NationStates Jolt Archive


names as a means of identity

Smunkeeville
05-06-2007, 22:50
so, we all have them (I think)

I have discussed before my ambivalence with my first name, which is to say isn't as bad as my maiden name, nor was that as bad as my adoptive name, though both were worse than my married name (talking about surnames here)


anyway, I was thinking about names today, for the characters of my script, and I remembered how I was told that back in Bible times names weren't picked for how they sounded, but more for what they meant.

Abram's name got changed to Abraham as a sign of the covenant with the Lord (Abraham meaning 'father of many')
Saul changed his name to Paul (Paul meaning 'humble')
and Jabez meant sorrow......because of his mother's horrible labor.

I didn't do that with my kids, I picked their names off Star Trek, named them after fictional characters that I liked.

Most of my friends are either named after family, or their parents picked their names because they "sounded good"

well, after years of trying to figure out what name I might change my first name to.....I was thinking today, maybe I am going about this the wrong way, maybe instead of looking for a name that sounds good, I should find one that means something to me.

and so, the point of the thread

do you identify with your name's meaning? what does your name mean?* http://www.behindthename.com/

if you had to pick another first name, what would it be? why?

*careful with this one.....someone might be able to "out" your first name

what do you think about names as a means of identification? are they arbitrary? do they influence you?

my first daughter's name means "rebellion" or "trouble" and she causes a LOT of it.
Khadgar
05-06-2007, 22:56
Spiffy, now I know how to write my name in Hebrew.

Same basic meaning as the other thread, just uses a different name for God. I'm not sure why my father picked that name. Pretty sure my mother had an eye for naming me David. Another rather dull biblical name.
Ifreann
05-06-2007, 22:56
Nooo, don't change your name, your name is cool!

My name comes from the greek for crown, so I can't really claim to identify with the meaning.

Names don't really need to have any kind of meaning behind them, but it might be kind of nice if you did identify with the meaning.
Imperial isa
05-06-2007, 22:57
first name means beloved
Chandelier
05-06-2007, 22:57
According to the baby name book I have right by me (I'm doing scriptfrenzy, too, and I like to make sure the meanings fit the characters), Jennifer (my name) means "white phantom" or "white wave". That's actually how I got the title for one of my stories.

I like my name. :)
Telesha
05-06-2007, 22:59
http://www.behindthename.com/php/view.php?name=michael

First, I don't think the meaning is meant to be a question, actually I'm almost certain it's supposed to literally mean "who is like God"

Second, if that actually described me in any fashion...well everybody'd be pretty much fucked.
Smunkeeville
05-06-2007, 23:00
Nooo, don't change your name, your name is cool!

it causes me a lot of trouble.
Cabra West
05-06-2007, 23:00
Well, my given first name means "strong one", but my mom gave it to me because she wanted to call me by a shorter German nickname for that name. Which, as it turns out, means "fat" in English. And I lived up to that name without ever realising it :D
Curious Inquiry
05-06-2007, 23:01
so, we all have them (I think)

I have discussed before my ambivalence with my first name, which is to say isn't as bad as my maiden name, nor was that as bad as my adoptive name, though both were worse than my married name (talking about surnames here)


anyway, I was thinking about names today, for the characters of my script, and I remembered how I was told that back in Bible times names weren't picked for how they sounded, but more for what they meant.

Abram's name got changed to Abraham as a sign of the covenant with the Lord (Abraham meaning 'father of many')
Saul changed his name to Paul (Paul meaning 'humble')
and Jabez meant sorrow......because of his mother's horrible labor.

I didn't do that with my kids, I picked their names off Star Trek, named them after fictional characters that I liked.

Most of my friends are either named after family, or their parents picked their names because they "sounded good"

well, after years of trying to figure out what name I might change my first name to.....I was thinking today, maybe I am going about this the wrong way, maybe instead of looking for a name that sounds good, I should find one that means something to me.

and so, the point of the thread

do you identify with your name's meaning? what does your name mean?* http://www.behindthename.com/

if you had to pick another first name, what would it be? why?

*careful with this one.....someone might be able to "out" your first name

what do you think about names as a means of identification? are they arbitrary? do they influence you?

my first daughter's name means "rebellion" or "trouble" and she causes a LOT of it.

Your daughter is named "Tribble"? Cute!
I was named after a street in Van Nuys. The lawsuit against my parents is still pending.
Fassigen
05-06-2007, 23:05
do you identify with your name's meaning? what does your name mean?* http://www.behindthename.com/

if you had to pick another first name, what would it be? why?

*careful with this one.....someone might be able to "out" your first name

Well, now you know why I won't be sharing the meaning of my name, but it is ironic, I'll tell you that much.
Cannot think of a name
05-06-2007, 23:08
This isn't my strong suit.
Dempublicents1
05-06-2007, 23:08
I like my first name. And my middle name. I've never given a great deal of thought to what they mean, although I have looked them up. My mother gave me my first name (which is the feminine form of a biblical name) because she thought it wouldn't lead to any nicknames (little did she know....). She just liked my middle name.

My first name means "God is my judge."

My surname is now a hyphenation of my maiden name and my husband's surname (as is his). I've described the reasons for that in other threads. =)

I think I'll choose my kids' names by what I like, however. I already have a first name for a little boy all picked out. =)
Curious Inquiry
05-06-2007, 23:09
This isn't my strong suit.

LOLZ!
Snafturi
05-06-2007, 23:10
"hawk-like" or "admirable"

O.o

I like my name, but if I had to change it I might change it to Shane.
Smunkeeville
05-06-2007, 23:10
http://www.behindthename.com/php/view.php?name=michael

First, I don't think the meaning is meant to be a question, actually I'm almost certain it's supposed to literally mean "who is like God"

Second, if that actually described me in any fashion...well everybody'd be pretty much fucked.

it actually is a question, it's used for the archangel and didn't mean "God-like" (even if my husband wants it to) it was meant to distinguish him from God since he appeared a lot and was confused for God.
Darknovae
05-06-2007, 23:11
This isn't my strong suit.

