Doesn't suit their name or grew into it?

[Enko]

I see here on the name forum the claim that certain names are "hard to live upto"
"Doesn't suit" and also the "they will grow into it" or "imagine an adult xxx" "its a cat/dog name"

Made me wonder how many of you experience this have you ever met someone with a name you as an adult didnt think they lived up to? A name they didnt suit ? An adult you couldn't believe had what to you was a baby name" one they grew unto as an adult?

Ds is Conrad when he was born my mother pronounced "that's horrific i hate it" ffw 11 years and she said " I always liked the name Conrad it's such a good solid name" it had become everyday to her and it was her grandson whom she loved so her opinion. Had changed.

I often get asked what my name is short for (it's not short for anything) and as my name is unisex and more.commonly used for male I've had people tell me I can't be female!

Made me wonder though if any of you have got to know someone and if you still felt like this after the initial "surprise" (in lack of a better word) of learning their name. Have you ever met someone and said " Thats a cats name?"

Edited to correct spelling and add cat comment.

Your mother's 2 reactions 11 years apart I think are really common. I personally believe people grow into their name and then own it, whatever it might be.

I've had several moments hearing about a baby name and secretly thinking it's awful.....too trendy, named after someone or something hard to live up to, an old man/ old lady name, a made up name etc etc...... but that's always quickly forgotten about when you see the baby and one day it's just 'their name'.

I do however think kids are cruel so would avoid anything with a higher than normal chance of bullying but other than that I try to stay pretty open minded

I have met people and thought that their name didn’t suit them and my opinion has rarely changed. And no I don’t tell people that their name is better suited to a cat but if I met a Tabitha(for example) then I would be thinking just that.

I know someone who gave their name to a vet and was told "no, not the dog's name - we need your name".

Oh definitely - it happens all the time - many people I know have names I had previously thought I didn’t really like and now I love the names and feel like they suit the person perfectly! All the types of names I thought I didn’t like (e.g. surnames as first names, hyphenated names, “dog names”, diminutives as full names for adults, gender neutral names, “downmarket” or very trendy names etc…) suddenly seem lovely when I meet someone with the name! It’s made me so much more open minded about names and variety is the spice of life with names as far as I’m concerned!

People have pre conceived ideas about names - but once they meet a person with that name, those preconceptions change (unless the person lives up to their preconceived ideas, of course )

I have met people and thought that their name didn’t suit them and my opinion has rarely changed

Really? Surely it's the other way around - people make their names?!

Not in terms of a a name being a pets’ name or too babyish, but I have met people who didn’t suit their names for no reason. I couldn’t tell you why someone I worked with fifteen years ago didn’t look like a Justin to me, but he just didn’t. And I remember watching a (totally crap) movie with Jennifer Anniston in a few years ago where her character was called Eloise, and I found it distracting through the whole movie that the name Eloise just seemed wrong on her. But maybe if the movie was actually good, I’d have got over it.

That’s all a me issue though, and generally people suit their names, and get on fine with them whatever they are. If they really hate the name, it’s easy to change.

Really? Surely it's the other way around - people make their names?

No. Some people definitely don’t suit their names imo but if they are happy with them, that’s all that matters.

Some people definitely don’t suit their names

Like an ungraceful Grace? Or a small Max?

@Scirocco , that happened to me when I took the cat to the vet. I was asked 'What's the name please?' and I gave my surname.

There are some names that trigger particular associations eg Sandy being blonde, Pixie as being tiny etc. Personally I wouldn't give a kid name with such a strong visual association. I'd want a kid to define their name and not the other way around.

I think some people don't suit their names but I can't remember thinking it about any children I've known since I had children of my own. Maybe there's less correlation between certain names and being a certain "type" nowadays, so it's harder to have preconceptions.

I used to know a very bossy and conventional oldish Zoe. She was really not my idea of a Zoe. A friend once said she'd always seen her as more of a Pamela. I could see it as soon as she said it!

Then there was a girl of about my age (I'm late 50s now) I knew slightly through an out-of-school activity. She seemed rather old-fashioned in some hard to define way - very quiet, hair in plaits when she was about 15 or 16, plain dark coloured clothes, often wore skirts or dresses when not many girls of our age we doing so out of school, never wore make-up or jewellery. In my head she was called Susan. Then one week she turned up wearing a neck purse (where are they now?) with Tracey on it!

I once knew a child called Glen whose grandparents never liked his name, even when he got older. He had a younger sibling with a more common/ popular name and they were quite vocal that they preferred it.

@Scirocco , the receptionist was disappointed and said she liked the idea of a cat with the name. It's not unheard of as a first name but it'd not the usual surname-as-firstname type (not Jackson, Harper, Darcy, Jenson, Harrison, Hudson, Casey, Mason etc).

I know a grumpy Joy.

It would be unfortunate if Pixie grew into a 5'11'' size 18 teenage girl like I was.

I've always thought that certain cool dude names would be hard for some kids to grow into, like Hunter or Wolf or Storm or whatever, if they become a slight, indoorsy boy who doesn't like getting muddy and hates being out in nature climbing trees, that's got to be a bit challenging.