Why Swedish law requires approval for baby names...

[Table 5]

Originally Posted by You Need a Thneed

Mädchen is pretty foreign sounding, but we are of German heritage, most of our ancestors had very German sounding first names, and often they anglicized it when the area they lived here in Soouthern Manitoba started becoming more and more english speaking. Johan became John.

Well like i said, if it has family or historical context to you, then i have absolutely no problem with it. In fact, I admire people who are proud enough of their heritage to do so!

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by onetwo_threefour

My second son is Parry Allen... Parry is a name from a book I like, Allen is his maternal Grandfather's middle name because it was the best of the Grandfather names to incorporate that would go along with Parry.

I still love that you named your kid after the devil.

That said, I really like the name Alexia for a girl, and it is a name I got from a book as well. Good name for a first born daughter, some day.

[Thunderball]

Originally Posted by MarchHare

That would rule out perfectly good names like John, Michael, Mary, and Elizabeth. Sure those names aren't quite as popular now as they once were, but nobody ever accused a parent of choosing a "hip and trendy" name if they picked one of those when they dominated the Top 10. Furthermore, it was the desire of many parents to avoid the "popular" choices like John and Mary that led to kindergarten classes filled with Madisons and Mikaylas and other "unique" names.

They're too common. I didn't say I hated common names... I said I didn't like having one cause its annoying. Nothing wrong with the actual common (biblical) names, I just don't want them.



A former-coworker of mine is a first generation immigrant from China, as is his wife. They named their (Canadian-born) daughter Victoria, because they wanted her to have an English name suitable to her home country. Your rule would prevent parents from doing that.

Good for them. I wouldn't want to. Everyone is different. I don't care if the name is suitable to Canada or not.



Agreed with this one. Alternate spellings are ok (John/Jon, Sarah/Sara), but totally made up spellings, complete with gratuitous usage of the letters 'Y' and 'K' are simply horrible.

Agreed.


There's an interesting chapter in Freakonomics in which the author shows that many "white trash" names become that way because the parents picked a name that was popular with the upper classes.

And FYI, Candy is a short-form nickname for Candace, which is a perfectly acceptable name.

Sure, if the name is Candace, then its a nickname... its not like that has to be on one's permanent records... I mean actually naming them Brandy, Candy, Lexus, Honey, etc.


Uh, why? This rule seems totally arbitrary and pointless.

Its called tradition and its something I value. I really don't care what you think of it.

Like I said, those are my rules and they work fine for me, they clearly aren't for everyone and I didn't try to pass them off as such. I could care less what you think about them, though I'm glad we agree on the lousy spelling rule... one less person with "creative" versions of normal names that look rather illiterate.

[Traditional_Ale]

Originally Posted by Thunderball

Umm... who asked you?

I just said those are my rules and they work fine for me. I could care less what you think.

I could care less what you both think, except you both posted it on a forum you both go to because, well, we care what other people think. Or at least enjoy sharing opinions.

If you don't want people to agree/disagree and discuss it with you, why did you post it?

[Thunderball]

Originally Posted by Traditional_Ale

I could care less what you both think, except you both posted it on a forum you both go to because, well, we care what other people think. Or at least enjoy sharing opinions.

If you don't want people to agree/disagree and discuss it with you, why did you post it?

I toned down my initial response. I just felt his response was overly pompous. We're discussing our opinions, not attacking them.

[Coach]

Originally Posted by Muta

Someone should name their kid Serge.

That way, he can get the nickname Sarge. I'd do that. Then in Elementary he can pick on the kids with names like Khrystophfer or Dahnyeil or Ashleigh or whatever / however other kids are popularily names these days. 'The Sarge' would command respect not only from his fellow students but also from the executive level at the school as well for his leadership capabilities and propensity to get things done.

A kid I knew in high school was named Serge. But it was short for Sergio. Like DUDE, if you have a sweet name like Sergio, you should call yourself Sergio. O and he was definitly not the "Sarge" of our school. Little dweeby kid that was very annoying.

[ernie]

Personally having named one kid and naming another in a couple of weeks we simply choose names we like. Nothing more and nothing less. It might be a popular name or it might not. Remember popular in Alberta doesn't mean it's popular in another area of North America or the world and who knows where you'll be when the kids enter school etc.

It might be a name of my ethnicity or my wifes or it might not be. Our daughter actually has a Welsh name (Rhiannon) even though neither one of us has any Welsh in the family...british grandmother on my wifes side but that isn't welsh. Odds are the next child is going to have a scottish/irish/british name of some sort (playing around with different combos right now).

I might spell a name differently than how someone else would spell it but who cares?

I may not like a name someone else picks but so what? It's not my child. It's their child and they have every right to name that child as they wish. They named the kid what they did for a reason and that's all that matters. It is so completely pointless to judge.

IN general these are the "rules" we followed:

1) we went through a baby name book or two and wrote down the names we thought we would like.

2) we compared lists and eliminated ones that did not appear on both lists. In that process you will undoubtedly say "hey I like that one" and add it to your list

3) we went through the names and discussed possible nicknames etc. Did we like or dislike the nickname? Some may want to go with meanings but to us the meaning is irrelevant.