:p
Sumamba Buwhan
05-06-2007, 23:11
my name means "valley"
Ifreann
05-06-2007, 23:14
it causes me a lot of trouble.

I can see how it would when you were growing up, but how much trouble can it possibly cause now?
Telesha
05-06-2007, 23:16
it actually is a question, it's used for the archangel and didn't mean "God-like" (even if my husband wants it to) it was meant to distinguish him from God since he appeared a lot and was confused for God.

I am content to be overruled.


Oh, and lol.
IL Ruffino
05-06-2007, 23:18
ANDREW
Gender: Masculine

Usage: English, Biblical

Pronounced: AN-droo [key]

From the Greek name Ανδρεας (Andreas), which derives from ανηρ (aner) "man" (genitive ανδρος (andros) "of a man"). In the New Testament the apostle Andrew was the brother of the apostle Simon Peter. According to legend he was crucified on an X-shaped cross, and he is the patron saint of Scotland, Russia, Greece and Romania. This was also the name of kings of Hungary.


Meh. I don't know.
Darknovae
05-06-2007, 23:19
My first name literally means "Ireland". It's an ancient/poetic/romantic name for it.

My middle name means "my God is my oath". Clearly that's a load of crap.
Nadkor
05-06-2007, 23:19
According to the baby name book I have right by me (I'm doing scriptfrenzy, too, and I like to make sure the meanings fit the characters), Jennifer (my name) means "white phantom" or "white wave". That's actually how I got the title for one of my stories.

I like my name. :)

I need to remember that...

My first name literally means "Ireland". It's an ancient/poetic/romantic name for it.

Your name's Erin?
Smunkeeville
05-06-2007, 23:20
I can see how it would when you were growing up, but how much trouble can it possibly cause now?

other than my insurance once refusing to pay for maternity care because 'you are obviously male'

and all of my mail coming to "Mr. <myname>"

having to send back address labels that they thought they "corrected" by adding Mr. instead of Mrs.

being called by the wrong name all the freaking time because people don't understand my name

"I need to make a to-go order"
"sure what's the name?"
"Joey"
"Julie?"
"JOEY"
"Julie?"
"J-O-E-Y"
"Julie?"
"I just fucking spelled it!"
"Jody?"

:headbang::headbang:

that has happened exactly 13 times in the last 4 months.

oh, and then, there is my family, and certain acquaintances, who think that my name is Jody, Josie, Joy, Julie, Jo-anne or Josephine......no matter how many times I correct them. They still call me the wrong name.

and......and this one pisses me off most, when we (my husband and I) are introduced together......people call me by his name. :mad:
Telesha
05-06-2007, 23:22
other than my insurance once refusing to pay for maternity care because 'you are obviously male'

and all of my mail coming to "Mr. <myname>"

having to send back address labels that they thought they "corrected" by adding Mr. instead of Mrs.

being called by the wrong name all the freaking time because people don't understand my name

"I need to make a to-go order"
"sure what's the name?"
"Joey"
"Julie?"
"JOEY"
"Julie?"
"J-O-E-Y"
"Julie?"
"I just fucking spelled it!"
"Jody?"

:headbang::headbang:

that has happened exactly 13 times in the last 4 months.

oh, and then, there is my family, and certain acquaintances, who think that my name is Jody, Josie, Joy, Julie, Jo-anne or Josephine......no matter how many times I correct them. They still call me the wrong name.

and......and this one pisses me off most, when we (my husband and I) are introduced together......people call me by his name. :mad:

I changed my name for less than that.
Mikesburg
05-06-2007, 23:24
As terrifying as 'out'ing my first name might be, here we go;

MICHAEL
Gender: Masculine

Usage: English, German, Czech, Biblical

Pronounced: MIE-kul (English), MI-khah-el (German) [key]

From the Hebrew name מִיכָאֵל (Mika'el) which meant "who is like God?". This is the name of one of the seven archangels in Hebrew tradition and the only one identified as an archangel in the Bible. In the Book of Revelation in the New Testament he is portrayed as the leader of heaven's armies, and thus is considered the patron saint of soldiers. This was also the name of nine Byzantine emperors and a czar of Russia. Other more modern bearers of this name include the 19th-century chemist/physicist Michael Faraday and basketball player Michael Jordan.


Sure, it's common. But it's kinda cool being named after an archangel and all.
Imperial isa
05-06-2007, 23:24
My middle name means "my God is my oath". Clearly that's a load of crap.

i go with that
Dempublicents1
05-06-2007, 23:24
other than my insurance once refusing to pay for maternity care because 'you are obviously male'

and all of my mail coming to "Mr. <myname>"

having to send back address labels that they thought they "corrected" by adding Mr. instead of Mrs.

being called by the wrong name all the freaking time because people don't understand my name

"I need to make a to-go order"
"sure what's the name?"
"Joey"
"Julie?"
"JOEY"
"Julie?"
"J-O-E-Y"
"Julie?"
"I just fucking spelled it!"
"Jody?"

:headbang::headbang:

that has happened exactly 13 times in the last 4 months.

oh, and then, there is my family, and certain acquaintances, who think that my name is Jody, Josie, Joy, Julie, Jo-anne or Josephine......no matter how many times I correct them. They still call me the wrong name.

and......and this one pisses me off most, when we (my husband and I) are introduced together......people call me by his name. :mad:

What a pain in the butt. =(

To be fair, I'd probably think that "Joey" was short for something. But then again, I'd think that with a man or a woman. So never mind.
Smunkeeville
05-06-2007, 23:25
I changed my name for less than that.

