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HelpMagnolia Corvina Betancourt Jordan: seeking feedback on this name.
What is the overall impression you get when you hear this name?
This message was edited 10/30/2024, 7:45 PM
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I love Magnolia! I would immediately assume this character is a member of nobility and that’s why she has so many names.
Thank you. :) Four names doesn't necessarily equate to nobility, though. Lots of people have middle names, and some women use both their maiden name and their married name. They might be even more likely to do so if they are married to another woman, as Magnolia is. This is the name that would appear on Magnolia's driver's license, not the one she would use in everyday conversation.
It's the norm in Latin America to have two surnames, so that's probably meant to show her heritage; but it does stand out to me that one name has "court" in it (is that supposed evoke nobility?), and the other (Jordan) doesn't seem particularly Hispanic...I guess they're meant to seem ambiguous, though.
eta: oops, nvm, OP said one is her married name
eta: oops, nvm, OP said one is her married name
This message was edited 11/1/2024, 11:41 AM
No, surnames containing "court" don't necessarily evoke nobility. And according to the baby names website, Betancourt was one of the surnames that spread from the Canary Islands (a territory of Spain) throughout some Latin American countries. Actually, it's another spelling of Bettincourt, named for a French city, which then spread to Portugal, then the Canary Islands, then Latin America.
Yeah, I just meant that if I'm analyzing a character name, it's something I notice as a potentially suggestive word type association, especially since in an English context, I see why multiple surnames could come across as aristocratic (though less so if she's not using both).
Betancourt actually reminds me of Barbancourt if anything. It's a rum (named after a surname) made in Haiti. So I get an ambiguous French/Spanish/Caribbean type vibe from it.
Betancourt actually reminds me of Barbancourt if anything. It's a rum (named after a surname) made in Haiti. So I get an ambiguous French/Spanish/Caribbean type vibe from it.
This message was edited 11/1/2024, 9:13 PM
Well, she's got one grandparent from Cuba and another from the French territory of Guadeloupe, so in her case, the vibe you get isn't far off at all!
Someone trying way too hard to sound impressive and ending up with something as heavy and overfilled as a novelty doughnut at a state fair.
Evil vampire in a YA romantasy novel
It has a very young vibe; by that I mean the author, not the named character. IRL, I wouldn't expect to encounter it at all. Corvina is particularly unlikely.
. . . or, maybe a middle-aged author who hasn't read much of the kind of "romantasy" that is published these days, and isn't very knowledgeable about which overdone stereotypes she needs to avoid stumbling into, lol!
I also have a very unusual first name--like I'm only aware of two other people who have ever had it--so possibly it's hard for me to cast a judgement on a fictional name based on how likely I would be to hear it in real life.
I also have a very unusual first name--like I'm only aware of two other people who have ever had it--so possibly it's hard for me to cast a judgement on a fictional name based on how likely I would be to hear it in real life.
That’s been made up by a tween who reads too much Harry Potter.
The name is too long. Is that two middle names or two last names?
What if I took off the "Jordan"?
I think that would be better. I do like Magnolia. Not as crazy about Corvina. I would prefer a middle name that doesn't also end with an A.
I want to go for a name that suggests a combination of a Southern US and Latin American cultural background with a Goth twist.
What about Magnolia Lilith Betancourt? Lilith as in the one who refused to submit to Adam and was kicked out of the Garden of Eden as a result.
Or Magnolia Branwen Betancourt? I know, two initial B sounds in a row, but Branwen means "white raven" in Old Welch.
What about Magnolia Lilith Betancourt? Lilith as in the one who refused to submit to Adam and was kicked out of the Garden of Eden as a result.
Or Magnolia Branwen Betancourt? I know, two initial B sounds in a row, but Branwen means "white raven" in Old Welch.
Lilith was the demon night monster. I'm not a huge fan of Lilith. What about Lillian? I also don't like the two B's in a row with Branwen.
Magnolia Lillian Betancourt
Magnolia Elizabeth Betancourt
Magnolia Rhoswen Betancourt
Magnolia Gwenyth Betancourt
Magnolia Colette Betancourt
Magnolia Cerese Betancourt
Magnolia Pauline Betancourt
Magnolia Loren Betancourt
Magnolia Susan Betancourt
Magnolia Suzette Betancourt
Magnolia Dolores Betancourt
Magnolia Elyse Betancourt
Magnolia Jeanette Betancourt
Magnolia Annette Betancourt
Magnolia Anneliese Betancourt
Magnolia Georgette Betancourt
Magnolia Lynette Betancourt
Magnolia Francine Betancourt
As you can see, I don't like middle names that end with an A, because Magnolia ends with an A.
