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Hello!
I have what is probably a very stupid problem. We live in a more rural community in western Pennsylvania, USA. My husband loves names that feel "firm, strong, manly", often German names while I tend to like names that are old fashioned but feel fresh and modern and Gaelic names. My issue is that I generally enjoy the sounds of names he likes but I fear that they are not usable here.
When I sit and think about that I realize it is dumb because if all the "tiktok moms" can make up crazy names like Haizleigh and use unappealing words like Riot as names why can't I use Klaus?
Am I being unrealistic? I feel like I should be able to let this go but I always feel like I will be burdening my son if he has a name that is very different sounding than most in the area (even though I don't want his name to be trendy either).
Talk some sense into me.
This poll has 10 if our favorite:
https://www.behindthename.com/polls/382977
Not on the poll are Pierce ans Isaac, my favorite that I don't think I can talk hubby into.
I have what is probably a very stupid problem. We live in a more rural community in western Pennsylvania, USA. My husband loves names that feel "firm, strong, manly", often German names while I tend to like names that are old fashioned but feel fresh and modern and Gaelic names. My issue is that I generally enjoy the sounds of names he likes but I fear that they are not usable here.
When I sit and think about that I realize it is dumb because if all the "tiktok moms" can make up crazy names like Haizleigh and use unappealing words like Riot as names why can't I use Klaus?
Am I being unrealistic? I feel like I should be able to let this go but I always feel like I will be burdening my son if he has a name that is very different sounding than most in the area (even though I don't want his name to be trendy either).
Talk some sense into me.
This poll has 10 if our favorite:
https://www.behindthename.com/polls/382977
Not on the poll are Pierce ans Isaac, my favorite that I don't think I can talk hubby into.
Archived Thread - replies disabled
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Replies
Some seem more usable than others, to me. In the US, I mean.
Klaus is rare in the US, so seems ultra German, and therefore "foreign" - sort of like François or Vladimir, maybe a bit less so. It's partly the pronunciation of Klaus being so different from how those letters would be said in English. It's slightly "difficult" for Americans. So a name like Klaus vaguely suggests recent immigration, or American Germanophilia.
But it's usable!
Otto, Dietrich, Henrik seem less "foreign" - more familiar, easier to say for Americans - and so they're even more usable imo. They sound more potentially American, I guess.
IIWY I'd consider - how quickly would people accept Klaus if it belonged to a boy whose family came from Europe and often spoke German at home.
Would they accept it as easily as they'd accept, say, Cillian on a kid whose family was recently from Ireland? Or Arjun on a kid whose family came from India?
If they would accept it, then there is no *real* difference in usability between Klaus and any other "foreign" name. Because - for most interactions the kid will face - Americans don't know how "American" his family is. But they do know that it's none of their business.
If they wouldn't accept it as easily just because it's not as fashionable ... and that could be the case ...
then you just have the same problem as someone who is considering naming their son Mervin or Hubert. Liking unfashionable names.
I think it's legit to care that your kid's name doesn't sound stodgy or ugly to his peers.
Klaus is rare in the US, so seems ultra German, and therefore "foreign" - sort of like François or Vladimir, maybe a bit less so. It's partly the pronunciation of Klaus being so different from how those letters would be said in English. It's slightly "difficult" for Americans. So a name like Klaus vaguely suggests recent immigration, or American Germanophilia.
But it's usable!
Otto, Dietrich, Henrik seem less "foreign" - more familiar, easier to say for Americans - and so they're even more usable imo. They sound more potentially American, I guess.
IIWY I'd consider - how quickly would people accept Klaus if it belonged to a boy whose family came from Europe and often spoke German at home.
Would they accept it as easily as they'd accept, say, Cillian on a kid whose family was recently from Ireland? Or Arjun on a kid whose family came from India?
If they would accept it, then there is no *real* difference in usability between Klaus and any other "foreign" name. Because - for most interactions the kid will face - Americans don't know how "American" his family is. But they do know that it's none of their business.
If they wouldn't accept it as easily just because it's not as fashionable ... and that could be the case ...
then you just have the same problem as someone who is considering naming their son Mervin or Hubert. Liking unfashionable names.
I think it's legit to care that your kid's name doesn't sound stodgy or ugly to his peers.
This message was edited 12/30/2022, 12:11 PM
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You can use Klaus. It's a name, and has been for centuries. I have no idea why Americans can happily put up with, as you say, Haizleigh and similar horrors but reject Klaus usw. Perhaps they don't! May I suggest that you ask some teachers of preschool children how they would respond to a list of names that you'd show them; not all of them German by any means. Then you'll at least have hard data to use.
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That's a good idea.
I just have heard local people make ridiculous comments to some college students that attend the University here and that's where I think my trepidation comes from.
I'm not from the area originally and I try not to judge myself but there is definitely a feeling of small mindedness and inability to accept anything that feels foreign. But again if you can accept the crazy spellings and word names 🤷♀️
I just have heard local people make ridiculous comments to some college students that attend the University here and that's where I think my trepidation comes from.
I'm not from the area originally and I try not to judge myself but there is definitely a feeling of small mindedness and inability to accept anything that feels foreign. But again if you can accept the crazy spellings and word names 🤷♀️
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If you are not from a certain culture and no one in your area uses those names, it could be awkward for a kid. People ask me a lot where my name is from and I can answer that it's from my culture. But what do you say if it's not??
But at the end of the day lots of things are a little awkward and your kid will survive either way. As long as he's not named Lagina lol
But at the end of the day lots of things are a little awkward and your kid will survive either way. As long as he's not named Lagina lol
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Lol Lagina made me goggle, I needed that. I know by no means are our names ridiculous or made up. And we both can claim cultural significance (him German, myself Irish & Scottish).
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