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HelpAre Roman names pretentious?
I got into an argument with this girl Michele abour Roman names.
We were talking about names with Lisa, a friend who is pregnant. I suggested that Claudia was a nice name, and Lisa agreed. But Michele opened her mouth and said that Claudia was a Roman name. Michele then added that Roman names are pretentious and that only snobbish people and hipsters use them.
I find this especially ridiculous since Michele is half-Colombian (on her dad's side; her mom is white non-Hispanic), and a lot of Spanish names come from ancient Rome. And most Claudias I know are Hispanic (one is even Colombian). I even told her Julia is an ancient Roman name, which she seemed to be oblivious to.
So, do you think names of Roman origin are pretentious?
We were talking about names with Lisa, a friend who is pregnant. I suggested that Claudia was a nice name, and Lisa agreed. But Michele opened her mouth and said that Claudia was a Roman name. Michele then added that Roman names are pretentious and that only snobbish people and hipsters use them.
I find this especially ridiculous since Michele is half-Colombian (on her dad's side; her mom is white non-Hispanic), and a lot of Spanish names come from ancient Rome. And most Claudias I know are Hispanic (one is even Colombian). I even told her Julia is an ancient Roman name, which she seemed to be oblivious to.
So, do you think names of Roman origin are pretentious?
This message was edited 6/25/2012, 6:43 PM
Archived Thread - replies disabled
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Replies
I like pretentious sounding names. :-D
Romans are just alright with me (sung to the sound of the Doobie Brothers)
Romans are just alright with me (sung to the sound of the Doobie Brothers)
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No, not at all. I just don't like Claudia, mainly because of the meaning. I do like Livia, Flavia, Aurelia and many others.
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They're no more pretentious than any other names. Then again, it's all in the mind of the beholder. I used to frequent another name site for many years. One of our regulars was from Peru and was really nice until the name Miranda was discussed. She hated it because it was the surname of people she knew who were in a different social class than herself. Her nanny was named Miranda, the butcher was named Miranda, etc. You get the point. It sounded elitist, but that was her truth even though I totally disagreed because I love the name Miranda.
I'll admit that I sort of cringe when I hear Maximus or Julius yet I never think the parents are pretentious.
I'll admit that I sort of cringe when I hear Maximus or Julius yet I never think the parents are pretentious.
This message was edited 6/26/2012, 8:22 AM
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I think some of the longer ones sound pretentious, but to say ALL Roman names sound that way is ridiculous. There are a TON of Roman names, and some of them are quite common.
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No -
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I really don't think that all Roman names sound pretentious. As a matter of fact I can't really think of any that fit into that category. I can think of a few that I wouldn't use. But I can also think of a few that I would (i.e Maximus). I don't feel it's pretentious. Names aren't really pretentious...people are. If someone names their child something in an effort to be excessive that would be pretentious...but it's not the name...it's the person.
This message was edited 6/26/2012, 5:57 AM
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I think if it's obviously Roman, it could be. Claudia and Julia, even though are originally Roman, have been in use a lot since then, so are now seen as common names. Male names seem more prone to being pretentious because the -us ending is a dead give away that it's from Rome.
probably not usable
Julius- we have another thread about this name and forms of it
Lucius- HP didn't help it
Decima- seems more like a math term than a name imo
Roman but usable
Marcus- I went to school with one
Julia
Claudia
Priscilla
Cesar
probably not usable
Julius- we have another thread about this name and forms of it
Lucius- HP didn't help it
Decima- seems more like a math term than a name imo
Roman but usable
Marcus- I went to school with one
Julia
Claudia
Priscilla
Cesar
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I would be careful about making broad generalizations about any type of name. Maybe some Roman names are pretentious while others are not. It sounds like your friend Michele is a bit judgmental. I agree her assessment is a bit ridiculous.
I can't even rattle off many Roman names as examples. But I think Diana is a Roman name, from Roman mythology, and I don't find it pretentious. I can see how others might feel Julius is pretentious (or hipster) but I rather like Julius. Note, I actually like hipster names.
At the end of the day, it doesn't really matter what Michele or you think about possible names for Lisa's baby. Lisa may like your name suggestion, Claudia, but that won't guarantee she'll use it. If she decides not the use Claudia, it's unlikely her decision will have anything to do with Michele's opinion. She's the pregnant one, and the name decision rests squarely on her (and perhaps the dad).
I can't even rattle off many Roman names as examples. But I think Diana is a Roman name, from Roman mythology, and I don't find it pretentious. I can see how others might feel Julius is pretentious (or hipster) but I rather like Julius. Note, I actually like hipster names.
At the end of the day, it doesn't really matter what Michele or you think about possible names for Lisa's baby. Lisa may like your name suggestion, Claudia, but that won't guarantee she'll use it. If she decides not the use Claudia, it's unlikely her decision will have anything to do with Michele's opinion. She's the pregnant one, and the name decision rests squarely on her (and perhaps the dad).
This message was edited 6/26/2012, 4:06 AM
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I don't find them all that pretentious. Julius is similar to Julian, Aurelia is similar to the growing popular Aurora (also Roman) and Augustus is an extension of August.
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Nah. Only the ones ending in -us. Like Julius, Augustus, Cassius, etc.
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This.
