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Original poster

Naming babies names that are definitely not what they say

156 replies

Lelophants · 20/02/2021 17:14

For some reason I can't understand this! Dh disagrees. Am I mad?

Naming a baby after a month, despite being born in a different month? (Referring to the new royal August). What does the name mean then?

I've also known an Autumn born in June and a Summer born just before Christmas in snowy Canada (very out of season!!) I feel like names have meanings and associations in some way, whether you like it or not. And it feels like a mistake? Like they didn't realise? It just feels wrong!

I understand with names with less known meanings e.g. rowan meanings red, because a lot of people won't know that.

But August? We all know it's month number 8 🤦🏻‍♀️ I. Just. Cant.

OP posts:
LynetteScavo · 20/02/2021 21:23

@Carycy

Oh dear. I have a Leo that is a cancer sign. Is that an issue?
Yes it is an issue.

Leo should be short for Leonardo or Leopold or something. People like me and the OP will me most disapproving WinkGrin

LynetteScavo · 20/02/2021 21:25

I put an awful lot of though in to my babies names. One of my DC habe me grief this morning beides their name
means "hard working" and they don't want to work hardGrin

CatRamsey · 20/02/2021 21:27

How many June's do you know that are not born in June? August comes from Augustus. I think it's more cringy if the baby is born in the month/season of their name tbh.

ddl1 · 20/02/2021 21:37

It's a form of Augustus- you don't need to be born in August to be called that. The month was named after Emperor Augustus, not the other way round. I checked on people I've heard of with the name: August Strindberg, Auguste Rodin, and less pleasantly, Augusto Pinochet. None of them was born in August.

Greygreenblue · 20/02/2021 21:41

@WaltzesWithSnobs

August may be the 8th month but 'august' doesn't mean '8th month'. If any month means '8th month' it's actually 'October'.

October, November and December were the 8th, 9th and 10th months before we slipped in July and August - named after Julius and Augustus Caesar.

I was waiting for someone to point out October actually means 8th month.

I’ve always wondered if people would care if I named my child born in May, April or June....

I had a friend in high school whose middle name was Leo because her due date would have made her a Leo, but she came late so isn’t, but they still gave her the middle name. TBH I don’t think i would have thought it was weird if I didn’t know the reasoning behind giving her the name. But because I do, I do.

I also know a little Leo called Leo. It’s a coincidence but his mum was pleased when i noticed

Greygreenblue · 20/02/2021 21:45

@LynetteScavo

I put an awful lot of though in to my babies names. One of my DC habe me grief this morning beides their name means "hard working" and they don't want to work hardGrin
Love it!! I am assuming that my kids will one day have complaints about their names which we carefully chose and love.

My mothers name means lover of horses. She does not like horses and therefore not a big fan of her name. We one of the kids a name associated with their paternal great-grandmothers opera singing career. It looks like she got her singing “talent” (or lack there of) from me... so I expect to hear about this when she is older

WordOfTheDay · 20/02/2021 21:56

Means "exalted, venerable", derived from Latin augere meaning "to increase". Augustus was the title given to Octavian, the first Roman emperor. The month of August. was named after Caesar Augustus."

LadyEv · 20/02/2021 22:17

My daughter's called Autumn and she was born in March. We didn't name her after the time of year she was born in. It's because it means something to me and her dad. And also it sounds really nice paired with her surname.

Octane · 20/02/2021 22:29

@Etinox

My bug bear is Benjamin/ Ben for firstborns. It’s just wrong!
Even after googling I can't figure out what's wrong with this...?
JamesMiddletonsMarshmallows · 20/02/2021 22:33

Me neither @Octane Confused

MrsS92 · 20/02/2021 22:43

My daughters middle name is Grace but her first name also means Grace, I didn’t realise until someone made a point of telling me.
I’ve always just loved her first name so wasn’t that fussed on the meaning, and Grace is a family name on my husbands side.

