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[Opinions] Arnold and Sylvia
A recent educational pursuit of mine, based on local history, has really caused me to see these two names in an entirely different light. I would have never pondered Arnold before and, while Sylvia seems popular amongst my fellow namers, it's never really appealed to me until now. I think they'd make the most darling little sib-set, though unfortunately I'm not sure I could use Sylvia due to another association I have. Regardless, what are your thoughts on the names?


Ottilie

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I like, not love Sylvia. Arnold's ok but nothing to write home about.
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Thanks! :)
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They are pretty cute together but I'm not a fan of Arnold. Sylvia is, and always will be, a beautiful name =)
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I really am starting to understand other people's love for Sylvia :)
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Sylvia is pretty though I have a hard time shaking the old association. I can see it becoming popular again, someday. Sylvie would be an adorable nn.I don't approve of Arnold, however. I just can't see it as anything other than ugly, and I suspect a lot of little boys wouldn't want that name. It would only be bearable if he were always called Arn. Arnold and Sylvia together are a rather dated sibset. I'd use one and then pair it with a more contemporary name.
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I've been pondering it a little, and I'm starting to think I prefer Sylvie - it's just a little more youthful, I think.
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I adore Sylvia and especially Arnold, who rarely receives the attention he deserves!
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I completely agree! Arnold doesn't get enough love.
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Separate the names are fine, but I wouldn't think much if I saw them. But together, oh man, that's another story. Arnold and Sylvia go together surprisingly perfectly! I never would have thought about it before. Arnie and Sylvie (or even Ollie and Vivi) would be adorable together. My gosh, I'm gonna have to give this set some more thought; I do believe you've struck gold!
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I'll admit I'm quite glad someone agrees with me! Ollie is a fabulous nickname for Arnold, too, so thank you for mentioning it!
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I really really love Sylvia. It's got a magical sound and you can use the nn Sylvie which is adorable ^_^ But Arnold kind of makes me laugh. It seems so silly, like a joke name. I dunno why!! I think maybe it's the -old sound? I get the name kind of reaction to Archibald too.
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I really like Archibald, too ;)
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I don't like Arnold. It sounds really ugly to me. Sylvia, however, is very pretty.
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Aw, haha, I kind of like Arnold's ugliness!
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Sylvia is nice. I still think it's a bit dated but old fashioned names are coming around again so it's useable. It's feminine but not too frilly and it has a lot of history.Arnold is not my style, I think it's too clunky and old fashioned. It makes me think of Arnold Rimmer from Red Dwarf.
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I definitely think that's the issue I've always had with Sylvia - it sounded dated rather than old-fashioned or vintage - but I guess I know feel like it's moving to the next step in the cycle and becoming old lady-chic. I never actually knew the character was named Arnold Rimmer. Huh.
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I never loved Sylvia until I became friends with the most wonderful woman in the last few years. Her name is Sylvia (obviously) and she's brought the name to my attention with such a positive association. So now I like it. Arnold. I think of Arnold from "The Magic School Bus". If I remember correctly, he was always goofing up and the whole class would groan "Aaarnold". I really would not like Arnie as a nickname.
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I think the Magic School Bus character you're thinking of was named Carlos, not Arnold.
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Oh yeah. Great. So now I don't have a reason for disliking Arnold. :)
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Haha, don't worry, I don't think you especially need a reason :P
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I love Sylvia and always have, but can't stand Arnold. Not much more to say than that. If I saw a sibset Sylvia and Arnold, I'd think "Why did the boy get the short end of the stick?"
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I did guess Arnold was going to be the least popular of the two! Together, they just bring to mind two little evacuees from WWII, at least for me, and I absolutely love that image.
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For me, Arnold sounds too comical to have a romantic image. Sylvia works, but Arnold is clunky and out-of-place. Also, it reminds me of this:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hey_Arnold!
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Haha, I do actually remember watching Hey Arnold! as a child, but I don't know if I was overly fond of it. It doesn't really spring to mind when I hear Arnold alone, though.
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I don't like Arnold; it's old, dorky, and not my style at all. I like Sylvia because it was my grandmother's name, but I would never use it if it wasn't.
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I don't think I would have ever grown to like either name if it hadn't been for my newly developed associations, so I guess I can't blame anyone else for not liking them much either. I especially didn't feel like Arnold would go down a treat, haha.
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Sylvia is kind of pretty.
Arnold, on the other hand, is not. It's not even charming in an old-man way the way a name like Donald might be.
Arnold and Sylvia don't make a darling sibset to my ear; they make a nice old couple in an RV park in Florida, on time for the Early Bird Special.
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QuoteRV park in Florida, on time for the Early Bird Special
I've no idea what any of that means. I'm not particularly surprised you dislike the names, though, but ne'er mind.
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She means they sound like the kind of old people in the US who buy an RV and drive around country after they're retired. I don't know if people do that much in UK, or what an RV would be called there. A caravan?

This message was edited 8/29/2014, 9:05 AM

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Ah, right. I don't know if a lot of people do that, specifically, but a lot of people definitely have caravans :P It just dawned on me what "Early Bird Special" means, too -- you'll both have to excuse me, I'm running on little sleep and not nearly enough coffee and tea.
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You're forgiven. ;)
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