Barbara writes:<\/p>\n
Hi Swistle- I’m super psyched about your new baby names blog! I’m OBSESSED with baby names (I guess names in general) and have been for as long as I can remember. As a little girl, I was always “changing” my name and always wanted a name with a fun nickname. As an adult, I make baby name lists at least weekly. I love the meaning behind names, the sentimental or family connection associated with names, initials and monograms, and especially nicknames.<\/p>\n
Here’s my question: What names do you love but had to give up on because they just didn’t work with your last name (aka unfortunate nicknames, initials or puns)? I know you’re not keen on making your real name public, so you may or may not be able to reveal this info without giving away major clues to your true identity, but maybe your readers can?<\/p>\n
I always loved the name Rose or Rosie for a girl, but with the (new) last name of Thornton, I just thought the pun was too mean. Another example, my sister-in-law was almost named Rachel Anne but her initials would have been RAT.<\/p>\n
Looking forward to reading more about our favorite subject!<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
GREAT QUESTION!<\/p>\n
Paul and I have an ethnic and difficult surname, so we’ve avoided ethnic or difficult first names. And our surname is so surnamey, we think “surname names” (Miller, Sawyer, Carson) sound bad with it.<\/p>\n
When Matt Lauer named his son Thijs (pronounced “Tice”), I instantly loved the name—but we weren’t willing to take on the challenge of a totally unfamiliar (in the U.S.) name that follows the pronunciation rules of another language. We messed around with the spelling (Tyce, for example), but we only liked it with the Dutch spelling. So we gave it up.<\/p>\n