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?)

:)

[Pico2]

I think it must vary by area. I don't think I've ever met a Brandon or Ross in South-East England or London

[Bartlebee]

We rented a house in the US this summer and our children befriended the children next door who were named Devon, Tyler and Harris.

All names that would be sniffed at by me many in this country, but in the states, they seemed OK

[PenguinsIsSleepDeprived]

Yes, those are things I think of as very American in naming trends.

Picking something which is not an established name, like Track and just using it.

And place names. We are quite conservative about that. But all places seem up for grabs in America: Devon, London, etc.

Not that those are necessarily bad things (although the whole Trip, Track, Chase, Cash stuff is really not to my taste personally). But they are not common ways of choosing a name in the UK. There was a thread recently about calling a baby Link which I think would have gone quite differently on a US board.

[TortoiseUpATreeAgain]

Thinking about the names of actual American children (under 10) I know, I'd say that these sound "American" to me (It doesn't mean they are never used in the UK, but they have an "American" vibe):

Bryan (on a child; it'd seem odd to come across a toddler Bryan here)
Cooper
Deacon
Delainey
Gavin (on a child; it'd seem odd to come across a toddler Gavin here)
Hadleigh
Hunter
Jaclyn (seems "American" with this specific spelling; Jacqueline wouldn't)
Jenna
Kendall
Logan
Mason
Savannah
Shelby
Sydney

Names of actual American children I know that don't sound "American" to me:

Aidan
Alexandra
Chloe
Gabriel
Henry
Jake
Matthew
Olivia
Oscar
Samantha

[usualsuspect333]

Why would you sniff at them though?

Because they are American?

[PenguinsIsSleepDeprived]

Sorry Usual, who was that too? I'm not sniffing, if it was me

[PenguinsIsSleepDeprived]

*to

[TortoiseUpATreeAgain]

I assume it was to Bartlebee.

[PenguinsIsSleepDeprived]

Oooops. Yes. Didn't see she had used the word sniffed

[usualsuspect333]

It was to Bartlebee, I was just curious as to why she would sniff at those names.

[EugenesAxe]

I'd be far less likely to judge or have a negative reaction to a child with a name from their cultural background. I think it's the cross-cultural thing that causes the reactions you see to US names on sites like MN, sort of a bit 'try hard' or trendy on the part of the parents (although, that's a can of worms statement if ever I heard one). Not so much the actual names.

For example, I have an Australian and a NZ friend and their children are Cody, Logan and Riley. If I heard a British child being called any of those names, I would assume they would be more likely to have behavioural issues than the one next to them called Thomas (yeah, I'm getting worse).

Sorry if repeating - started to write then left 10 hours before posting.

[Pico2]

In the 2013 England and Wales boys' names stats, Ross came in at 720 with 45 babies, equal with Orson and one more than Atticus.

Brandon was more popular at 165 with 343 babies. Similar in rankings to Kacper, Brody and Zack.

Gia appears at 1098 with 32 babies in the girls listing - equal with Iga, Blanka and Lexi-Rose.

[usualsuspect333]

You assuming children with those names will have behavioral issues is your problem and prejudice,not theirs.

[squoosh]

I suppose most of the Ross' I know are adults. There was a boom in that name in the 70's when Poldark was on TV, lots of people fancied Ross Poldark. My brother was named after him!

[Bartlebee]

I would sniff at some names because I am a snob.

[usualsuspect333]

You look down on other people then? nice.

[MoominKoalaAndMiniMoom]

I'm more than happy to admit I prefer 'American' names to traditional British ones. I have an American name (one that was mentioned repeatedly on the first page of the thread), DD's nickname which we use a frequently as her Welsh Christian name sounds like it could be American, and my choice for future babies are all similarly American.

I don't mind if it is a class thing. We are a lower class family; I'm not going to give my children names we hate because of aspirational delusions if grandeur.

[Bartlebee]

Not proud

[MsCoconut]

This may sound like a dumb question, but to all the posters who are saying that the name parent's give to their child should reflect their cultural heritage, what do see as the cultural heritage of a child born in America (being that most people born in the US had relatives who were immigrants at some point)?

If both parents are English, should they be given a traditional English name or does the fact that the child grows up in America mean they are culturally American and should have an 'American' style name?

What about children from a mix of cultures, say with a Scottish grandparent, an Italian grandparent, a Jewish grandparent and a Polish grandparent?

[TheOneWiththeNicestSmile]

Harrison is hugely popular in Australia and to my ears sounds quite American

It's quite common in Lancashire - boys have always been given surname-type first names here. My kids' primary school had its diamond jubilee in the 1990s & the list of the children admitted in its first couple of years included quite a few boys named things like Harrison, Robertson, Granville!

[Alisvolatpropiis]

I think some names travel well and it doesn't sound strange when they're used by people not of that culture.

I give you all the English Sian's,Niamh's,Dylan's, Jasmine's, Layla's etc.

But some don't travel well. I struggle to imagine a non-American Thatcher as much as i do a non-Welsh Llyr.

[mathanxiety]

Being known by your initials is quite Irish too. It's probably truer for an older generation than young people.

Why would you call your child Addison?
Here's one - it's one of the cross streets where Wrigley Field stands, home of the Chicago Cubs. The other street is Sheffield, so that is ruled out.

Cody is an Irish surname name, like Nolan, Reilly (Riley as it is spelled in the US) and Ryan, etc.

Mary This and Mary That is quite a Catholic thing in the US in general, while names like Peggy Sue are probably dying out.

[mathanxiety]

I don't think of Sian and Niamh as English names.

[Alisvolatpropiis]

No, that's my point. None of them are English names but are often used in England. They're names that travel well between cultures.