My Naming Guidelines

I would like to discuss this week about some of the guidelines I use when figuring out if a name will work. I believe that we all have different guidelines, and it's always a special combination of "rules" than anyone else. I use the term guidelines because no matter how many parameters you put up, there is always something out of those parameters that you love. Anyway, I'll Get on to the list.


1. The name must be easily pronounced and/or spelled in Japanese
This is not because I have Japanese family members of will be living in Japan. I know for a fact that I will end up speaking to whatever child I have in Japanese. This is very important for me to consider because some names sound different or are completely unpronounceable when translated to Japanese. I won't bore you with a lesson on Japanese pronunciation, but I'll just say this: some names can change in Japanese, and there are some words that don't exist.
2. The initials must not make me giggle
I have a mind that can come up with weird associations with certain word combinations. For instance, F and N will always sound like "Effin" which will always be translated to a curse word I won't say. Sure, not everyone will find that association, but I will see it, and no child deserves to have their mother giggle at their initials whenever they notice them.Sure, if I ever mature, it won't make me giggle as much, but for now I have that kind of "third-grade" mind.
3. There must be nobody naked upon the first google search
There are lovely names out there, and there are people who have that name who have at some point in their life had their picture taken while naked. More power to them, but in this day and age where everyone googles themselves, it should be safe to google yourself at work.
4. Extra consideration will be made to names from family members
Mabel tops Leila in the "useable" spectrum because I have a family member with that name (though I never actually have met her). Furthermore, variations on Mabel like Mae, Belle,Mabelline (never mind the makeup. This is a lovely name) are more useable than names not related to family. I may not be very close to my family members, but I still want to honor them if I can.
5. There must be a nature name somewhere.
I love nature. I kind of shrivel up a bit like a flower taken out of the sun when I am away from nature. No matter what names I chose, one has to pay homage to an element of nature.
6.No Twilight names. Ever.
I know twilight has been used as a punchline for bad books. Still, I have not read it and have no interest in reading it. I don't want any ties to the book at all, so if there is a character from the series with a name I like (and there are a lot), it's off limits. I'm not touching that with a ten foot pole.
7.The name must age well
I don't do the " introducing, president ________" to make sure a name is suitable. President Barack Obama blows that test out of the water. What I do is just make sure the name works as the person ages. I imagine the name on a baby, someone's classmate, someone's lover, and then someone's grandmother. It's hard to think of a child of your growing up, but it's very important because it's inevitable.

What guidelines do you use when choosing a good name? I'd love to hear some of yours.


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Pippilotta Could Work

Pippi Longstocking is a favorite book of mine. Her full name in English , Pippilotta Delicatessa Windowshade Mackrelmint Ephraim's Daughter Longstocking, is a sort of gag-name that is funny to hear her introduce herself no matter how many times I read it. Her first name, and nickname especially, might be ready for modern times in my opinion. Some might say Pippilotta is supposed to be part of the joke in how frilly it is, but it sounds pretty legit. It even sounds kind of like a smoosh of Philippa and Carlotta.The nicknames for Pippilotta is what really sells it for me. I consider Pippilotta the most original way to get to high-trending nicknames such as Pippa and Lottie.Not to mention the original Pippi, which gives a nice alternative to those that don't want to seem like they're naming the child after Pippa Middleton but want a name people recognize. I'd recommend Pippilotta to anyone who is not afraid of the frills and loves the books as much as I do.


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Mohammad: A Controversial and Surprisingly International Name

I recently looked up Wikipedia's list of popular given names all around the world. It gave a lot of perspective on how "normal" can change depending on where you are. For instance, Mohammad comes out at number 1 in a lot of places due to the muselm population in a lot of areas of the world. By the rule of popularity, Mohammad/Muhammed is a more popular name than Jacob could dream of being in some areas. Even with that information, nobody in America would ever use that name.People make jokes about Mohammed being too sacred to be shown in cartoons or telivision in the US, but it begs to differ against that belief when you see so many people naming thier children after thier prophet. You find other names that people in the US would probably stumble over, but are ubiquetous in some areas.Kazakhstan's #1 name for boys in 2010 was Yerasyl. Seoyeon is the South Korean version of Isabella. Yet mention naming your child these names in American sites and you'd probably get the internet version of the stink eye. It's just too big a world for European names to be the end-all-be-all for "normal". 