I was going to change it since I was 5........I went by my middle name for like 8 years, but I can't find a first name I like.

:(

I am tempted to pick anything feminine sounding at random and just living with it.

I had a friend who did that, just picked a random word out of the dictionary and changed her name to that.......her name is Colby now. I call her cheese face. ;)
Dempublicents1
05-06-2007, 23:25
My middle name, by the way, just because I think it's funny, has to do with Santa Claus. =)
Raistlins Apprentice
05-06-2007, 23:26
Poor Smunkee.

Heh, sounds like your first daughter's first name is the same (or a variant of) my middle name. :)

It doesn't want to have any meaning for my first name. Even though I've found a meaning for my first name before, on a different site. Hmm.
Dempublicents1
05-06-2007, 23:27
I was going to change it since I was 5........I went by my middle name for like 8 years, but I can't find a first name I like.

:(

I am tempted to pick anything feminine sounding at random and just living with it.

I had a friend who did that, just picked a random word out of the dictionary and changed her name to that.......her name is Colby now. I call her cheese face. ;)

The last time I picked a random word out of the dictionary for a name (it was for a screen-name), I ended up with Felicity. Not too bad though, as far as meanings go. The only problem was that everyone thought I did it because of the show...
Dempublicents1
05-06-2007, 23:28
Poor Smunkee.

Heh, sounds like your first daughter's first name is the same (or a variant of) my middle name. :)

It doesn't want to have any meaning for my first name. Even though I've found a meaning for my first name before, on a different site. Hmm.

If there are any alternate spellings of your name, it might be under that. The site doesn't seem to catch all the possibilities.
Smunkeeville
05-06-2007, 23:28
What a pain in the butt. =(

To be fair, I'd probably think that "Joey" was short for something. But then again, I'd think that with a man or a woman. So never mind.

my husband is the only person I have ever met that didn't ask the dreaded question

every person I have met since I can remember, once they figure out my name (most of the time by me writing it down for them) they ask 'what's that short for?'

he didn't ask.

I didn't have to write it down for him, or spell it, or repeat it........ it's probably one of the reasons I married him.
Andaluciae
05-06-2007, 23:28
Well, when considering what I wish to be called, be it either Andy or Andrew, I find that Andy, or my last name in one of the countless forms it finds itself shortened to, is far better suited to my personality, especially when I'm with my friends.
Khadgar
05-06-2007, 23:28
other than my insurance once refusing to pay for maternity care because 'you are obviously male'

and all of my mail coming to "Mr. <myname>"

having to send back address labels that they thought they "corrected" by adding Mr. instead of Mrs.

being called by the wrong name all the freaking time because people don't understand my name

"I need to make a to-go order"
"sure what's the name?"
"Joey"
"Julie?"
"JOEY"
"Julie?"
"J-O-E-Y"
"Julie?"
"I just fucking spelled it!"
"Jody?"

:headbang::headbang:

that has happened exactly 13 times in the last 4 months.

oh, and then, there is my family, and certain acquaintances, who think that my name is Jody, Josie, Joy, Julie, Jo-anne or Josephine......no matter how many times I correct them. They still call me the wrong name.

and......and this one pisses me off most, when we (my husband and I) are introduced together......people call me by his name. :mad:

Maybe you and the Boy Named Sue can trade? I can partially relate, no one can spell my name, no one can pronounce it. I've also heard every fucking Beverly Hillbillies joke ever. Those were real creative for the first 10 or 15 years.
Smunkeeville
05-06-2007, 23:30
Well, when considering what I wish to be called, be it either Andy or Andrew, I find that Andy, or my last name in one of the countless forms it finds itself shortened to, is far better suited to my personality, especially when I'm with my friends.

I like the name Andy, I would change my name to that, but it wouldn't get me very far.....
Darknovae
05-06-2007, 23:31
Your name's Erin?Yep. :)

other than my insurance once refusing to pay for maternity care because 'you are obviously male'

and all of my mail coming to "Mr. <myname>"

having to send back address labels that they thought they "corrected" by adding Mr. instead of Mrs.

being called by the wrong name all the freaking time because people don't understand my name

"I need to make a to-go order"
"sure what's the name?"
"Joey"
"Julie?"
"JOEY"
"Julie?"
"J-O-E-Y"
"Julie?"
"I just fucking spelled it!"
"Jody?"

:headbang::headbang:

that has happened exactly 13 times in the last 4 months.

oh, and then, there is my family, and certain acquaintances, who think that my name is Jody, Josie, Joy, Julie, Jo-anne or Josephine......no matter how many times I correct them. They still call me the wrong name.

and......and this one pisses me off most, when we (my husband and I) are introduced together......people call me by his name. :mad:

Happens to me too, when someone introduces me.
"What's your name?"
"Erin."
"Anne?"
"No, Erin."
"Annie?"
"Erin!"
"Angie?"
"ERIN."
"Oh, Erin... Spelled A-A-R-O-N?"
"No, E-R-I-N."

:mad:
Taredas
05-06-2007, 23:31
Seeing as "Chris" is derived from "Christopher", I don't really need a website to tell me what my name's meaning is.

Where a yawning smilie when you need one?
Smunkeeville
05-06-2007, 23:32
Maybe you and the Boy Named Sue can trade? I can partially relate, no one can spell my name, no one can pronounce it. I've also heard every fucking Beverly Hillbillies joke ever. Those were real creative for the first 10 or 15 years.

I know a kid with your first name (if I am remembering it right) he is like 7 months old......I asked his parents "weren't there any easier to spell Biblical names you liked? Matthew? Mark? Luke? John? Jesus? Paul? Jude? anything?"
Darknovae
05-06-2007, 23:32
I like the name Andy, I would change my name to that, but it wouldn't get me very far.....

