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Naming Style and Fashion Persona

RoseandJoan

Veteran

I have been pondering for a little while (okay maybe a longer) the correlation between naming style (the names chosen for children, pets, usernames) and fashion personas.

I simply adore names, their origin, meaning and age and of course I'm interested in style and style tribes. For example I love vintage and this is evident in both my clothing and choice of middle names for my children (Rose and Joan). Do you believe there is a connection between the names you prefer and your style? Are you a classic dresser who loves the names Charlotte and Edward? Are you an arty dresser who loves bohemian names?

(From a privacy point of view please feel free not to use real names, you could use a similar name or a sound a like or not mention a name at all, whatever makes you comfortable.)

Thank you so much in advance

General

28 replies

Latest reply was from Mo

Sparky

Veteran

Short answer: Absolutely. I am drawn to classic styles in my clothing, in architecture and home design, and have a penchant for antiques and old things ~ and this comes through in names as well. My kids all have classic names that reference the past, including family history. Great topic!

modgrl

(website)

Veteran

Yes, mine is from a cyberpunk novel I read 20 years ago. It has always been my alter ego on the internet. I imagine she would be wearing allsaints style head to toe.

Queen Mum

Veteran

My kids names are relatively common for their generation,,..although I wouldn't say classic. and my style of dress is pretty much modern-classic. So yea, I guess there is something to that.

But one of the most classic (and dare I say bland) dressers I know named her kids some quite unusual names.

We had one dog years ago and we named her Molly. I don't think I dress like a Molly. Maybe I did a little back then though

Fun to think about.

Mo

(website)

Veteran

Hmm, my cat is MiniMo but we found out he was a boy after I named him - oops. And I am not a crossdresser LOL!

londonkiwi (now back in NZ)

Veteran

Love this topic! I love the ins and outs of why and how people go about naming their children. There is a great blog called http://www.babynamewizard.com/blog that I read, which even though it has an American focus is still very interesting.

The thing is of course, that most children have two parents who have a say in naming them, so I guess that comes in to play too, especially if both parents have strong styles. The other influence is of course culture and family, but then I guess these can also be influenced by your own style. I think that names like fashion has trends as well, some of these being localised and others global.

When we named Vanessa we wanted a name that was not extremely popular, but still well known so that she wouldn't have any spelling or pronunciation. I also wanted a name with a little bit of a story and a name that would "travel well". I would say that my style is modern classic with a twist (eek) and I think that Vanessa fits in with that.

Patty

Veteran

My weird name but not style story---I enjoyed the comics pages in the Toronto Star as a kid but loved Blondie and Dagwood. My parents always talked about the everything on it Dagwood sandwiches. And I LOVED the Blondie movies.
Blondie and Dagwood's son was called Alexander. In the movies he was played by a little boy who's acting name was Baby Dumpling (Larry Simms). Blondie always refered to her son as Baby Dumpling most times except , I think, when she was angry with him then it was Alexander (she also voiced Jane Jetson)---I fell in love with the name Alexander around 8 yrs old and determined that my first son would be Alexander and I would nick name him Baby Dumpling.
Fast forward and my first son is indeed Alex and his last name is french Canadian- translated into english--->"little dumpling". From Wiki= The word quenelle is derived from the German Knödel (noodle or dumpling). Weird huh??

nancylee

Veteran

My son has a name that was trendy/popular at the time he was born, so I guess that would make me trendy. I don't think of myself as a particularly trendy dresser, however.....so I guess I disprove the theory.

CocoLion

(website)

Veteran

I like modern, Boho rocker style. But in names I prefer traditional yet less common names with a family heritage. So my naming preferences are more traditional but my style isn't. That is because I see names as very permanent, just as I see body art, of which I have none. With fashion I exercise the ephemeral side of my personality, but with names, I reflect the traditional side of me.

Great story Patty!

Michelle

(website)

Veteran

Really interesting concept, Julie! And after giving it some thought, I think you may be onto something. I am a classic dresser, and while I'm not about to plum the works of the Bronte sisters in an effort to name my kids, I am drawn to somewhat oldschool names. Certainly very feminine ones. If I had daughters I'd want to name them some combination of Alexandra, Lilia, Marianne and Olivia (come to think of it, one of those is a Jane Austen heroine). My mom epitomizes what we're talking about here. She has very classic tastes in her clothing, and apparently wasn't too original in the name department. My brother's name is Mike! And we have virtually the same middle name, too! Factor in our french heritage and our names are almost interchangeable...GAAAAA!

