Chacmool Posted May 23, 2011 Report Posted May 23, 2011 How has your name affected your life? Do you think you would have turned out differently if you had a different name? I don’t have a very common name (not too weird either, though!), and it always made me stand out a bit. Apart from the annoying fact that people are constantly mispronouncing and misspelling my name, I’m quite happy with it. In my home country (South Africa) there is a strong tradition among Afrikaans-speaking people to give their children family names. However, my parents didn’t follow this tradition, and my mother’s ultra-conservative family didn’t speak to her for months as a result. The family also constantly reminds me that, without the “proper names”, I’m not eligible to inherit any of the family heirlooms. And my grandfather, who passed away at the age of 87 a few years ago, never once called me by my name. The reason I’m interested in names is that my baby girl will be born in less than three weeks’ time, and I have no idea yet what to name her. Naming another person feels like a huge responsibility! Quote
Moontanman Posted May 23, 2011 Report Posted May 23, 2011 I think it is important to name your child something that when someone calls out his or her name half the people in the room do not look up. I named my boys what were at the time unusual names (old family names) but as it turned out one of them's is a name that people started naming girls even though it is a mans name "Madison" (due to a popular movie). Now it is quite common to see people named his name but almost all of them are girls. My oldest son was named after two relatives and so far you rarely see anyone with his name "Bronson", one movie star has his name but that was coincidence. I'm not sure what influence on their lives their names will have but at least it's not like me where when my name is called half the room looks up and every one automatically uses the diminutive of my name even though i never give my name as anything but my full name. My Name is Michael, every time some one asks my name and I tell them Michael they immediately say some thing like "good to meet you mike" My name is not mike, it is Michael but few if any people seem to care even if i point it out to them... Quote
Turtle Posted May 24, 2011 Report Posted May 24, 2011 Congratulations to you & your Hubby Chacmool! nice to hear from you. as the bard had Juliet say, "What's in a name? That which we call a roseBy any other name would smell as sweet." i'm afraid i have no practical suggestions, so i will give an anecdote. back in the day before ultrasounds, some family members were expecting a boy because mom was carrying low and they had chosen the family name Oliver for him. when the new little creature came down the chute it was instead a girl and not wanting to entirely mess up the plan, they named her Revilo; Oliver backwards. :lol: congratulations again & enjoy your new rose. :rose: :esmoking: Quote
pamela Posted May 25, 2011 Report Posted May 25, 2011 Hmmmnn always have been all about the name really. Pretty much have always been called Pam. Oft times, many have called me by my formal Pamela. Now that took awhile to get accustomed to. When called that as a child, evil portends would surely follow in the means of some sort of punishment. Now, its ok i reckon; use it mainly for business purposes and well, here of course. But I remain Pam, I am, and trust me, i do not like green eggs and ham; nor the fresh version either. I researched names and chose carefully when i named my own sons according to meaning and derivation. Dylan son of the wave- yes i am pushing him to join the coast guard and leave the nest at age 20. Lane, from the lane, needs to take a hike down that lane and give me some respite. Ahhh the joys of parenthood- you shall see chac- choose wisely...Pamela~which means honey and despite the most trying of circumstances in my life, i choose to let the sweetness of love prevail over the pain that comes with being a parent.congrats! Quote
CraigD Posted May 25, 2011 Report Posted May 25, 2011 Congratulation on the approaching birth of you daughter, and good to see you again on hypography! :) How has your name affected your life? Do you think you would have turned out differently if you had a different name?I don’t think my name, Craig, has much affected my life. It’s greatest impact, I think, was that my parents like it, which was nice, and it’s an easy monosyllable that doesn’t lend itself to nicknaming, as nearly any nickname is longer and harder. Only drawback I’ve experienced is having it commonly confused with “Greg” – I’ll answer without offering correction to either. The subject of naming people always brings to my mind an interview I heard with the late great musician and satirist Frank Zappa, where when asked why he named his daughter Moon Unit Zappa, he replied “what am I supposed to name her, Mary?” I say name your children whatever you like, whether Moon or Mary or something unpronounceable. If they don’t like it, they’ll invent their own and use them instead. My current favorite girl’s name, for what it’s worth, is Arkady, nickname Caddy. It’s actually a boy’s name, a Russian-ization of a Greek name meaning more-or-less paradise. I came across it as a woman’s name in the 1951 Fritz Leiber SF short story “Poor Superman” – she’s one of its main characters, essentially an antihero, who speaks the last 2 title words of the story. Quote
sanctus Posted May 25, 2011 Report Posted May 25, 2011 And additionally Arkady is also the name of one of the two Strugatsky brothers, amongst my favorite SF-authors (their wiki entry). Chac, as to the name or better the choice of it. When I was a young teenager I was talking with my mother about the western tradition of name giving. I was thinking it was much more logic how the native americans did, where you got a name only when older depending on your person (at least in the books I was reading, not important if the actual truth), like "Eagle" if you had good sight...while for us it is the parents who decide, already before your experiences can influence the choice.It came out that both traditions have something positive, the positive about our way is that the parents give a name on the base of their proper experiences so it is kind of a "gift for the way through life" from parents to their children. So that is what I think is the important thing to have in mind when deciding for a name. If the choice is based on what the name means or on how it sounds, I think is less important, important is more what the name means to you two... Quote
Chacmool Posted June 8, 2011 Author Report Posted June 8, 2011 Thanks for all the comments and good wishes, everyone! With just over a day to go, we still haven't decided on a name. Hopefully inspiration will strike soon... Moontanman and Turtle 2 Quote
Moontanman Posted June 9, 2011 Report Posted June 9, 2011 Keep us updated dude, i am sure any name you choose will be the right name.... Quote
Chacmool Posted June 13, 2011 Author Report Posted June 13, 2011 We have welcomed little Calina into the world! She weighed 2,93 kg at birth and is doing very well. Her daddy chose the name, and I'm very happy with it. It seems to have created a special bond between them, which is marvellous. I really hope she will like her name. I think (and hope!) it's unusual without being bizarre. According to some sources, Calina means moon. So we'll definitely record the total lunar eclipse for her on Wednesday. sanctus and Turtle 2 Quote
Turtle Posted June 13, 2011 Report Posted June 13, 2011 congratulations!!! welcome Calina, from all the turtles of the world. :moon: love to see some photos if you take any chacmool; the eclipse won't be visible here in the states. :moon: ps something for the shower. Quote
Moontanman Posted June 14, 2011 Report Posted June 14, 2011 Congratulations! Calina is a lovely name, I am sure it will serve her well. Quote
Qfwfq Posted November 2, 2011 Report Posted November 2, 2011 I guess you're a very busy woman lately, but belated congrats and best wishes for Calina! http://www.thinkbabynames.com/meaning/0/Calina It was only now I came across this, I had some very pressing matters during those days. Anyway I think Calina is a fine name. Mine caused me a lot of trauma when I was a kid and my family moved to Italy in a time when it was unusual for a kid to have a foreign name, with unfamiliar phonetics and all the more difficult for other kids to hear when introducing; each time I froze inside, anticipating their bewildered faces and requests to repeat it, over and over again. And I hate deliberately mispronouncing things to be understood, especially personal names. As you might guess, the move to Italy hadn't been predicted when I was born. Quote
Rade Posted November 12, 2011 Report Posted November 12, 2011 (Mom):Calina:(Dad) Calina surrounded with love. Quote
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