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Old July 13th, 2012 #20
Alex Linder
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Join Date: Nov 2003
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Steven L. Akins View Post
Once you give your first child three given names, then you have to keep it up with the rest so they don't feel shortchanged.

I had a great-great aunt who had seven names - something like: Luthera Ann Saphronia Caroline Mary Jane America Akins.
I don't find that more names adds anything, if anything it's occasionally impractical. Even three names doesn't really seem necessary. How relevant are any middle names? They appear on a form or two, but you never use them. I think ancestry should get some consideration, but so should practicality. The name doesn't make the man, the man makes the name. The name can sometimes get in the man's way, though.

Quote:
If my youngest child had been born a daughter instead of a son, then two of her given names would likely have been Lucy and Joslin, after Daniel Lucy, an ancestor who settled in James City Co. Virginia in the early 1600's, and after John Joslin, an ancestor who settled in Lincoln Co., Kentucky in the 1700's. Her other given name would likely have been Ferebee, which was an ancestral family surname that ended up being given to the sister of one of my Mercer ancestors.

Coming up with family last-names that make good given names for girls is a lot harder than it is for boys.
Part I think is hard is that if you detest christianity and most British cultural patterns, as I do, you certainly don't want to use any of their monikers. Between the christian names, Irish names, and white-trash names, you start to run out of option. It is very unfortunate that many German names are either ugly (Horst, for example) or just don't work in English. And per my comments to AA, I think it's wrong to try to bodily drag a 'new' ethnic name into English and make it happen, like the Irish would do with Seamus or Padraig or Siobhan or Declan or the 1001 others. You won't agree, but to me, there's not a dime's worth of difference between Scots-English-Irish, it's all the same. There are just very, very few German names that can be effectively and reasonably used in Anglo lands. If you can't go German, maybe go Greek. I'm not a big fan of my own name, which has become much more common the last few years, but at least it's Greek and not christian or british. It's kind of sad to see Eva or Ava become adopted by white trash, as I actually think that is a good German female name that works in English. Otto is a good male name, but not used these days. You can be a great man with the name Otto. It's simple, and it's ethnic. And unlike all the weak-ass Irish names, it's strong. And omigod do the middle-class wetters hate it. But when you're sitting in class with 1500 ryans and 3500 seans and 800 ians and 50 kierans and 25 declans... you will be the only Otto.