Spell it "Andie". That's more feminine. :)
Raistlins Apprentice
05-06-2007, 23:33
If there are any alternate spellings of your name, it might be under that. The site doesn't seem to catch all the possibilities.

No, it found my name, and I followed through all the variants until it reached the big entry where...... it had no meaning. Just some history.
Nadkor
05-06-2007, 23:33
Yep. :)

Nice name. Unfortunately not a wise choice for some areas of NI...I know one or two people called Erin, though.
Khadgar
05-06-2007, 23:34
I know a kid with your first name (if I am remembering it right) he is like 7 months old......I asked his parents "weren't there any easier to spell Biblical names you liked? Matthew? Mark? Luke? John? Jesus? Paul? Jude? anything?"

When I took biology class I sat right next to a Jebidiah confusion reigned. Poor kid is gonna be called Jed his whole life. Then the Clampett jokes start.
Ifreann
05-06-2007, 23:35
other than my insurance once refusing to pay for maternity care because 'you are obviously male'

and all of my mail coming to "Mr. <myname>"

having to send back address labels that they thought they "corrected" by adding Mr. instead of Mrs.

being called by the wrong name all the freaking time because people don't understand my name

"I need to make a to-go order"
"sure what's the name?"
"Joey"
"Julie?"
"JOEY"
"Julie?"
"J-O-E-Y"
"Julie?"
"I just fucking spelled it!"
"Jody?"

:headbang::headbang:

that has happened exactly 13 times in the last 4 months.

oh, and then, there is my family, and certain acquaintances, who think that my name is Jody, Josie, Joy, Julie, Jo-anne or Josephine......no matter how many times I correct them. They still call me the wrong name.

and......and this one pisses me off most, when we (my husband and I) are introduced together......people call me by his name. :mad:

Wow. Yeah, now I can totally see why you'd want to change it.
Damaske
05-06-2007, 23:37
My first name means "pure". Not sure if I can identify with that meaning...

But I wasn't given that name for the meaning. My parents thought I was a boy so didn't bother with a girl's name..I was named after the nurse that delivered me.
New Granada
05-06-2007, 23:39
My name means "Gift of God."
Skibereen
05-06-2007, 23:44
so, we all have them (I think)

I have discussed before my ambivalence with my first name, which is to say isn't as bad as my maiden name, nor was that as bad as my adoptive name, though both were worse than my married name (talking about surnames here)


anyway, I was thinking about names today, for the characters of my script, and I remembered how I was told that back in Bible times names weren't picked for how they sounded, but more for what they meant.

Abram's name got changed to Abraham as a sign of the covenant with the Lord (Abraham meaning 'father of many')
Saul changed his name to Paul (Paul meaning 'humble')
and Jabez meant sorrow......because of his mother's horrible labor.

I didn't do that with my kids, I picked their names off Star Trek, named them after fictional characters that I liked.

Most of my friends are either named after family, or their parents picked their names because they "sounded good"

well, after years of trying to figure out what name I might change my first name to.....I was thinking today, maybe I am going about this the wrong way, maybe instead of looking for a name that sounds good, I should find one that means something to me.

and so, the point of the thread

do you identify with your name's meaning? what does your name mean?* http://www.behindthename.com/

if you had to pick another first name, what would it be? why?

*careful with this one.....someone might be able to "out" your first name

what do you think about names as a means of identification? are they arbitrary? do they influence you?

my first daughter's name means "rebellion" or "trouble" and she causes a LOT of it.

I named my two oldest daughters based on what the names mean...I will not post their names, however my oldest daughter's combined name means Beguiling Vision of Heaven(unfortunately our last name essentially means Pirate), my youngest daughters name means Fire Industrious Defender of Men.

My middle boy ...I wont name, even the meaning as it is easily connected to his real name, and so is the name of my youngest son...who is partially named after me.
Skibereen
05-06-2007, 23:45
My name means "Gift of God."

Matthew?
Kiryu-shi
05-06-2007, 23:48
My first name, written, means Silk-Man, and my last name written, means City-River. I like my name. :)
Smunkeeville
05-06-2007, 23:48
I named my two oldest daughters based on what the names mean...I will not post their names, however my oldest daughter's combined name means Beguiling Vision of Heaven(unfortunately our last name essentially means Pirate), my youngest daughters name means Fire Industrious Defender of Men.

My middle boy ...I wont name, even the meaning as it is easily connected to his real name, and so is the name of my youngest son...who is partially named after me.

my youngest's first name is a variation of a variation of a variation of an old name......if you go all the way back, I think it means 'grace' she is quite clumsy though....so I don't know where the grace comes in. ;)

her middle name means "intelligent" and "full of life" which is great, because those do describe her

my oldest's middle name apparently doesn't mean anything. ;)
Curious Inquiry
05-06-2007, 23:51
My first name literally means "Ireland". It's an ancient/poetic/romantic name for it.

My middle name means "my God is my oath". Clearly that's a load of crap.

Your first task, upon emancipation, is to have your middle name legally changed to "Pancake." *nods*
Curious Inquiry
05-06-2007, 23:55
other than my insurance once refusing to pay for maternity care because 'you are obviously male'

and all of my mail coming to "Mr. <myname>"

having to send back address labels that they thought they "corrected" by adding Mr. instead of Mrs.

being called by the wrong name all the freaking time because people don't understand my name

"I need to make a to-go order"
"sure what's the name?"
"Joey"
"Julie?"
"JOEY"
"Julie?"
"J-O-E-Y"
"Julie?"
"I just fucking spelled it!"
"Jody?"

