What about all those American girls names that sound like boys names, place names or surnames?

Jester: "nowadays things are speeded up on fastforward. So that a boy named Finley in all good faith by his parents in 2009 will have female Finleys cropping up on American Pop Idol before he's 20. And before you say, no that won't happen, it will. Lisa Marie Presley kicked off the Riley trend I think. Her elder dd who is about 20 is called Riley."

I actually, I wouldn't say it won't happen. What I would say is "Who really cares?" I don't care if names evolve and get used differently by different cultures and people. Personally, I hate the last name as first name thing but it is a matter of taste and am not worried about the "purity" of a name getting distorted by other cultures. My point was more directed at Expat and the others who seems so worried about Scottish and Irish names getting "ruined" by Americans. I don't really see why they are so worried - if a culture is strong it should be able to withstand other cultures adapting aspects of it as they wish.

Sorry, then, not babycenter - maybe Fertility Friend. I had even FM'd to see if it was you but had no response. If it wasn't I apologize.

And I would consider this a personal dig:

"Many Americans are very easily wound up and touchy over relatively trivial matters in the grand scheme of things and have difficulty discerning when someone's taking the piss or having a laugh.

I mean, just read your posts"

BTW on UKY I'm usuk2004 - nothing to hide!

No, actually, you haven't seen my posts on Babycenter, whoever you are, because I made that entire thing up. I never went on Babycenter at all. I went on a site that is closed in 2003 and used a different name and posting style.

'and how silly and stupid Americans are.' I wouldn't have noticed you at all if you hadn't been so consistent!

And I wouldn't have gotten away with calling others silly and stupid on that site because it's heavily moderated.

'I wouldn't have noticed you at all if you hadn't been so consistent!'

Yet you not only noticed but also had the incredibly bad form to get personal about it on another site.

As for a personal dig, I don't recall having made one aimed specifically at you, not only because it's against the rules of this site but also because I really can't be bothered.

As you were, ladies.

I'm not hiding at all - I've seen your posts on UKY and Babycenter. American expats do tend to run into one another, and in fact I'm friendly with quite a few because we've run into one another on multiple sites. I've just managed to avoid clashing with your cynicism on other forums. And yes, you do tend to bang on about how glad you are that you left the US and how silly and stupid Americans are. I wouldn't have noticed you at all if you hadn't been so consistent!

Look, this is not what this thread was intended for, so go ahead, have your last go and let's call it a truce, okay? I'm done with any banter that doesn't apply to the original topic of the thread.

I only post on one other public site besides here, FWIW.

I could try to think of who you are on there, but that would require more effort than it's worth.

'Don't flatter yourself, Expat - if you have the same screenname everywhere and bang on about one thing often enough, people will notice.'

No they won't, last, because they're too busy with other stuff to keep a running catalogue across 'several sites' or one person's, whom they don't even know, posts. [

'Bang on about one thing'. This being a British parenting site, Americans aren't usually a top topic of conversation.

But hey, carry on on here because you can hide on here as opposed to these other sites and get personal because you couldn't get away with have the balls to write on these 'other sites'.

I've kinda skimmed but I saw this post:

By expatinscotland Fri 27-Mar-09 11:19:01

And Kayleigh. Yes, it's so Scottish. Yep, it's erm, is misspelling of the term used for a party.

Eejit.

That's my name and I've always thought it was French. I was given a key ring that said it was French.

I'm now going to go look it up.

Not going to get involved really as I think that you should call you DCs whatever you so wish. So call your daughter Taylor or your son Dixon if you so wish.

LOL Ilovemydog
Actually, many people were excited about Obama being elected for the very reason that he is such a 'mutt' making him much more representative of the current population than any other president in the past.

Georgimama - do you mean the constitutional requirement for President to have been born in the US?

I kind of see your point, that a diverse country should be able to treat all of its citizens equally, but at the same time, President is head of state.

Wonder if other countries also have requirements for head of state? Obviously not commonwealth countries as this position is taken by the Queen...

Besides, if the constitution was changed, there's a risk Arnie might get the top job

Don't flatter yourself, Expat - if you have the same screenname everywhere and bang on about one thing often enough, people will notice.

Actually, Chaya, I was referring to immigrants from the early 1900s I'm third generation American and actually still do identify with the countries my ancestors are from - we even went to visit where my Great Grandfather was from last May. It was lovely! And the people there were very warm and happy to tell us about their way of life.

Waitingforvino - well said! I absolutely agree.

Jester - I do think there is something in thre about pride. Brits and Americans seem to have very very different ideas about pride in your country, nationalism and the like.

Chaya
"Honestly, Expat and Saltire you are being way too precious about preserving "Scottish" and "Irish" names. Language (and by extension, names) evolve and are adopted by other cultures. It is part of living in a world with a variety of cultures that interact and learn from each other."

This sort of true up to a point. But nowadays things are speeded up on fastforward. So that a boy named Finley in all good faith by his parents in 2009 will have female Finleys cropping up on American Pop Idol before he's 20.