4) we re-ranked the names giving points for nicknames, how it rolls off the tongue, whether it was more a first or middle name and whatever category you want to use. Total up the points and get both of your final lists. In all likelihood there will be a name or two that are the tops of both lists. If not one of you will say "what about X" and the other will say "yeah okay".

5) Don't let anyone rain on your parade when you've picked out that name. It's the name you want and that is all that matters. It's the name you chose because for whatever reason, and you may not even know the reason, it means something to you. It reflects you. It has become special to you. A name that a kid is easily teased over doesn't really matter...kids will find a way to tease and be cruel no matter what.

Now of course when it comes to completely brain dead names such as the one that started this thread I have to draw the line. There is a line. I just don't think it is with Jayden or Meaghan or some other so-called "weird" spelling.

[getbak]

Originally Posted by ernie

I might spell a name differently than how someone else would spell it but who cares?

Your children when you take them to Disneyland and they can't get souvenier keychains with their names on it.

"Bort?"

[Table 5]

well the reason you can't get Bort key chains is because they ran out of them and they need more.

[GreenLantern]

I just don't see the problem, sorry :/

If somebody wants to name their kid something it really isn't anyone elses business.

I am not saying that I wish to name my kid Holy Light or Amanda Hugandkiss or anything.. but if I wanted to name my kid something that might be considered outside the box by other people, I don't really see why I should care what anyone else thinks.

[CaramonLS]

Originally Posted by GreenLantern

I just don't see the problem, sorry :/

If somebody wants to name their kid something it really isn't anyone elses business.

And if you do that with full knowledge that your kid will be ridiculed in school, you're a bad parent.

[Table 5]

Originally Posted by CaramonLS

And if you do that with full knowledge that your kid will be ridiculed in school, you're a bad parent.

or a great songwriter.

[Coach]

Originally Posted by CaramonLS

And if you do that with full knowledge that your kid will be ridiculed in school, you're a bad parent.

Agreed, but some of the stuff people have been saying is pretty normal names. Who cares if Mikayla is spelled 5 different ways. Or if someone wants to stick a 'y' in Braden. Some of them can get a little out of hand but w/e. Maybe the kid enjoys having a unique name. I wouldnt worry about people spelling my kids name wrong. People spelled my name with only 1 't' for a long time but I'm not mad at my parents for it.

[RougeUnderoos]

Originally Posted by CaramonLS

And if you do that with full knowledge that your kid will be ridiculed in school, you're a bad parent.

I don't know about that.

A friend of mine grew up with a very unique name and took some amount of ribbing for it during her childhood. Even adults say dumb things about it to her still. This person has a kid of her own now and gave the child an even "crazier" name than she was given, and she knows as well as anyone what it's like.

My own name is synonymous with toilets and prostitute customers and it is probably one of the most common names in the English speaking world, though I think it's fallen out of favour.

[Save Us Sutter]

Originally Posted by GreenLantern

I just don't see the problem, sorry :/

If somebody wants to name their kid something it really isn't anyone elses business.

I am not saying that I wish to name my kid Holy Light or Amanda Hugandkiss or anything.. but if I wanted to name my kid something that might be considered outside the box by other people, I don't really see why I should care what anyone else thinks.

I have identified your problem for you. No charge.

While I won't mis-spell my child's name when the time comes and won't name them after a fruit, vegetable or constellation... really... who cares? You can just as easily say it's boring and lame to name your kid John Smith. Coincidentally I knew a John Smith and used to tell him so frequently.

But I've grown up since those days and now, to each their own. It's like saying my favourite band is better than yours. Which it is. Your favourite plays just awful music.

[Coach]

^^^ Exactly. No matter what your name is, kids will find a way to make fun of you. Thats just the way it is. I was a chubby kid and my name rhymes with fat. Its also synonymous with something people walk all over

[CaramonLS]

Originally Posted by RougeUnderoos

I don't know about that.

A friend of mine grew up with a very unique name and took some amount of ribbing for it during her childhood. Even adults say dumb things about it to her still. This person has a kid of her own now and gave the child an even "crazier" name than she was given, and she knows as well as anyone what it's like.

Pretty sure that still qualifies her as a poor parent. It takes a pretty special person to turn a negative like that into a positive - and banking on your kid doing it is pretty silly.

What a horrible mentality. "I had it rough, so it looks like it is going to be double for you."

Hopefully for the kid's sake she has some of her mom's toughness.

Just too add, my dads name was the slang name of "Richard". I'd probably be in a hospital if he decided to 1 up that. He eventually changed his name.

[Save Us Sutter]

A crappy name is hardly going to scar a kid.

I have a girl's name that is commonly misspelled with all sorts of variations of i's and y's. Pretty happy overall, and not at all a "special person".

The only people I know who believe the sorts of things you're saying were the dudes with "normal" names who made fun of us wierdos. We really don't care. Actually we just make fun of them back... like poor John Smith. Wonder how he's coping now?

[RougeUnderoos]

Laugh. That's quite an assumption to make based on my little story.

It's hardly like "A Boy Named Sue". Her parents gave her a unique name because they liked it and so does she. She did the same for her own child.

Is it "good parenting" to pass along the message that you should do whatever it takes to fit in with the crowd?

[CaramonLS]

Then start posting names. You made it sound pretty damn bad.