Gothamist: In 5-10 Years, Emily's and Michael 's Will Confuse Teachers

alix

Thu, 12 Oct 2006 15:31:39 -0500

Jenny: that "i" in my name was the only defense i had at the schoolyard when they teased me for having a boy's name. kids can be so cruel. i should send them my therapy bills. boo hoo.

Michael

Thu, 12 Oct 2006 14:30:44 -0500

I was top gun for so long, but now, according to the name voyager, Michael's been second to Jacob since 2003. Jacob? It always make me think of carob. And no one wants to be associated with fake chocolate.

so there

Thu, 12 Oct 2006 14:27:30 -0500

What about the urban legend in which the new mother sees "female" on the hospital bracelet and decides that "fe-MAL-lie" is a very pretty name? There's always "Aquanetta."

jnnn

Thu, 12 Oct 2006 14:00:14 -0500

burpington hee hee

edEx

Thu, 12 Oct 2006 13:51:36 -0500

Good Names: Hangovery Mistaken Burpington Enronious Haliburton-Snowboard "It's too bad Chlamydia has to be a venereal disease. It's such a pleasant-sounding word..." "...Chlamydia. I think I might name my daughter Chlamydia." —Waiting

jenny

Thu, 12 Oct 2006 13:33:18 -0500

Whoa! That's the first time I saw another Alix with an I. That's my sister's name while I'm a Jenny. I have five other friends right now named Jenny. And when I got married, I took a common last name. After all that, I'm naming my kids something sort of weird.

alix

Thu, 12 Oct 2006 13:17:45 -0500

"there is an upside to having a relatively uncommon name - people will remember it, versus being one of legion of same-named kids in a playground, office, or school" yeah, and all the jennifers and michaels also remember to kick your ass everyday on the playground for having a stupid name. no kid wants to be different.

Lilitu

Thu, 12 Oct 2006 13:16:42 -0500

Emily's and Michael's what will confuse teachers? I usually get irritated with the people who obsessively correct Gothamist grammar, but the 'apostrophe + s to indicate plural' error is a pet peeve.

Mark

Thu, 12 Oct 2006 13:16:31 -0500

The Name Voyager is a fun time-waster for about 5 minutes if you type odd celebrity-esque names in there. Not surprisingly, "Fungus Face" is not a popular baby name.

WT Economist

Thu, 12 Oct 2006 13:15:17 -0500

Their first book came out in the early 1990s, and all my contemporaries read it, many taking their advice to chose out of fashion but still good names. The consequences were unintended. Instead of five Emily's or Mary's in the class (previously popular names) you had five Emma's or Madeline's (names out of fashion at the time that the book recommended). We took their advice too, to an extent, but were less copied by our peers. Moral: watch their sales. If they sell enough books, and you want to achieve their goal of a less common name for your kid, do the opposite of what they say.

Emily

Thu, 12 Oct 2006 13:11:29 -0500

Nooooooooo!!!!!! When will the madness stop . . . I once lived in a summer camp cabin with 3 other Emilys . . . sigh . . .