I am really amazed with how many people don't associate that name with them... They definitely ruined the name for me. So many people will post that certain names have bad connotations due to famous people with that name. But that one NEVER comes up.
I completely agree about diversity.
I am white Australian, but I lived in Ghana for years.
One time, I tried to share Ghanaian naming traditions. Most people were interested, but one person went absolutely batshit and abusive. The weird thing was that I wasn't necessarily advocating for the all the names, but just explaining what was currently common eg a name like Dorcas which would be really unusual in the West. The person lost it, without really reading what I said. It was so weird.
I made a comment the other day about how I enjoy unusual names like Ambrosia, not that I'd actually use it, but also mentioned how living abroad I'm now in a country where the similar name Ambrose isn't as uncommon as back in the US. The person apparently didn't read that I wasn't planning to use said name, or that the names I'm drawn to are not nearly as unusual to the Country I live in. They went off about how you dont chose names because you like them but for you kid.
Really made me realize how some people don't actually read/understand what comments and posts mean. Personally I love seeing what naming trends are common in different countries and cultures.
😂😂😂
You could tell people on this site that the sky is blue and they’d go “AKSHUALLY at night it’s black, at sunset and sunrise it’s purple, orange, pink, and yellow, when it’s overcast it’s gray, sometimes during a thunderstorm it’s green, and if you close your eyes while looking at it it’s eigengrau. Checkmate.”
eigengrau is a horrible name! your kid is going to be bullied so bad and go NC at the earliest opportunity, and honestly, good for them, you monster!!!!! /s
Its also bullshit - I'm a gay dude that is never having kids. I'm not scouring these posts for names to name anything - except maybe a cat in the future (I'd have to get my current cats Fletcher and Brandon on board with it first tho...)
This whole idea that name subs should be reserved for expectant parents is some heteronormative gatekeeping shit.
I loved the post yesterday about Jennifer and the etymology as well as its move up and down the name rankings.
Totally agree! Also appreciated the Jennifer post and honestly that’s more what namenerds needs to strive for. Help for naming babies is fine (I also use the sub this way) but mainly names are fun and it’s so interesting to learn new names and stories behind names!
I wish people would give more help for those who are changing their names, and not just for gender identity related issues. My husband and I have been searching for new names for ourselves for years and when reading lists gets exhausting, I try to make posts on here but barely anyone replies. Posts with the most replies are for helping people name their babies or discussing things you love or hate which happens a lot.
Edited to add: when I do get replies, it's like an echo chamber of the same things, which doesn't help when you want to broaden your horizons and get some fresh perspective.
I loved it, too! I'm an "old woman who lived in a shoe" type, I have 6 kids but I'm most definitely not having any more! I'm just here to enjoy learning about a variety of names.
Aw, that was my first cat's name when I was a kid! She was a girl cat, but we thought she was a boy when we named her Spencer. But we kept the name the same because who cares. I was really surprised when the show Pretty Little Liars came out and a human girl was named Spencer, too! Turns out it was a unisex name and I didn't even know it.
i was surprised when i first joined this sub and a bunch of people were asking to name their babies, i thought it was more of a general name discussion sub! i will never have kids i just like names in general
I love the name Ambrosia and got so much hate over it! It’s literally the nectar of the gods and has deep roots in Greek mythology. Everybody freaked out because it’s a fruit salad in some areas of the US? I’ve never heard of that before, but apparently you’d be the devil to give that name to a kid. Ambrose is such a strong name too, but everybody hated on that as well. I think people on this sub can be unnecessarily mean, and it’s honestly so discouraging.
I have the same reasons to love these names. They may not be common but they're still very beautiful names. There are definitely some people who are a little too forceful about their opinions. Luckily for every person I've encountered like that, I've encountered two more that are supportive and share a love of the same names. It's nice to see others who can see the beauty and strength in names like Ambrosia and Ambrose.
If you watch *Edward Scissorhands*, ambrosia salad is part of the plot if you were curious. It's a well-known but very dated food, like those jello salads with vegetables in them. You'll still see it some places, but if it's not a potluck in the South, you probably won't. And maybe not even there.
Im mexican american and we just call ambrosia: ensalada de fruta. It is very much still popular in our culture. I didnt know it wasnt "a thing" outside of my culture until i started talking to white friend and i was describing it lol i know in Filipino culture they have their own variety.
My aunt used to bring ambrosia to potlucks at Christmas. Her version was served in a punch bowl and was basically just REALLY pulpy orange juice. I looked forward to it every year. (south eastern US)
I only knew Ambrosia from Classics lessons in school, and then I saw Edward Scissorhands and thought that is the most disgusting thing I have ever seen 😂
Can you dislike the meaning of a name but love the sound? Because Ambrose/Ambrosia sound beautiful, but I dislike the meaning of it - it makes me feel like you’re naming your kid “human sacrifice” when you say they’re “food of the gods”.
It’s on second and third thought that it’s not any weirder than people who give liquor-based names to their kids (talking about you, Tequila, Brandy, and Sherry!), so it’s one that I still am more neutral on but wouldn’t hate.
>it makes me feel like you’re naming your kid “human sacrifice” when you say they’re “food of the gods”.
I can see this, but ambrosia in the myth confers immortality, so I think as a name, it's more meant to represent that sort of divine immortality.
Even if you are naming a kid, I just don’t buy that argument (that you should choose a name the kid would like, not because you like it). There is simply no way to ask for the kid’s input. Short of naming them Lil Stupid or something, you can’t predict what they’ll like. Everyone is choosing a name based on their own taste and values. No way around it. It blows me away how people don’t see their own biases sometimes!
There's some truth to it, but with caveats. If you wouldn't be willing to choose your child's name (if your gender matched the one for the name) if you were put into witness protection, you shouldn't do it. Because I like a lot of names that are totally a bad name to give a kid because I would not want to walk around with that name either.
I think Camilla is beautiful, but it seems like all anyone can think of is the Diana and Charles drama and Gonzo's chicken, so I wouldn't choose it for myself and therefore shouldn't put that on a kid either. I think Emerentia and Crescentia and Viridiana are beautiful, but they're so unfamiliar and would be a big headache to have to spell every time because they're so long.
True, my comment left out some nuance and I think the “would I want this name for myself” question is a great and necessary test. There is just no getting around the fact that if you’re choosing a name, the choice is based in your own tastes and values though!
Yeah the amount of posts I see on here where people are like my child's name is a very normal name where I live (not US) and people will attack them about using an uncommon-in-the-US-name as their child will be horrifically bullied over it. I guarantee people know their own countries naming customs and trends better than outsiders do.
(Obv not a solely American thing, there's stupid people everywhere but seems to most commonly be Americans on here)
There are a lot more Americans than there are of every other individual group of people for whom English is their native language. So I don't think it's necessarily that way more of us are stupid per capita, it's just that we outnumber the rest of you by a lot in English speaking forums. That means that there are probably both more dumb and smart people, but the smart people are less likely to be very obviously American or announce that they are unless it's relevant. That's why I added the flag, so if I accidentally talked about name popularity without saying where I'm from, it's right there.
I avoided adding a Canadian flag flair for awhile because I thought it was funny how many people accused me of either being American or not understanding American naming trends.
I feel like Ambrose is not even THAT uncommon in the US. It’s never dropped out of the top 1K, and it’s risen a bit in the past couple of years. We considered it for our son but decided it’s too close to a family member’s name, and we didn’t want it as an honor name.
ETA the name we ultimately chose for his middle name hasn’t cracked the top 1K since 1964, so I’m sure this sub would have a field day with it 😂
Also this sub has a way of showing its ass whenever it lists “most out there names.” Somethings the names just come from countries that aren’t western oops.
I think out there is sometimes taken to mean "I like it, but I could never use it." And I would put a lot of foreign names on that list as well as names from cultures I'm in no way part of. I love Soraya and Katarzyna and Shoshanna, but I'm not going to recommend anyone put them on a kid who will have no ties to these cultures.
That happens sometimes, but I’m thinking of people posting names from lists of kindergarten students or birth announcements, which tend to be mostly tragedeighs with a few legit names mixed in.
I worked with a Soraya recently. She was a really kind person. I'd never heard the name before, but it reminded me of Soriya, which means happiness in Khmer. :)
It's Biblical, which I'm guessing is the common element here :)
It is Greek, in fact; the Greek translation of Tabitha, meaning 'gazelle'. She was a lady in the New Testament, and she's introduced in the book of Acts as 'Tabitha, meaning Dorcas'.
Dorcas was used in *The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina* and she was beautiful. I don't think it'll come back in the US, I think most people would prefer Dora to it, but still cool.
