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HelpRe: Names I've never understood the love for
in reply to a message by erb816
I like Gertrude - because of personal associations but also I think the sound is nice. It's just very Germanic? :)
I didn't like Olga until I was making combos here from someone else's list, and it seemed stately/elegant in some of them.
I used to be indifferent to Margaret, but I've been liking it lately. It's understated but substantial and has a unique sound nowadays.
I have the impression Sheila is stereotyped as new agey, but I'm not sure why. It mostly sounds soft and retro to me, a similar age to Rhonda.
Amanda I like because I had a dream about it related to the meaning. But before then, I didn't like it either.
Ashley was so trendy for millennials, but...it's fine. It's easy to say and a nature name, so that's nice...
I dislike Samantha, always have. It's the "antha" sound. And Sam is ok, but I don't like Sammy.
I went through a period of really disliking Grace because it seemed so overused - it seemed like all the annoying kids I met were called Grace or Jack. But I think I'm getting over that recently. I didn't always hate it.
Linda used to just sound boring to me, but as soon as I met a young one, it seemed magical and lovely.
"Dinah blow your horn" - putting that aside though (I could if I met one and had to use it), it doesn't seem terrible...although I still don't like it that much. I don't like the meaning or the bible story, and I prefer the sound of dee-nuh or die-anna.
Beulah I think is stereotyped as one of the ultimate "ugly old lady names" from the early 20th century (same group as Bertha). I think it can be nice though that it relates to music and that in some Christian traditions 'Beulah Land' is symbolic of heaven or bliss (although on the flipside, that could make it overly religious for some). It also reminds me of Rita Dove's poetry book 'Thomas and Beulah' which endears it to me a bit. There's the old radio/TV series called Beulah, too; in the US, Beulah and Dinah have both gotten flak similar to Jemima for being associated with mammy stereotypes...that doesn't stop me from liking Jemima or to a lesser extent Beulah, but people might hesitate to use them for that reason.
I used to dislike Jerry and Jeremy but now am just indifferent. I think I warmed up to the sounds in general - I like Gerald and Perry more now than I used to, for example.
I find Ian, Evelyn, Madison, and Martha very boring. Though I'd like Martha slightly more pronounced the German way.
I dislike Dylan; theoretically, the meaning and music/poetry connection is nice, but the vibe I get from it is that he's likely a tool. And I've heard it pronounced "die-lan" which I hate. I'm not a fan of Cooper or -er ending occupational names as a group either; they seem so bland.
Susan, Lucy, Benjamin, Oliver, Samuel, Daniel, Danielle, Asher - I don't love them but can easily see the appeal, and they don't annoy me.
I didn't like Olga until I was making combos here from someone else's list, and it seemed stately/elegant in some of them.
I used to be indifferent to Margaret, but I've been liking it lately. It's understated but substantial and has a unique sound nowadays.
I have the impression Sheila is stereotyped as new agey, but I'm not sure why. It mostly sounds soft and retro to me, a similar age to Rhonda.
Amanda I like because I had a dream about it related to the meaning. But before then, I didn't like it either.
Ashley was so trendy for millennials, but...it's fine. It's easy to say and a nature name, so that's nice...
I dislike Samantha, always have. It's the "antha" sound. And Sam is ok, but I don't like Sammy.
I went through a period of really disliking Grace because it seemed so overused - it seemed like all the annoying kids I met were called Grace or Jack. But I think I'm getting over that recently. I didn't always hate it.
Linda used to just sound boring to me, but as soon as I met a young one, it seemed magical and lovely.
"Dinah blow your horn" - putting that aside though (I could if I met one and had to use it), it doesn't seem terrible...although I still don't like it that much. I don't like the meaning or the bible story, and I prefer the sound of dee-nuh or die-anna.
Beulah I think is stereotyped as one of the ultimate "ugly old lady names" from the early 20th century (same group as Bertha). I think it can be nice though that it relates to music and that in some Christian traditions 'Beulah Land' is symbolic of heaven or bliss (although on the flipside, that could make it overly religious for some). It also reminds me of Rita Dove's poetry book 'Thomas and Beulah' which endears it to me a bit. There's the old radio/TV series called Beulah, too; in the US, Beulah and Dinah have both gotten flak similar to Jemima for being associated with mammy stereotypes...that doesn't stop me from liking Jemima or to a lesser extent Beulah, but people might hesitate to use them for that reason.
I used to dislike Jerry and Jeremy but now am just indifferent. I think I warmed up to the sounds in general - I like Gerald and Perry more now than I used to, for example.