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Haha, no, not in general. Some of the longer ones that are fashionable might be. Augustus, Octavia, Cecilia, Severus, Livia, Titus, Seneca, Valeria, Aurelia, Flavia, Drusilla, Cornelius ... they might be hipsterish, sure. But it's not because they are Roman. It might be because they sound so noticeably Roman, but names that are "fresh" and sound distinctly anything that refers to things learned in a book, can be hipsterish.
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I see "pretentious" used often on the board, and I'd like a definition of it. Of course, I can go find the dictionary definition, but I don't think that would help me figure out what people mean when they use it to refer to a name. I really can't figure it out. I can't figure out what people are supposed to be "pretending" when they use certain names. I don't think---I'm not a hundred percent sure, but I don't think---that I've ever used it to describe a name. I don't really understand what it means.
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It means trying to look better/smarter/more sophisticated than you actually are.
Mind you, "to know your ignorance is part of knowledge." So the person perhaps wouldn't know they were 'pretending'. It would be for someone else, who thinks they're smarter, to define the person as pretentious. Are there any names that you think only dumber people would use? Not teenage mom/kre8tive ones, but ones that you think a dumber person would be fooled into thinking is super unique and classy, even though you, with your greater wisdom, have come to realise is not so? It also depends what you think of the individual person. If someone who I thought was dumb used Clementine, I'd say "How pretentious," but if someone I really liked used it, I'd say "Beautiful name."
Mind you, "to know your ignorance is part of knowledge." So the person perhaps wouldn't know they were 'pretending'. It would be for someone else, who thinks they're smarter, to define the person as pretentious. Are there any names that you think only dumber people would use? Not teenage mom/kre8tive ones, but ones that you think a dumber person would be fooled into thinking is super unique and classy, even though you, with your greater wisdom, have come to realise is not so? It also depends what you think of the individual person. If someone who I thought was dumb used Clementine, I'd say "How pretentious," but if someone I really liked used it, I'd say "Beautiful name."
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I think pretentious is when names have certain associations that make them seem to strongly reflect certain values - like being classy, rich, hip, creative, educated, worldly, politically correct, etc. Not that the namers are actually trying hard to appear that way, but just that it seems likely that it's important to them that they believe they are that way (or they are gratified by thinking their kid could be).
Of course it's all in the eye of the beholder. But I think sometimes, if people perceive a name as pretentious, there's often something more to the impression than just the beholder's insecurities. Then, sometimes maybe there isn't.
I try to keep from using the word "pretentious" except in cases where the name has such a strong association that it seems to deliberately invoke an image of wealth or social standing or education. Like "name dropping" names. Usually surname names. Spencer, Chase, Astor, Bentley, Whitney, Carrington, Raleigh, Cohen, Callaway, Kennedy, Flannery, Harper, Windsor ... I used it more liberally here because the OP did.
Of course it's all in the eye of the beholder. But I think sometimes, if people perceive a name as pretentious, there's often something more to the impression than just the beholder's insecurities. Then, sometimes maybe there isn't.
I try to keep from using the word "pretentious" except in cases where the name has such a strong association that it seems to deliberately invoke an image of wealth or social standing or education. Like "name dropping" names. Usually surname names. Spencer, Chase, Astor, Bentley, Whitney, Carrington, Raleigh, Cohen, Callaway, Kennedy, Flannery, Harper, Windsor ... I used it more liberally here because the OP did.
This message was edited 6/25/2012, 8:53 PM
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I feel "pretentious" is just some buzzword, something thrown around to question authenticity of say, someone's taste in names, without real scrutiny. Calling someone a "try-hard" without addressing why. And maybe they are being "pretentious" for whatever reason, or maybe it's just you.
My definition sounds pretentious...
My definition sounds pretentious...
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Nope... not unless it's Maximinus Julius Caesar ( put last name here ), the Fourth.
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No, I don't think Roman names are pretentious. And it's ludicrous to ever say that "only" this or that type of people use any type of name.
My daughter's name is Victoria, which is an ancient Roman name. I'm far from snobbish and I sure don't think that I'm a hipster. It might help if I knew exactly what a hipster is, but I really don't think that I am one.
It was okay for your friend to say that Roman names are pretentious, though, because that's her opinion. There's no objective truth to it. There is no objective truth to any opinion. In a recent thread, several people said that Atticus is pretentious. I don't find it so. I love it. So they think it is, I think it isn't, and since there's no objective truth, it's not worth arguing about.
But it wasn't okay for her to say that only snobbish people and hipsters use Roman names, because that, if true, would be a fact, and it's not true and she shouldn't erroneously state something as a fact.
My daughter's name is Victoria, which is an ancient Roman name. I'm far from snobbish and I sure don't think that I'm a hipster. It might help if I knew exactly what a hipster is, but I really don't think that I am one.
It was okay for your friend to say that Roman names are pretentious, though, because that's her opinion. There's no objective truth to it. There is no objective truth to any opinion. In a recent thread, several people said that Atticus is pretentious. I don't find it so. I love it. So they think it is, I think it isn't, and since there's no objective truth, it's not worth arguing about.
But it wasn't okay for her to say that only snobbish people and hipsters use Roman names, because that, if true, would be a fact, and it's not true and she shouldn't erroneously state something as a fact.
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No and I agree with everything queenv said
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