Magnolia Lillian Betancourt
Magnolia Elizabeth Betancourt
Magnolia Rhoswen Betancourt
Magnolia Gwenyth Betancourt
Magnolia Colette Betancourt
Magnolia Cerese Betancourt
Magnolia Pauline Betancourt
Magnolia Loren Betancourt
Magnolia Susan Betancourt
Magnolia Suzette Betancourt
Magnolia Dolores Betancourt
Magnolia Elyse Betancourt
Magnolia Jeanette Betancourt
Magnolia Annette Betancourt
Magnolia Anneliese Betancourt
Magnolia Georgette Betancourt
Magnolia Lynette Betancourt
Magnolia Francine Betancourt
As you can see, I don't like middle names that end with an A, because Magnolia ends with an A.
Thanks for those suggestions.
After having also broached this question in another community as well as this one, and also searched this website for short, more common names to use as a middle name, I've settled on three of them--and interestingly, one of them is Gwenn, the short form of one of your suggestions.
The other two that I'm considering are Rose or Claire.
After having also broached this question in another community as well as this one, and also searched this website for short, more common names to use as a middle name, I've settled on three of them--and interestingly, one of them is Gwenn, the short form of one of your suggestions.
The other two that I'm considering are Rose or Claire.
Magnolia Lilith screams "demonic Southerner" if that's what you're going for...sometimes obvious names work fine for characters (I'm thinking of Scarlett O'Hara, Remus Lupin, Morticia Addams), but sometimes it's distracting; it depends on the story.
I wouldn't be shocked if there were a few real life young people named Magnolia Lilith, but I'd expect them to be about 10 and not goth, though their parents might have been goth.
I wouldn't be shocked if there were a few real life young people named Magnolia Lilith, but I'd expect them to be about 10 and not goth, though their parents might have been goth.
This message was edited 11/1/2024, 11:29 AM
Lol!
After discussing this both here and in another community, I'm coming to the conclusion that Magnolia Lilith might be a little much for an older Millennial woman to have been given at birth. I was looking for something that would reflect her Goth interests--she would have been more explicitly Goth as a teenager in the nineties, but would still carry the Goth spirit on some level--but still be believable for her Boomer parents to have given her. Both Magnolia and Lilith would have been in use well before her time, so I thought at first that that was enough to make it believable. Especially if I made her parents proto-Goths of sorts--fans of Edgar Allen Poe and Mary Shelley and the Bronte sisters.
At this point I'm leaning more toward Magnolia Gwen, Magnolia Claire, or Magnolia Rose (especially since her mother is an ethnobotanist). Maybe even Magnolia Lee. If her parents liked Edgar Allen Poe, they would have seen the latter as a good reference to Annabelle Lee, the poem. And in present day, she would get a kick out of just happening to have the same middle name as Amy Lee's last name--yet that would still be a believable coincidence.
Anyway, the reason I was laughing was because I feel like she would appreciate being called a "demonic Southerner" regardless of what middle name I pick for her. She's just eccentric enough to turn away the stereotype of Southerners that are overly worried about what the neighbors would think, and she's proud of it.
After discussing this both here and in another community, I'm coming to the conclusion that Magnolia Lilith might be a little much for an older Millennial woman to have been given at birth. I was looking for something that would reflect her Goth interests--she would have been more explicitly Goth as a teenager in the nineties, but would still carry the Goth spirit on some level--but still be believable for her Boomer parents to have given her. Both Magnolia and Lilith would have been in use well before her time, so I thought at first that that was enough to make it believable. Especially if I made her parents proto-Goths of sorts--fans of Edgar Allen Poe and Mary Shelley and the Bronte sisters.
At this point I'm leaning more toward Magnolia Gwen, Magnolia Claire, or Magnolia Rose (especially since her mother is an ethnobotanist). Maybe even Magnolia Lee. If her parents liked Edgar Allen Poe, they would have seen the latter as a good reference to Annabelle Lee, the poem. And in present day, she would get a kick out of just happening to have the same middle name as Amy Lee's last name--yet that would still be a believable coincidence.