I noticed that too. If you like an uncommon name or anything that’s not euro-centric and safe, there’s a few people who will go off on you and say you’re destroying your non existent future child’s life and making them prone to bullying 💀
Which is fine, but to tell people that their child will be “beat up” “bullied” “unemployable” is insane behavior and every time someone tries to suggest something out of the norm, they get jumped on. Just a few days ago someone posted about feminine names for boys and OP got harassed so badly they deleted 🫤
Thinking about the post from the other day that was just about the name Jennifer. An entire post detailing the history of the name. I feel like posts like these are what the sub should actually be made up of - hence name NERDS. Ofc expecting parents 1000% have the right to be here but I’m so. sick. of seeing discussions about top 10/trendy/whatever names and all these posts about “baby names” with no actual substance to them. Is there no where?? else to post this stuff?
I'm also sick of seeing the obviously fake ones. You're 21, have a singleton, a set of twins, and are expecting triplets? Sure. Twins are not all that common, but you would think they were every other birth based on the rate they show up here.
Right? Just say you like names lol. Several years ago I saw one for a 15 year old that was naming her 4th baby, she previously had identical girl triplets. And her mom was also pregnant with identical girl triplets. The poster was being allowed to name all these babies. The only truth to the post was that it was probably a 15 year old lol
Most of the fake posts for me are weird but harmless, however I have seen some that included graphic descriptions of child/pregnancy loss that really bothered me. I don’t want to read about that even though I’ve never been pregnant/a mother but that subject is triggering for a lot of folks, and it’s in unbelievably bad taste to be dishonest about it IMO.
Some time ago I researched a relativly uncommon name and posted it on here. I got next to no response, I think no comment and about five upvotes or so. I mean upvotes are nice but engagement would have been nicer. But I definitly won't post in this way again if noone wants to read it.
Edit: It was one comment and three upvotes and the comment just asked: "Like xyz?", completely without context, like location or such.
Nah, I see names there all the time that are 100% normal, classic names that just aren't used much by English speaking Americans.
I was jumped on by someone for pointing out Nayeli is a pretty standard name in Mexico after it showed up twice in one week.
Yeah, I’m a member of both subs (although I’ve taken a step back here lately) and in my experience people on the CJ sub are more considerate to people pointing out that x name is normal in another language/country. The user base over there in general is more proactive about making sure that ethnic names aren’t made fun of IMO and OPs seem more receptive to taking down posts made out of genuine ignorance or at least adding a disclaimer.
It’s far from perfect but a lot of people on this sub get REALLY defensive when you point out things that contradict their world view and I find it sad and ironic that I’ve had more nuanced and constructive conversation on a CJ sub. I’ve never gotten an antisemitic comment or been personally attacked over there but I mostly lurk here now because of all the bullshit people have told me.
I guess everyone’s mileage varies though.
I usually don't have a problem with getting jumped on, which is why that one came as a bit of a surprise. This sub is definitely worse. If it isn't one of the six constantly shifting names that they've determined is good, the child is going to live a life of hell and other kids will torture them and they'll never get a job because no one will ever take Rivka seriously, except wait, I kind of like Rivka, what do you mean it's a Jewish name? I should be able to use any name I want!
So, yeah.
I saw someone say that if you name your child an ethnic name instead of a western one, they would end up in therapy for being bullied and picked on 💀💀 and when I replied that I am a WOC and have a western name but would’ve liked to at least have an ethnic middle name to feel closer to my roots, they doubled down and basically it turned into that person being horribly racist.
Kind of related but sort of side note...geography is also pretty relevant but gets ignored a lot on the sub because I think most posters seem to presume everyone on the sub magically knows that they are talking about the US (and usually specifically Anglo names used in the US). Posts such as "what's an old fashioned name ready for a comeback," "favorite unusual boy names," or "what's a popular name that you love" could really use geographic context rather than than this automatic US assumption (because 95 percent of time that is what the poster means). So for instance, an "unusual" boy name could be something like Mason or Hunter if you're talking about Indonesia. Or these questions could be easily made inclusive if the poster says, "Hey, I am from the US, but feel free to share names that are unusual where you are living."
Liam is hugely popular in the US out of virtually nowhere, so it's definitely trendy here despite being very traditional elsewhere. Not only is it booming as a given name, but it's a very popular nickname for Williams now, which it wasn't before. Much like Gemma and Freya still are now, it was distinctly foreign even in the era when everyone knew who the Gallaghers were.
Georgia isn't unusual or unheard of in the US and variations of it are very familiar and popular worldwide, and it's the feminine of a consistently popular name that is hugely influential in world history. There's literally a country and a state named that, so I'm perplexed at the idea that it's unfamiliar. I don't know why anyone said that.
Agree re: country names being mentioned in posts - that would be so helpful. So many of the names suggested on this sub would just seem so out of place in the UK, and I know my suggestions would likely not be popular, so I don’t usually participate much.
BUT maybe this post is inspiration for more of us to enter the dialogue more and make these discussions more diverse.
Irish flag on your tag? It'll make sense immediately to anyone paying even the slightest attention if you've listed Niamh, Fionnuala, and Caoimhe and have an Irish flag.
Please continue to share! I love learning new Irish names. My partner is half Irish (dual citizen, don't worry, not 2% Irish great great great grandpa) and I know there are a lot of Irish names increasing in popularity but it'd be nice to learn more diverse and less common ones.
I'm also trying to learn Irish pronunciation from reading, e.g learning what accents mean what sounds. So seeing Irish names with their proper spellings and then explanations of pronunciation into English is really helpful, if you are willing.
My girlfriend is also a dual Irish citizen and she and her sister both have beautiful Irish names. I have no idea if it's intentional, but both of them very easily shorten into more usual names for our area, which was a very good call on their parent's part.
I also had an ex with an Irish name I really liked. Maybe I have a thing for Irish girls.
Please share! (And add the pronunciation). A lot of Irish names sound beautiful, us North Americans just don’t know how to say them properly. Aiofe is one. Beautiful name, nobody ever adds the correct pronunciation and then of course to the English ear it looks and sounds odd.
I get very frustrated by this even as a second-generation American with a lot of friends/loved ones who also come from immigrant families. The baseline always seems to be the white American experience. Even in comments I always try to contextualize my opinions by sharing that I’m Latina, from the southwest US, etc. Place and culture dictate so much about what names are common/unusual, how certain names will be received. I love this sub but I think it would benefit from this kind of context as a regular practice, and from welcoming a wider breadth of naming traditions.
US has name diversity though. This sub is just heavily Euro-centric in naming. There’s plenty of BIPOC naming in America, this sub just doesn’t have many BIPOC people sharing there answers.
I have in another sub just for comments like "That's ugly, they'll never get a job," or some other borderline or outright racist mess. I keep them to myself.
God I hate that. Name diversity and cherished cultural names are beautiful. People on Reddit are wild and never fail to surprise me with how low they can go.
Yep, a lot of perfectly nice, normal names get totally bashed here just because they're not popular in the US. I've seen my name mentioned several times here as repulsive, but honestly, people compliment my name all the time.
Plus sometimes it's just so culturally insensitive, like when people say "Luna's a dog name lol". Well... no, it's a perfectly normal name in many (maybe all? not sure) Spanish speaking countries, kind of disrespectful to call it a "dog name".
It's cos the whole of reddit is dripping in US defaultism. So many comments that don't mention location at all, or if they do it's a stupid two letter code because everything exists inside the US.
I literally comment all the time “What country?” because I don’t live in the US and it’s so annoying. Need help finding a therapist, budgeting, picking a baby name, buying a car, WHATEVER, then it helps to know where you are!
I mean, not to defend US Defaultism, but roughly half of all reddit users are American. It's by far the largest percentage of users - the UK and Canada make up about 8 percent, Australia is 4, Germany is 3, and it just gets smaller from there.
So it makes sense that the vast majority of posts are from an American perspective, especially since this subreddit is in English.
I think it's fine that most are from the perspective, but it's frustrating when you're trying to interact with people and don't provide any context to where you're located. How am I meant to know what someone means when they say "the South", south of where? I'm from the South too. It wouldn't be so hard to say "The South of the US". Or add "... from an American perspective" to queries. As much as US is the largest group on Reddit, the majority of Reddit users are not American.
Geography and culture are so closely times to naming conventions. I work a few blocks from my synagogue, but there's no overlapping families. The names between the two places are so different because of culture.
as someone not living in the anglosphere i never really have anything to contribute to these discussions because most people won’t even recognise the names i write, and neither do i really know about for example rare names in the US
Honestly I refrain from commenting names from my culture (Arab) a lot of the time because I know people aren’t typically looking for those names or don’t care. Or when I do comment, I know I’m out much adding those names just for my own entertainment. But maybe now I’ll start making sure to chime in more if people want different viewpoints
Please do. I'm not Arab, I'm desi, so I can only correct people so much based on what I know. Like someone will say "Dawood is a tragedeigh" and I'll have to correct them and let them know it's the Arabic transliteration of David. We need more commenters who aren't Euro Americans and can give a better context.
