Whitman
So...Walt Whitman is my favorite poet. "Song of Myself" changed my life in the middle of my angsty twenties and gave me a real appreciation for my body ("Not an inch nor a particle of an inch is vile, and none shall be less familiar than the rest"). I always liked the name Walt for a boy, but this summer at camp I had a boy named Whitman and thought it was very sweet. It was fun to say out loud and it's a little less old fashioned than "Walt". I also think "Whit" is a cute nickname. Thoughts on Whitman? I personally don't love the name meaning of "white man" but I do love the poet enough to overlook it. Different without being unheard of and an important namesake for me. I'm years away from having kids myself but I've been loving the name more and more lately. Also, my last name is Mustard. Any first name with the last name Mustard will be tricky...so I'm staying away from things like Honey, Colonel, or Dijon (haha) but is Whitman Mustard okay? Or is that too hard of a life? With a last name that's a condiment, should I stay strictly with old fashioned "John" or "William" names (or maybe Walter after all), or is something a little unique and original like Whitman alright?
Any opinions are welcome!
Thanks!
~Mustard
Any opinions are welcome!
Thanks!
~Mustard
Replies
I actually like this, mostly because of the nickname Whit, which is adorable. I'd say go for it. I think it's fine with Mustard too.
Never been that much of a fan of Walt/Walter, but Whitman is a bit more my style.
Never been that much of a fan of Walt/Walter, but Whitman is a bit more my style.
Prefer Whittaker and Whitney but Whitman is okay!
Definitely stick with Walter! There might not be a Whitman Mustard on the market now, but one never knows.
At one point there was a fizzy drink on the local market, something like Fanta I think, called Mirinda. Unfortunately for one family I know of, they'd just (a few months before) invented Mirinda as the name of their first daughter. Sheer bad luck of course, and the brand didn't last for that long, but one never knows.
At one point there was a fizzy drink on the local market, something like Fanta I think, called Mirinda. Unfortunately for one family I know of, they'd just (a few months before) invented Mirinda as the name of their first daughter. Sheer bad luck of course, and the brand didn't last for that long, but one never knows.
Walter is a wonderful name. Absolutely love it.
I do not like Whitman at all.
I do not like Whitman at all.
"Whitman" is a cute name that is on point for fashion in 2017. Whit is a cute nickname. It's great that it has deep personal meaning to you. I know a guy named William "Blake" Lastname who was not named after the poet.
I think Honey, Colonel, and Dijon are tasteful choices.
Edit: I prefer Walt (and Walter). I think Walt is a handsome nickname, and Walter is ahead of the fashion, where Whitman is already a common style.
I think Honey, Colonel, and Dijon are tasteful choices.
Edit: I prefer Walt (and Walter). I think Walt is a handsome nickname, and Walter is ahead of the fashion, where Whitman is already a common style.
This message was edited 12/4/2017, 9:46 PM
The meaning is definitely off-putting, although I doubt the meaning was originally meant to be racial (my guess is that the white refers to white hair or a fair complexion).
It seems to much like a last name, but decent. I think Whitman would be okay with Mustard.
I really like Walt Whitman too, but I don’t think his last name would really world as a first name. Walt/Walter is perfectly usable, I think, and it’s old-fashioned in a charming rather than “dated” way, at least to me.