American names = bad?

[thecaroline]

Hello, everyone,

I'm not a mom or pregnant, just very interested in names. I've been reading here for a while and am a regular on another name website, and I've noticed that lots of posters here seem to feel a certain disdain for "American" sounding names. I'm curious about this, partly because I'm American, and partly because I don't understand the categorization.

So, what are these American names you speak of? And I'm wondering if all "American-sounding names" are inherently tacky to the British/Irish ear, or... what do you think? Where do "Australian sounding names" fit into this equation?

I have a feeling that this category of names is what a good number of Americans would label "tacky" or "trendy"... or at least I hope so.

Thanks, y'all (I might as well play up my Americanness, right?)

:)

[Alisvolatpropiis]

Giles

Caleb is biblical, quite a few in the UK.

Meredith is Welsh, granted with an Angliscised spelling (Meredydd) and generally used on girls, whereas traditionally it is a male name.

[Gileswithachainsaw]

I didn't know that :)

I've just seen a lot of American shows with those names

[Alisvolatpropiis]

I am a proper name geek Giles. And Welsh too .

Meredith does make me think of Meredith Grey from Grey's Anatomy, mind.

It pains me how many male Welsh names are used for girls in America. Bryn of all names, is v much more used for girls. Bryn?!!

[PecanSandy]

This is why Americans don't use the name Jemima. Even though she seems to have lost the headscarf.

www.google.pl/search?q=aunt+jemima&es_sm=93&tbm=isch&imgil=cY4nPCS16hSZEM%253A%253B3ECpq-W1ul0rAM%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fblackamericaweb.com%25252F2013%25252F03%25252F28%25252Flittle-known-black-history-fact-the-history-of-aunt-jemima%25252F&source=iu&pf=m&fir=cY4nPCS16hSZEM%253A%252C3ECpq-W1ul0rAM%252C_&usg=__4K3JyY7sDMOgn23RlC5yxPW5vuk%3D&biw=1366&bih=624&ved=0CEkQyjc&ei=a0wkVKipEqefygOws4LQBw#facrc=_&imgdii=cY4nPCS16hSZEM%3A%3BuXXG7FJHH40zUM%3BcY4nPCS16hSZEM%3A&imgrc=cY4nPCS16hSZEM%253A%3B3ECpq-W1ul0rAM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fioneblackamericaweb.files.wordpress.com%252F2013%252F03%252Fjemima-660.jpg%253Fw%253D630%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fblackamericaweb.com%252F2013%252F03%252F28%252Flittle-known-black-history-fact-the-history-of-aunt-jemima%252F%3B630%3B345

[Gileswithachainsaw]

Yes I first heard Caleb on American gothic

"Someone's at the door"

[awesomedog]

I love Chase and Chance as boys names-but not living in "norn iron"!! They sound so "American" -I can almost see their little tanned faces!!!

[NinjaLeprechaun]

what is wrong with either George or Alistair?
If you say the name George to most Americans, their first association will probably be George W Bush - would you do that to your child?
I think Alistair comes across as sounding a bit posh affected to American ears. Plain old Alexander is in the top ten though.

[PenguinsIsSleepDeprived]

Oh, ok. I didn't think of the Bush's! I guess here George is such a common name that no one thinks much of those paraticular famous ones. Most people have a granddad or a great uncle or something with that name. Then there's loads of famous Brits. And Prince George.

Alistair is dead posh? Really? What, like, I don't know, Giles or something for a Brit. Gosh.

[SanityClause]

I do think of some names being typically Australian: Brad, Sheila etc (probably all relating to Home and Away/Neibours characters actually!!)

I am Australian and have never met an Australian girl or woman called Sheila. "Sheila" is a slang term for woman in Australia, so it would seem quite odd.

Brad was popular when I was young, along with Darren, Trevor and Dean. Maybe it's still popular, but I should imagine it's quite dated, now.

[Alisvolatpropiis]

Cody seems an American name to me. Despite only knowing of two, one of whom is older than me (and so handsome!). Oddly I find it a really happy name and cannot explain why.

[thecaroline]

Yes, Alistair would be seem affected to most Americans, I think. Or else it wouldn't be a name typical people would know about. George, well, I've known some Georges but it's just not "in" at the moment. To my ears it sounds kind of odd. That's the only way I can describe it. I don't primarily associate it with Bush, but now that you mention it, yuck.

To me, Cody just seems like the name of an idiot. It's so stupid-sounding.