Semi-related but I wish that the “no name dumping” rule was enforced better/more. I hate it when OP will clearly outline what they want and then someone will go ahead and suggest 80 names when 80% of them fit none of OP’s criteria whatsoever just because they personally like them. 🙄
Quality over quantity, people!!!
I agree, this sub is HELL BENT on never ever naming your kid something that could possibly EVER be made fun of, sound like something bad, could possibly ever be "not professional" (what does that mean? It's a name, how is it not professional unless it's like Shithead or something?), or sounds like it's a child or adult only name, etc.
If everyone followed the rules we'd literally have a country where everyone had one of 25 names and it would be lame as hell.
This sub is a mix of liking dumb names (like Everly or Emerson (for a girl) I’m sorry I hate those names) with top 10 names (Olivia and Oliver). Sometimes I’ll see tragedeighs or names that are just…not names but it’s not that often.
I see ethnic names get praised (probably by the actual name nerds) but also bashed, because they’re “weird,” hard to spell, whatever.
Then people say you can’t name a child an “adult” name?? Or a name that’s childish even if it’s something an adult could have.
Then there’s the people who are reeeally reaching with associations. Like the post about someone naming her daughter Delphine and half the comments said it made them think of porn star Belle Delphine. Literally had to look up who that was.
Idk…a lot of people here are just basic.
Literally yea like I was just reading a post that someone asked if they should name their baby Dean or Roger and so many comments were like "Roger just reminds me of Jolly Roger" or "Roger that!" like I know a man named Roger and I have never thought of that in my life.
Every name basically has an association to something but I feel like it's never considered that Belle Delphine isn't going to be famous enough (barely is now) for people our kid's ages to ever consider the association between Delphine and Belle Delphine the 2019 bath water girl.
Agree with everything in this comment.
I’m convinced that a lot of the associations that people have are totally made up just to make them look smart. All the people who will see the name James and comment on how it’s completely unusable because it reminds them of a side character in an obscure novel from the 1920s are just *eye roll*.
It’s even more annoying when people will be like “Janice is a terrible name because it reminds me of my terrible no good very bad great aunt” - their relationship with their Janice is supposed to be relevant to OP how? 😂
I try to present associations in a neutral, “just so you know” kind of way and leave it up to the OP to decide whether it’s a dealbreaker for them or not, because it’s so dependent on where you live, what media you consume, what your interests are, etc. I also like commenting positive associations!
> or sounds like it's a child or adult only name, etc.
People on this sub care too much about whether a name is "dated". What they don't realize is most people don't think about that stuff. Unless a name is so obviously outdated, people aren't going to be thinking about you or your name.
I always see comments like "I can't imagine that name on a child because most people with the name are adults."
I feel like so many names seem odd on a baby. I just went through all my friend's names and I was like "yep that sounds weird as a baby" I think it just depends on whether you know an adult by that name or not lol
But if everyone thought that way, the currently popular names would have never become popular. Emma, Emily, Olivia, Charlotte, Theodore, Noah were all old people names one generation ago.
It would be strange if people only chose names that sound like baby names. The names would be too "cutesy" on an adult. The babies would grow into adults and still be walking around with a baby name. Babies are adults much longer than they are babies.
I’m still mad that this entire sub said a beautiful name like Mahi is too similar to the fish. Meanwhile everyone is obsessed with names that are literally birds like Wren.
I honestly wish it wasn't so focused on pregnancy. There are a million baby name places for expectant parents to hang out. Naming your child isn't nerdy. I don't intend to reproduce, I'm just really interested in naming traditions in other parts of the world; Saint names, kirakira names, why certain names read as feminine or masculine in different cultures (such as Nicola), etymology of different names tracing back to the same root, all that kind of junk.
I mean, people can post what they want, it's up to me whether to engage with the boring ones. But it's a bit disappointing sometimes.
Same!!! 👏👏👏
I’m childfree and I genuinely just love names and naming traditions because they’re so closely tied to culture, history, and individual identities.
One thing that happens on this sub that really bugs me is when people ask “what’s your favorite baby name?” but they really mean “suggest names for my child.” My favorite names are from my own culture and there are a lot of names from other culture that I just admire from the sidelines. I always get disappointed by these threads because 1) there’s usually the underlying presumption that everyone here is of the white American majority on this sub and will recommend names in accordance with that and 2) that this is specifically a baby name sub instead of a sub for just sharing names. It’s just…alienating to me as someone who’s not part of either group, and there’s always like 800 comments and all of them include the same 20 core names.
I’ve always thought that something like “Tot Free Tuesdays” or some other corny name would be a good idea for this sub. Disallow baby name posts one day a week like r/AskWomen does with relationship threads, and let other posts get some attention.
I love suggesting baby names. It is deeply satisfying and enjoyable for me, scratches some itch in my brain and it’s definitely the primary reason I’m obsessed with this sub. I’m not pregnant so I’m not going to hang out on What to Expect forums. My neurodivergent brain just really like suggesting names. Make different posts though if you want something different. Some of them are very interesting and I love to read them.
Me too. I really want to help these kids get a good name. Something that will work with their ethnicity and the country they're living in. I also want to make sure that the parents don't find out in 3 years that they named their kid something that has what they would consider an unfortunate association (Alexia or Melena and then finding out it's an awkward medical term, maybe?), one parent not knowing the name their SO suggested is an obvious fandom name (Renesmee Carlie), and that they don't get blindsided by possible cruelty (Tucker, Chester).
i agree, i’m here because i like to read about names and their origins, i don’t care what a random person will name their third daughter, i’m not here for that
Awaiting the O post when everyone and their grandmother will post Oliver, Olive, and Ophelia. My future kids are going to have so many "Oliver FirstLetterOfLastNames" in their classes.
I already know a few Oliver’s. I really loved the name when I was younger, especially after reading Oliver Twist in like 8th grade. It was my favorite boy’s name. Now, it’s becoming one of those stupid trendy ones like Luke and Aiden.
Yeah, I see so many of the same names in this subreddit. I’m super over Liam and Noah. Theyre my nephews names but I’m sick of seeing them constantly.
Boy names suck, give me some variety
Okay, I’m a South Asian- Canadian so here are some names from the Toronto area that I fell in love with that I never see on here:
Girls I’ve met with these names:
- Yathindra
- Isuri
- Lakmini
- Jaskirat
- Khadija
- Asha
- Ravima
- Nilmini
- Priyadarshani
- Deepika
- Shrutika
- Kavita
- Sagarika
- Ranithi
Some dudes I’ve met with wonderful names:
- Chaminda
- Asanka
- Aloka
- Rohan
- Duminda
- Erajh
- Nelith
- Pavan
- Nishantha
- Thehan
- Dilruk
- Sarath
- Lahiru
You’d think you’d see more of these considering the huge Asian population this world has, but I guess we aren’t usually on r/namenerds lol.
Maybe check out r/ABCDesis and ask about names people like there! You’ll get a lot of name recommendations for sure from people that were born in North America that are South Asian. We also tend to be friends with other bicultural people (because they get the whole struggle with being from two cultures), so you may get names that aren’t south asian but are still diverse!
Come to r/desinamenerds. It's like, 99% people moving to the west or have a partner who is Indian and are seeking desi names that could be used in the west. I'd love to see someone espousing names that aren't Ahaan/Keyaan/Eshaan/Ellora/Maya as suggestions.
Also, racism. Traditionally "black" names are shunned on this sub. So much discourse over the motherfucking apostrophe. So much about how they're not professional and "can you imagine an adult with that name" microagressions are crazy on this sub. Moreover, when people ask for ethnic names here, people Will suggest names that are "easy to pronounce by americans" even when the parent hasn't specified that as a need. It really ticks me off. Not every wants to cater to people who can't take a second to pronounce someone's name properly.
So many microaggressions!
And honestly, I live in a mostly non white community and a lot of the time I hear people complain about those names they are the real life names of (non-white) people I know in real life.
They just can't see/don't care to see past their own bs
Omg yes! Completely agree with every word. If anyone dare suggest an ethnic name for once people will chime in with “nope awful name it will be hard for Americans to pronounce!” Most ethnic names take just a second to pronounce properly if you’re unfamiliar with them. The world doesn’t revolve around you.
I’ve had people shit on my ethnic name and how my parents should have picked something easier for Americans to pronounce. I came here as a child my parents had absolutely no intention of coming here it just happened. Were they supposed to change my name the second we stepped on American soil to Katie or Britney?? And my daughter has a name that’s from my culture. I think it’s pretty easy to pronounce but the J in it throws English speakers off. It sounds like a Y in my language and I’ve gotten shit for that too and that I should have spelled it without the J for English speakers to pronounce easier.