Etinox · 20/02/2021 23:16

@Octane & @JamesMiddletonsMarshmallow
Le Benjamin is the last one or runt of a litter; in the bible it was given to Jacob’s last son. But it also means son of my right hand and I did retract my judginess upthread.

ConkerBonkers · 20/02/2021 23:36

I think August is a more modern version of Augustus, and Gus would be the usual abbreviation. Nice old fashioned name with a nod to the new. I like it!

Tomnooktoldmeto · 20/02/2021 23:45

My mothers name was June, she was named after my grandmother’s favourite perfume when she was born in the 1930’s

Sometimes names are attached to things other than days months or seasons you just may not be old enough to know that link!

MissMarpleDarling · 21/02/2021 01:43

I like August. Much nicer then 'May'. Lillie-May / Daisy-May / Crappy-May / Mai

CrayonInThreeBits · 21/02/2021 01:51

There's people name their kids Amelia when they've been born with all their arms and legs, so… Grin

Beforethetakingoftoastandt3a · 21/02/2021 02:00

My mum is a June too. Born in June. I always thought it was because my mum was the 5th child and my nan gave up trying to come up with names. My mum’s younger sister was just given my nan’s name Grin

I like August.

SleepingStandingUp · 21/02/2021 02:00

@Lelophants

It's like they just liked the sound of it, you know?
Is that not how most people pick names? One child's name means new home, I didn't move house when he was born, I liked the sound of it. The others have "of God" names, we liked the sound of them. I didn't sit and pick a name that meant first born or NICU baby or cuter than everyone else's baby or pulled from my stomach. It's a name not a descriptor of their stoey
Beforethetakingoftoastandt3a · 21/02/2021 02:01

@MissMarpleDarling

I like August. Much nicer then 'May'. Lillie-May / Daisy-May / Crappy-May / Mai
If the royals had named the baby boy anything-may i would have judged.
Aprilx · 21/02/2021 02:30

I think August us an unusual name, but naming him August because he was born in August is even more unusual. It is a name, it has nothing ti di with the month he was born.

Ninkanink · 21/02/2021 03:07

The name August comes from the Latin Augustus and was a name before it was the name of a month. It is a name with lots of history and heritage, and there is a family connection and reason he’s got that name (referring to Eugenie’s son).

August is a common name in Scandinavia and Germany.

I think it would be much more ‘wrong’ to name a child after the month they were born in, personally.

On the Summer who was born in December/Autumn born in June, yes that does seem a bit odd to me.

Mrsfrumble · 21/02/2021 08:06

Alternative meanings for Benjamin are “son of my old age” or “son of my sorrow” so tended to be given to lastborns (the sorrow bit being because the mother had died in childbirth, so no more babies). We were in our early 30s when ours was born and I survived (obviously!) but we just liked it as a strong, straightforward name.

MatildaStoker · 21/02/2021 08:30

Here’s what Wikipedia says about Benjamin in relation to it being associated with the youngest son / child:

The "Benjamin of the family" is a phrase used in several languages to refer to the youngest son—especially when he is much younger than his brothers.[3] Sometimes the name is chosen for a son born to mature parents unlikely to have more children, especially if he has several older siblings. Both of these usages derive from the biblical son of Jacob of that name, who occupied that position in his family. In some languages, by extension, it is also applied to the runt of a litter of animals.

Although I imagine most parents who like the name Benjamin aren’t choosing to hold it in reserve for their last planned child.

fluffythedragonslayer · 21/02/2021 08:34

Ooh I'm the opposite OP. I don't like matchy matchy names. An August born in August would be much more irritating to me than an August born in February...

Do all the Hollys in your life need to be born in Winter? Daisys in Spring?

Notjustanymum · 21/02/2021 09:26

July and August were both named after Roman Emperors (Julius and Augustus) September, October, November and December after numbers seven, eight, nine and ten. The rest of the months are, I think, named after ancient gods both Norse and Roman.
August is a name used mainly in Germany and Eastern Europe, but still common elsewhere... I always pronounce it ( in my head) “ow-goost” although if introduced to someone using the month’s pronunciation would adopt that when addressing them...