I find Ian, Evelyn, Madison, and Martha very boring. Though I'd like Martha slightly more pronounced the German way.
I dislike Dylan; theoretically, the meaning and music/poetry connection is nice, but the vibe I get from it is that he's likely a tool. And I've heard it pronounced "die-lan" which I hate. I'm not a fan of Cooper or -er ending occupational names as a group either; they seem so bland.
Susan, Lucy, Benjamin, Oliver, Samuel, Daniel, Danielle, Asher - I don't love them but can easily see the appeal, and they don't annoy me.
This message was edited 3/24/2025, 5:38 PM
Replies
Possibly you have the impression Sheila is stereotyped as new agey, because it is pronounced the same as Shila and Sheela, which are Sanskrit names, and which turn up in "New Age" contexts because of the big influence Hindu ideas (or "Western" misinterpretations of Hindu ideas) have on many "New Age" groups.
Sheila and Sheela are very good examples of names pronounced the same which have origins in completely different cultures.
Sheila and Sheela are very good examples of names pronounced the same which have origins in completely different cultures.
That might be part of it. I was thinking it was to do with it appearing in relation to minor characters from old TV shows that might have been portrayed that way, but I can't remember the context. I think the sound also reminds me of "sidhe" so I associate myths and magic (in a 70s context because of the age?).
This message was edited 3/25/2025, 10:11 PM
I might have a different opinion of Olga if I'd grown up in a Slavic family, because I've heard it described as elegant in Eastern Europe. I live around a significant Polish population, and growing up I knew a boy whose mom was named Olga--she was born in the states, at least she sounded like it, though I think her parents (the kid's grandparents) were from Poland. Maybe Olga just seemed odd among the "mom names" I knew like Nancy, Angie, Terri, Donna, Diane...
Ashley & Asher I dislike solely because of the "ash" thing. I know in Ashley it's because of ash trees, but with either name I just think of cigarettes in ash trays. :-(
Regarding Samantha & Samuel, it's precisely Sam & Sammy that I don't like! :-P Never did care for the sound.
I've always found Grace to be cold as ice. Not even Gracie warms it to my ears. That's why I'm perplexed at its rise as the new go-to middle name for girls--it's like all their names are followed immediately with a bucket of ice water to the face.
Thank you for reminding me of Bertha in your writeup of Beulah, I'd forgotten that one! Not too fond of the Bert nickname, either (so that's also a no to Roberta for me). I wasn't even thinking of "mammy stereotypes" when I posted Beulah, I just dislike the name: BYOO-luh... I also don't care for most Eu- names.
For Martha, it's the hard-R (in my accent) plus the Th diphthong that makes me dislike it. I think Marta sounds much nicer.
Like with Sam/Sammy, I've never liked the sound of Dan/Danny/Dani, which is the main reason I don't like Daniel & Danielle (and Danielle also sounds to me like "Dan Yell").
Ashley & Asher I dislike solely because of the "ash" thing. I know in Ashley it's because of ash trees, but with either name I just think of cigarettes in ash trays. :-(
Regarding Samantha & Samuel, it's precisely Sam & Sammy that I don't like! :-P Never did care for the sound.
I've always found Grace to be cold as ice. Not even Gracie warms it to my ears. That's why I'm perplexed at its rise as the new go-to middle name for girls--it's like all their names are followed immediately with a bucket of ice water to the face.
Thank you for reminding me of Bertha in your writeup of Beulah, I'd forgotten that one! Not too fond of the Bert nickname, either (so that's also a no to Roberta for me). I wasn't even thinking of "mammy stereotypes" when I posted Beulah, I just dislike the name: BYOO-luh... I also don't care for most Eu- names.
For Martha, it's the hard-R (in my accent) plus the Th diphthong that makes me dislike it. I think Marta sounds much nicer.
Like with Sam/Sammy, I've never liked the sound of Dan/Danny/Dani, which is the main reason I don't like Daniel & Danielle (and Danielle also sounds to me like "Dan Yell").
Okay, disliking Sam/Sammy I can get behind. I always insist people call me Samantha. The nicknames just sound so nasally. And I want a feminine name.
Maybe if you saw a grove of Ash trees you would feel differently about the names? I like Ash trees, but unfortunately the Emerald Ash borer has taken a big hit out of their population.
I've heard the A in Asher pronounced like ah before (that was in the US Midwest). I don't expect that pronunciation (I think it is Hebrew?), but it doesn't necessarily have to sound like ash.
This message was edited 3/24/2025, 6:40 PM