something to think about when naming your baby...

Tah - posted on 02/27/2011

Yeah jaiden is pretty popular now and jaylen, I promise I know at least 6 kids with those names first hand and then I know people who know others with that name so I get common and I get overused. If I was a millionaire rock or movie star maybe I could name my children orangeblossom but since we are a middle class black family i have to look at things from every angle, what school district they attend, what their name is etc. These are facts some people have never considered but now that they are judging the names and not calling some back because they are considered white trash or trailer trash names people are paying more attention.

JuQuana - posted on 02/27/2011

I love the name Willow.

JuQuana - posted on 02/27/2011

I have considered this when I named my daughter. She is my first and I recently had her. I will consider this topic for my future kids as well. I had trouble landing a job just for the simple fact that the employers cant remember my name; let alone, how to pronounce it. I think it is crazy that I have to be a Mike or an Ashley to be remembered. SMH! But it is what it is. There's plenty of Jaiden's out there in the world for ppl to know my daughters name.

Sarah - posted on 01/16/2011

I named my son Marshall...who knows where he'll end up its not common but its not out there either...just somewhere comfortably in the middle where people say "i haven't heard that name before but i sure can pronounce it and spell it"

Iysha - posted on 01/06/2011

I did consider this when I named my daughter. I originally wanted Paige Elliot Johnson....it sounds pretty darn good as a Lawyer's name =] My fiance and I decided on Kylie Marie Johnson instead....more cutsie but not bad. I, as a minority (although you wouldnt know I wasnt white if you looked at me) know the prejudices of the United States. My name is Iysha Jimenez...people look at my name and think Black and Hispanic which are two Races that are known for being at or below the poverty line. Having light skin and not knowing a word of Spanish gave me an advantage in the way that I got to actually hear things people would say about people that are Mexican. Some of the things said were very hurtful...like that we all came here illegally, that we should go back to where we came from, that we smell, we are illiterate, poor, have a bunch of kids (which is apparently wrong), and look dirty all the time. I have even heard that we take everyone's jobs because we will work for almost free.

I knew my daughter wasnt going to be named anything pertaining to Mexican Culture....not Rosarita, Maria De Los Angeles, not Juanita...she was going to have a white name that was not going to hinder her chances of finding a job .... or going on a blind date!!

My view on it is that it is wrong but it is a very real thing and isnt something new. People should be aware of the prejudices that people face based on things like names. It would be naive to think that no matter what you name your child, they will be safe from these kinds of prejudices.

Laura Zoey - posted on 01/06/2011

My brother is named Matthew and so is my husband! Makes it hard, but we just call my hubby matt, and bro Matthew but then other people call my brother matt and I get confused who they mean........ahhh! I like more unused names, well Eric is fairly common, but here in farm country Wisconsin it's not so used, and Fierna is one of a kind practically, so I am def an advocate for less common names, although I like them spelled the easiest way, and not something that has another meaning......

Shana - posted on 01/06/2011

My name is always getting comments - usually on how to spell it (in the aussie accent it rhymes with banana). Up until 12months ago I didnt know anyone with the same name as me and then when I did met another her name is spelt differently. Regardless of all this, I never considered it odd or too strange, I have never felt i was passed over for a job becuase of my name .



My second son is much the same - his name is Malachi (pronouced Mal-a-kai). He is the only one we know and although it attracts comments (usually How do I spell/say that) , I heard it in a movie before he was born and never once hesitated in using it for him. To be honest I worry more about my 5th child having a name that is super common like my brother - Matthew one of 6 in class which IN MY OPINION made it harder for MY BROTHER to "stand out" as an individual and be himself....which is something most parents encourage in their kids!

Tiffany - posted on 10/08/2010

@Tah - I don't think you were rude with your information in any way. I do agree, if someone doesn't like the name oh well. I just think that there is no reason for others to specifically call out names and say they sound 'white trash' or whatever, that's all. =)

Laura Zoey - posted on 10/08/2010

Old fashioned names are coming back into 'style' anyways! Alfred is super cute and strong too. I love Oliver and Leo personally :) and definately love Lucinda and Evelyn and Loretta too!

