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HelpRe: A very long list...
in reply to a message by Etoile
The names I pointed out are more common in the places I've lived, and there's about as much pretention attached to Imogen as there is to Caitlin or Chloe. ;)
Rhiannon in particular is just so dated to a certain generation for me, and all of the Rhiannons I have known have been lower middle class. I don't think that most people are aware of the roots of it here; the popularity is tied to the musical reference. That's popular culture for you.
I think many names sound pretentious with the right surname, but those names in and of themselves aren't universally considered pretentious.
I'm not American, so there you go. Fascinating how names appear differently around the globe. For instance, it always surprises me when people list Matilda as being upper-class or something, as some people have done here, when it is as common as dirt to me.
Rhiannon in particular is just so dated to a certain generation for me, and all of the Rhiannons I have known have been lower middle class. I don't think that most people are aware of the roots of it here; the popularity is tied to the musical reference. That's popular culture for you.
I think many names sound pretentious with the right surname, but those names in and of themselves aren't universally considered pretentious.
I'm not American, so there you go. Fascinating how names appear differently around the globe. For instance, it always surprises me when people list Matilda as being upper-class or something, as some people have done here, when it is as common as dirt to me.
This message was edited 2/20/2011, 6:58 PM
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It seems like it really is all about location and culture. Caitlin and Chloe may not be considered pretentious in the US, but Imogen, Rhiannon (I've never even heard the song, but that's probably because I'm 17 and not especially pop culture-savvy), and Matilda are seen as old-fashioned and thus pretentious here. I've never met anyone with any of those names (although I remember seeing a Rhiannon listed in a program for something at my school, but she had a surname that seemed to match so I didn't think anything of it), as they really aren't common here. It really is fascinating.
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