Synaesthesia in names

[LadyCressida]

Perfectly prepared for most people to think I'm loopy, but it's not just a pregnancy thing - i've always associated letters, numbers and names with certain colours. Does anyone else think they have synaesthesia?

I'd really like to know what names people consider to be red!

I think me and DH both have a red name and I want DC to have one too...

I know it sounds bonkers but there you go... there is a chance that someone else synaesthetic might understand!

Yes, Cressida is yellow for me too, and I also see Ss as green, 5dollar.

Rs and Hs are red for me so everything like Henry, Harry, Helen, Harriet etc. and Robert, Richard, Rachel is red.

My DS1 has a white name and I've had a name picked out for DS2 (due in 6 wks) for ages but strangely haven't thought about what colour it is. Now that I am thinking about it, it's either mustardy yellow which is a colour I don't really like, or dark green, which I do like. Hmm. What colour do you other synaesthetes think the name Wilf is?

Just occurred to me that the mustard yellow connection with the name Wilf could be from reading Wilfred Owen's poetry at school and subconsciously relating the name with mustard gas. That's a bit macabre isn't it?!

Sorry for hijacking the thread, Cressida but would love opinions on what colour you all think the name is. HOpe you don't mind!

Contrary to what I said earlier, I think that there is a fairly preponderant association between the letter 'C' and yellow (other colours don't have such uniform associations). I participated in a (still ongoing) study into synaesthesia, run by someone called Jamie Ward at a London university, and that was something I learned from the study.

Wilf = brown.

Oh brown's not a nice coloured name to give a baby is it?! Damn....

Go on, someone tell me it's racing green or indigo or turquoise or something beautiful to them, please!!

Oh I'm sure it is lovely colours for some people. I don't know how the letter--colour association is built up. It just seems to 'be there'. The key thing is what colour it is for you and your family members.

I used to know twin boys whose names I routinely muddled because one had dark hair and the other blond and their name colours were the wrong way round in relation to their hair.

James is a red name

Ooh I do this too.

I have always had synasthesia and love it!

Days of the week are strongest for me though months of the year are strong colours too.

Names

Mine is green
DHs is blue
DS1 is sparkly blue
DS2 is green but that could be because mine and his both start with J and J is green.

CANNOT think of any red names - I see the name then the colour if that makes sense

Blue names are Jill, Luca, Michael, Milly, Anne, Max
Green names are Joanna, Joshua, Elizabeth, Eva
Yellow names are George, David,
Pink names are Kate,
Brown names are Ben,
White names are William,

It is nice to see the world in colour like this

I get this, but when I meet the person, not over the name.

I only know a few red people, its a very dramatic colour for me, I've met very few.

People like me!! I'm so excited!! Days of the week for me are: Monday-pink Tuesday-pale blue Wednesday-pillar box red Thursday-dark blue Friday-pale grey Saturday- dark red Sunday-yellow. The only way I can remember what i'm doing when is by the colour association! Numbers are colours too, and names for me are clolured mainly by the first letter. snowtiger, red names for me are R's and H's too, so Richard, Robert, Harry, Helen etc. My ds was going to be Reece, but when he was born he didn't suit a red name, so I went for a J instead- pale blue is so much more 'baby boy'! Weird though, because his middle name is a J too, but it's dark blue...

I see Wilf (Wilfred) as a light toned blue-green.

Anguis, I know what you mean by associating names with hair colour (although I previously said I didn't have colours for names). Colin & Justin always seem to me to have their names the wrong way round because Justin is a dark-haired name & he is blond, while Colin is a blond name & he has dark hair. Oh, I am weird.

Sorry but Wilf is a small silverskin pickled onion...

Yes, I have that image too, Angel

You've lost me, ladies. Although I love pickled onions so despite not having a clue what you're on about it's not that bad an association.

(Liked the idea of the name being blue / green though, Math)

That's interesting that C is commonly yellow for many people - it's why I'm not crazy about my married name, as it's yellow with my white first name, which is just a bit meh.

Wilf - this is very purple to me, Snowtiger. W is a navy/purple colour, F is more of an indigo purple, and I and L are white - the purple definitely dominates for me, though.

I think it's the almost translucent quality of the name (imo) and the little pickled onions that says 'Wilf' to me, hence also the blue-green colour.

You're properly bonkers, math Love it!

It's so weird that some things are similar for everyone and others are completely different.

I agree Wilfred is yellow, but when it's with Owen, it seems even more yellow to me!!

Some connections I think are quite obvious when you think about it, like i think George is red because of england and red roses, and David is yellow for daffodils, but others just ARE and there is no way to explain it...

Sorry, going off topic a little but I used to have very definite ideas about what colours things were when I was young. The months of the year for example I saw on a dial, and they all had their own colours.

When I started secondary school, I coloured in my timetable according to what colour the subjects were. I remember I had very definite ideas about what colours each subject should be.

I don't get this these days though, Have I killed my mild synaesthesia by hanging out in a boring business environment for too long do you think? (Or just by by growing up maybe) Or might it still be lurking below the surface?

Red names for me are;
Robert
Robin
Christopher (sometimes blue)
Benjamin (brown-red)
Craig
Robyn
Caitlin (cherry-red)
Erin
Sarah/Sara
Victoria (dark crimson)
Julia
Morgan

David is definately blue, Felicity and Stephanie are lilac, but Stacey is fuscia and fizzy like sherbert, William is like porridge, Molly is play-doh???????
don't ask!

I think I'm in the same boat as you lowrib. My life is in need of a colour-revival

Well I'm having dinner with a good pal Wilf next week and wait till I tell him he's a small pickled onion.

(And I BET it's 'small' that he objects to most).

Can't see colours myself, but sometimes shapes, eg Philippa to me is a 'fat' name - apologies to any out there and no i don't know any fat Philippas, its just the vowel/consonant combo. Belinda also a 'round' name - the 'bell' and 'a' sounds.

"My life is in need of a colour-revival" what a nice way to put it ellesabe

Think I need to do something creative soon, that part of me has been sorely neglected recently.

lowrib defo with you on the timetable!

Maths - red
English - blue
Geography - orange
German - green

Perhaps it's to do with what the exercise book colours were though!

Sure you can get it back - just need more chances to get the felt-tip pens out!