names, like your kid, Hadley. Or all those little "Maddisons" running around playgrounds. It reminds me of romance novels, which means it sounds tacky. DOn't be surprised if she is taken less seriously than someone with a more conventional feminine-sounding name. Compare "Alice" and the girl two houses down, "MacLayne." Why don't you just name a little girl "Martinez" or "Lipschits" or "Yamamoto"?

what culture are you talking about? i know at least 3 people named jesus. oops, make that 4. i met one while i was in the looney bin, also, and he had 13 deciples!!