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I've really fallen in love with it. I used to like it before, now I like Anne nn Annie which is new because I used to dislike Annie. She'd only be called Annie sometimes, though.
What do you think? Too boring? I think it might be ready for a comeback because unlike Mary is has had a long, long break.
Ann or Anne? I used to prefer Ann but now I think Anne is nicer.
What do you think? Too boring? I think it might be ready for a comeback because unlike Mary is has had a long, long break.
Ann or Anne? I used to prefer Ann but now I think Anne is nicer.
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I only like the spelling Anne, I don't like the way Ann looks (seems incomplete) and I also have a negative-ish association with it from someone I went to school with. I also love Anne of Green Gables, so like the "Anne with an e" reference.
I love how simple but full of life it is. I would use it easily, although I have been favoring Annemarie for real life use. Annie as a nickname is okay, but not a huge fan. I prefer Nan- nicknames because I love the sentiment behind their etymology.
I only like the spelling Anne, I don't like the way Ann looks (seems incomplete) and I also have a negative-ish association with it from someone I went to school with. I also love Anne of Green Gables, so like the "Anne with an e" reference.
I love how simple but full of life it is. I would use it easily, although I have been favoring Annemarie for real life use. Annie as a nickname is okay, but not a huge fan. I prefer Nan- nicknames because I love the sentiment behind their etymology.
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I've always liked it a lot - no surprises there! Annie is OK, and there's no other possibility (given that Nancy has gone off on her own), but it's short and zippy enough to survive without a nn
I was thinking yesterday that naming a child Mary today would be a bold, conscious decision and could be very successful. I would put Anne and Mary together, agewise, at least where I live, especially as fns. They've both got a pleasingly retro air, but because they're so seldom used they also come across as spunky and feisty rather than production-line. Nothing boring about either.
And I do think Anne looks more finished than Manx-cat Ann, but then, I would.
I was thinking yesterday that naming a child Mary today would be a bold, conscious decision and could be very successful. I would put Anne and Mary together, agewise, at least where I live, especially as fns. They've both got a pleasingly retro air, but because they're so seldom used they also come across as spunky and feisty rather than production-line. Nothing boring about either.
And I do think Anne looks more finished than Manx-cat Ann, but then, I would.
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Hmmm I never really got why people think it's bold or interesting to name their kids John and Mary. Mary has been the number 1 name for decades and it's still extremely common. It's just out of the top 100 and even in the top 30 in some states. John is even more common right now. I just don't really get it. Anne has had its break but it still sounds a little dull to me, even though I like it. But Mary never even had a break. Not that I have anything against it but I don't see what's supposed to be fashionable about it. Maybe in 80 years.
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That's interesting! Because here in South Africa I don't know a single Mary under 60, and most of them are ... well over 60! Ann(e) is pretty much the same. Lots of Afrikaans and black Anna people of course, likewise Maria, but in the Anglophone community, not at all.
I'm only looking at fns here, that being what one mostly sees.
I'm only looking at fns here, that being what one mostly sees.
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But Anna hasn't really had a break.... the furthest it's been from the top 100 is at #106 all the way back in 1971. Not that Anne and Anna aren't different, but add Anna's popularity to Anne's popularity-as-a-middle-name and both come out pretty tired.
For me, I've been hearing Anne all my life because it's so many people MNs. But Mary... I've only ever actually met a handful of (at least under the age of 30) so to me it SOUNDS fresher... even if it's being used more as a FN.
For me, I've been hearing Anne all my life because it's so many people MNs. But Mary... I've only ever actually met a handful of (at least under the age of 30) so to me it SOUNDS fresher... even if it's being used more as a FN.
This message was edited 5/29/2012, 9:19 AM
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I just don't see how a name that was in the top 10 for 91 years (out of 131 years of data) can sound fresh. At all. There are more women named Mary in the US than with any other name. How is that fresh?
Anna was in the top 10 for only 40 years and it was from 1880-1920, so a long time ago. Also you need to look at how often a name is actually used. From 1880-1889 Mary (#1) was used 91,673 times and Anna (#2) only 38,159 times, a HUGE difference.
I think Anna is boring, too. Katherine and Elizabeth as well. But Anna has never been as common as Mary, it never even came close. It had a break, actually. It was hardly out of the top 100 but for almost 30 years it was near the bottom of it, which isn't that popular. Also, as I said, it has never been as overdone as Mary so I can see why parents still liked it.
I also think that Anne is boring, but not as boring as Mary. It has been used as a middle name quite a bit but that doesn't bother me. Middle names are hardly ever used and I know quite a few girls with Mary as their middle name as well.
Anna was in the top 10 for only 40 years and it was from 1880-1920, so a long time ago. Also you need to look at how often a name is actually used. From 1880-1889 Mary (#1) was used 91,673 times and Anna (#2) only 38,159 times, a HUGE difference.
I think Anna is boring, too. Katherine and Elizabeth as well. But Anna has never been as common as Mary, it never even came close. It had a break, actually. It was hardly out of the top 100 but for almost 30 years it was near the bottom of it, which isn't that popular. Also, as I said, it has never been as overdone as Mary so I can see why parents still liked it.
I also think that Anne is boring, but not as boring as Mary. It has been used as a middle name quite a bit but that doesn't bother me. Middle names are hardly ever used and I know quite a few girls with Mary as their middle name as well.