:headbang::headbang:

that has happened exactly 13 times in the last 4 months.

oh, and then, there is my family, and certain acquaintances, who think that my name is Jody, Josie, Joy, Julie, Jo-anne or Josephine......no matter how many times I correct them. They still call me the wrong name.

and......and this one pisses me off most, when we (my husband and I) are introduced together......people call me by his name. :mad:I sympathize. My first name is a last name, my last name a (female) first name. Confusion since I was a child. I was very militant about it in junior high. Now, I just admit to being an idiot, myself, when it comes to names :p
Darknovae
05-06-2007, 23:57
Your first task, upon emancipation, is to have your middle name legally changed to "Pancake." *nods*

Umm... "Erin Pancake"?

No thank you.
Smunkeeville
06-06-2007, 00:00
Your first task, upon emancipation, is to have your middle name legally changed to "Pancake." *nods*

I could totally change my first name to Smunkee.....but right now that helps me weed out the idiots.
Curious Inquiry
06-06-2007, 00:04
Umm... "Erin Pancake"?

No thank you.
:(
Dempublicents1
06-06-2007, 00:06
Umm... "Erin Pancake"?

No thank you.

"Erin Go Pancake"?
Curious Inquiry
06-06-2007, 00:09
I like the name Andy, I would change my name to that, but it wouldn't get me very far.....

This is kinda cross-threadish, but how about "Magenta" or Cyan"?
Darknovae
06-06-2007, 00:09
"Erin Go Pancake"?

:p

Still, no.
Darknovae
06-06-2007, 00:10
:(

:fluffle:
Cranhadan Selective
06-06-2007, 00:23
My first name means "pure". Not sure if I can identify with that meaning...

But I wasn't given that name for the meaning. My parents thought I was a boy so didn't bother with a girl's name..I was named after the nurse that delivered me.

How could your parents not realise your not a boy?
Smunkeeville
06-06-2007, 00:23
This is kinda cross-threadish, but how about "Magenta" or Cyan"?

I tried out to play Magenta once but I got stuck playing Columbia......stupid casting director.
Maineiacs
06-06-2007, 00:23
My first name is the Scottish (no, I'm not Scottish) form of the Norse form of the Norman French form of two Saxon words meaning "advice" and "rule". My middle name is Saxon, from words meaning "rich" and "guard".
Smunkeeville
06-06-2007, 00:31
How could your parents not realise your not a boy?

they told my mom that I was going to be a boy, based on the speed of my heartbeat.

I wasn't. (still am not)

she didn't seem to want to "waste time" finding a feminine name for me.
Infinite Revolution
06-06-2007, 00:31
my name means someone who lives on a promontory, although my parents chose the name cuz they thought it meant red in some language, gaelic i think.

if i was to have kids i'd name them something that had a meaning, but it'd have to sound good too.
Smunkeeville
06-06-2007, 00:41
my name means someone who lives on a promontory, although my parents chose the name cuz they thought it meant red in some language, gaelic i think.

if i was to have kids i'd name them something that had a meaning, but it'd have to sound good too.
so you really are looking down on all of us aren't you?

;)

a relative of mine went around for a while saying her name meant "beautiful" in French, now I knew this wasn't true because I know a bit of French, so I went to look it up......it doesn't mean beautiful. It's not French at all, it means bag. She was furious when I brought it up over dinner.....

in my defense she used to tell people that I was the product of a failed abortion, I believed her too for a while, quite painful.
Infinite Revolution
06-06-2007, 00:55
so you really are looking down on all of us aren't you?

;)
:p that or getting whipped by the sea.
a relative of mine went around for a while saying her name meant "beautiful" in French, now I knew this wasn't true because I know a bit of French, so I went to look it up......it doesn't mean beautiful. It's not French at all, it means bag. She was furious when I brought it up over dinner.....

in my defense she used to tell people that I was the product of a failed abortion, I believed her too for a while, quite painful.

:eek: :( that's not nice at all, she definitely deserved that.
Infinite Revolution
06-06-2007, 01:19
I like the name Andy, I would change my name to that, but it wouldn't get me very far.....

i have an aunt called andy. short for andalucia funnily enough.
Dakini
06-06-2007, 01:34
I wouldnt' change my name even though it's ludicrously common because I've grown quite attached to it.

However, when I have kids they're going to get much less common names. I haven't thought of any boys names, but for girls Aurora (=latin for dawn) or Zoe (=greek for life) would be nice, maybe Violet (...I like violets). Although these are names that are definitely picked because they sound pretty and won't result in my hypothetical children going to school and having three other classmates with the same name as them.
Nova Magna Germania
06-06-2007, 01:36
s
I didn't do that with my kids, I picked their names off Star Trek, named them after fictional characters that I liked.


Ouch. I hope you didnt go overboard. They may get picked on a lot...
Kyronea
06-06-2007, 01:37
English form of Ματθαιος (Matthaios), which was a Greek form of the Hebrew name מַתִּתְיָהוּ (Mattityahu) which meant "gift of YAHWEH". Saint Matthew, also called Levi, was one of the twelve apostles, a tax collector. He was supposedly the author of the first Gospel in the New Testament.

Yes, thank you, Captain Obvious. :rolleyes:

What I want is a name meaning scientist or scientific. Lemme see what comes up...

THOTH

Gender: Masculine

Usage: Egyptian Mythology (Hellenized)
Greek form of Egyptian Tehuti, perhaps meaning "he who balances". In Egyptian mythology Thoth was the god of the moon, science, magic, speech and writing. He was often depicted as a man with the head of an ibis.

The only thing with science in it that wasn't a reference to others involved in science with the name.

...

I don't know about you, but I think I prefer Matt.
Nadkor
06-06-2007, 01:39
I've always actually liked the name Amy. I might have to consider it...
Curious Inquiry
06-06-2007, 01:40
I wouldnt' change my name even though it's ludicrously common because I've grown quite attached to it.