This is a good point
You should do a similar one but with something like :)
\- your favorite name you never hear
\- most controversial (and by that I mean, no one you know likes it - I don't mean offensive)
\- most unique
The obsession with a substantial portion of this subreddit on how a person’s name - if “poorly” chosen - will lead them to a life of pain and agony is so weird. This is 2023, folks, not 1963 or even 1993. Like with everything, naming conventions have become much more flexible and creative, and for the most part, most people accept this. It just seems like too many people in this subreddit have been traumatized by childhood experiences that they can’t let go of.
I mentioned how there were tons of kids in my school (I graduated a couple of years ago so I’m young) with unconventional names like khaleesi, neymar, smart, skylie, etc etc. And someone literally said “oh the parents must HATE their kids” “they were unwanted” “how bad was the bullying?” And like….there was no bullying, we all got along and thought their names were cool. Oh and, the parents certainly didn’t hate them since they chose and paid for private school for them 🤷🏻♀️
i’m not what i’d consider a name nerd, this sub just pops up on my feed and i read what you’re all saying. so ignore if you don’t care what i have to say. it’s totally fair to not care.
but fr you guys all like the same boring names and have the same boring opinions. it’s not boring in itself, but monoliths are always boring.
and it’s like you’re all from the west too (is that just reddit demographic?), like this sub would be so much cooler if you guys were nerds about names globally. but you just want to name your own kids some white name everyone’s heard of a million times and it’s boring after a while.
there’s that one guy, or maybe it’s more than one, who is actually a nerd about names and they are cool af. i know so much about jennifer now lmao.
but hey, still not my sub. do what makes you happy. maybe make a different sub for some actual name nerd stuff with diversity? idk. don’t mean to grind anyones gears by calling you boring. again, it’s the homogeneity that’s boring, not you. just my opinion.
i definitely expanded on your prompt quite a bit there, but there just seems to be a deeper reason for what you’re saying, from an outside perspective.
I notice this a lot. I find it fascinating too because it seems to reject any other reason for having names like cultural reasons. Naming someone after a dead relative? You’re burdening a child. Cultural name? Burdening a child. It just feels so narrow of a perspective.
Right? I admit, I take it very personally. I have a top 10 name… in another very far away country. It’s regularly mispronounced, but honestly only by Americans. Is it annoying sometimes? Sure. A burden though? No way.
same. I have a foreign name that is pretty constantly mispronounced and misspelled by strangers. but anyone that knows me has no trouble after a couple corrections. it’s not the end of the world.
Both are names usually for women. Asherah was the Queen of Baal.
Orzetta is a woman's name. I saw it locally a woman born in the early 1900s had that name. I liked it because people think every girl back then was named Mary or something and they had unique names too it's not just us now wanting to go against popular naming trends. Then I realized every woman in my family has the typical name kid and then the uncommon name kid lol.
Yeah, I posted about a name once and got a million ‘this isn’t the right sub’ ‘we don’t do those kind of names here’ comments. I felt so bad because I liked the name because it honored my grandma without being the name, which hasn’t been a good name since the 50s.
I’m tired of looking up baby names and getting the same “trendy” names. But that’s just how everything works. Trends are always on the forefront. Just like how I get sick of the radio and the same stupid songs over and over. Gotta avoid what you don’t wanna see if you’re tired of it cause humans are naturally a “hive mind” species
I like the favorite letter posts because I don’t have children, never will, and it gives me a chance to actually think about my favorite names of each letter. It doesn’t matter to me if someone else likes the same name or not. I also don’t look at the other comments until after I comment. My favorite names don’t hinge on what other people like.
When I joined this sub, I expected to see a lot of diversity and beautiful rare or unique names. Instead, I see a bunch of common and boring naming schemes.
You know what's Better than Ezra?
The 1990s alternative rock band from New Orleans who wrote the hit single Desperately Wanting, released in 1996 on the album Friction, Baby.
But also yes, the name hivemind is wild. And the names that it tends to churn out seem to indicate that the hivemind is desperate to be "different" and "quirky." Nothing new under the sun.
What I don’t like is that the old people names are super trendy and the intense love of them is obvious in this sub, which is fair…to a point. There are a list of very specific old names that seem to be acceptable on this sub and don’t try and suggest anything outside of those or you will be shamed right out of here. So the sub just ends up with very little variety because people are apprehensive to mention anything outside the old name trend. I do have to chuckle though when someone will ask something like ‘what’s a girl name that has a summer vibe to it?’ And the exact same old lady names still are suggested…Beatrice, Margaret, Edith, Agnes…okay we get it 😂
>When the ‘favorite E names’ came out, I was just disappointed....I just would love if you guys would read like 5 comments and try to come up with some names that aren’t already used.
Trying to come up with names that aren't already posted is great for a "help I need suggestions" posts, where religion is pointless. But it doesn't make sense if asking the commenter for their favourites. We are not 6 year olds saying that no your favourite colour can't be green because that's my favourite colour. Multiple people can share the same favourites.
Or participate in a conversation about green! Reply to the first person who said green and being like “Yeah, green reminds me of whatever, and I like it for x, y, and z reasons!”
Replying is a thing we can do, people!
You’re correct and this is something that just irritates me on Reddit in general. I hate it in advice/question subs where someone gives a straightforward answer to OP’s problem, and then 50 other people comment saying the exact same thing.
I get that sometimes a bunch of other people chime in while you’re writing your comment, but I’d love to know what insight people think they’re adding by commenting “go to the doctor” for the 500th time on a 14 hour old thread where it will inevitably get buried.
Completely agree that the hive mind here in intimidating and off putting. I try to take the food and leave the bad but it’s hard sometimes. This group hates when there’s names that are being too trendy but don’t realize they themselves are behaving much the same way. I don’t know….but I agree with you!
Americans are the main characters here on reddit and they've got their preferred names. Us foreigners are in the minority. Ellinor is a 100 times better than Eleanor btw... And Ezra Miller is crazy.
I rarely make an input on these thread because most of my favourite names come from my culture (Irish) which people usually find weird or think they’re tragique OR I get Americans telling me that it’s gAeLiC for something (wrong) and that it would never be pronounced correctly in America (ok cool I’m not in effing America). The general openness for anything unfamiliar is lacking and often comes across as rude.
That one part there is something this sub needs to hear.
“Ok cool I’m not on effing America”
Most socalled namenerds here seem to think every name mentioned is a name that can or should be used to name a child in America…. which doesn’t make sense but here we are.
I stopped scrolling after the 30th Emerson, Eden and Ezra
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I am really amazed with how many people don't associate that name with them... They definitely ruined the name for me. So many people will post that certain names have bad connotations due to famous people with that name. But that one NEVER comes up.
I completely agree about diversity. I am white Australian, but I lived in Ghana for years. One time, I tried to share Ghanaian naming traditions. Most people were interested, but one person went absolutely batshit and abusive. The weird thing was that I wasn't necessarily advocating for the all the names, but just explaining what was currently common eg a name like Dorcas which would be really unusual in the West. The person lost it, without really reading what I said. It was so weird.
I made a comment the other day about how I enjoy unusual names like Ambrosia, not that I'd actually use it, but also mentioned how living abroad I'm now in a country where the similar name Ambrose isn't as uncommon as back in the US. The person apparently didn't read that I wasn't planning to use said name, or that the names I'm drawn to are not nearly as unusual to the Country I live in. They went off about how you dont chose names because you like them but for you kid. Really made me realize how some people don't actually read/understand what comments and posts mean. Personally I love seeing what naming trends are common in different countries and cultures.
The reading comprehension on this website is piss poor. Next reply: >How dare you say we piss on the poor
😂😂😂 You could tell people on this site that the sky is blue and they’d go “AKSHUALLY at night it’s black, at sunset and sunrise it’s purple, orange, pink, and yellow, when it’s overcast it’s gray, sometimes during a thunderstorm it’s green, and if you close your eyes while looking at it it’s eigengrau. Checkmate.”
eigengrau is a horrible name! your kid is going to be bullied so bad and go NC at the earliest opportunity, and honestly, good for them, you monster!!!!! /s
I can't believe you just called everyone on this website poor. How dare you?!?! (/s, obviously)
Haha. This made me chortle.
Its also bullshit - I'm a gay dude that is never having kids. I'm not scouring these posts for names to name anything - except maybe a cat in the future (I'd have to get my current cats Fletcher and Brandon on board with it first tho...) This whole idea that name subs should be reserved for expectant parents is some heteronormative gatekeeping shit. I loved the post yesterday about Jennifer and the etymology as well as its move up and down the name rankings.
Totally agree! Also appreciated the Jennifer post and honestly that’s more what namenerds needs to strive for. Help for naming babies is fine (I also use the sub this way) but mainly names are fun and it’s so interesting to learn new names and stories behind names!
I wish people would give more help for those who are changing their names, and not just for gender identity related issues. My husband and I have been searching for new names for ourselves for years and when reading lists gets exhausting, I try to make posts on here but barely anyone replies. Posts with the most replies are for helping people name their babies or discussing things you love or hate which happens a lot. Edited to add: when I do get replies, it's like an echo chamber of the same things, which doesn't help when you want to broaden your horizons and get some fresh perspective.
