Names: My newspaper column -- last three links restored

[Yagathai]

Also, http://deadspin.com/5924827/american-baby-names-are-somehow-getting-even-worse

[Gertrude]

My gg grandfather and g grandfather were Vaclav, (Czech origin) g-gf going by Wencel as well. I've seen my grandfather's name on a census as Wencel as well, but he went by Wesley. Looking at the old cemeteries and the family tree, there were a ton of Wesleys. Apparently Wesley was the accepted Americanized form of Vaclav in our community.

[Seventh Pup]

Your great-grandmother was from France, but for some reason did NOT have the normal French form of the name, Marie, but was named Maria, the Latinate form used in most of the rest of continental Europe.

So she moved to the United States and adopted the French form, Marie, in order to "sound more American."

Only in America! :laugh:

Color me embarrassed. :blushing:

When I was talking to my dad I asked him about this. I would have swore that he had previously told me my great grandmother's name was originally Maria, and changed to Marie. He said I got it wrong, her name was Marie, she changed it to Mary to sound more American. So I knew there was a name change but I was wrong about which name to what. I guess Mary is what is on her tombstone, but she still commonly went by Marie.

So yeah, I was totally wrong. But it was interesting to here my dad talk about her when I asked him about it, so I'm kind of happy I made that mistake. My great grandfather was Siggard though, though my father has no idea how he spelled it, and I can't seem to find that name as a first name for people of Danish heritage. :dunno:

[Edda van Heefmstra Ruston]

Probably Sigurd, like Ol' Snake Eye.

[Seventh Pup]

That seems about right. Very cool name, I'm a little sad for him that he became Sam.

[Lady Winter Rose]

Two questions to Ormond.

In Old Testament God changes Sarai's name into Sarah. Do you know more about these two names?

I am name freak and I see I am not alone (I discuss with other name freaks in baby names forum). Why are people becoming name freaks? I have a hard time explaining to myself why, and people always aks why.

[Ormond]

Two questions to Ormond.

In Old Testament God changes Sarai's name into Sarah. Do you know more about these two names?

I am name freak and I see I am not alone (I discuss with other name freaks in baby names forum). Why are people becoming name freaks? I have a hard time explaining to myself why, and people always aks why.

I am not sure what it is you want to know about Sarai and Sarah, but here are links to their etymology as presented on behindthename:

http://www.behindthename.com/name/sarai

http://www.behindthename.com/name/sarah

As for the second question, why do people become interested in anything? Many people are fascinated by many aspects of language, history, culture, and psychology, and names and naming are related to all of these. Most people who are intellectually curious develop particular interests, and being particularly interested in names is no more unusual than being interested in any other intellectual subject.

Women do seem to be more likely to have this particular interest than men. Perhaps that's because girls are encouraged to project themselves into the future as parents in their play more than boys are, and so start thinking of what they might name their own future children at a much younger age on average than boys do.

[Lady Winter Rose]

I am not sure what it is you want to know about Sarai and Sarah, but here are links to their etymology as presented on behindthename:

http://www.behindthe....com/name/sarai

http://www.behindthe....com/name/sarah

Nothing special, just want to brig it on to discussion and I didn't know what to say.

As for the second question, why do people become interested in anything? Many people are fascinated by many aspects of language, history, culture, and psychology, and names and naming are related to all of these. Most people who are intellectually curious develop particular interests, and being particularly interested in names is no more unusual than being interested in any other intellectual subject.

Women do seem to be more likely to have this particular interest than men. Perhaps that's because girls are encouraged to project themselves into the future as parents in their play more than boys are, and so start thinking of what they might name their own future children at a much younger age on average than boys do.

But how to explain when you are asked: "why are you so obsess"? I see you can't provide an answer. :(

[Ormond]

Here is today's column, inspired by the Olympics:

http://www.omaha.com/article/20120807/LIVING/708079963/1696#cleveland-evans-ryan-will-be-famous-for-years-to-come

[Seventh Pup]

I have a cousin Ryan, his father is Brian, my aunt did not want a Brian Jr. and so talked my uncle into Ryan instead. It seems like a wonderful name, though I despise Rye, or Ry-ry as a nickname.

[Angalin]

A friend's sister was named Ryan right around the time Peyton Place was airing. I've already forwarded this on to him. Thanks, Ormond!

[Zoë Sumra]

Just sharing this article from today's BBC website - where did all the Dereks go?

[Arch-MaesterPhilip]

Just sharing this article from today's BBC website - where did all the Dereks go?