Anyway, the reason I was laughing was because I feel like she would appreciate being called a "demonic Southerner" regardless of what middle name I pick for her. She's just eccentric enough to turn away the stereotype of Southerners that are overly worried about what the neighbors would think, and she's proud of it.
I like Claire and Gwen as MNs.
Lee is so common in the South as a MN that if someone claimed they were named it after Annabel Lee, I wouldn't believe them. Annabel - that spelling - sure maybe that'd be after the poem.
How about Ulalume or Lenore as a Poe reference (Lenore being more likely, Ulalume being more eccentric).
Magnolia was in use but would have been old-fashioned in the 80s. I've wondered before if it had a negative connotation during the Civil Rights era, since it's iconic Old South (I think of the song "Strange Fruit" which mentions magnolias). It probably wouldn't matter to readers now (mostly seems like a popular name for babies - clunky but I don't dislike it) and works if you want a slightly dark and less common flower name but still, idk. fyi. Another rare flower option could be Gardenia maybe; I know a millennial who was named that, and it also happened to be semi-popular in Brazil so is kinda multicultural.
Lee is so common in the South as a MN that if someone claimed they were named it after Annabel Lee, I wouldn't believe them. Annabel - that spelling - sure maybe that'd be after the poem.
How about Ulalume or Lenore as a Poe reference (Lenore being more likely, Ulalume being more eccentric).
Magnolia was in use but would have been old-fashioned in the 80s. I've wondered before if it had a negative connotation during the Civil Rights era, since it's iconic Old South (I think of the song "Strange Fruit" which mentions magnolias). It probably wouldn't matter to readers now (mostly seems like a popular name for babies - clunky but I don't dislike it) and works if you want a slightly dark and less common flower name but still, idk. fyi. Another rare flower option could be Gardenia maybe; I know a millennial who was named that, and it also happened to be semi-popular in Brazil so is kinda multicultural.
This message was edited 11/1/2024, 5:30 PM
Thanks for that feedback.
Your point about the middle name Lee is definitely worthy of consideration. Maybe I'll just stick with Rose, Claire, or Gwen. I don't think the name needs a Poe reference that badly, and people in the other community have been pointing out that part of the reason why they found the name "too much" and like a fan-fiction stereotype was the combination of a long, unusual first name and a long, unusual middle name. So I feel like it would be better to keep the middle name shorter and more common. I feel like I've got enough "darkness" for a non-self-chosen name for a Millennial as it is.
You also make a good point about the connotation Magnolia could have potentially had during the civil rights era. Magnolia is a multi-racial character. I don't know if possibly her parents would feel like they were "reclaiming" such an Old South name--like "It's our South too, dammit!" Gardenia does sound like it would be a good substitute should I decide to not go with Magnolia after all. Or, I just thought about Calla, as in the flower calla lily--but the thing about Calla is that it's been done. It's already been used in the novella I Lock My Door Upon Myself.
It doesn't surprise me that Magnolia has become popular for babies nowadays. A lot of previously old-fashioned names seem to be coming back. There's a little girl at my church named Magnolia. And when I've typed it in Facebook comments, a whole string of Magnolias pop up.
Your point about the middle name Lee is definitely worthy of consideration. Maybe I'll just stick with Rose, Claire, or Gwen. I don't think the name needs a Poe reference that badly, and people in the other community have been pointing out that part of the reason why they found the name "too much" and like a fan-fiction stereotype was the combination of a long, unusual first name and a long, unusual middle name. So I feel like it would be better to keep the middle name shorter and more common. I feel like I've got enough "darkness" for a non-self-chosen name for a Millennial as it is.
You also make a good point about the connotation Magnolia could have potentially had during the civil rights era. Magnolia is a multi-racial character. I don't know if possibly her parents would feel like they were "reclaiming" such an Old South name--like "It's our South too, dammit!" Gardenia does sound like it would be a good substitute should I decide to not go with Magnolia after all. Or, I just thought about Calla, as in the flower calla lily--but the thing about Calla is that it's been done. It's already been used in the novella I Lock My Door Upon Myself.
It doesn't surprise me that Magnolia has become popular for babies nowadays. A lot of previously old-fashioned names seem to be coming back. There's a little girl at my church named Magnolia. And when I've typed it in Facebook comments, a whole string of Magnolias pop up.
Two last names. I was just using her married name as well as her maiden name. Maiden name is first.