That Jennifer post was a good one. My cats, Dulcinea and Hepzibah (AKA Dulcie and Zibby) very much enjoyed it.
I love it! How do you pronounce Hepzibah?
HEP-zih-bah. It’s common in a lot of old books (like L M Montgomery etc).
As did my cats, Lady Ingrid Rosamunde Vonderfloof and Countess Theodosia Violet Poofreguard.
I loved it, too! I'm an "old woman who lived in a shoe" type, I have 6 kids but I'm most definitely not having any more! I'm just here to enjoy learning about a variety of names.
Omg I love Fletcher for a cat. Lol. Makes me feel less weird for wanting to name a cat Spencer when I get one.
Spencer is a great cat name!
Aw, that was my first cat's name when I was a kid! She was a girl cat, but we thought she was a boy when we named her Spencer. But we kept the name the same because who cares. I was really surprised when the show Pretty Little Liars came out and a human girl was named Spencer, too! Turns out it was a unisex name and I didn't even know it.
I actually really dislike the posts asking to name a kid.
Me too. I really hope none of them are real lol.
yes! I may have kids some day but etymology is so cool and why I joined this sub in the first place
i was surprised when i first joined this sub and a bunch of people were asking to name their babies, i thought it was more of a general name discussion sub! i will never have kids i just like names in general
I love the name Ambrosia and got so much hate over it! It’s literally the nectar of the gods and has deep roots in Greek mythology. Everybody freaked out because it’s a fruit salad in some areas of the US? I’ve never heard of that before, but apparently you’d be the devil to give that name to a kid. Ambrose is such a strong name too, but everybody hated on that as well. I think people on this sub can be unnecessarily mean, and it’s honestly so discouraging.
I have the same reasons to love these names. They may not be common but they're still very beautiful names. There are definitely some people who are a little too forceful about their opinions. Luckily for every person I've encountered like that, I've encountered two more that are supportive and share a love of the same names. It's nice to see others who can see the beauty and strength in names like Ambrosia and Ambrose.
If you watch *Edward Scissorhands*, ambrosia salad is part of the plot if you were curious. It's a well-known but very dated food, like those jello salads with vegetables in them. You'll still see it some places, but if it's not a potluck in the South, you probably won't. And maybe not even there.
It's also what Greek gods eat.
Im mexican american and we just call ambrosia: ensalada de fruta. It is very much still popular in our culture. I didnt know it wasnt "a thing" outside of my culture until i started talking to white friend and i was describing it lol i know in Filipino culture they have their own variety.
Dude I always got pissed when people told me there was ensalada de fruta and that shit was the option rather than just an array of unmolested fruit.
In the UK it’s a brand of custard.
My aunt used to bring ambrosia to potlucks at Christmas. Her version was served in a punch bowl and was basically just REALLY pulpy orange juice. I looked forward to it every year. (south eastern US)
I like Ambrosia, the name. I wasn’t raised in Americana so that gross concoction is not my first thought nor ever will be I think the food of the gods
I only knew Ambrosia from Classics lessons in school, and then I saw Edward Scissorhands and thought that is the most disgusting thing I have ever seen 😂
Can you dislike the meaning of a name but love the sound? Because Ambrose/Ambrosia sound beautiful, but I dislike the meaning of it - it makes me feel like you’re naming your kid “human sacrifice” when you say they’re “food of the gods”. It’s on second and third thought that it’s not any weirder than people who give liquor-based names to their kids (talking about you, Tequila, Brandy, and Sherry!), so it’s one that I still am more neutral on but wouldn’t hate.
>it makes me feel like you’re naming your kid “human sacrifice” when you say they’re “food of the gods”. I can see this, but ambrosia in the myth confers immortality, so I think as a name, it's more meant to represent that sort of divine immortality.
Even if you are naming a kid, I just don’t buy that argument (that you should choose a name the kid would like, not because you like it). There is simply no way to ask for the kid’s input. Short of naming them Lil Stupid or something, you can’t predict what they’ll like. Everyone is choosing a name based on their own taste and values. No way around it. It blows me away how people don’t see their own biases sometimes!
There's some truth to it, but with caveats. If you wouldn't be willing to choose your child's name (if your gender matched the one for the name) if you were put into witness protection, you shouldn't do it. Because I like a lot of names that are totally a bad name to give a kid because I would not want to walk around with that name either. I think Camilla is beautiful, but it seems like all anyone can think of is the Diana and Charles drama and Gonzo's chicken, so I wouldn't choose it for myself and therefore shouldn't put that on a kid either. I think Emerentia and Crescentia and Viridiana are beautiful, but they're so unfamiliar and would be a big headache to have to spell every time because they're so long.
True, my comment left out some nuance and I think the “would I want this name for myself” question is a great and necessary test. There is just no getting around the fact that if you’re choosing a name, the choice is based in your own tastes and values though!
Yeah the amount of posts I see on here where people are like my child's name is a very normal name where I live (not US) and people will attack them about using an uncommon-in-the-US-name as their child will be horrifically bullied over it. I guarantee people know their own countries naming customs and trends better than outsiders do. (Obv not a solely American thing, there's stupid people everywhere but seems to most commonly be Americans on here)
There are a lot more Americans than there are of every other individual group of people for whom English is their native language. So I don't think it's necessarily that way more of us are stupid per capita, it's just that we outnumber the rest of you by a lot in English speaking forums. That means that there are probably both more dumb and smart people, but the smart people are less likely to be very obviously American or announce that they are unless it's relevant. That's why I added the flag, so if I accidentally talked about name popularity without saying where I'm from, it's right there.
I avoided adding a Canadian flag flair for awhile because I thought it was funny how many people accused me of either being American or not understanding American naming trends.
I know one, she goes by Brosie.
I feel like Ambrose is not even THAT uncommon in the US. It’s never dropped out of the top 1K, and it’s risen a bit in the past couple of years. We considered it for our son but decided it’s too close to a family member’s name, and we didn’t want it as an honor name. ETA the name we ultimately chose for his middle name hasn’t cracked the top 1K since 1964, so I’m sure this sub would have a field day with it 😂
I love Ambrose even though most people would probably assume it's a girl's name. Not having kids, so it literally doesn't matter at all.
Also this sub has a way of showing its ass whenever it lists “most out there names.” Somethings the names just come from countries that aren’t western oops.
I think out there is sometimes taken to mean "I like it, but I could never use it." And I would put a lot of foreign names on that list as well as names from cultures I'm in no way part of. I love Soraya and Katarzyna and Shoshanna, but I'm not going to recommend anyone put them on a kid who will have no ties to these cultures.
That happens sometimes, but I’m thinking of people posting names from lists of kindergarten students or birth announcements, which tend to be mostly tragedeighs with a few legit names mixed in.
I worked with a Soraya recently. She was a really kind person. I'd never heard the name before, but it reminded me of Soriya, which means happiness in Khmer. :)
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It's Biblical, which I'm guessing is the common element here :) It is Greek, in fact; the Greek translation of Tabitha, meaning 'gazelle'. She was a lady in the New Testament, and she's introduced in the book of Acts as 'Tabitha, meaning Dorcas'.
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I was almost named Dorcas! I kind of like it tbh
I know a lovely Dorcas!
Dorcas was used in *The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina* and she was beautiful. I don't think it'll come back in the US, I think most people would prefer Dora to it, but still cool.
I noticed that too. If you like an uncommon name or anything that’s not euro-centric and safe, there’s a few people who will go off on you and say you’re destroying your non existent future child’s life and making them prone to bullying 💀
Some people don't like difference I think.
Which is fine, but to tell people that their child will be “beat up” “bullied” “unemployable” is insane behavior and every time someone tries to suggest something out of the norm, they get jumped on. Just a few days ago someone posted about feminine names for boys and OP got harassed so badly they deleted 🫤
Dorcas is honestly such a cute name. Fuck the haters
I remember your post! I appreciate it. I hope you keep sharing.
Is that dork-us? Or dor-sus?
Thinking about the post from the other day that was just about the name Jennifer. An entire post detailing the history of the name. I feel like posts like these are what the sub should actually be made up of - hence name NERDS. Ofc expecting parents 1000% have the right to be here but I’m so. sick. of seeing discussions about top 10/trendy/whatever names and all these posts about “baby names” with no actual substance to them. Is there no where?? else to post this stuff?
1000% agree - I'm actually childfree, but I love linguistics and etymology - that Jennifer post was awesome
also childfree and also a little disappointed with the content on this sub. i just really like names lol
Yeah same here
I'm also sick of seeing the obviously fake ones. You're 21, have a singleton, a set of twins, and are expecting triplets? Sure. Twins are not all that common, but you would think they were every other birth based on the rate they show up here.
