The $%*! frustration thread

[tushantin]

I knew an Addison in middle school, he was totally a guy. But later I found out that it was a girl's name? I've got a cousin Addison who is a girl...I think she's my cousin, anyway... It's got "SON" on the end of it! It makes no sense to meee~!

So if AddiSON is a guy's name, a female version would be...

...AddiDAUGHTER?

DON'T BLAME ME, BEKKLER INFLUENCED ME WITH THOSE PUNS! *runs*

[Thought]

So if AddiSON is a guy's name, a female version would be...

...AddiDAUGHTER?

Actually, yes. It started out as a patronymic name, so Addisdaughter would be a legitimate variant.


Anywho, I feel that I should point out that I am not criticizing all naming traditions, just those that almost exclusively (or entirely exclusively) have female names derived from male names. There is some of this in every language I am aware of, but the criticism is in the degree. The Romans are a wonderful example: daughters were supposed to always be named after their fathers! To be fair, the Romans were famous for being unimaginative (and for oppressing women), but that doesn't make their names less lame.

[Mr Bekkler]

DON'T BLAME ME, BEKKLER INFLUENCED ME WITH THOSE PUNS! *runs*

Where'd you find my puns? I been lookin for those.

[Sajainta]

I just wish people would be more creative and stop giving their children the same six "trendy" names like Madison, Mackenzie, and Aiden or Aidan.  Those are all fine names by themselves, but in two years there are going to be four Mackenzies and three Aidans to a classroom, just like there were a million and a half Jessicas in my age group.

[alfadorredux]

@Bekkler: Your puns? Nope, haven't seen 'em. This box I'm sitting on? It's full of...prawns. Yup, just wholesome nutritious seafood here, no puns whatsoever. ::Moves tail to cover box label::

[Katie Skyye]

...just like there were a million and a half Jessicas in my age group.

So my real name is Jessica Parker. In my graduating class, for half a semester, there was another Jessica Parker. -________________-

Siiigh~at least I get to change my last name when I marry Red~<3

[Sajainta]

Yup.  I know four people named David Kim, and three Matthew Smiths (although one is an actor, so that probably doesn't count).

I'm really glad I have a first name that's pronounceable, recognizable, and also relatively uncommon.  I wouldn't want to live life being "Saj #2" or "Saj M."

[Mr Bekkler]

People give me a weird look when they hear me say my name in person the first time meeting them. I just tell them my parents are hilarous. I plan to give my kids weird names if I ever have any. Not like alien weird or fanboy weird (for example, I know a guy who named his kid Tron) but a strong, distinct first name (for example, my nephew's name is Lennon, which I find awesome ). I could live with it, they can too. Still an if!

[Sajainta]

In the extremely unlikely event that I have kids, I want to name them Ophelia and Seth.  Unique enough names so they aren't lost in a sea of Johns or Jennifers, but (hopefully) recognizable enough so they won't get bullied.

[Acacia Sgt]

Hey you guys, what's wrong with having common names?

Well, okay, my name is a very common one. Though, despite so, rarely did I ever encountered similar-named people in school. Even so, it is usually followed with a second name so there are actually combination pairs so chances of mixing them up are slim.

Not that it helps me, since I was named after my paternal granddad. Haha, even to this day it still is amusing when my grandma wants to talk to one, and we both turn to face her.  

But anyway, I guess I just never had it hard to be distinguished, since it was either by my full name or using either of my last names. So I don't know...

[rushingwind]

...for example, I know a guy who named his kid Tron...

That... is... awesome!

Anyway, while I would never give a child an embarrassing name, like... oh, I don't know, something that sounds like a pet's name or food (Coco comes to mind...), I am all about unusual names.

Sajainta, I used to love the name "Aiden" as a boy's name, until I noticed that apparently all the other women my age liked the name, too, and gave it to their kids. It soured me on the name, so now I kind of don't like it anymore. *sigh* Something a little more rare can be cool, but when it's so extremely commonplace it loses its luster.

[Sajainta]

Hey you guys, what's wrong with having common names?

There's nothing wrong with it, just that many of the people I know with very common names don't like it and wish their names were more unique.  It's frustrating to them to be known as "Emily who?  Which one?  Oh yeah, that Emily."  They also don't like being mixed up with all the other people who share their name (which can be a common occurrence).  If people don't mind their common names, that's great, but I wouldn't want to give my children a popular name because of the chance that they'll dislike being the fourth or fifth Katie in their grade.

Sajainta, I used to love the name "Aiden" as a boy's name, until I noticed that apparently all the other women my age liked the name, too, and gave it to their kids. It soured me on the name, so now I kind of don't like it anymore. *sigh* Something a little more rare can be cool, but when it's so extremely commonplace it loses its luster.

I used to like it too.  I saw the English version of The Ring shortly after it came out and the kid's name was Aiden (or Aidan) and that was the first time I had ever heard the name and I thought it was a lovely.  And then everyone started naming their kids Aiden / Aidan and it lost its appeal.

[tushantin]

I'm so glad my name's a unique one.   And after a Synesthete mentioned what it signifies, I've begun to love it even more! (Save for the fact no westerner can pronounce it right)

Common names, though common, are almost always a safe bet among the commoners, because they're common (the names, not the commoners), and statistics show that the rare a name is (or feels) there is a strong chance of feeling alienated, in turn making those individuals... well, let's just say, "radical" (for the want of better word). Ones with the most common names tend to get accepted by the society quite easily.

(Also, being a fan of Psychological Thrillers, I also know that a thief with a common name is incredibly difficult to trace.  )

Although, my cousin's cat conceived four kids yesterday. I named them: Cyril, Arawn, Isaac and Goban. There's a hidden reason for each one of them. xD

DON'T BLAME ME, BEKKLER INFLUENCED ME WITH THOSE PUNS! *runs*

Where'd you find my puns? I been lookin for those.

"That's why I thought combining the two would be a good climax-reveal point. Both are unknown, and one is in the Doctor's head while the other is capable of entering peoples' minds. To me it's a natural connection that was almost spelled out. The Doctor wouldn't pick up on it right away because he is (leave the room if you hate a good pun! ) absent-minded?" -- Mr Bekkler

[alfadorredux]

My real name is quite a common, traditional one (in general, my parents followed the "father's family tree" scheme of child-naming). I was still the only kid in my grade with it, and I hate it because it's obviously gendered and because the fact that it's common didn't save me from being insulted over it. My middle name is even worse for my purposes.

The best solution I've come across to the naming problem is to give the kid an assortment of different middle names to go along with the first one and have them all pulling in different directions (one traditional, one unusual, one obviously gendered, one not...) and then let them decide which of their names they're going to use, instead of trying to predict what's going to matter to them, namewise. I don't think it ever occurred to my parents that "obviously gendered" was going to be a problem for me, but it is.

[Kodokami]

I hate my name because of Jean-Luc Picard and the glory of a brother with a cellphone. /sarcasm
I actually like my name, really.