However, when I have kids they're going to get much less common names. I haven't thought of any boys names, but for girls Aurora (=latin for dawn) or Zoe (=greek for life) would be nice, maybe Violet (...I like violets). Although these are names that are definitely picked because they sound pretty and won't result in my hypothetical children going to school and having three other classmates with the same name as them.

Not violet (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=275311) :eek:
Smunkeeville
06-06-2007, 01:41
Ouch. I hope you didnt go overboard. They may get picked on a lot...

nope. they aren't picked on due to their names. they are picked on for being weird kids though.
Smunkeeville
06-06-2007, 01:42
I've always actually liked the name Amy. I might have to consider it...

two of my very best friends are named Amy, they really are nice people.

one of my sworn enemies is also named Amy, but it's short for Amelia.....so she doesn't count. *nod*
Dakini
06-06-2007, 01:42
Not violet (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=275311) :eek:
It's still a pretty name, damnit.
Smunkeeville
06-06-2007, 01:43
Not violet (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=275311) :eek:

no........violet.

http://www.jwz.org/images/violet7.jpg
Nova Magna Germania
06-06-2007, 01:43
nope. they aren't picked on due to their names. they are picked on for being weird kids though.

What are their first names (If it's safe, like you havent previously given your last name or something in these forums...)?
Johnny B Goode
06-06-2007, 01:49
so, we all have them (I think)

I have discussed before my ambivalence with my first name, which is to say isn't as bad as my maiden name, nor was that as bad as my adoptive name, though both were worse than my married name (talking about surnames here)


anyway, I was thinking about names today, for the characters of my script, and I remembered how I was told that back in Bible times names weren't picked for how they sounded, but more for what they meant.

Abram's name got changed to Abraham as a sign of the covenant with the Lord (Abraham meaning 'father of many')
Saul changed his name to Paul (Paul meaning 'humble')
and Jabez meant sorrow......because of his mother's horrible labor.

I didn't do that with my kids, I picked their names off Star Trek, named them after fictional characters that I liked.

Most of my friends are either named after family, or their parents picked their names because they "sounded good"

well, after years of trying to figure out what name I might change my first name to.....I was thinking today, maybe I am going about this the wrong way, maybe instead of looking for a name that sounds good, I should find one that means something to me.

and so, the point of the thread

do you identify with your name's meaning? what does your name mean?* http://www.behindthename.com/

if you had to pick another first name, what would it be? why?

*careful with this one.....someone might be able to "out" your first name

what do you think about names as a means of identification? are they arbitrary? do they influence you?

my first daughter's name means "rebellion" or "trouble" and she causes a LOT of it.

I can't find my name, but it means self-controlled. I'm not very controlled. My mom's name means pacified or calm, which is her polar opposite.
Kyronea
06-06-2007, 01:51
*complaining*
...

Your name is Joey?

...

JOEY?!

What the hell?! How does that happen?! I could understand if it were spelled differently, like Billie(So, what, Joie?) but it's spelled in the masculine way. How the hell does that happen?!

...

Why not just change your name to Smunkee? You already go by that here on NationStates.
Nadkor
06-06-2007, 01:57
two of my very best friends are named Amy, they really are nice people.

one of my sworn enemies is also named Amy, but it's short for Amelia.....so she doesn't count. *nod*

Ooohh, even better :)

Does two of your best friends having the same name not cause confusion?
Turquoise Days
06-06-2007, 01:57
My name is derived from the Greek for rock. I'll give you three guesses...

I think its kind of appropriate, really. :)
Chandelier
06-06-2007, 02:00
My name is derived from the Greek for rock. I'll give you three guesses...

I think its kind of appropriate, really. :)

Peter?
Maineiacs
06-06-2007, 02:00
I've always actually liked the name Amy. I might have to consider it...

Well, my girlfriend has a daughter who, needless to say, already has a name; but if I ever have kids of my own, I'd like to have Charles Edward (after my paternal grandfather) for a boy, and Sarah Lynn for a girl (just 'cause I like the name).
Smunkeeville
06-06-2007, 02:03
...

Your name is Joey?

...

JOEY?!

What the hell?! How does that happen?! I could understand if it were spelled differently, like Billie(So, what, Joie?) but it's spelled in the masculine way. How the hell does that happen?!

...
according to my mom the doctors told her due to my heart rate that they were 90% sure I was going to be a boy, so she called me Joey the whole pregnancy, and when I was born and was a girl, she didn't change it.

according to my grandma, I was very bouncy in the womb and was named after a baby kangaroo

according to my mom's best friend, I was named after Joey Heatherton (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joey_Heatherton)

I am not entirely which is true.



Why not just change your name to Smunkee? You already go by that here on NationStates.
everyone who really matters calls me Smunkee already......I don't think having it as my legal name would help much though, I would still end up having to spell it out or write it down, and people would still get it wrong.
Turquoise Days
06-06-2007, 02:04
Peter?

Yep! Although everyone calls me Pete.
Dakini
06-06-2007, 02:04
Well, my girlfriend has a daughter who, needless to say, already has a name; but if I ever have kids of my own, I'd like to have Charles Edward (after my paternal grandfather) for a boy, and Sarah Lynn for a girl (just 'cause I like the name).
Please, do your daughter a favour and don't name her Sarah. She'll hear her name and turn around, but people will almost always be talking to someone else because there are so damn many of us.