Rowan - posted on 10/08/2010

One man's trash is another man's treasure. :) I don't care if somebody thinks Alfred is too old fashioned, and my friend doesn't care that I think Tallulah is an airy-fairy hippy-dippy name. We laugh about it because ultimately it is our choice, and we know best for our children. If they dont like it when they are grown up then it is easily changed. :)

Tah - posted on 10/08/2010

at tiffany..this thread is a playdate compared to how heated we get on Db so i hope noone takes that much offense, because ultimately it's their choice. If you have named your child something that someone on here doesn't like tell them don't say it and don't use it for their child..like my mom said, you don't like my shoes, don't wear them and don't look....When i post i do it to be informative because there are lots we don't know, and to make people think and consider all sides.....

Tiffany - posted on 10/08/2010

I know this post wasn't made to offend people, or upset people. It is a great discussion, but a heated one. There are some who chose to post that are offensive in their comments. I personally do not care if someone does not like my daughters name, or all the unique names we have in our family. It's just very disheartening to see so many women on here blatantly making fun of names when the chances of someone else posting on this thread having a child named that, is very likely. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but maybe it would be nice if some didn't say some pretty mean things about certain names. I get that this is what is happening now, companies choosing people based on a name. It's just absurd and a sad statistic. That is still not going to make me name my future children a 'normal' name to some of you. Whatever names we choose, our children will be just fine.

Stifler's - posted on 10/08/2010

i love the name beau. my son is logan.

Sarah - posted on 10/08/2010

There has been unique names I've particularly liked ..



But we just settled on a common name as you've gotta think whats it gonna be like when they are parents/grandparents themselves.



there are a few other babies/toddlers at work and there are only 2 of us with "normal" names .. oliver and harvey.



the others are logan,lacey-mae,marley and beau.



even though the names are dead cute i don't think a little girl called marley could be taken seriously!!



just my opinion.



my son however does get called oliver twist a lot though arrgh.

Shana - posted on 10/07/2010

Wow I really didn't think about it too much...I mean...my daughters name is Winter. For some reason my parents and my in-laws call her Winter-Jade. Jade is actually her middle name...Ah well I have never come across another Winter. I was quite happy with that name, I love snow and the cold so I chose that name without hesitation. If I had a boy....I would have called him either Axel or Cloud. (Lol) I mean I really don't have any intenetion of choosing a mainstream name for other people's satisfaction and I have full faith in my child to grow up to be able to stand up to idiots her make fun of her name. My name is Vanessa Naoko and I love me name but I have had the occasional meanie making fun of it (WHY? D:) Naoko is Japanese, so that I have two names. I think that if people are only going to hire people named Bob or Mary, they will eventually run out of staff. Unique names are great in my personal opinion and seem to be more popular nowadays... And as for names that are ethnic or something are lovely. Just my opinion. ^-^

NeQuitta - posted on 10/07/2010

IKR...I find it soooo NOT FAIR...But they're in such high demand it's not even funny. Especially around here

Tah - posted on 10/07/2010

o i am a nurse and yes you can have rap sheet for stealing narcs and diverting and still get hired no matter what your name is..but everybody doesn't have that luxury...

NeQuitta - posted on 10/07/2010

Also it's said that a name is ONE of the qualifiers NOT THE ONLY ONE. Yes you're bilingual. Great for you. I did say you had to have something that will trump a "ridiculous" name sometimes. Many employers are looking for bilingual people and nurses. Your name can be Shecknowan and most will still hire you. Another fact, since I've worked in a hospital for years and they hired an RN who was accused of taking drugs out of the Pixus at her previous hospital. RNs are THAT in demand.

NeQuitta - posted on 10/07/2010

OMG, it always take a CLOSED minded person to be offended by a person who states their opinion, though if you pick up a book, newspaper, or look at internet polls, they'll see that many hiring managers look at names as one of the top qualifiers of getting your resume tossed. This especially goes for hiring managers who have hundreds of resumes for very few job openings.They have to dwindle down as many as possible as fast as possible. Many hiring managers don't have time to read 500 resumes. It's FACT. Look it up Ms. Iris and I refuse to shut my mouth on MY opinion. Seriously people, we are not in the 3rd grade, having to shut up because what we say causes someone else to throw a temper tantrum. I might raise an infant but I didn't expect to find any in this discussion. Get it...? A DISCUSSION, it's a dialogue two or more ADULTS of differing or similar opinions have on a subject, hopefully without the neck poppin and telling someone to shut up. But it would be great for you to not comment at all if you can be mature.