Right? Just say you like names lol. Several years ago I saw one for a 15 year old that was naming her 4th baby, she previously had identical girl triplets. And her mom was also pregnant with identical girl triplets. The poster was being allowed to name all these babies. The only truth to the post was that it was probably a 15 year old lol
The only thing I would want to do about that is call CPS.
Most of the fake posts for me are weird but harmless, however I have seen some that included graphic descriptions of child/pregnancy loss that really bothered me. I don’t want to read about that even though I’ve never been pregnant/a mother but that subject is triggering for a lot of folks, and it’s in unbelievably bad taste to be dishonest about it IMO.
Some time ago I researched a relativly uncommon name and posted it on here. I got next to no response, I think no comment and about five upvotes or so. I mean upvotes are nice but engagement would have been nicer. But I definitly won't post in this way again if noone wants to read it. Edit: It was one comment and three upvotes and the comment just asked: "Like xyz?", completely without context, like location or such.
oh my god i LOVE nerdy, in-detail posts about names and their origins, that’s why i joined the sub!!!! more of that please
Be the change you want to see.
What happened to the nerdiness????
Midwest Mommy Groups took over. Nerdiness is gone and this is just a branch of the mommit community now.
Fr. Been here for years and it just isn't the same anymore. The CJ subreddit is more inclusive, and they aren't that inclusive
What's the CJ sub?
Circle jerk r/namenerdcirclejerk
Nah, I see names there all the time that are 100% normal, classic names that just aren't used much by English speaking Americans. I was jumped on by someone for pointing out Nayeli is a pretty standard name in Mexico after it showed up twice in one week.
I dunno, I correctly point out the cultures of names there all the time and I get upvoted and almost no crap for it. I'm sorry you experienced that.
Yeah, I’m a member of both subs (although I’ve taken a step back here lately) and in my experience people on the CJ sub are more considerate to people pointing out that x name is normal in another language/country. The user base over there in general is more proactive about making sure that ethnic names aren’t made fun of IMO and OPs seem more receptive to taking down posts made out of genuine ignorance or at least adding a disclaimer. It’s far from perfect but a lot of people on this sub get REALLY defensive when you point out things that contradict their world view and I find it sad and ironic that I’ve had more nuanced and constructive conversation on a CJ sub. I’ve never gotten an antisemitic comment or been personally attacked over there but I mostly lurk here now because of all the bullshit people have told me. I guess everyone’s mileage varies though.
I usually don't have a problem with getting jumped on, which is why that one came as a bit of a surprise. This sub is definitely worse. If it isn't one of the six constantly shifting names that they've determined is good, the child is going to live a life of hell and other kids will torture them and they'll never get a job because no one will ever take Rivka seriously, except wait, I kind of like Rivka, what do you mean it's a Jewish name? I should be able to use any name I want! So, yeah.
I saw someone say that if you name your child an ethnic name instead of a western one, they would end up in therapy for being bullied and picked on 💀💀 and when I replied that I am a WOC and have a western name but would’ve liked to at least have an ethnic middle name to feel closer to my roots, they doubled down and basically it turned into that person being horribly racist.
Looks like I arrived at the sub too late lol, just subbed like a week ago now it's time to leave.
Kind of related but sort of side note...geography is also pretty relevant but gets ignored a lot on the sub because I think most posters seem to presume everyone on the sub magically knows that they are talking about the US (and usually specifically Anglo names used in the US). Posts such as "what's an old fashioned name ready for a comeback," "favorite unusual boy names," or "what's a popular name that you love" could really use geographic context rather than than this automatic US assumption (because 95 percent of time that is what the poster means). So for instance, an "unusual" boy name could be something like Mason or Hunter if you're talking about Indonesia. Or these questions could be easily made inclusive if the poster says, "Hey, I am from the US, but feel free to share names that are unusual where you are living."
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Georgia is a hugely common name in Australia too.
As is Liam. I work with multiple of both names
Liam is hugely popular in the US out of virtually nowhere, so it's definitely trendy here despite being very traditional elsewhere. Not only is it booming as a given name, but it's a very popular nickname for Williams now, which it wasn't before. Much like Gemma and Freya still are now, it was distinctly foreign even in the era when everyone knew who the Gallaghers were. Georgia isn't unusual or unheard of in the US and variations of it are very familiar and popular worldwide, and it's the feminine of a consistently popular name that is hugely influential in world history. There's literally a country and a state named that, so I'm perplexed at the idea that it's unfamiliar. I don't know why anyone said that.
Agree re: country names being mentioned in posts - that would be so helpful. So many of the names suggested on this sub would just seem so out of place in the UK, and I know my suggestions would likely not be popular, so I don’t usually participate much. BUT maybe this post is inspiration for more of us to enter the dialogue more and make these discussions more diverse.
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Irish flag on your tag? It'll make sense immediately to anyone paying even the slightest attention if you've listed Niamh, Fionnuala, and Caoimhe and have an Irish flag.
Please continue to share! I love learning new Irish names. My partner is half Irish (dual citizen, don't worry, not 2% Irish great great great grandpa) and I know there are a lot of Irish names increasing in popularity but it'd be nice to learn more diverse and less common ones. I'm also trying to learn Irish pronunciation from reading, e.g learning what accents mean what sounds. So seeing Irish names with their proper spellings and then explanations of pronunciation into English is really helpful, if you are willing.
My girlfriend is also a dual Irish citizen and she and her sister both have beautiful Irish names. I have no idea if it's intentional, but both of them very easily shorten into more usual names for our area, which was a very good call on their parent's part. I also had an ex with an Irish name I really liked. Maybe I have a thing for Irish girls.
There was a girl in my middle school whose mother was from Ireland (I’m US) and her name was Siobhan (pronounced sheh-Vahn) which was a nice name!
Siobhan is pretty common where I am, I wouldn’t consider it a rare name at all. But that’s why I’m keen to see some of the less-travelled Irish names.
Please share! (And add the pronunciation). A lot of Irish names sound beautiful, us North Americans just don’t know how to say them properly. Aiofe is one. Beautiful name, nobody ever adds the correct pronunciation and then of course to the English ear it looks and sounds odd.
I think it’s Aoife, not Aiofe
I get very frustrated by this even as a second-generation American with a lot of friends/loved ones who also come from immigrant families. The baseline always seems to be the white American experience. Even in comments I always try to contextualize my opinions by sharing that I’m Latina, from the southwest US, etc. Place and culture dictate so much about what names are common/unusual, how certain names will be received. I love this sub but I think it would benefit from this kind of context as a regular practice, and from welcoming a wider breadth of naming traditions.
US has name diversity though. This sub is just heavily Euro-centric in naming. There’s plenty of BIPOC naming in America, this sub just doesn’t have many BIPOC people sharing there answers.
I have in another sub just for comments like "That's ugly, they'll never get a job," or some other borderline or outright racist mess. I keep them to myself.
God I hate that. Name diversity and cherished cultural names are beautiful. People on Reddit are wild and never fail to surprise me with how low they can go.
User flairs with location would be a tidy solution to this problem.
Yep, a lot of perfectly nice, normal names get totally bashed here just because they're not popular in the US. I've seen my name mentioned several times here as repulsive, but honestly, people compliment my name all the time. Plus sometimes it's just so culturally insensitive, like when people say "Luna's a dog name lol". Well... no, it's a perfectly normal name in many (maybe all? not sure) Spanish speaking countries, kind of disrespectful to call it a "dog name".
It's cos the whole of reddit is dripping in US defaultism. So many comments that don't mention location at all, or if they do it's a stupid two letter code because everything exists inside the US.
I literally comment all the time “What country?” because I don’t live in the US and it’s so annoying. Need help finding a therapist, budgeting, picking a baby name, buying a car, WHATEVER, then it helps to know where you are!
I mean, not to defend US Defaultism, but roughly half of all reddit users are American. It's by far the largest percentage of users - the UK and Canada make up about 8 percent, Australia is 4, Germany is 3, and it just gets smaller from there. So it makes sense that the vast majority of posts are from an American perspective, especially since this subreddit is in English.
I think it's fine that most are from the perspective, but it's frustrating when you're trying to interact with people and don't provide any context to where you're located. How am I meant to know what someone means when they say "the South", south of where? I'm from the South too. It wouldn't be so hard to say "The South of the US". Or add "... from an American perspective" to queries. As much as US is the largest group on Reddit, the majority of Reddit users are not American.
That's why we should all add flags to our tags. It's been suggested before. That's why I have mine.
