Godless Capitalist Posted November 16, 2004 Report Share Posted November 16, 2004 My wife and I just found out today that our second child will be a boy. So now the debate over names begins in earnest. We are looking for something that reflects our interests, which include canoeing, the arctic/subarctic, astronomy, biology, Subarus, and, of course Objectivism. The first name must be fairly normal, but the middle name can be a little far out. For example, our first son's middle name is Solstice because he was born on June 21, and if we were having a girl the middle name would probably be Aurora. My wife wanted to name our first son Maxwell after her late grandfather, so I get to name this one, subject to her veto. So far I have suggested Ragnar, Orion, and Aristotle, all of which have been vetoed except maybe Aristotle or Orion as a middle name. All ideas greatfully appreciated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oakes Posted November 16, 2004 Report Share Posted November 16, 2004 So far I have suggested Ragnar, Orion, and Aristotle, all of which have been vetoed except maybe Aristotle or Orion as a middle name. You could always shorten Aristotle to Ari, a common name which also happens to stand for Ayn Rand Institute Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick N. Posted November 16, 2004 Report Share Posted November 16, 2004 Although my wife and I don’t have any children yet, we have already discussed names for our future children. We can’t think of any *perfect* names for a son, either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Kufr Posted November 16, 2004 Report Share Posted November 16, 2004 name him Apollo not enough of those around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gnargtharst Posted November 16, 2004 Report Share Posted November 16, 2004 My first daughter's name, Kira, was decided the moment I read We the Living back in 1985/86. I was still years from considering myself an "Objectivist", but the name stuck immediately. When we were to have our 2nd, the name Alexander Edison was chosen. However, she was a she, and so instead was Alexandria Madison. Consider Edison. Ed for short. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Betsy Posted November 16, 2004 Report Share Posted November 16, 2004 We named our son Matthew because we liked the sound of the name and of the nickname Matt. It has positive connotations, but not any particular associations (with Ayn Rand characters or otherwise) so Matt is free to be whoever he wants to be. A note of caution: creative or unusual names are fine for a girl, but not for a boy because of the "Boy Named 'Sue'" effect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BurgessLau Posted November 16, 2004 Report Share Posted November 16, 2004 Here are the criteria I used for my son (and he used for his son): 1. Short. 2. Easy to say. 3. Easy to remember. 4. Free of associations that impose expectations or burdens. Of the four criteria, the fourth is the most important. Imposing expectations or burdens on a child through a name chosen by the parent could adversely affect the child. Let the child have a "neutral" name and let him become who he wants to be without having to contend with a label loaded with meaning to adults. My son's name is Erik. His son's name is Cody. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Godless Capitalist Posted November 16, 2004 Author Report Share Posted November 16, 2004 Thanks, all! What's the "Boy Named 'Sue'" effect? Why does it only affect boys? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elizabeth Posted November 16, 2004 Report Share Posted November 16, 2004 My wife and I just found out today that our second child will be a boy. So now the debate over names begins in earnest. We are looking for something that reflects our interests, which include canoeing, the arctic/subarctic, astronomy, biology, Subarus, and, of course Objectivism. The first name must be fairly normal, but the middle name can be a little far out. All ideas greatfully appreciated! You sound kind of like my husband. He wanted to give our daughter a middle name of Demosthenes(?) or Thunder. We had to consider how the names work with our last name since it is so unusual and 3 syllables. So we ended up agreeing on traditional names for both children - Rachel and Nicholas, their middle names are family names. Try to picture your son as a little boy learning how to write his name, a teen, then a man. Congratulations to you and your family! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erik Posted November 16, 2004 Report Share Posted November 16, 2004 I just had a boy and had a hard time with the name. Decided on Logan because its uncommon and a good strong masculine name. Used Erikson for the middle name. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PirateF Posted November 17, 2004 Report Share Posted November 17, 2004 Congratulations! Our son is Henry. Not only because of AS, but also because we just loved the name. Our daughter is Scout. She would have been William Roark had she been a boy. They both have family names for their middle names. We had intended to call Henry "Hank" but it never took. Obviously I see nothing wrong with naming your child after a person or character who portrays values you admire. Just because my daughter's name is Scout doesn't mean I expect her to have an awkward haircut and play a dancing ham in a school play, for example. Leonard Peikoff's daughter is Kira; another prominent Objectivist - I can't think of who right now - has a son named Francisco. Why not check out the book Cool Names for some ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toolboxnj Posted November 17, 2004 Report Share Posted November 17, 2004 I hope to name my first son Hank/Henry, but that's not too original if you're looking for something unique. If it's a girl, how about Francesca? I also like Ari as well for a boy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