Tah - posted on 10/07/2010

Thats the last time you checked, everytime i check, studies are showing the same thing, that names are determining who gets hired in many cases, just because we think something may be wrong or it's not how we would we do it doesn't mean that it isn't the way it is. You of course may be picked because to be honest your resume won't be the same as the other person's if they aren't bilingual and right now lots of companies are hiring for that. You may, however have or will come across someone that doesn't feel that is important to their business and may pick Mary because they feel it is not an ethnic name and that may be a person they want to represent their company. Right or wrong, they are doing it. This thread wasn't started off of someones feelings, it was started off of the facts and those are it.

I know someone said the don't think about how something is going to affect their child in 16 years...i start thinking about that when the stick turns blue.

Iris - posted on 10/07/2010

Also, last time I checked I would get hired over someone equally qualified as myself in just about any profession because of my ethnicity & the fact that I'm bilingual. My name being Elba - though "ridiculous" to some of you - would have nothing to do with that. It's because of ignorant and/or racist people that I tend to go by my middle name, Iris.

Laura Zoey - posted on 10/07/2010

But fact is, if apple and Mary Ann were equally qualified, studies show that mary Ann is going to get the job most times.
I personally don't get the 'white trash' name thing, it isn't something I can picture so I'm with you on that. I just don't get how a name is white trash, I guess maybe my husbands boss is named Billie Jo her name I could see how it could be called white trash but mostly I just would say it's a boys name.
And IMO, jazmynn is so much prettier then jasmine :) I couldn't say I'd use the name myself but I'd love to see the trend turn in favor of jazmynn as apposed to jasmine. I love unique names, but only truly unique names, like our girls name choice is fierna, it's so uncommon les then 4 girls were named it last year in USA but I love it, it's spell able and pronounceable and it has an Irish background. But truly unique names are hard to find!

Iris - posted on 10/07/2010

I think people who are so close minded to say that unique names and/or spelling a common name differently are "ridiculous" need to keep their mouths shut. My first name is Elba and I named my daughter Jazmynn. Mine is screaming ethnic and my daughter's is a common enough name with a unique spelling. I don't think it's white trash at all and you can tell just by reading it how it is supposed to be pronounced. White trash is a state of being not a name so before some of you start pointing your fingers at others and calling them ignorant take a look in the mirror. I know plenty of classy people with what others would call crazy names and plenty of trashy people with "normal" names.



As far as job opportunities are concerned, I wouldn't consider naming my child something different than what I like just so they can get a job. Your qualifications are what get you hired, not your name. Plus, if a company is looking for ethnic diversity wouldn't Jamal Hakeem get hired before John Harrison assuming they are equally qualified? Are we not at the time yet where people understand and are ok with the fact that there are different strokes for different folks and not everyone in America is American? What I think is interesting are the people chosing to name their kids Apple or Storm and such. If anyone that would be the kid who would have a hard time getting hired as a professional lawyer as opossed to an A list actor/actress. As mentioned before however if Apple Martin is more qualified then Mary Ann Smith, then I'm pretty sure that regardless of her name Apple would be hired at any law firm over Mary Ann.

Salime - posted on 10/07/2010

Personally, and this is my mere opinion, the world is a pretty crazy freaking place. I know it can be hard on kids (and later on adults) to receive a name related to their roots (tell me about it, my name says a lot)... BUT, I truly believe there are values that go beyond what society asks of us. It it were expected for me to look trashy in order to get a job, I simply wouldn't do it... the same with a name... think about Romeo and Juliet, "what's in a name?" Juliet asks... and the answer, at least for me, is that in a name we find our past, our family, our blood and our origins... Just a thought, but I think some things are worth the fight... and a name is one of them.

Christina - posted on 10/07/2010

My son is not teased for his name at all. I spell it Jaydn. He is 10yrs old now.

