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HelpWDYTO Madoc?
At this point, we've narrowed the girls list down to a few names. The boys list on the other hand, we have hardly though of.
I have always liked Madoc (not Maddox) and was wondering what impressions you have on it and what mn's you would pair it with :)
I have always liked Madoc (not Maddox) and was wondering what impressions you have on it and what mn's you would pair it with :)
This message was edited 8/10/2010, 9:54 PM
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mad dog
Could see this as a teasing thing at school or from someone w/ lazy prn.
Could see this as a teasing thing at school or from someone w/ lazy prn.
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I do like Madoc. I wouldn't use it though because it has this "characters are named this, not real people" feel to it. Which is unusual for me, but I think maybe it could be cute if someone else used it. I think Mad makes an interesting nn.
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Madoc is alright. It's never really jumped out at me, but it does have a nice sound. And it's strong and somehow a bit rugged and refined at the same time. I think it would go really well with more traditional, solid names. Like William, Thomas, Michael, Henry, etc. Hmm, I think you just made me like Madoc!
This message was edited 8/11/2010, 3:50 AM
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I quite like it. It's short and crisp, it's unusual and yet has a good solid history, and it's not going to sound really dated in a few years - unlike Maddox, which I really don't like at all.
I'd probably put it with something fairly common like James or William, but Madoc Arthur, Madoc Jude and Madoc Hugh also sound good from your list.
I'd probably put it with something fairly common like James or William, but Madoc Arthur, Madoc Jude and Madoc Hugh also sound good from your list.
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One of the things that bugs me about Madeleine and Gabriel: they start with Mad and Gay respectively and this can't be helpful. Same with Madoc. Considered as a name with a historical context, I like it; but I wouldn't use it in real life.
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Gay used to mean happy.
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Meanings change. Consider a word like "silly". That's one reason why I don't get as exercised as many people here about the probable original meaning of Katharine, for instance ... enough people have been happy to believe that it means "pure" for it to have acquired that meaning. It's interesting to know the whole story, but it's not relevant to today's world unless one is a dedicated lover of etymologies.
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That would be interesting to learn though... (I'm a linguist)
Of course, gay does still technically mean happy... It's just also acquired a technical slang meaning as well.
Curious then... from a linguist's and etymologist's perspective... Since Jocelyn has taken on a different meaning in a hispanic folkculture context to what it originally was, does that mean the folkmeaning should also be considered valid in your opinion since that has been ascribed to it in a particular culture?
Of course, gay does still technically mean happy... It's just also acquired a technical slang meaning as well.
Curious then... from a linguist's and etymologist's perspective... Since Jocelyn has taken on a different meaning in a hispanic folkculture context to what it originally was, does that mean the folkmeaning should also be considered valid in your opinion since that has been ascribed to it in a particular culture?
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I think it's unlikely that people will use "gay" now unless they mean "homosexual", and I think it's a pity because the language has been diminished. There isn't an exact synonym for the "old" meaning of "gay". And we don't know exactly how old the slang meaning is, but we do know that now it's very powerful. Try singing the original version of "London Bridge is falling down" ... "with a gay lady" ... and see how people react. They won't assume she's cheerful!
I wish I knew what Jocelyn has become in Hispanic folk culture. But here in South Africa we just don't have a big enough Hispanic population ... a Portuguese community, yes, but I've never encountered Jocelyn in use among them.
I don't think it's possible to ignore a powerful belief (ascribed meaning) about a name. Whatever that meaning is, it's part of the meaning people experience when they hear or see that name. And it will change. When Shirley Temple was a child star, her name seemed appropriate for little girls, but now that they've all aged, it has changed its perceived meaning to "suitable for grandmothers". Nothing to do with bright clearings in a forest! That meaning still exists, but the folk meaning is more powerful.
Of course, you've got to say what your intentions are: if you focus on etymology, it wouldn't be appropriate to add in a more sociolinguistic perspective without making it clear that you know what you're doing.
I wish I knew what Jocelyn has become in Hispanic folk culture. But here in South Africa we just don't have a big enough Hispanic population ... a Portuguese community, yes, but I've never encountered Jocelyn in use among them.
I don't think it's possible to ignore a powerful belief (ascribed meaning) about a name. Whatever that meaning is, it's part of the meaning people experience when they hear or see that name. And it will change. When Shirley Temple was a child star, her name seemed appropriate for little girls, but now that they've all aged, it has changed its perceived meaning to "suitable for grandmothers". Nothing to do with bright clearings in a forest! That meaning still exists, but the folk meaning is more powerful.
Of course, you've got to say what your intentions are: if you focus on etymology, it wouldn't be appropriate to add in a more sociolinguistic perspective without making it clear that you know what you're doing.
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Sounds surnamish to me and I wouldn't use it as an fn on anyone.
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