realitycheck44 Posted November 17, 2004 Report Share Posted November 17, 2004 Thanks, all! What's the "Boy Named 'Sue'" effect? Why does it only affect boys? It was a song. I cannot thing of the name of the singer right now, though. Its about this guy whose dad left him early on in his life, but named him "Sue". It made his life very hard because he was the subject of ridicule, and he hated his dad for it. When he finally met his dad, the dad said it made the kid tougher and by being singled out the kid learned how to take care of himself. At the end Sue says When I have a kid, I'll name it... Bob or Bill or Joe, etc. Anyway, girls don't really care out their names: they can be feminine or masculine; but boys want a masculine name. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidOdden Posted November 17, 2004 Report Share Posted November 17, 2004 I cannot thing of the name of the singer right now, though Johnny Cash. One of the most melodious singers every. (Literally true, if you think about what "one of the most" means). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colonel Rebel Posted November 17, 2004 Report Share Posted November 17, 2004 Thomas Conor James Patrick all strong names, free of association, simple, and....well yah... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Socionomer Posted November 17, 2004 Report Share Posted November 17, 2004 I don't have any children yet, but in the event I do, I like the idea of having my future children select their own names. My spouse and I would create a list of about ten male and ten female names which we prefer and then come up with a method by which the infant would "choose" a name from the list him or herself. (maybe by grasping a crayon and the first name he/she touches on the sheet of paper is theirs). Should they then become dissatisfied later in life with their name, you can tell them whose really to blame. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BurningLeo Posted November 27, 2004 Report Share Posted November 27, 2004 Here are the criteria I used for my son (and he used for his son): 1. Short. 2. Easy to say. 3. Easy to remember. 4. Free of associations that impose expectations or burdens. considering those steps I would think Leo is a good name, or maybe Jon, also how bout Titus hope this helps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meganfiala Posted November 28, 2004 Report Share Posted November 28, 2004 I love the name Ethan for a boy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Godless Capitalist Posted November 28, 2004 Author Report Share Posted November 28, 2004 As it happens, my wife's sister already named her son Ethan. Having cousins with the same name would be too confusing! Alexander is at the top of the list right now. No big symbolism except that Alexander Mackenzie was a famous northern Canadian explorer. Thanks again, all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Praxus Posted September 5, 2005 Report Share Posted September 5, 2005 As it happens, my wife's sister already named her son Ethan. Having cousins with the same name would be too confusing! Alexander is at the top of the list right now. No big symbolism except that Alexander Mackenzie was a famous northern Canadian explorer. Thanks again, all. Alexander also spread Hellenic culture to the far reaches of the known world But if you want to go with the famous northern Canadian explorer bit, that's alright too:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemuel Posted September 5, 2005 Report Share Posted September 5, 2005 (edited) I can't give you a specific name, but perhaps another serious criterion: don't give your son a name that everyone else has. I was born in 1974, and apparently the early 70s was a popular time for the name 'Jason'. Every neighborhood, every school class, every job I've ever had: there's always been at least one other Jason. In the 4th grade there were 2 of us, and the teacher thought it cute to call us Number 1 and Number 2. Guess who was No.2. My 5th grade class actually had 4 Jasons, so we were all referred to by our last names ... not "Mr.", just simply "Stanfield". I've always liked my name but hated the fact that everyone else was also Jason. Go to this website to track popular names throughout the past century. Edited September 5, 2005 by synthlord Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michero Posted September 6, 2005 Report Share Posted September 6, 2005 how about Tycho ? after Tycho Brahe. You could call him "Tyke" for short-- it'd be so cute...for a while anyway. Isaac is a classic name as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Groovenstein Posted September 6, 2005 Report Share Posted September 6, 2005 I like the sound of Julian for a male, depending on the last name of course. An additional criteria to consider is the language origins of the names. For example, I've always found baseball great Vladimir Guerrero's name quite strange. My first and middle names are Matthew Adrian, which I like. However, I don't like Adrian with my last name Stein. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rearden_Steel Posted September 6, 2005 Report Share Posted September 6, 2005 I always liked the name Ethan. It’s not very prevalent and it’s the name of John Wayne’s character in the movie “The Searchers” (it doesn’t get more masculine than that!). In Hebrew it means solid or enduring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
youngman Posted September 6, 2005 Report Share Posted September 6, 2005 How about Friedrich or Immanuel? Just Joshin. Hey, how bout Josh? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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