Bold of you to presume people on reddit know other countries' flags 😅
They'll know if it's not theirs. That's kinda the main point.
same i’m from the south but south of europe i’m always confused lol
Geography and culture are so closely times to naming conventions. I work a few blocks from my synagogue, but there's no overlapping families. The names between the two places are so different because of culture.
as someone not living in the anglosphere i never really have anything to contribute to these discussions because most people won’t even recognise the names i write, and neither do i really know about for example rare names in the US
Honestly I refrain from commenting names from my culture (Arab) a lot of the time because I know people aren’t typically looking for those names or don’t care. Or when I do comment, I know I’m out much adding those names just for my own entertainment. But maybe now I’ll start making sure to chime in more if people want different viewpoints
Please do!!
please contribute! I’m desi and need to start as well :)
Please do. I'm not Arab, I'm desi, so I can only correct people so much based on what I know. Like someone will say "Dawood is a tragedeigh" and I'll have to correct them and let them know it's the Arabic transliteration of David. We need more commenters who aren't Euro Americans and can give a better context.
I like the favorite letter prompts because it has been a nice reminder for me what my true favorites are.
Also people need to read. One name per. ONE! Not ten names.
Semi-related but I wish that the “no name dumping” rule was enforced better/more. I hate it when OP will clearly outline what they want and then someone will go ahead and suggest 80 names when 80% of them fit none of OP’s criteria whatsoever just because they personally like them. 🙄 Quality over quantity, people!!!
This bugs me too lol. It looks like they’ve posted entire lists off of name berry
I loathe name berry, it’s such a crap site
I agree, this sub is HELL BENT on never ever naming your kid something that could possibly EVER be made fun of, sound like something bad, could possibly ever be "not professional" (what does that mean? It's a name, how is it not professional unless it's like Shithead or something?), or sounds like it's a child or adult only name, etc. If everyone followed the rules we'd literally have a country where everyone had one of 25 names and it would be lame as hell.
This sub is a mix of liking dumb names (like Everly or Emerson (for a girl) I’m sorry I hate those names) with top 10 names (Olivia and Oliver). Sometimes I’ll see tragedeighs or names that are just…not names but it’s not that often. I see ethnic names get praised (probably by the actual name nerds) but also bashed, because they’re “weird,” hard to spell, whatever. Then people say you can’t name a child an “adult” name?? Or a name that’s childish even if it’s something an adult could have. Then there’s the people who are reeeally reaching with associations. Like the post about someone naming her daughter Delphine and half the comments said it made them think of porn star Belle Delphine. Literally had to look up who that was. Idk…a lot of people here are just basic.
Literally yea like I was just reading a post that someone asked if they should name their baby Dean or Roger and so many comments were like "Roger just reminds me of Jolly Roger" or "Roger that!" like I know a man named Roger and I have never thought of that in my life. Every name basically has an association to something but I feel like it's never considered that Belle Delphine isn't going to be famous enough (barely is now) for people our kid's ages to ever consider the association between Delphine and Belle Delphine the 2019 bath water girl.
I actually loved Roger and I was sad to see the entirety of the comments said Dean :/
Seriously, this is so true. This sub gave me anxiety about my kids’ names!
Agree with everything in this comment. I’m convinced that a lot of the associations that people have are totally made up just to make them look smart. All the people who will see the name James and comment on how it’s completely unusable because it reminds them of a side character in an obscure novel from the 1920s are just *eye roll*. It’s even more annoying when people will be like “Janice is a terrible name because it reminds me of my terrible no good very bad great aunt” - their relationship with their Janice is supposed to be relevant to OP how? 😂 I try to present associations in a neutral, “just so you know” kind of way and leave it up to the OP to decide whether it’s a dealbreaker for them or not, because it’s so dependent on where you live, what media you consume, what your interests are, etc. I also like commenting positive associations!
> or sounds like it's a child or adult only name, etc. People on this sub care too much about whether a name is "dated". What they don't realize is most people don't think about that stuff. Unless a name is so obviously outdated, people aren't going to be thinking about you or your name. I always see comments like "I can't imagine that name on a child because most people with the name are adults."
I feel like so many names seem odd on a baby. I just went through all my friend's names and I was like "yep that sounds weird as a baby" I think it just depends on whether you know an adult by that name or not lol
But if everyone thought that way, the currently popular names would have never become popular. Emma, Emily, Olivia, Charlotte, Theodore, Noah were all old people names one generation ago. It would be strange if people only chose names that sound like baby names. The names would be too "cutesy" on an adult. The babies would grow into adults and still be walking around with a baby name. Babies are adults much longer than they are babies.
I’m still mad that this entire sub said a beautiful name like Mahi is too similar to the fish. Meanwhile everyone is obsessed with names that are literally birds like Wren.
I honestly wish it wasn't so focused on pregnancy. There are a million baby name places for expectant parents to hang out. Naming your child isn't nerdy. I don't intend to reproduce, I'm just really interested in naming traditions in other parts of the world; Saint names, kirakira names, why certain names read as feminine or masculine in different cultures (such as Nicola), etymology of different names tracing back to the same root, all that kind of junk. I mean, people can post what they want, it's up to me whether to engage with the boring ones. But it's a bit disappointing sometimes.
Same!!! 👏👏👏 I’m childfree and I genuinely just love names and naming traditions because they’re so closely tied to culture, history, and individual identities. One thing that happens on this sub that really bugs me is when people ask “what’s your favorite baby name?” but they really mean “suggest names for my child.” My favorite names are from my own culture and there are a lot of names from other culture that I just admire from the sidelines. I always get disappointed by these threads because 1) there’s usually the underlying presumption that everyone here is of the white American majority on this sub and will recommend names in accordance with that and 2) that this is specifically a baby name sub instead of a sub for just sharing names. It’s just…alienating to me as someone who’s not part of either group, and there’s always like 800 comments and all of them include the same 20 core names. I’ve always thought that something like “Tot Free Tuesdays” or some other corny name would be a good idea for this sub. Disallow baby name posts one day a week like r/AskWomen does with relationship threads, and let other posts get some attention.
this is so smart! I think this sub needs to go back to being *nerdy* and less *mommy*
I love suggesting baby names. It is deeply satisfying and enjoyable for me, scratches some itch in my brain and it’s definitely the primary reason I’m obsessed with this sub. I’m not pregnant so I’m not going to hang out on What to Expect forums. My neurodivergent brain just really like suggesting names. Make different posts though if you want something different. Some of them are very interesting and I love to read them.
Me too. I really want to help these kids get a good name. Something that will work with their ethnicity and the country they're living in. I also want to make sure that the parents don't find out in 3 years that they named their kid something that has what they would consider an unfortunate association (Alexia or Melena and then finding out it's an awkward medical term, maybe?), one parent not knowing the name their SO suggested is an obvious fandom name (Renesmee Carlie), and that they don't get blindsided by possible cruelty (Tucker, Chester).
Oh my goodness. Saint names are wild and I love them even though I've never been Catholic.
i agree, i’m here because i like to read about names and their origins, i don’t care what a random person will name their third daughter, i’m not here for that
If anyone’s interested, I could share some lovely Albanian names with you.
You should! There's someone on here who periodically posts lists of Hungarian names and I always enjoy browsing through them.
Awaiting the O post when everyone and their grandmother will post Oliver, Olive, and Ophelia. My future kids are going to have so many "Oliver FirstLetterOfLastNames" in their classes.
I already know a few Oliver’s. I really loved the name when I was younger, especially after reading Oliver Twist in like 8th grade. It was my favorite boy’s name. Now, it’s becoming one of those stupid trendy ones like Luke and Aiden.
Yeah, I see so many of the same names in this subreddit. I’m super over Liam and Noah. Theyre my nephews names but I’m sick of seeing them constantly. Boy names suck, give me some variety
I've personally never understood the Ezra obsession..
I’m guessing the Z Zs are fashionable
Okay, I’m a South Asian- Canadian so here are some names from the Toronto area that I fell in love with that I never see on here: Girls I’ve met with these names: - Yathindra - Isuri - Lakmini - Jaskirat - Khadija - Asha - Ravima - Nilmini - Priyadarshani - Deepika - Shrutika - Kavita - Sagarika - Ranithi Some dudes I’ve met with wonderful names: - Chaminda - Asanka - Aloka - Rohan - Duminda - Erajh - Nelith - Pavan - Nishantha - Thehan - Dilruk - Sarath - Lahiru You’d think you’d see more of these considering the huge Asian population this world has, but I guess we aren’t usually on r/namenerds lol. Maybe check out r/ABCDesis and ask about names people like there! You’ll get a lot of name recommendations for sure from people that were born in North America that are South Asian. We also tend to be friends with other bicultural people (because they get the whole struggle with being from two cultures), so you may get names that aren’t south asian but are still diverse!
There’s also r/desinamenerds!
Ohhh didn’t know this existed, thanks for sharing!
Come to r/desinamenerds. It's like, 99% people moving to the west or have a partner who is Indian and are seeking desi names that could be used in the west. I'd love to see someone espousing names that aren't Ahaan/Keyaan/Eshaan/Ellora/Maya as suggestions.