And before you say, no that won't happen, it will. Lisa Marie Presley kicked off the Riley trend I think. Her elder dd who is about 20 is called Riley. Wouldn't be my cup of tea!

IF I were choosing a sur name to use as a first name I'd use Bellamy!

Gorgon' i was about to post about surnames as first names being a scottish tradition but you beat me to it...DH has an uncle Gordon, an uncle Campbell etc.. however when i meet a man called Lorne I can't help thinking of square sausage and wonder why they were called that. I think the scttish tradition of using mother's maiden name as a middle name probably led to some surnames being adopted as first names. i am a bit purist about names TBH, the meaning of any word is important, cameron means crooked nose ,or something like that, why call a girl baby that? I got caught out with a name tho' i had rory lined up for DS3 , assuming he would have red hair like his brothers, then he didn't so i had to think again. I could have done with a name meaning sturdy of leg and stuborn of nature!

True. America is three hundred years old now (excuse my ignorance here). But I think Americans should be allowed to just say 'I'm American' and leave it at that. But these things are habit. All Irish people do fill silences by talking about the weather. It's not a cliché! Awkward silence? "did you hear the wind howling last night?". It's habit as much as anything.

In an American dentists's waiting room perhaps the same silence would be filled with talking about where your great grandparents are from!

Actually, after seeing that cheesetastic film with Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise in 1992 (name escapes me now) I really 'got' why a lot of Americans are so proud of being American. There genetic origins are people who were brave enough to take a risk, resourceful enough and healthy enough to endure the passage, ambitious and hardworking enough to build a new life, and positive enough to look back on it all as a huge adventure.

Those are the ancestors of the average American of indeterminite parentage! My ancestors are the ones who stayed in Ireland despite the famine/depression etc... they stayed and endured it and moaned their way through the last 3 centuris

oh dear. I guess Hannah Montana would not pass approval either...

bit more creativity acceptance and understanding on both sides of the pond would be nice.

I'm Irish American, DH is Austrian German, our children are English plus the above. Not even going to mention the names of them as one is an Italian city and the other an old Scottish name. Surely I'd be flamed for both - one from the Americans who think I'm too boring and one from the Brits who think I'm borrowing a city name and therefore 'so' gauche. Whatever.

Grow up people...

Georgimama - I think Lastbox was referring to recent immigrants to America and possibly their children (who are directly exposed to their parent's culture and language in the home) still identifying with the country they originally came from. Of course, if your greatgrandparents were from another country then you wouldn't still identify with that country. It is way too far back.

Ugh, I vowed I would leave this thread because I find the the generalisations and general hating on Americans quite awful but had to chip in to say I agree with LastBox.

Honestly, Expat and Saltire you are being way too precious about preserving "Scottish" and "Irish" names. Language (and by extension, names) evolve and are adopted by other cultures. It is part of living in a world with a variety of cultures that interact and learn from each other. Most of the top names used in the UK now (Joshua, Daniel, Samuel, Benjamin, Jacob etc) were taken from Hebrew but you don't see anyone coming out saying that people without a Jewish background shouldn't use them or adapt them to their own culture. It is about culture security - if people were more secure in their Irish, Scottish etc roots then they would feel more comfortable about other people using them too without feeling like it was somehow a threat.

The parochialism and general intolerance of other cultures on this thread is so so so depressing. Please tell me it isn't indicative of the UK more generally?

Auld Alliance - yes "son of Kenneth", the Kenneth in question being Kenneth grandson of the man I mentioned who helped King Alexander, he became the 3rd baron Kintail (his grandfather obv being the first)It is spelt in gaelic as Coinneach MacCoinneach (spelling might be a bit wrong

Sure am, Gorgon!

auldalliance is a purist

MacKenzie means son of Kenneth, doesn't it? And if you're being purist about it, the "z" shouldn't be pronounced, it's a transcription from the Gaelic, like Menzies.

I honestly can't be bothered following who posts what on other websites, tbh.

That's a bit creepy.

It seems from here that being a cultural melting pot is something (some) Americans think is unique to America - hence Irish-American, African-American, Mexican-American etc.

Let me introduce those people to a concept called Great Britain.

I live in England, I was born in England, both my parents were born in England. I consider myself English - British, but English too.

But my father's real father was French Canadian. My mother's grandfather was Scottish and her great grandmother was Irish. There's not much English blood in my veins.

Very very few people are exactly what it says on the label.

Seems odd that Americans, whilst "celebrating" their world heritage, won't have an American president who is not a citizen by birth. Surely as the great melting pot that shouldn't bother them?

Oh, yes, lastbox. It's got its own postcode and I need therapy and lots of pity to get shot of it, especially because I can't seem to resist getting an easy rise out of my countrymen whenever the opportunity presents.

Please, give me some more. And some money, too, please .

Expat, if you've read my posts as toucy over relatively trivial matters, then I think you're the one that's hypersensitive! I get that you don't like the US (I've seen you go on about it on several websites now!) I just think it's such a waste of energy to be so negative about it all the time. It seems to be a huge chip on your shoulder - must be heavy to carry around.