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Help[Opinions] Re: Magnolia Corvina Betancourt Jordan: seeking feedback on this name.
in reply to a message by Messalyle
I like Claire and Gwen as MNs.
Lee is so common in the South as a MN that if someone claimed they were named it after Annabel Lee, I wouldn't believe them. Annabel - that spelling - sure maybe that'd be after the poem.
How about Ulalume or Lenore as a Poe reference (Lenore being more likely, Ulalume being more eccentric).
Magnolia was in use but would have been old-fashioned in the 80s. I've wondered before if it had a negative connotation during the Civil Rights era, since it's iconic Old South (I think of the song "Strange Fruit" which mentions magnolias). It probably wouldn't matter to readers now (mostly seems like a popular name for babies - clunky but I don't dislike it) and works if you want a slightly dark and less common flower name but still, idk. fyi. Another rare flower option could be Gardenia maybe; I know a millennial who was named that, and it also happened to be semi-popular in Brazil so is kinda multicultural.
Lee is so common in the South as a MN that if someone claimed they were named it after Annabel Lee, I wouldn't believe them. Annabel - that spelling - sure maybe that'd be after the poem.
How about Ulalume or Lenore as a Poe reference (Lenore being more likely, Ulalume being more eccentric).
Magnolia was in use but would have been old-fashioned in the 80s. I've wondered before if it had a negative connotation during the Civil Rights era, since it's iconic Old South (I think of the song "Strange Fruit" which mentions magnolias). It probably wouldn't matter to readers now (mostly seems like a popular name for babies - clunky but I don't dislike it) and works if you want a slightly dark and less common flower name but still, idk. fyi. Another rare flower option could be Gardenia maybe; I know a millennial who was named that, and it also happened to be semi-popular in Brazil so is kinda multicultural.
This message was edited 11/1/2024, 5:30 PM
Replies
Thanks for that feedback.
Your point about the middle name Lee is definitely worthy of consideration. Maybe I'll just stick with Rose, Claire, or Gwen. I don't think the name needs a Poe reference that badly, and people in the other community have been pointing out that part of the reason why they found the name "too much" and like a fan-fiction stereotype was the combination of a long, unusual first name and a long, unusual middle name. So I feel like it would be better to keep the middle name shorter and more common. I feel like I've got enough "darkness" for a non-self-chosen name for a Millennial as it is.
You also make a good point about the connotation Magnolia could have potentially had during the civil rights era. Magnolia is a multi-racial character. I don't know if possibly her parents would feel like they were "reclaiming" such an Old South name--like "It's our South too, dammit!" Gardenia does sound like it would be a good substitute should I decide to not go with Magnolia after all. Or, I just thought about Calla, as in the flower calla lily--but the thing about Calla is that it's been done. It's already been used in the novella I Lock My Door Upon Myself.
It doesn't surprise me that Magnolia has become popular for babies nowadays. A lot of previously old-fashioned names seem to be coming back. There's a little girl at my church named Magnolia. And when I've typed it in Facebook comments, a whole string of Magnolias pop up.
Your point about the middle name Lee is definitely worthy of consideration. Maybe I'll just stick with Rose, Claire, or Gwen. I don't think the name needs a Poe reference that badly, and people in the other community have been pointing out that part of the reason why they found the name "too much" and like a fan-fiction stereotype was the combination of a long, unusual first name and a long, unusual middle name. So I feel like it would be better to keep the middle name shorter and more common. I feel like I've got enough "darkness" for a non-self-chosen name for a Millennial as it is.
You also make a good point about the connotation Magnolia could have potentially had during the civil rights era. Magnolia is a multi-racial character. I don't know if possibly her parents would feel like they were "reclaiming" such an Old South name--like "It's our South too, dammit!" Gardenia does sound like it would be a good substitute should I decide to not go with Magnolia after all. Or, I just thought about Calla, as in the flower calla lily--but the thing about Calla is that it's been done. It's already been used in the novella I Lock My Door Upon Myself.
It doesn't surprise me that Magnolia has become popular for babies nowadays. A lot of previously old-fashioned names seem to be coming back. There's a little girl at my church named Magnolia. And when I've typed it in Facebook comments, a whole string of Magnolias pop up.