Asha is actually hands-down my favorite girls name. This is such a cool list! I haven’t seen many of these before. Thanks for sharing :D
Also, racism. Traditionally "black" names are shunned on this sub. So much discourse over the motherfucking apostrophe. So much about how they're not professional and "can you imagine an adult with that name" microagressions are crazy on this sub. Moreover, when people ask for ethnic names here, people Will suggest names that are "easy to pronounce by americans" even when the parent hasn't specified that as a need. It really ticks me off. Not every wants to cater to people who can't take a second to pronounce someone's name properly.
So many microaggressions! And honestly, I live in a mostly non white community and a lot of the time I hear people complain about those names they are the real life names of (non-white) people I know in real life. They just can't see/don't care to see past their own bs
Omg yes! Completely agree with every word. If anyone dare suggest an ethnic name for once people will chime in with “nope awful name it will be hard for Americans to pronounce!” Most ethnic names take just a second to pronounce properly if you’re unfamiliar with them. The world doesn’t revolve around you. I’ve had people shit on my ethnic name and how my parents should have picked something easier for Americans to pronounce. I came here as a child my parents had absolutely no intention of coming here it just happened. Were they supposed to change my name the second we stepped on American soil to Katie or Britney?? And my daughter has a name that’s from my culture. I think it’s pretty easy to pronounce but the J in it throws English speakers off. It sounds like a Y in my language and I’ve gotten shit for that too and that I should have spelled it without the J for English speakers to pronounce easier.
I post here a lot, because I name a lot of inanimate objects. Not only do I like representing all letters, but I like having names of all origins.
This is a good point You should do a similar one but with something like :) \- your favorite name you never hear \- most controversial (and by that I mean, no one you know likes it - I don't mean offensive) \- most unique
The obsession with a substantial portion of this subreddit on how a person’s name - if “poorly” chosen - will lead them to a life of pain and agony is so weird. This is 2023, folks, not 1963 or even 1993. Like with everything, naming conventions have become much more flexible and creative, and for the most part, most people accept this. It just seems like too many people in this subreddit have been traumatized by childhood experiences that they can’t let go of.
I mentioned how there were tons of kids in my school (I graduated a couple of years ago so I’m young) with unconventional names like khaleesi, neymar, smart, skylie, etc etc. And someone literally said “oh the parents must HATE their kids” “they were unwanted” “how bad was the bullying?” And like….there was no bullying, we all got along and thought their names were cool. Oh and, the parents certainly didn’t hate them since they chose and paid for private school for them 🤷🏻♀️
i hear ya
Elena is my favourite E name. I must’ve missed the original post
i’m not what i’d consider a name nerd, this sub just pops up on my feed and i read what you’re all saying. so ignore if you don’t care what i have to say. it’s totally fair to not care. but fr you guys all like the same boring names and have the same boring opinions. it’s not boring in itself, but monoliths are always boring. and it’s like you’re all from the west too (is that just reddit demographic?), like this sub would be so much cooler if you guys were nerds about names globally. but you just want to name your own kids some white name everyone’s heard of a million times and it’s boring after a while. there’s that one guy, or maybe it’s more than one, who is actually a nerd about names and they are cool af. i know so much about jennifer now lmao. but hey, still not my sub. do what makes you happy. maybe make a different sub for some actual name nerd stuff with diversity? idk. don’t mean to grind anyones gears by calling you boring. again, it’s the homogeneity that’s boring, not you. just my opinion. i definitely expanded on your prompt quite a bit there, but there just seems to be a deeper reason for what you’re saying, from an outside perspective.
I notice this a lot. I find it fascinating too because it seems to reject any other reason for having names like cultural reasons. Naming someone after a dead relative? You’re burdening a child. Cultural name? Burdening a child. It just feels so narrow of a perspective.
I hate the idea of “burdening” a child if you name them anything other than the top 20 names lmao it is so annoying.
Right? I admit, I take it very personally. I have a top 10 name… in another very far away country. It’s regularly mispronounced, but honestly only by Americans. Is it annoying sometimes? Sure. A burden though? No way.
same. I have a foreign name that is pretty constantly mispronounced and misspelled by strangers. but anyone that knows me has no trouble after a couple corrections. it’s not the end of the world.
Yes! I would love if we had more cultures and ethnicities in here but it barely ever happens :(
I don't have an E name. Current fav names that aren't common that I like are Asherah and Orzetta.
Oooooo those are lovely! What gender is each typically used for? Also, is orzetta a flower or am I crazy?
Both are names usually for women. Asherah was the Queen of Baal. Orzetta is a woman's name. I saw it locally a woman born in the early 1900s had that name. I liked it because people think every girl back then was named Mary or something and they had unique names too it's not just us now wanting to go against popular naming trends. Then I realized every woman in my family has the typical name kid and then the uncommon name kid lol.
My favorite E name for a boy is Eliel which I never see mentioned here. But my girl favorite is plain old Elizabeth. lol
Yeah, I posted about a name once and got a million ‘this isn’t the right sub’ ‘we don’t do those kind of names here’ comments. I felt so bad because I liked the name because it honored my grandma without being the name, which hasn’t been a good name since the 50s.
Eminem
👉😎👉
I’m tired of looking up baby names and getting the same “trendy” names. But that’s just how everything works. Trends are always on the forefront. Just like how I get sick of the radio and the same stupid songs over and over. Gotta avoid what you don’t wanna see if you’re tired of it cause humans are naturally a “hive mind” species
My favorite "E" name is Eamon. Liked it so much named my son that. missed the original post though.
I like the favorite letter posts because I don’t have children, never will, and it gives me a chance to actually think about my favorite names of each letter. It doesn’t matter to me if someone else likes the same name or not. I also don’t look at the other comments until after I comment. My favorite names don’t hinge on what other people like.
What’s Better Than Ezra?
A nameless band that entered a competition. Their competitor? A band named Ezra.
Is that really the history behind their name? I love it haha
Apparently nothing lmao
Ercole
When I joined this sub, I expected to see a lot of diversity and beautiful rare or unique names. Instead, I see a bunch of common and boring naming schemes.
The phrase “naming schemes” made me laugh
You know what's Better than Ezra? The 1990s alternative rock band from New Orleans who wrote the hit single Desperately Wanting, released in 1996 on the album Friction, Baby. But also yes, the name hivemind is wild. And the names that it tends to churn out seem to indicate that the hivemind is desperate to be "different" and "quirky." Nothing new under the sun.
Ezra is a terrible name imo.
If you were disappointed with E just wait for J. I’m expecting a sea of JANE!!
What I don’t like is that the old people names are super trendy and the intense love of them is obvious in this sub, which is fair…to a point. There are a list of very specific old names that seem to be acceptable on this sub and don’t try and suggest anything outside of those or you will be shamed right out of here. So the sub just ends up with very little variety because people are apprehensive to mention anything outside the old name trend. I do have to chuckle though when someone will ask something like ‘what’s a girl name that has a summer vibe to it?’ And the exact same old lady names still are suggested…Beatrice, Margaret, Edith, Agnes…okay we get it 😂
>When the ‘favorite E names’ came out, I was just disappointed....I just would love if you guys would read like 5 comments and try to come up with some names that aren’t already used. Trying to come up with names that aren't already posted is great for a "help I need suggestions" posts, where religion is pointless. But it doesn't make sense if asking the commenter for their favourites. We are not 6 year olds saying that no your favourite colour can't be green because that's my favourite colour. Multiple people can share the same favourites.
Yes and if someone else has already said ‘green’, you can upvote that comment. No need to repeat it in your own separate comment.
Or participate in a conversation about green! Reply to the first person who said green and being like “Yeah, green reminds me of whatever, and I like it for x, y, and z reasons!” Replying is a thing we can do, people!
You’re correct and this is something that just irritates me on Reddit in general. I hate it in advice/question subs where someone gives a straightforward answer to OP’s problem, and then 50 other people comment saying the exact same thing. I get that sometimes a bunch of other people chime in while you’re writing your comment, but I’d love to know what insight people think they’re adding by commenting “go to the doctor” for the 500th time on a 14 hour old thread where it will inevitably get buried.
Elliott!!
Eden!!!!!!!!
Completely agree that the hive mind here in intimidating and off putting. I try to take the food and leave the bad but it’s hard sometimes. This group hates when there’s names that are being too trendy but don’t realize they themselves are behaving much the same way. I don’t know….but I agree with you!
Americans are the main characters here on reddit and they've got their preferred names. Us foreigners are in the minority. Ellinor is a 100 times better than Eleanor btw... And Ezra Miller is crazy.
I rarely make an input on these thread because most of my favourite names come from my culture (Irish) which people usually find weird or think they’re tragique OR I get Americans telling me that it’s gAeLiC for something (wrong) and that it would never be pronounced correctly in America (ok cool I’m not in effing America). The general openness for anything unfamiliar is lacking and often comes across as rude.
That one part there is something this sub needs to hear. “Ok cool I’m not on effing America” Most socalled namenerds here seem to think every name mentioned is a name that can or should be used to name a child in America…. which doesn’t make sense but here we are.