I knew more than one growing up. And hell there are two Dereks playing for the New York Yankees now. It wouldn't shock me if a large chunk of young New York area Dereks are in honor of Derek Jeter.

[Maltaran]

Just sharing this article from today's BBC website - where did all the Dereks go?

Beat me to it - I was also going to post this one about the UK's most common baby names for 2011. I clicked through to the official website and had a quick look around, and there's three different versions of Mohammed in the top 100 for boys.

[Ormond]

Just sharing this article from today's BBC website - where did all the Dereks go?

Why don't people stop to do some basic research on when "older" names were last popular before writing articles like this? :)

Though there are exceptions to the rule, it's clear to me that the main reason Derek is not popular in the UK at the moment while Alfie, Archie, and Jack are is that Derek was in fact more recently popular than the other three.

As the article itself points out, Derek's previous high point in England was around 1934. The most typical English Derek is in his 70s today. As a result most of them are still alive and people in their 20s and 30s in England who are having kids probably know elderly relatives or acquaintances named Derek. The name therefore can't seem "new" or "fresh" to young parents yet.

Contrast that with Alfie and Archie. Actually neither of those names was ever popular as an official birth certificate form in the UK until the present generation. But Alfred and Archibald, the names they are derived from, were at their previous height of popularity in the late 19th century. (Actually Archibald was rare in England even back then and was more of a Scottish fashion.) So the original big group of Alfies and Archies are now mostly dead. To English people in their 20s, these names can now sound like cool "retro" revivals; it's only to people over 40, who remember a lot of those previous Alfies and Archies before they died, who think they still sound "elderly".

Jack is a bit more problematical. It was used somewhat as a given name in its own right, and its previous high point in that role was in the 1920s. It's come back just a little bit earlier than might be expected, but it's probably being used as a replacement for John, the name it was a nickname for. In any event, even if Derek comes back like Jack, its revival is still a decade away.

Derek is a much younger name in the USA than in the UK. The high point for Derek in the USA was 1982. The most typical American Derek is therefore turning 30 this year and is almost 50 years younger than the typical British Derek. Derek is in fact one of the male names with the biggest generational separation across the Atlantic -- in the 1930s when Derek was at its height of popularity in England, it wasn't even yet among the top 1000 names for boys in the USA. Elderly Americans named Derek are quite rare.

[Angalin]

Recently I looked up Captain Haddock's first name and it was Archibald, which is only revealed in the last Tintin book, Tintin and the Picaros (published 1976). Reading what you say here about the popularity of Archibald as a name, Ormond, it makes me wonder where Hergé got it from. :dunno:

[Zoë Sumra]

Why don't people stop to do some basic research on when "older" names were last popular before writing articles like this? :)

I thought you might not approve. :P Here's the follow-up readers' responses, from Dereks, Mauds, Barrys and others.

[Gertrude]

My daughter's called Panda, not sure why but that seems to be a bit unfashionable at the moment. Pinkie Methven, Perth Scotland

Not sure why, huh? Does Panda even have a tradition as a name? A quick google search says no.

eta: I guess maybe a nick for Pandora?

[wolverine]

Two questions to Ormond.

In Old Testament God changes Sarai's name into Sarah. Do you know more about these two names?

I am name freak and I see I am not alone (I discuss with other name freaks in baby names forum). Why are people becoming name freaks? I have a hard time explaining to myself why, and people always aks why.

No offense meant towards you, but it seems like lots of those people expects their child to be something uniquely special and they need a uniquely special name to stand out. Now I think all children are uniquely special regardless of their name. I don't think that I fall into this category but I tend to like less common names myself as well.

Another reason is that most people, in my area for sure, won't get to pick as many names as say their parents and grandparents did. Where I live very few people are having as many kids as even their parents did, so this makes selecting each name that much more important because instead of picking 11 you only get to pick 3.

Also, with so much focus on the individual it is important to pick the coolest name for your kid. Look at some of the ridiculous celebrity names.

Just my two cents and it is entirely from observation.

[wolverine]

Derek is a much younger name in the USA than in the UK. The high point for Derek in the USA was 1982. The most typical American Derek is therefore turning 30 this year and is almost 50 years younger than the typical British Derek. Derek is in fact one of the male names with the biggest generational separation across the Atlantic -- in the 1930s when Derek was at its height of popularity in England, it wasn't even yet among the top 1000 names for boys in the USA. Elderly Americans named Derek are quite rare.

This is exactly what I was thinking when I read your post. I have a brother named Derek who is turning 36 and I can't think of any Derek's older than him.