This message was edited 5/29/2012, 11:25 AM
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You said you couldn't understand how anyone could think naming their daughter Mary was fresh and I was simply explaining HOW such a thing could happen for an individual person... like I said I know VERY few young Marys but lots of young Annas... so TO ME Mary sounds fresh by comparison.
Mary has been much more popular throughout history but Anna has been very close for the past 20 years and MORE popular than Mary for the past 10ish.... So Anna feels more familiar (which is why a lot of people choose it over Mary) but to others that gives Mary more charm... at THIS POINT in our history -because Anna has been more popular throughout my lifetime- rooting for Mary FEELS like rooting for the underdog
Mary has been much more popular throughout history but Anna has been very close for the past 20 years and MORE popular than Mary for the past 10ish.... So Anna feels more familiar (which is why a lot of people choose it over Mary) but to others that gives Mary more charm... at THIS POINT in our history -because Anna has been more popular throughout my lifetime- rooting for Mary FEELS like rooting for the underdog
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGk09zcpW54
I wanted to test out posting a link, so I decided to test it out by posting this link, here in honor of the subject of this thread, and for the enjoyment of all those who like the name Anne\Ann.
I wanted to test out posting a link, so I decided to test it out by posting this link, here in honor of the subject of this thread, and for the enjoyment of all those who like the name Anne\Ann.
This message was edited 5/28/2012, 8:45 PM
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I know an Anne Cecilia! Beautiful combination, and a very good-looking woman: short, good figure, blue-eyed blonde ... her birth ln was one syllable, and her married name has two. Good flow in both cases.
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I don't really like it. I used to totally like the idea, and thought more people should use it as a first name, but then I met an Anne, and while there was nothing wrong with her, just hearing her name in class, I would think "oh wow Anne is just a syllable and not even an interesting one-syllable sound like Jane or anything."
I prefer the Anne spelling though.
I prefer the Anne spelling though.
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A beautiful name. I prefer the Anne spelling.
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Anne!
I agree. I think Anne is due for a comeback. It's regal, but simple. I don't love Annie, but it's an okay nickname. I like Anna for a nickname better. Definitely go with Anne, not Ann. I've always thought Ann looks like you're falling off the edge of a cliff at the end of it.
Anne is kind of "boring" in one sense, but less so than Mary and Sarah and Elizabeth, just because it's not often used for a first name, but a middle. That makes it more interesting.
Another option would be Annette (another that is poised for a revival), and call her Anne.
I agree. I think Anne is due for a comeback. It's regal, but simple. I don't love Annie, but it's an okay nickname. I like Anna for a nickname better. Definitely go with Anne, not Ann. I've always thought Ann looks like you're falling off the edge of a cliff at the end of it.
Anne is kind of "boring" in one sense, but less so than Mary and Sarah and Elizabeth, just because it's not often used for a first name, but a middle. That makes it more interesting.
Another option would be Annette (another that is poised for a revival), and call her Anne.
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It's dull and boring and doesn't even sound nice. I prefer the spelling Anne.
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I think the allure of Anne lies within the fact that too many people are choosing overstated, flashy names. Many people are experiencing a reaction to this commonality and are retreating to more plain, clean, simpler names. The same phenomenon appears to be happening in fashion as well, I have noticed. All of the flashy, overstated, garish items (i.e. planned obsolescence) are on sale, where the more understated, monochromatic, and neutral items are marked up. Fashion is about rebellion, and breaking away from the every day. What once made people stand out is no longer extraordinary if everyone had the same idea.
This message was edited 5/28/2012, 7:24 AM
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It's not that I can't appreciate a short, simple name. My tendency is to like long, flowery, girls' names, but I can appreciate some short, simple ones. My problem with Anne is the same one I have with Jane and Mary. They were so common for so long that they have absolutely no personality. They say nothing. To me, at least. Terminally dull for that reason.
Katherine and Elizabeth are in the same category as Mary, Jane, and Anne in that they, too, were so common as to become generic, yet I will often say I like Katherine and Elizabeth and I never say I like Mary, Jane, or Anne. I think it's because Katherine and Elizabeth are more visually and aurally interesting. Even so, I would never actually use Katherine or Elizabeth, because---along with Mary, Jane, and Anne--I would feel that I may as well be naming my kid "Hey You".
Katherine and Elizabeth are in the same category as Mary, Jane, and Anne in that they, too, were so common as to become generic, yet I will often say I like Katherine and Elizabeth and I never say I like Mary, Jane, or Anne. I think it's because Katherine and Elizabeth are more visually and aurally interesting. Even so, I would never actually use Katherine or Elizabeth, because---along with Mary, Jane, and Anne--I would feel that I may as well be naming my kid "Hey You".
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Too me, seeing an Anne, Katherine, Elizabeth, Mary, or Jane says "my parents made a good, classic choice." :)
I'm not criticizing your choice of Victoria, by the way, which is also a fine choice, though ultimately not Eighteenth Century enough to really ring my bell.
I'm not criticizing your choice of Victoria, by the way, which is also a fine choice, though ultimately not Eighteenth Century enough to really ring my bell.
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I agree - Well said. -
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It's my mother's name, but she spells it Ann. It's also my middle name, which makes a lot of people think my parents got lazy, but it's honoring and shit. So, yeah.
I think it's okay. If it were an ice cream flavor, it would be French vanilla; kind of boring and safe, but with just a tiny extra something to "save" it. I wouldn't use it myself, though.
I think it's okay. If it were an ice cream flavor, it would be French vanilla; kind of boring and safe, but with just a tiny extra something to "save" it. I wouldn't use it myself, though.
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