However, I am influential enough as a Sarah that I don't get that "add the first initial of the last name/give someone a nickname" crap. In my groups of friends where there are multiple Sarahs I'm the only one who gets referred to as only "Sarah". Actually, in highschool, the other Sarah in my group of friends got referred to by her last name... sucker.
Kyronea
06-06-2007, 02:06
according to my mom the doctors told her due to my heart rate that they were 90% sure I was going to be a boy, so she called me Joey the whole pregnancy, and when I was born and was a girl, she didn't change it.

according to my grandma, I was very bouncy in the womb and was named after a baby kangaroo

according to my mom's best friend, I was named after Joey Heatherton (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joey_Heatherton)

I am not entirely which is true.
Ah. Well, that's definitely...an interesting way to name a child.

But then I'm wanting to name any children I have either after fictional characters or by names I invent, so what do I know?

everyone who really matters calls me Smunkee already......I don't think having it as my legal name would help much though, I would still end up having to spell it out or write it down, and people would still get it wrong.

Well, while this is true...it would certainly be the easiest name to adjust to, and your problems would simplify.

So I guess it depends on whether you want to spend more time adjusting to a new name, or using another name you like and are used to being referred to as and just dealing with things as you do now, though on a somewhat lesser scale.
Smunkeeville
06-06-2007, 02:06
Ooohh, even better :)

Does two of your best friends having the same name not cause confusion?

only for my husband because I forget that he can't read my mind, so when I am talking about one of them I just say "Amy and I were on the phone" and he always has to ask "which one?"

I also have 3 friends named Stephanie, only one spells it Steffanie.....but that still doesn't come across when I am speaking so he still has to ask "which one?"

oh, and my other friend has the same name as my husband's mother......so he gets confused with that too.

I guess I can take heart that my name is unique in it's own way.
Chandelier
06-06-2007, 02:08
Yep! Although everyone calls me Pete.

Ok. :)

Yay! I remember name meanings! :D

(I used to use the baby name book a lot when I designed large groups of people in notebooks.)
Widfarend
06-06-2007, 02:10
Well, the name is masculine... *phew*
and it means Healer in Greek.

I hope I can live up to that.



The second part that is, I think I have the first part handled pretty well.
Maineiacs
06-06-2007, 02:13
Please, do your daughter a favour and don't name her Sarah. She'll hear her name and turn around, but people will almost always be talking to someone else because there are so damn many of us.

However, I am influential enough as a Sarah that I don't get that "add the first initial of the last name/give someone a nickname" crap. In my groups of friends where there are multiple Sarahs I'm the only one who gets referred to as only "Sarah". Actually, in highschool, the other Sarah in my group of friends got referred to by her last name... sucker.

Actually, even if I stay with my girlfriend, it's unlikely I'll ever have children of my own. I would be a stepdad, though (the kid hates me).
Edenburrow
06-06-2007, 02:14
I don't think much about my first name as many people do not refer to me by it. Even me and close, childhood friends refer to each other by last name. My name according to that site doesn't have a meaning but has midevil origins.
Smunkeeville
06-06-2007, 02:19
I don't think much about my first name as many people do not refer to me by it. Even me and close, childhood friends refer to each other by last name. My name according to that site doesn't have a meaning but has midevil origins.

I don't tend to identify much with my first name either. Like I said earlier, all of the people who matter call me Smunkee anyway, so I identify with that much more than my first name.

Even my kid's friends call me "momma Smunkee", I am beginning to think maybe I should make that my legal name.
Nadkor
06-06-2007, 02:21
only for my husband because I forget that he can't read my mind, so when I am talking about one of them I just say "Amy and I were on the phone" and he always has to ask "which one?"

I also have 3 friends named Stephanie, only one spells it Steffanie.....but that still doesn't come across when I am speaking so he still has to ask "which one?"

oh, and my other friend has the same name as my husband's mother......so he gets confused with that too.

I guess I can take heart that my name is unique in it's own way.

In my family we have two Davids (brother and uncle) and two Andrews (cousin and his sister's fiancé). Oh, and my sister and my mum's cousin are both called Claire.

I think that's it. Christmas's and other family things can get pretty confusing...especially when my cousin shouts "Andrew" and nobody's really sure if she's wanting her brother or her fiancé...

There's nobody in my family called Amy, so changing to that wouldn't cause too much confusion (beyond the initial telling people)...hmm...
Maineiacs
06-06-2007, 02:21
I don't think much about my first name as many people do not refer to me by it. Even me and close, childhood friends refer to each other by last name. My name according to that site doesn't have a meaning but has midevil origins.

Your name is moderately evil? :eek:
Smunkeeville
06-06-2007, 02:28
In my family we have two Davids (brother and uncle) and two Andrews (cousin and his sister's fiancé). Oh, and my sister and my mum's cousin are both called Claire.

I think that's it. Christmas's and other family things can get pretty confusing...especially when my cousin shouts "Andrew" and nobody's really sure if she's wanting her brother or her fiancé...

There's nobody in my family called Amy, so changing to that wouldn't cause too much confusion (beyond the initial telling people)...hmm...

I know the feeling with the confusion, hubby is named after his dad, and growing up they called him the shortened version and his dad the "full version" only when I met his dad he was going by the short version and hubby was going by the long version (he absolutely hates the short version) and so anyway, I say "Mike" when I am talking about the senior and "Michael" when I am talking about the Junior (hubby).......and I am the only one, the rest of the family has it the other way around, so it gets confusing.

I refuse to call my husband by a name he hates, when his dad is trying to go by the short version anyway.....but everyone else has "habit" and I feel like the odd duck out.
Bodies Without Organs
06-06-2007, 02:39
The last time I picked a random word out of the dictionary for a name (it was for a screen-name), I ended up with Felicity. Not too bad though, as far as meanings go. The only problem was that everyone thought I did it because of the show...

The Good Life...?