Jaime - posted on 10/06/2010

I also decided I never wanted to name my child after a best friend or famous person. I wanted him or her to have a unique name that was all his or her own, but without the problems I had to face with the misspelling and mispronunciation. You wouldn't believe how many ways people attempt to pronounce Jaime. But Juliana (Joo lē ănă)? Or Julie if she were to go by that? Not so much. Maybe occasionally an extra N in there, or a nasally "Anna" instead of the intended pure-voweled "Ana" but it shouldn't be so bad. My girl's name is reminiscent of my great grandfather Julius, though, who passed away in August. He knew she was going to be named after him, but unfortunately he didn't live to see her born (if we have a girl, of course). As for the middle name, I didn't want it to be just "'rain' as in precipitation" as my husband put it, but I didn't like "Rayne" or "Raen". The first, I didn't like the Y, which made it more masculine, and the second seemed like a great boy's name to me and I would rather use that in a story or something I write later. I wanted the whole name to be very feminine, and I and E were the best choices. That's how Juliana Raine became our daughter's name.

My husband just likes the name Braxton Alexander for a son and has told me that if he had ever gone into acting and joined the Actor's Guild he would have used Braxton Alexander Young as his screen name. I just think it has a nice ring to it.

Jaime - posted on 10/06/2010

My hubby and I never considered anything ethnic unless you'd consider "Raine" to be somewhat ethnic. I don't, and I certainly didn't think about resumes when that's sixteen years, at least, down the road. Both names we've picked out, be it son or daughter, are decent names that have meaning to us and should still let our child go through life without the horror of having his or her name misspelled every single time someone attempts to spell it, like my own. My hubby has never had to worry about that except with his nickname, but I've had plenty of troubles with mine, which could lead to SS problems. I'm just hoping Braxton Alexander and/or Juliana Raine don't have to worry about that sort of thing. I mean, how hard is that to spell? I don't even understand why people find it so difficult to spell Jaime. My mother cursed me, I tell you.

I may end up going for the name Caelin Alexander, however, because I love the sound of it and because Braxton is my husband's name, not really our son's, even though we would encourage the boy going by Alex or the like. I dunno, my parents dislike the idea of our possible future son being the fourth or fifth in my husband's family to have the name Braxton. I like it, myself. But I like Caelin too. Even though it has too many vowels. Maybe Calin, but that would be mispronounced. Sigh.

NeQuitta - posted on 10/06/2010

My bottom line is this...A child has to live with his or her name whether it's ordinary or outrageous. That was foremost in my mind..that and a name that fits him. Not many people may agree with my outlook on it, but discrimination against a name IS done and I've seen it done. And like some of the moms have said, many of us do it without thinking. Be overtly unique in naming your child at your own discretion but beware...lol

Rowan - posted on 10/06/2010

My son is called Alfred Francis (Podmore is his surname), but we call him Alfie (or Alfie-Pie, Alfredicus McPie, Alf, Alfredo!) :D

We chose it because it is a good, strong English name (we live in Plymouth, England) taken from King Alfred the Great and Sir Francis Drake. They are names that give him gravitas when he is older, looking for work. They sound like a man who can get things done and work hard, and his surname adds a bit of creativity, stops his name being 'boring' as it would with my surname Jones.

There are quite a few Alfies around here but we have yet to meet another Alfred under 80.

As soon as I saw his face I knew he was an Alfie- he is a proper character, funny and sweet. We high five ourselves every day because we created this amazing Alfred Francis Podmore.

Dianna - posted on 10/06/2010

I named my son Thallen John and my daughter Peyton Rose.... I love them and think they are great names!

Laura Zoey - posted on 10/06/2010

Sometimes I bet it is racist, other times just subconscious stereotyping. It's sad but if I saw two names Shey'Quanda and Kathryn, I would subconsciously prefer the Kathryn. Racist, maybe yes maybe no, Id never show a preference face to face but on paper it's easy to sink into stereotyping.
Wrong yes, but it's human, and we all face it from time to time. And it's all too easy on a resume to pick and choose with out guilt or even thinking about it too much!