If anyone is wondering how my guide dogs' unusual names figure into my classic sensibilities, they don't. McClure and Reva were named long before I met them, but I came to love both names as they're perfect for the respective pup!

mrseccentric

(website)

Veteran

chiming in to say 'Great story Patty!' as well!

hmm. i never rightly settled on one particular name, either in life or online. i real life i go by my name, nicknames, shortened version of said name, married and maiden, initials, i even have a boy's name (Fred, long story). i often give my husband's name at starbux or when making reservations as it's easier to spell than my own.

online i go by steph, mrseccentric,a # of variations on small bird names, the dashing eccentric, lunarose.....

basically call me what you like as long as you call me for dinner. our cat? the bouch, bouchie boy, the poo, poo, doodlebug, the king, etc....

he also likes to show up for dinner and has the figure to prove it! i think i do have a particular style, but i draw from all historical periods and 'styles'. when i take a style test it tends to score all over the place. very fun topic!!!! steph

Aziraphale

Veteran

Is there a connection between the names I prefer and my style? Absolutely. I like outfits with a classic element mixed with something a bit modern and/or unexpected. My kids both have quirky, unexpected (but not invented) first names coupled with classic, familiar middle names. And I am NOT a fan of names that are purposely misspelled in the vain attempt to make them look interesting (instead such names just look affected), which can be compared to my dislike of clothing items, like destroyed denim jeans, that look affected and make it seem like the wearer is trying too hard.

Jonesy

Veteran

Interesting question! Our kids have unusual first names, family middle names, and a last name that we made up for them that combines a part of my last name with a part of my SO's last name. So, some unusual bits mixed with some more traditional ones, which is congruent with my personal style, I'd say.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Oh! How fun to read about this! Love all your stories! And I can see some of your styles come through in the names that you've chosen. That's so quirky!

Great topic, Julie.

Hmmm. I prefer simple and strong one-syllable names - like Sean. I really like names that are unisex. Like Sean. Greg's middle name is Sean. I can see these attributes come through in my style.

My girls are/were named after flowers because my Mum loved flowers, and I got Rosie and Jasmine straight after my Mum died. I guess that's nostalgic. I have a nostalgic streak to my style.

chewyspaghetti

Veteran

My kids names first names are both classic, traditional, easily spelled, not unusual and somewhat plain. I think that is not at all like my fashion style. I like their names and wouldn't change them, but they were strongly influenced by an article that I read when I was pregnant that sited a study proving that people with unusual names had a more difficult time in business. They both also have more unusual middle names that have more meaning. I feel similarly to CocoLion about names. I knew that the kids could always go with their more unusual middle names if they wanted to later in life, but the solid and staid first name would be one that would not make a bad impression upon hearing it.

Aziraphale

Veteran

chewyspaghetti: I'll preface this by saying that I love classic, traditional names too. But the study cited in that article you wrote....how up to date was it? Because naming standards are changing. The times, they are a-changin'! Two decades ago, the top ten names accounted for some huge fraction of all the total names, whereas now, the top ten names are a very small fraction. What this means is that it is no longer unusual to have an unusual name. So, chances are, by the time this generation's kids are looking for jobs in business, I think we'll find that an unusual name matters very little.

I'll find a link to back up this claim when I get a chance. There are lots of them. The Baby Name Wizard book (there's also a blog) describes this phenomenon.

Also, my observations from my daughter's elementary school bear this out. When I was a kid, there were four Jennifers to every class. Today, I think the top-ranked name for my area is Emily (or possibly Emma), with such names as Ava gaining in popularity. However, it's unlikely to get more than one Emily or Emma or Ava in one class. In my daughter's class this year, there is only one repeat name -- Devyn/Devon -- and even then it's not spelled the same.

So, traditional, classic names like Elizabeth (oo, fancy that!) and David will always be good solid names to put on your CV, but I bet soon no employer will bat an eye at, say, Calypso.

RandomThoughts (Andrea)

Veteran

Hrm. I don't have kids but I have had several dogs mostly with "human" names, all but two were named by me:

Shane
Brenna
Leanan (who is actually called Booboo nowadays)
Zepar
Regan (REE-ghen)

All but one is Irish, but I don't think I dress "Irish" whatever that means. I'm sort of more eclectic/arty/rockerish I think. The inspiration for the names is definitely "me" but not sure about the names themselves.

Except Shane. I just knew I had to have a boy dog called Shane. There was no inspiration beyond that.

I also love the name Sean and my next boy dog will probably be called Sean, Angus or Oisín.

suzanne

Interesting! Most Afrikaans kids (me included) either get traditional, old fashioned family names, or modernized versions of it (my sister, Lize-Mari, was named after great-gran, Elizabeth Maria). There are definitely 'trendy' names as well (but I think they differ from American/British trends) e.g. In my class at school (about 35 pupils in a class) I had no less than 3 Lindie's; 2 Chantelle's and 3 Ross's. I might just add that there are absolutely no Afrikaans names that can be shortened to either one of these names - they were simply fashionable at the time that I was born. I heard that the British trend nowadays is to go beck to the classics: Lucy, Eve, Sarah, Rose etc.

