Laiken

[bac1985]

Is this a unisex name?

We are thinking of using the name for a boy.

Laiken Frederick Coughlin.

Thoughts?

I've known a few Lakens, but they've been African boys, usually Olelekan, I think. There's something about the Ola/Ole/Olu saying whether the child is male or female - perhaps someone who really knows will explain.

Ha- MN teaches me yet another thing. Yes- Soho far pre-dates SoHo.

It's 'Laik' now?

Scroll down and look at the comments right at the end on this blog post where the blogger has decided to name her DD Lakynn (a girly version of Lakin). Her H was apparently inspired by a signpost to suggest the name.

The names she considered but discarded were

Taylee
McKarty
Nayvie
Maylee
Kamree
Nykee
Taislee
Taigley
Tenley
McKamey
McKartnee
Tayvie

One comment:
'I know this will not be popular. But moms, think before you name your child.'

Gender to one side. Does Laik, Laike or Laiken sound like a good name?
A resounding 'no' from me.

I wouldn't have a clue whether a Laiken was a girl or boy if the name was all I had to go on, so I guess it's unisex. I'd say the same about Lake, Laik or Laike.

But I don't think any of them are good names. I think Frederick is a much better first name.

Or you could give the poor child a name that's actually a name, and not a random collection of vaguely scwndanavian letters?

It looks as if it should be pronounced Lichen, so for that reason I'd say no.

I know a female Laiken. Afrikaans, as said previously on this thread.

I know two laiken / lakens and both are girls. They are super feminine people and the name suits them so I'd say it would be feminine to me..larkin is a more masculine sounding but similar option??

math I am sniggering at 'Nayvie' and 'McKartnee'... probably not nice of me, but really!

Makes me think of green growing on a rock, so it's a no for me.

SoHo NYC is the original? hmmm.

I only know one Laiken, and she's a girl.

I'd go for Frederick Lake Coughlin, if you want to work the 'Lake' thing in there.

Laiken Coughlin sounds awfully rhymey, anyway.

"SoHo NYC is the original? hmmm."

London, records as farmland go back yonks, as estate to 1500s and as developed city Soho by 1688.

NYC records land as farms back to 1600s, developed as city SoHo 1775

Lochlin or Laughlin instead? But that's quite rhymey rhymey with the last name which I'm assuming is pronounced cocklin.

Laker?

Personally I don't see anything wrong with Laiken. Laiky and Laik would be great diminutives.

I've never heard the name Laiken before but it doesn't sound or look at all Scandinavia to me. It looks/sounds very modern American. Makes me think it might be a character name in Twilight or Hunger Games (not that I've read or seen either of those). It's also makes me think of these apparently famous entities you vaguely hear about in gossip mags; Penn Badgely, Blake Lively, Channing Tatum, Leighton Meester. I've no idea what they do or what gender they are. Laiken isn't my cup of tea at all, but I don't think it would be considered too 'out there' for either sex. Depends on your lifestyle, where you live etc, I guess. If you like it & it 'fits' you & your family then why not. Please don't be swayed by the 'how can you do this to a child!!! Just call it Emily or George!!!' brigade. Kids are nowhere near as judgmental as some parents on here are.

I think Laiken is reasonably unisex (And I am a big fan of unisex names), but my feeling is that it links with Lochlan, so I'm thinking male (If I had to choose how to use it). I like it in connection with lakes.
BUT I grew up in South Africa and in Afrikaans schools and am still in contact with my many Afrikaans friends with children, and never ONCE did I ever meet or hear of a Laiken. I'd eat my hat if it really was Afrikaans as that website claims. Perhaps someone Afrikaans named their girl this (maybe it was a European-ish family name), went onto a naming website, and entered that it is Afrikaans and common. It really really really is not common >>> the closest Afrikaans word is "laken" and you probably don't want to name your child after a bedsheet if you're going to link to the supposed AFrikaans connection.

Lachlan (pronouced Lochlan ) is a Scottish Gaelic boys name.
Lake (as others have said) is a big pool of water.

Laiken is a made-up fantasy-game name.

There are so mny wonderful real names out there, why bother with made-up ones that date/limit a baby?

Lachlan is generally pronounced as it is spelled. Hence the NN "lachie".

It's a no from me

KatieKaye Lachlan is generally pronounced Lock-lun or Loch (said the Scottish way) -lun.
Lachie is pronounced Locky or Lochie. There's no "a" sound in it (as far as I've ever heard?)

at SoHo Us being the original.
And Laiken reminds everyone of Laika the Russian dog. Why do people think they are naming pets instead of children? If you love Liken/lichen so much, use it yourself or change it by deed poll

I know a female Laken. No 'i'.

Thanks Surfsup1
I live in the Gaelic-speaking highlands of Scotland and, believe me, Lachlan does indeed = Lochlan. And Lachie = Lochie.

All the lachlans I know are pronounced as it is written. Likewise Lachie. That's in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. Never come across any variant.
So there are obviously two ways of saying the name.

Well, i've lived in both Aberdeenshire and the Borders and every single Lachlan i've come across is pronounced as it is written unless the person saying the name was English and didn't know any better. I also have close friends in the Gaelic speaking highlands and they don't say Lochlan either!