Mindy - posted on 10/06/2010

My son was named almost instanly after we found out we were having a boy we decided on Mason Bryant, we wanted something unique but not too crazy cause I have always liked the fact that I can honestly say I have only ever met 5 people with my name and the last thing I wanted was for him to be another Josh ,Chris or Brad when I was growing up I went to school with (not exaggerating) 23 Brittany's and 47 Kristy's and 14 Josh's 32 Brads and 19 Chris's .

Tah - posted on 10/05/2010

no, cause i'm against ridiculous names, but it is racist to be against etnic sounding names and that is what alot of the studies showed, and now socioeconomic status so if it sounds like the names of a group of friends in a truck singing "you get a line, i'll get a pole, we'll go fishing in the crawfish hole, down in the boondocks, say a little prayer for me:....then they are getting passed over also. ..I have had employers call and chew my name all to bits...of course my name is hebrew but it is pretty much prounounced the way it is spelled..Asetah....

Isobel - posted on 10/05/2010

You also need to remember that employers are human, and don't want to be embarrassed by not being able to say a name...most people choose the path of least resistance, it's not always a racist thing. Though, sadly, sometimes it is.

Stifler's - posted on 10/05/2010

It's not racist to be against ridiculous names.

Brittany - posted on 10/05/2010

I think it's a racist. But I also accept it as reality. So, yes, I do consider it when naming my children. I have to consider it from gradeschool through their career. I think it's unfair, but it's true.

Laura Zoey - posted on 10/05/2010

You can misspell a name by assuming it's spelled a different way, like you say attalynn, but I would assume adalyn. Or someone says petrysha, I think Patricia. It's not that you have to spell it the most common way, but it's just that if it's spoken to someone you will have to correct their spelling if it's not the way they imagine it. But there's no winning with names that have very common different spellings like kolby, and Colby are both very common, or Zoe and zoey, sara and sarah, derrick and derek, steven and stephan, or makayla and mikayla and michaela, all very common! So in the end just know what's coming for you and then for your Childs rest of their life, and if you are still happy with the spelling then it's totally your choice!

Kayle - posted on 10/05/2010

I absolutly love my sons name. Kamden James. I think its amazing. We thought of Kamden and James is Kamdens Dads first name. And if we have another boy his name will be Levi not sure of the middle name. and if we have a girl it will be Attalynn Anna. =) And I'm not sure how you can misspell a name. =) I love semi unique names =)

Isobel - posted on 10/05/2010

I like gender neutral names though...I like the idea that people can't discriminate against them for sexist reasons without meeting them first :)

Andrea - posted on 10/05/2010

When I named my first child, I knew at the time that it was a gender neutral name. I had went to school with a boy named Mackenzie, although I think it was spelled differently, and I know a girl named Mackenzie as well. I just thought the name was cute so I picked it although we call her kenzie now but she may go by her full first name when she is older. Her middle name is Diane after my best friend who also carries the same middle name. My oldest son's name is Caleb because I think it is a strong biblical name. And his middle name is Lee after my grandfather. My second son is named after his father except I didn't want Jr on the end of it because it just seemed too southern even though I live in Georgia. I though well maybe if he wanted to be senator or something someday then Stephen Paul Youngblood II would be better than Stephen Paul Youngblood Jr. My youngest daughter has the name Grace. We call her Gracie cuz she is only 3 years old. Had I named her Gracie she would have been stuck with a cute child like name for the rest of her life and what 25 year old wants to be called Gracie so I picked a name that I could alter when she was a child to suite her child like behavior yet she would have a more adult name when she got older. Her name also happens to be my paternal great grandmothers name. She also has two middle names. I picked Elizabeth after my maternal great grandmother. I agreed to add the name Jean after it because my now ex husbands step mother was complaining that non of the grandchildren were named after her. My mom's middle name happens to be jean as well and she hates it but I agreed because I though seriously how many people actually use both middle names if they have more than one. So her legal name is Grace Elizabeth Jean Youngblood but we just use the Grace Elizabeth part. My youngest and newest child is my son Mason. I don't know why but I just fell in love with that name. His middle name is Alexander. I liked the way the two names sounded together. I didn't think about their future job field so much when naming them except in the case with the Jr. but I did try to think about if their names would be appropriate as a childs name as well as an adults name. I once knew a lady that named her poor child Peekaboo Diane. Now that's ebarrassing even as a child but image what her employers will think when she is an adult. I would be getting my name legally changed when I came of age.