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In Defense of Maple Sylvie

Am I the only one who thought "Oh, how darling!" when I heard of the latest Celebrity Name Maple Sylvie? Many people are saying that it sounds too much like Maple Syrup, but I think that makes it even sweeter.Maple syrup is almost as iconic as the trees it comes from. Sylvie is also a lovely name, and adds a lot of sprightly zest to the middle. Ever since Maple has been suggested as an actual name, I've been intrigued. I hope that the latest Maple helps people name more of their children with the name.

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The Pony Name Game

I'm going to admit it now: I love My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. One aspect of the show that I love above all things is how diverse the main characters are. This show teaches that girls do not all act one way, and they can bond together despite of and because of their differences.I've sometimes toyed with the idea of what their names would be if they were human and not living in a fanciful world. For those uninitiated to the show, the characters have very fanciful names. There is Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash. Thier personalities are all different, which makes it fun to come up with real names that match the personality. Here is a round up of the personalities of these ponies and how everyone (or everypony?) can use with making up the names:

Twilight Sparkle: Heavy reader who is socially awkward.
Pinkie Pie: Happy-go-lucky and loves to party.
Rarity: Sophisticated; has a flair for the dramatic.
Applejack: Hard-working and down-to-earth. Comes from a culture like in the American south.
Fluttershy: As her name gives it away, she is shy and gentle as a butterfly's wing. She also loves animals.
Rainbow Dash: Total tomboy. Always trying to be "cool"
The uninitiated (and yes, some would say there is an initiation to watching the series) can look it up on wikipedia to learn more about the characters. Anyway, here are my ideas for more real names for the main cast.

Twilight Sparkle= Twila Felicity
Pinkie Pie= Philippa "Pippi" Adamina (In the series, her full name is Pinkamina Pie)
Rarity= Verity Nicolette
Applejack= Jackie Jean
Fluttershy= Felicia Edith
Rainbow Dash= Iris Althea

I chose these names because they fit my own personal interpretation of the characters. There are plenty of other names that fit my interpretation and the interpretation of any other person. I challenge anyone who likes the series or a good name game to give a shot at naming the mane cast with more probable names. Welcome to the herd!

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Make Shanti Happen

Shalom.
No seriously, Shalom.
I think it is becoming a trend. Used by two people on different sides of the lifestyle spectrum, Shalom has that calm-before-the-storm moment where two people have it used and you think it's an interesting coincidence. Then BAM, it's everywhere. So far it is used as a middle name, but as we all know, middle names are a gateway drug to first names. Before Shalom becomes a household name, I would like to reccomend we have a look at Shalom's Indian cousin: Shanti.
They are creepily similar. They both have two syllables, start with a soft Sh like a librarian gently shushing a child, and they both mean "peace".Shanti is a lot less popular, but given Shalom's presence in nameworld, Shanti definitely has a chance to shine. It's also a nice way to spruce up a popular, fussy, or boring name. Here are some ideas for using Shanti:

Margaret Shanti
Shanti Isabelle
Agatha Shanti
River Shanti
Shanti Violet
Novella Shanti
Zia Shanti

No matter what version of Shanti is used, it already comes with a song that you can sing and dance to. If you love Bollywood, prepare to be delighted.

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On Thora: A Subtle and Strong Name For Girls

I made a post about Bernadette being a nice, strong name for girls. Lately, I've been having similar feelings for the name Thora. This could become a regular thing if I put my energy toward it.

Thora is pretty much the feminine version of Thor. Thor is the Norse god of, as wikipedia says: "thunder, lightning, storms, oak trees, strength, the protection of mankind, and also hallowing, healing, and fertility."There are only two Thoras that people will recognise:

Thora Birch: well-known actress in such films as  The Neverending Story and Ghost World.
Grandma Thora: The cool granny from the well-known Arthur series.

Thora is one of those old-fashioned names I wish more people would use. It's got very strong ties. I mean, what's better than a god of thunder to name your child after? Thora sounds very feminine, however, and some would say it sounds soft despite her meaning (On Nameberry, they say exactly that). This soft, old-fashioned name has a lot of hidden power, which one could say all people have.

image source. I need to suck it up and post more images no matter what legal scaryness ensues.