Names: My newspaper column -- this week featuring poles, baskets, and manga

[Ormond]

Here's today's column, inspired by the visit of a particular author and radio personality to Omaha:

http://www.omaha.com/article/20100504/LIVING/705049957

[Ormond]

Here's today's column, discussing the recent release of the official Social Security list of the top baby names in the USA for 2009:

http://www.omaha.com/article/20100518/LIVING/705189975

[Galactus]

You know, i don't think Aidan and Aydin are pronounced the same. Or at least, no people I've ever met have done so. (AY-dan vs. Ay-dEEn)

But thatmight be because most of the Aydins I know of are turkish or kurdish...

[Ormond]

You know, i don't think Aidan and Aydin are pronounced the same. Or at least, no people I've ever met have done so. (AY-dan vs. Ay-dEEn)

But thatmight be because most of the Aydins I know of are turkish or kurdish...

We really don't have enough Turkish or Kurdish immigrants in the USA to account for all of the Aydins. I think the huge majority of them in the USA are just respellings of Aidan.

On the other hand, I did NOT include "Adan" in my compilation because I know many of them are Hispanics named Adán, the Spanish form of Adam, pronounced "ah-DAHN". However, I suspect at least half of the Adans are non-Hispanics respelling Aidan in still another way.

[Datepalm]

Adding together spellings I believe are pronounced the same, the figures change. The top name for boys becomes Aiden (also spelled Aaden, Aden, Aedan, Aidan, Aidyn, Aydan, Ayden, and Aydin),

Why are parents doing this, if the pronounciation is the same? I'd assumed it was mostly about phonetic attractiveness, and some people go for A-den, and other for AI-daan, etc, but honestly I imagine if i'm, say, a school teacher going through the names i'm just going to go "Aiden, Aiden, Aiden, Aiden."

[Ormond]

Why are parents doing this, if the pronounciation is the same? I'd assumed it was mostly about phonetic attractiveness, and some people go for A-den, and other for AI-daan, etc, but honestly I imagine if i'm, say, a school teacher going through the names i'm just going to go "Aiden, Aiden, Aiden, Aiden."

Well, you would have to ask each parent individually, of course. But a lot of it is the desire to have something more individualistic and distinctive, and growing up in a language with a spelling system where there usually is more than one way to spell a particular sound.

This is most common in English speaking countries, but you also often find respellings in Latin America. Since "h" is always silent in Spanish and Portuguese, but Latin Americans know about English names such as Thomas, they will often use "th" spellings in a way that English speakers would never think of. Lisette is often respelled as Lizeth by Hispanic-Americans, for instance. And since in Latin American dialects of Spanish "s" and "z" are usually pronounced the same, you will see names like Jessica respelled as Jezzica by Hispanics.

[The Iceman of the North]

Ormond, I thought this Dutch map might be of interest to you. It maps the geographical distribution of certain types of first names in the Netherlands.

[Ormond]

Here's today's column. I hope any boarders with knowledge of Italy think it's accurate. :)

http://www.omaha.com/article/20100601/LIVING/706019982

[HT Reddy]

Giuseppe was No. 14 for Italian boys in 2008. Maria wasn’t even in the top 30.

I'm not surprised Maria wasn't in the top 30 boys names :P

[Angalin]

Ormond, are you going to do a World Cup column?

[Ormond]

Ormond, are you going to do a World Cup column?

I hadn't thought of it. I don't even know when the World Cup competition is. Is it coming up soon? :)

[Angalin]

It runs June 11 - July 11 in South Africa. The FIFA website has tons of info. And WC madness has struck the board particularly hard in this sub-forum. It explains why there are so many strange names around here these days! :)

It's a little less messy in the regular Entertainment thread, here.

[Ormond]

Here is today's column.

A good friend of mine named Helen was instrumental in helping me get the job of writing the column in the first place (her husband is a reporter for the World Herald). I knew her birthday was in June, but I didn't realize until she sent me an email this morning that it's June 15, the same day as Helen Hunt's. That's synchronicty or serendipity or something similar. :)

http://www.omaha.com/article/20100615/LIVING/706159976

[Starkess]

I love the name Helen, although Helene or Helena might have a slight edge. Don't care too much for Ellen, though. Classical names all the way!

[Ormond]

Here's today's column.

http://www.omaha.com/article/20100629/LIVING/706299971

If I'd had enough space, I would have mentioned that members of the Whig party in England also revered Algernon Sidney and named sons after him, so Sidney became well-used as a given name in both the UK and USA at about the same time for the same reason,

[Starkess]

I never knew that story, very interesting! My step-sister-in-law is named Sydney, and she's right about that time frame (18 now).

Another example of a traditionally boy name moving over to a girl name, does the reverse ever happen?

[Angalin]

Ormond, I sent that on to a friend whose son's name is Sidney. :)

My sister-in-law could use your expertise, please. She's pregnant with a boy after having three girls and is at a loss for names. Most of the family names are extremely Scottish, Norwegian or German, very eccentrically English or already taken. Do you have any suggestions for boys' names for me to pass on which are traditional-ish yet not too popular? Thanks :)

[Ormond]

Ormond, I sent that on to a friend whose son's name is Sidney. :)

My sister-in-law could use your expertise, please. She's pregnant with a boy after having three girls and is at a loss for names. Most of the family names are extremely Scottish, Norwegian or German, very eccentrically English or already taken. Do you have any suggestions for boys' names for me to pass on which are traditional-ish yet not too popular? Thanks :)

I'd be happy to offer a few suggestions, but first I need to know where your sister-in-law lives, as what's "popular" does vary somewhat geographically.

[Maltaran]

Another example of a traditionally boy name moving over to a girl name, does the reverse ever happen?

Maybe Morgan? Morgan le Fay was female in the Arthurian legends, but Morgan seems to have been mainly a boys name until recently, when it's started moving over to girls.

[lacuna]

Ormond, I sent that on to a friend whose son's name is Sidney. :)

My sister-in-law could use your expertise, please. She's pregnant with a boy after having three girls and is at a loss for names. Most of the family names are extremely Scottish, Norwegian or German, very eccentrically English or already taken. Do you have any suggestions for boys' names for me to pass on which are traditional-ish yet not too popular? Thanks :)

Here's a list over Norwegian names, amd their statistical use over here. Plenty of options, at least! :P