FWIW: My name has been mentioned in this thread, but I never use it unless I'm dealing with them big, bad authority figures/family. I go with a shortening of my surname in everyday life.
Nadkor
06-06-2007, 02:43
I know the feeling with the confusion, hubby is named after his dad, and growing up they called him the shortened version and his dad the "full version" only when I met his dad he was going by the short version and hubby was going by the long version (he absolutely hates the short version) and so anyway, I say "Mike" when I am talking about the senior and "Michael" when I am talking about the Junior (hubby).......and I am the only one, the rest of the family has it the other way around, so it gets confusing.

I refuse to call my husband by a name he hates, when his dad is trying to go by the short version anyway.....but everyone else has "habit" and I feel like the odd duck out.

Ah, now that must be even worse. It's bad enough when each has a name that's used and everybody knows it, but it would just get complicated if one person did it the other way around.
Bodies Without Organs
06-06-2007, 02:44
I also have 3 friends named Stephanie, only one spells it Steffanie.....but that still doesn't come across when I am speaking so he still has to ask "which one?"

What we do in my parts is grant people an honorific depending on where they come from: so we might have a 'Dublin Stephanie' and a 'Cullybackey Stephanie' - thus the pair are easily distinguishable.

'Buckfast At Stephanie's' is an entirely different affair.
Nadkor
06-06-2007, 02:49
What we do in my parts is grant people an honorific depending on where they come from: so we might have a 'Dublin Stephanie' and a 'Cullybackey Stephanie' - thus the pair are easily distinguishable.

'Buckfast At Stephanie's' is an entirely different affair.


Don't forget "our Stephanie", "wee Stephanie", and so on...
Bodies Without Organs
06-06-2007, 02:50
Don't forget "our Stephanie", "wee Stephanie", and so on...

...nor indeed ' Big Stephanie from the flats'.
Nadkor
06-06-2007, 03:00
...nor indeed ' Big Stephanie from the flats'.

Endless possibilities...
Damaske
06-06-2007, 03:26
How could your parents not realise your not a boy?

Doctors told them they were having a boy. So didn't bother picking out a girl's name. If I HAD been a boy..my name would have been Michael.
Troglobites
06-06-2007, 03:33
Derived from Old French traverse meaning "to cross". From a surname which originally denoted someone who collected tolls from people crossing a bridge.

Damn I've been given an insult as a name.

From a surname which was originally from a place name meaning "Dudda's clearing" in Old English

All my names are considered first names today .... And no it's not Ricky Bobby.
Theoretical Physicists
06-06-2007, 04:05
The last time I picked a random word out of the dictionary for a name (it was for a screen-name), I ended up with Felicity. Not too bad though, as far as meanings go. The only problem was that everyone thought I did it because of the show...

The problem with that name is it makes me think of the character from Austin Powers, Felicity Shagwell.
Ilie
06-06-2007, 04:05
You picked your kids' names off Star Trek? You are officially my hero. (As if you weren't before...)

If I could pick another name...hmm. I'd probably go with "Ramona" since it has a similar degree of unusuality + character as my current name. And many of the same vowel sounds, too. ;) Oh, and I loved the Beezus and Ramona books as a kid.
Imperial isa
06-06-2007, 04:14
You picked your kids' names off Star Trek? You are officially my hero. (As if you weren't before...)

If I could pick another name...hmm. I'd probably go with "Ramona" since it has a similar degree of unusuality + character as my current name. And many of the same vowel sounds, too. ;) Oh, and I loved the Beezus and Ramona books as a kid.

never heard of that book
Smunkeeville
06-06-2007, 04:18
never heard of that book

it's a series of books.

http://books.google.com/books?id=nwNfmPv59SIC&dq=ramona+the+pest&pg=PP1&ots=RCl7psnqfK&sig=Wrkly0zMSXddfIxbTnwQyC3n_PE&prev=http://www.google.com/search%3Fq%3Dramona%2Bthe%2Bpest%26ie%3Dutf-8%26oe%3Dutf-8%26rls%3Dcom.google:en-US:official%26client%3Dfirefox-a&sa=X&oi=print&ct=title#PPA9,M1
Seangoli
06-06-2007, 04:32
My name is the Irish form of the name meaning

"YAHWEH is gracious"

Anyone care to take a stab at what my name is?
Kinda Sensible people
06-06-2007, 04:54
Means "Holder of the heel" or "Usurper", essentially. If I could change it, I'd change it to Jaime, which just fucking looks cooler, but means the same thing.
The Brevious
06-06-2007, 06:59
so, we all have them (I think)

I have discussed before my ambivalence with my first name, which is to say isn't as bad as my maiden name, nor was that as bad as my adoptive name, though both were worse than my married name (talking about surnames here)


anyway, I was thinking about names today, for the characters of my script, and I remembered how I was told that back in Bible times names weren't picked for how they sounded, but more for what they meant.

Abram's name got changed to Abraham as a sign of the covenant with the Lord (Abraham meaning 'father of many')
Saul changed his name to Paul (Paul meaning 'humble')
and Jabez meant sorrow......because of his mother's horrible labor.

I didn't do that with my kids, I picked their names off Star Trek, named them after fictional characters that I liked.

Most of my friends are either named after family, or their parents picked their names because they "sounded good"

well, after years of trying to figure out what name I might change my first name to.....I was thinking today, maybe I am going about this the wrong way, maybe instead of looking for a name that sounds good, I should find one that means something to me.

and so, the point of the thread

do you identify with your name's meaning? what does your name mean?* http://www.behindthename.com/

if you had to pick another first name, what would it be? why?

*careful with this one.....someone might be able to "out" your first name

what do you think about names as a means of identification? are they arbitrary? do they influence you?

my first daughter's name means "rebellion" or "trouble" and she causes a LOT of it.
My whole name has a specific meaning. Intentional or otherwise.

"The gates are open to/for the twin with the pure heart."