why do names differ so much - USA/UK

[Summerbluues]

So just a late night thought and after seeing a post about a girls' name that I think would be totally accepted in the States but not so much here. It seems that across the pond they are much for "daring" with names, like there is more emphasis on trying to find something unique. I just commented on another post how "masculine" names are not all that rare for girls e.g Brynn, Ryan, Jamie.

My sister lives in Chicago and just through having a quick browse at her FB friends list I've found

Kayli
Kristi
Kenzi
Brandi
Tinley (x2)
Dakota
Desiree
Avery (x2)
Adalyn
Ariel (x3)
Westley
Charity
London
Trinidy
Darriyan
Shallise
Shelby
Delaney (x3)
Payton
Brynn/Brynne for a girl x 2
Lark
Raleigh
Logan
Tulley
Maydee
Lincoln (x2)
Tyree
Porter (x2)
Genesis
Braylon
Jett
Kamryn
Reese for a girl (x2)
Hadley (x2)
Brielle
Kennedi
Raina
Landry
Kaelyn
Piper (x4)
Madalyn (obvious Madeleine very common but never seen this spelling before!)
Sharise
Dixie
Presley (x3)
Haeliey
Kylynn
Kodi
Keilah

And those are just the ones that really stood out..it's like I would see those names and know straight away it was someone from the States and not the UK. Why do you think it is that across the pond they are more "out there" with names?

I know Avery is popular in the States but can I ask if it's ever spelt differently over there? I'm from the UK and I have only come across 2 people with the name Avery, one is male and it's his surname and the other person is female, but it's spelt differently - the spelling is unique (although it may be pronounced differently- I've never actually heard anyone say it).

I've come across one female spelt Avery.

Also, male & female isn't as fixed for names. come across quite a few females with names likes Ryan or Rory. DD (she was 5 when we moved here) was shocked to discover that Sam could be a male name. I've known loads of names like Cameron/Addison that are also male or female.

I think you're wrong saying Avery is a common name. I've taught in a school with 2,500 students for nearly 20 years and never had one. Avery is a Company that make sticky labels here, bit of a joke for a child's name.

Those names are pretty old-fashioned though. I am in the north east and those names have died a death. Names here are becoming more similar to the UK now, think classics like Amelia, Maggie or Thea. Or cool like Scarlett, Vivienne or Juno.

I wonder if it's also linked to monarchy?

It seems that in countries with a royal family, this has an impact on names in that things like Elizabeth, James, Henry, Edward, William, George etc are all seen as 'classic' and 'timeless'. For years, I imagine that naming your child something like this was seen as very respectful, aspirational etc. It certainly seems that there is a divide in this respect between Europe and the rest of the world.

The proximity of Europe probably also has an impact - despite all of our historical wars and movement between countries, it's actually all rather incestuous and until the last century or so, I'd hazard that most people didn't actually end up that far from where they started (in global terms), thus keeping the same and similar names, mostly all of Roman or germanic origin, sloshing around.

Places like America, Australia etc have historically had a much bigger catchment area with many more cultures and races settling there so will undoubtedly have a bigger range of names.

One bit of names I find fascinating is the large number of east asian emigrants who then choose a western style name - it's quite interesting to see what they go for, given 'free choice' within the names they've heard.

KickAssAngel are you calling British people "stupid, ignorant, bad-spelling inbreeds" ( inbreeds? You're a teacher? ) isn't that making "derogatory comments about an entire nation"?

I think kickass was being ironic/sarcastic

I didn't know about the mothers maiden name used as a first name, I like that idea.
However a lot of names on that list are too inventive for me!

I think I was too!

The thing that strikes me most about American names for girls, is that the fashion at the moment is to go for far more masculine names then we're used to. I quite like it - it's a refreshing change from all the a- and ie/y-ending girls' names we go for (of which my own DD has).

Sorry. Just being honest about thoughts on younique names US or UK. Having most of my family as teachers they can have a good guess who 'those' children / 'those' parents are going to be just from the class list at the beginning of term.

FWIW I did part of my postgrad in the US. Lots of Johns, Olivers, Kevins and Hanks often with a Junior or numeral and also Julias, Lauras and Tracys etc. Same (apart from Hank and the numerals!) as back home.

It's because no matter how much US telly is sold to other countries, making aspects of its mass-viewing culture familiar, it it a foreign country.

And it doesn't need a reason to have different naming habits any more than other foreign countries, such as Uganda, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, South Africa (just to name a few other anglophone foreign countries).

Well, if I was living in the USA and planned to bring my family up there, I would be using some of these names. It would be quite refreshing to be free of the constraints of British naming traditions and classism.

Different country, different cultures.
Of course there will be differences. Would be the same in any other country!

Good thing about nowadays is that we have more variety, people travel/immigrate etc and we're more diverse. Anyone can use any type of name they like on their children usually without much judgement.

I didn't generalise in the least about 'American names' - I simply said that the majority of names the OP listed were ghastly, which I stand by, but of course that's my personal taste. And yes, the majority would be ripped apart as that delightful term 'chavvy' if they were proposed on the Mn baby names forum, but indicators of social class are largely culture-dependent. I assume it's possible (though I would have said unlikely from my time living in the US) that 'Kennedi' and 'Brandi' code as middle-class in the US (though of course US 'middle-class' doesn't transfer to UK 'middle-class').

I understand that kickass was being ironic with that comment but am slightly confused that in her first point she says the UK are more focused on spelling and grammar but then goes on to say we're "bad spelling"

The difference in names between the USA and the U.K highlights that there are a great many cultural differences between the two.

No, Alis, I think she said that there's more emphasis on spelling etc in US schools, compared to the UK.

She might well be right, given my misreading of her post

I'm so glad my Mum didn't go for the 'maiden name as middle name' thing, else I'd be called Jeffery :)

Confess, Alis, do you have offspring called Kennedi and Trinidy?

I have a most unreasonable prejudice against American names which a spelled in such a way that they can only pronounced correctly with an American accent.

For example, 'Kadi', which is pronounced by Americans in the same way as 'Katy': 'Kaydee' with a very soft 'd' sound.

But many English people would see Kadi and pronounce it 'Caddy', with a hard 'D' sound - very different from 'Kay-tee'.

So the name really only makes sense when it's said in an American accent.

See also Sondra, Soosin, Kynadi, Megyn.

I find it infuriatingly arrogant!

In general, though, I enjoy the creative and exuberant approach towards naming in America. They seem to put more thought into names and less likely to be swayed by fashion trends.

Dereleict do you find it infuriatingly arrogant when you come across a spanish or polish or chinese name that is not designed to be pronounced correctly by Brits?

I find it infuriatingly arrogant!

you find it infuriatingly arrogant for an american parent to give her american child a name that might possibly be pronounced differently by someone with a British accent.

That is actually quite funny.

And it doesn't need a reason to have different naming habits any more than other foreign countries, such as Uganda, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, South Africa (just to name a few other anglophone foreign countries).

^This. The George Bernard Shaw quote comes to mind: "England and America are two countries separated by a common language"

Having said that, imo, some of those names are universally dreadful.

Dereleict do you find it infuriatingly arrogant when you come across a spanish or polish or chinese name that is not designed to be pronounced correctly by Brits?

No, because those people generally speak Chinese or Polish.