Whoever was talking about the "old South" thing, yes. I am from a very traditional, old southern city that was largely loyalist pre-independence, and lots of the old blue bloods name their children old family names. It's their way of indicating to others that their ancestors owned slaves or something rolls eyes The masses down south have begun to copy the blue bloods and that's a lot of where the surname name popularity is springing from. Another common tradition among old moneyed southerners is to name daughters Anne surname or Mary surname, etc. So, I know a lot of girls named things like Anne Thompson (double first name) or Mary Parker (double first name) etc. But the Betty Jean or Norma Lou double names, those are very hillbilly/redneck, not typical middle-class American names.

[BotoxedFossil]

Poppy doesn't float my boat but there'll be so many of them that in forty years time there'll be nothing to stop a Poppy being a judge. Or at least, it won't be her name that impedes her. Poppy, Lily, Rosie. I do think they will be the Dolly and the Queenie of the future. Yuck. Not for me, but there is safety in numbers. Basically, people will hear the name Poppy and not think of anything.

Molly yes, names like Gavin and Keith are cool for babies in the USA

[sleepingbag]

www.vigano.co.uk/proddetail.php?prod=PM-3719-RED

I have this one I love it!!! You can push and pull it and push it handed!!!

[sleepingbag]

Should say push it one handed!

[sleepingbag]

Opps wrong thread!!!!

[Alisvolatpropiis]

I find it interesting that Nia, a Welsh name, is considered to be an "African American" name in the US. Bit more research told me that a huge amount of early plantation owners were Welsh, and a fair few of the "founding fathers" had Welsh heritage.

I spent some time with land owners in the South and also go the impression that Norma-Jean etc wasn't for the likes of them.

America has a class system too.

[mathanxiety]

Welsh culture is almost completely unknown in the US as far as I can see. I doubt any African Americans have it in mind when choosing the name Nia. Apparently it is not just Welsh but Swahili. Those Nias I know pronounce it Ny-ah.

DD1 played with a little Mary Faust when she was a toddler.

[Alisvolatpropiis]

That might go some way to explaining Bryn being used for girls math.

As far as I know, Nia Long, an African American actress says her name as Nee-ah.

I have noticed that Wales has not been keen to loudly claim their place in American history pro rata, they owned plantations, owned slaves etc. Welsh names are littered throughout America, as first names and surnames.

[CatWitch]

My niece, Madison, was named after the Madison river in Montana. As she is 25, she was way ahead of the Madison trend, to hear Madison described as a lower class name is shocking. My 7 year old with a traditional British name is in class with with a Joaxiel, Maribel, Fontana, Daisy, Lyric, Henry, Colby, Xavier, Jed and Jack (twins), and the lovely FairyBelle. She is often displeased with her ordinary name. Her chosen name would be Spike.

I love the variety of names in the US. I have not once met a person and thought ' Damn, that is a low class name'.

[thecaroline]

I barely ever hear anything about Wales. Lots of people who have Welsh names know nothing and claim their names are Irish, because to be Irish is to be cool right now. So, logically, these "Irish" people are naming their children McKaeley and claiming the name is an old family surname meaning something like "Celtic faerie dust."

I exaggerate but barely.

[thecaroline]

Catwitch: Fairybelle! Wow. I was actually just looking through name popularity lists for the US in 1907ish and Fairy was ranked something like 700. Crazy.

[CheerfulYank]

Nia on Dance Moms is African American and it's pronounced Nee-ah.

I'm American and my children are named Samuel Robert and Margaret Rose, usually called Sam and Maggie. I'm pregnant with a third, who will probably be William or Phoebe. I also like Penelope called Poppy, or Phillipa called Pippa.

Harry and Hairy are exactly the same in my accent. :)

Brynn is entirely used for girls. I was almost named Brynn Elizabeth, and that was 32 years ago! Aubrey is a girl's name as well.

Names like Dante, Tristan, Dominic, etc are considered low class. Probably because they are also considered African American. I also know a Trystin (girl) and a Dominyck.

The surname names like Madison and Carter and Kennedy and Parker and Cooper have given way to Lincoln, Hayes, and others.

Same with Irish names...Liam and Aidan had their day and in came Declan and Finn. I predict Eamonn as the next to skyrocket.

[CrewElla]

OP some of it is (British) ignorance as well; a quick google of your list of names and I can find examples of surnames being used used in England within the past 200 or so. People may assume they are American names but they are wrong, ignorant of our own history.

[CatWitch]

thecaroline, right?!!! We live in a very mixed neighbourhood, so we have become used to the variety of names.

[CrewElla]

Oops, it was Sophronia's post that had the list of names.