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[Opinions] Re: Symphorian
I was surprised to hear that you were the only person who has ever mentioned Symphorian on this board, because I distinctly recall mentioning it on here before. I came across it years ago through an etymologically related feminine name, after which I immediately fell in love with the name and made sure to add it to the Submitted Names database. I remember making a post about that at the time, and fortunately, after some digging I just managed to find it:https://www.behindthename.com/bb/baby/3806336 (also mentions Symphorian and other related names)It seems that when one selects "All Messages" in the search function of this board, it will only display all messages from 2018 and not any further than that. Perhaps we should contact Mike about that, because a lot of posts from before this year aren't even in the deep archive yet and thus should have appeared in the search results.Anyway, it's really good to see another person who has a soft spot for Symphorian! :D I agree with you that the name works best as a middle name. In all these years that it's been one of my favourites, I could only momentarily imagine it as a first name. In the sense of: it looks really beautiful on paper, but it won't work that well in daily life, because the look and flow of the name is a bit too off for quick and casual everyday use. It's just... not quite intuitive enough? As a result, I tend to feel that it's best suited for the middle name slot, but then another problem pops up: it seems hard to make any good combos with Symphorian, at least with the type of names that I like (which are legitimate names that are similarly rare and old-fashioned). I guess that's perhaps a hint that it's not meant to be... but still, I'm not quite ready to let go of this darling. :3Also, it sucks that your husband is having doubts about the name! :( It's sophisticated and a legitimate name that is so rare that it's unique by today's standards (which should be good, because uniqueness is important these days)... plus it would be in the middle name slot... what's not to love? I hope he'll end up changing his mind again, heh. ;) *crosses fingers*As for nicknames: I personally don't like Sim and Sym, because they are too insubstantial in my opinion. I've thought of Simbo and Simmo, but the former is too reminiscent of Simba and the latter makes me think of the word ammo (as in, ammunition). Fortunately, there's one other alternative that I was able to think up: Simjan (the 'j' is pronounced like the 'y' in you). I like the Slavic feel of it, even though I miss the 'o', because that is such an important part of the sound of Symphorian. But other than that, I can't think of any nice nicknames... which again makes me conclude that it's better to use the name as a middle name. I wonder how all those Symphoriens in France and French-speaking African countries are going through life, though... perhaps nicknames aren't as much of a big deal in the francophone world and consequently it's easier to use long names like Symphorien in daily life there? Who knows. :)

"It is no measure of health to be well-adjusted to a profoundly sick society." ~ Jiddu Krishnamurti (1895-1986)
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