RoseandJoan

Veteran

@Sparky - classic does sit very well in our modern times it is evident in architecture and how well Grace can sit beside McKenzie on a baby names list.
@Modgrl - Cyberpunk is a style to aspire to for sure.
@Kim - Love how your family naming pattern formed by accident.
@Mo - Poor MiniMo, but the bartender in the Simpsons is all male so I think your cat will remain unscathed!
@Fi - I love your choice of name and the reasons for choosing it. thanks for the link.
@Patty - that is brilliant
@Nancylee - trendy is not a negative, you are fab.
@Cocolion - very wise
@Michelle - your names are also very ladylike which fits your style.
@Mrseccentric - you are eclectic in the best sense of the word.
@Elizabeth - we may have similar naming styles.
@ Jonesy - yay, there is a similarity
@ Angie - clean, string and nostalgic are definitely parts of your style.
@ Khris - Your reasoning is sound, some children develop[ the character to carry an unusual name where as others don't. Your style have evolved, how would you drescribe your style when you had your children?
@ Random Thoughts - the Irish tourist board depicts the Irish as artistic, sociable and outdoorsy, does that fit your style?
Suzanne - thank you for the South African perspective.

Laura

(website)

Veteran

Julie, you have the best threads! I agree that you're on to something here. Of course it's always hardest to describe yourself (as opposed to describing someone else), but I've always liked my name and think it fits. I hate it when someone clearly has the wrong name, don't you?

RoseandJoan

Veteran

Yes Laura, I have a client whom I shall call Clive but he looks like such a Glen that every time we meet I have the overwhelming urge to shake his hand and say 'nice to see you again Glen', one day it will catch me out.

Anonymous

Interesting thread. As a child I was called by my unusual middle name and hated that I always had to spell and pronounce it, so started going by my first name. However, I don't really like it either as it is very old fashioned. I made sure that my children had names that were known but not too common and had more than one possible nickname to give more options. I suppose that's also the way that I choose clothing...familiar style with something distinctive and able to be worn more than one way.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Ack. Just wrote a reply that disappeared.

Never mind.

I was going to say that I often find it difficult to name characters for my fiction. The name symbolizes so much and influences what the reader will expect from/believe of the character.

It's true in life, too; our names influence how people treat us, and we often seem to grow into our names.

I called my daughter a name that I thought was slightly but not TOO unusual. Turns out lots of other people had the same idea around the same time, so her name is less unusual than we had intended (although the spelling of hers is somewhat different than most). We wanted her to a have a name with old fashioned roots that was still distinctive in some way. I guess that is similar to my modern classic style?

chewyspaghetti

Veteran

elisabeth- my son is 15, so the article came out a long time ago.

Julie- what I am attracted to stylewise hasn't really changed that much, and I have never been a classic dresser. With my first baby, I was still pretty fresh out of my punkrock era. I was very into the Doc Martens and floral dresses of the 90's.

Erin

Veteran

What an interesting thread! I grew up with a different name at the time but now my name is more common place. The only other Erin I had ever heard of was the sister on Happy Days and I always watched to see her name flash up on the record during the credits. I wanted to mane my kids more traditional/old fashioned names as I had 6 Jasons in my graduating year of high school. My DS is William who was born first but when my daughter was born we gave a nod to my husbands Aussie roots and named her Adelaide. I liked this as it is a very old fashioned name but everyone comments about how unusual it is when the hear her name, not my intention at all.

As far as style goes I think that I am classic with a bit of quirky thrown in. I think that is what I ended up with as far as naming the kids too. Interesting.

PS Is it creepy that I put my kids names out there in computer land for all to know? I wan't sure if it was a good idea.

RoseandJoan

Veteran

@Erin, I don't think its odd, I have used middle names here but have used my children's first names on other threads. I think as long as I never mention my surname or where I live (exactly) I'm comfortable about privacy, we all have our different comfort levels. If it does make you uneasy you could edit the post to remove the names. Familiar but also uncommon appears to be a trend with regards to naming children.

@ Khris, how could I forget your punk roots!

@ Suz, yes it must be so hard to come up with a character name, especially before the character is fully developed, do you change the name through the writing process?

@ Joy, it is common in my family to be known be your middle name.

My Mum has a very difficult name to live up to as it's meaning is 'born again, christian, saint!

Mo

(website)

Veteran

Erin, you watching for your name on the credits so reminds me of being taken aback while hearing mine in the movie Total Recall. Remember that one, with Arnold Schwarzenegger on Mars? The main female character was called Melina (I'm Malina) and every time I heard him say my name it was just weird. I don't just randomly hear people calling my name unless they are talking to me.
I'm glad my folks named me as they did. I like it and I feel it suits me.

RoseandJoan

Veteran

Mo, my daughters best friend is also called Malina!

Mo

(website)

Veteran

Ohh, another one to join the small group of us!

I wonder if people try and find a nickname for her. I avoided one until my mid 20's when I got Mo at work. It has stuck ever since.