Isobel - posted on 10/05/2010

I agree with almost all of Laura's rules, and I'll throw another on...if you look in the paper and see 5 births with babies of that name...cross it off your list...sorry Makayla's mom. my daughter's sister's name is Kayla, and she will be Kayla M for her whole life.

I've only ever met one Eve, and one Quentin though...and they are not 'get you beat up on the playground' names either :)

CJ - posted on 10/05/2010

I think it's absolutely horrible that companies would discriminate against someone becuase of their name! Not that we can do anything about it, making "against the law" to discriminate against people because of their name would just make companies make sure to hire one or two random people (who may not even be as qualified for the job as someone else) with "unusual" or "ethnic" names, simply so it couldn't be said that they discriminate.

As for the names, no, I do not think about my children's future job chances when choosing their names. My daughter's name is Clover...uncommon, yes. But not anything I can see her being teased about by other kids. And I personally think it's a very pretty name, if a bit hippyish. I didn't spell it weird, it's easy to pronounce. Just because you're name is a common one doesn't mean it'll always be pronounced right anyways. My name is Christen, not the most common of spellings of it...but you'd think it'd be pretty pronounceable. I rarely had a teacher pronounce it correctly the first time. One reason I don't want my kids to have very common names is because I had at least 2 other christen's(usually spelled differently) in my class every year of school. It was really annoying. That's part of the reason I have gone by CJ for most of my life. I also disagree about the "white trash" thing. None of the people I have known who would be considered "white trash" have had unusual names...or named their kids unusual names. Or even uncommon names. I think you should be able to name you're kid what ever you feel best fits them. I was unsure if my daughter's name would fit her when she was born, but the moment I saw her, I knew she was my beautiful Clover Mae, and nothing else would suit her better. Where as my mom wanted to call my brother Kevin for most of her pregnancy, but when he was born, it just didn't fit...he became Jacob instead.

Dana - posted on 10/05/2010

I named my Son's Xavier Christan, and Zander Angellis (an-gel-us)

Amanda - posted on 10/05/2010

The names I picked weren't too unique but were special to my souse and I in their meaning..

Shannan - posted on 10/05/2010

My daughters name is Aubrey Rose. We picked it bc it sounded good together. I never at the time thought of employers. It's basically audrey but just flipped the d around so it's not too uncommon I don't think. I didn't spell it different bc I didn't want what I went thru. My mom decided to spell my name with an a instead of an o and I've only met one other person in 23 years with the same spelling.

Tah - posted on 10/04/2010

thank you brandy...let's do what she said...lol...

Brandy - posted on 10/04/2010

Ok fellow moms, we are forgetting the most important test...The banana fanna song should not make your childs name a target for bullies. Elementary school kids are meaner than high schoolers. Just double check your childs name with the song and also remember that if you get too crazy with the name, People won't be able to find items with your child's name on it in stores. Kids really like to see their names on items that they own. Bike license plates, keychains, toothbrushes, in books, and so on. Just don't take those cool kid moments from your kids because you think their name should be just a little cooler. And the initials are very important. My neice is PAP...this will follower her for sure. Mine was BK...Burger King grades 2-5 taught me to stand up for myself anyway...Got married, now Im BS...Not a whole lot better, but after being burger king for a few years, I can hold my own! LOL Please think of your kids and not the Jones' when picking out a name. Some of those out there names will also never be spelled and pronounced right. Lets just keep it simple and keep our creativity under control when naming someone who will have that name for their ENTIRE LIFE...

Rachel - posted on 10/04/2010

Jacob is my favorite too! : )

Tah - posted on 10/04/2010

Thank you Nequitta, thats what i have been saying..like i said why name your child dymond,alize,
Shaqwan etc, when you know that you are just stacking the chips up higher against them, As if they need that.

Laura Zoey - posted on 10/04/2010

Nequitta, you are awesom! :) so great to see moms thinking into the steryotipical 'black' names and not doing it! I see so many La'Jakob, Jaquob, Jakoby,etc, its refreshing to see a Jacob :)