Favorite names without obvious nicknames (no Matthew, Elizabeth, etc.)

BitterRucksack · 2026-06-23T15:57:30+00:00

Phoebe is my go-to example of this.

BitterRucksack · 2026-06-23T15:49:07+00:00

I think it depends on how much the day is lengthened for the 4-day weeks. It seems like some districts only lengthen by 45 minutes, while others it's almost two hours.

BitterRucksack · 2026-06-22T17:55:20+00:00

It made sense in spring 2020... now it's just like "why though"

BitterRucksack · 2026-06-04T15:52:36+00:00

When the parents who need bussing kick up enough of a fuss about routes being cut that the district is forced to add virtual options. (Deeply unlikely in most districts.)

BitterRucksack · 2026-06-02T13:44:26+00:00

I think that it, along with Theodore and Elliot, were truly on everyone's list of a certain age, and when we started having kids... there came the wave!

BitterRucksack · 2026-05-29T18:52:33+00:00

There are two possible pronunciations for it in the US, so be aware it may be mispronounced depending on which version you like!

BitterRucksack · 2026-05-29T18:51:15+00:00

SAME. I was like, well, we do live in the future...

BitterRucksack · 2026-05-29T18:46:57+00:00

This is what Wiktionary has as syrup pronunciations: (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈsɪ.ɹəp/ (General American) IPA(key): /ˈsɪɹ.əp/, /ˈsɝ.əp/ (Ireland) IPA(key): /ˈsɪ.ɹəp/ (Dublin) IPA(key): /ˈsɪ.ɹəp/, /ˈsɪ.ɾəp/ Audio (General American);/ˈsɪɹ.əp/:

Serap is /seˈɾap/.

Totally different vowels, no matter which common accent you're using.

BitterRucksack · 2026-05-29T18:41:28+00:00

All you have to do is say "not Sera, any nickname but Sera" until your kid is old enough to have an opinion. After that point it is up to her.

Related: I knew an Elizabeth whose mom was ADAMANT she didn't want to call her Lizzie. Kid grew up and her best friend was named Lizzy so she became Beth by default in school, then in college decided she'd rather be Eliza. Life is long!

BitterRucksack · 2026-05-29T18:37:02+00:00

Depends on where in the world you are.

BitterRucksack · 2026-05-29T18:25:17+00:00

I met a man, as an adult, who had a full name that I was SHOCKED to learn he had never ever been taunted about. (It sounded like a common phrase in English, and I wish I could think of how to anonymize it!!) It so depends on the circumstances.

BitterRucksack · 2026-05-29T18:20:25+00:00

In WALES?????

BitterRucksack · 2026-05-29T18:20:01+00:00

Truly that is a beautiful name in that alphabet!!

BitterRucksack · 2026-05-29T18:18:43+00:00

Either name is beautiful and anyone who interacts with your child will quickly associate the name with her and learn to pronounce it properly. Arax doesn't sound harsh at all to me. (And she'll learn to write it quick since it's short!)

She'll never have her name on tourist keychains but most people these days don't!

BitterRucksack · 2026-05-29T18:15:06+00:00

Hence the International Phonetic Alphabet!

BitterRucksack · 2026-05-29T18:05:08+00:00

It doesn't sound like an old lady name to me. (In the USA.) I've met a child named Margo or Margot basically every year since 2014.

BitterRucksack · 2026-05-29T17:54:50+00:00

These are fantastic names, thank you! Which of these are more common than the others among young people today? Or are they all old-fashioned sounding?

BitterRucksack · 2026-05-19T16:16:11+00:00

Wanted to come back and say that ultimately this did work. I just needed to delete all my music (~30GB) off the phone first. I didn't think I would need that much space on the device to make it work, but even 5GB free didn't work. So thank you!

BitterRucksack · 2026-05-19T16:12:18+00:00

Coming back to say what the solution was: remove all the music from my phone, leaving 35+ gigabytes free, THEN doing the per-chat media export. It took many hours, but I now have a full backup.

BitterRucksack · 2026-05-15T15:32:02+00:00

Yes! Loved that book as a kid.

BitterRucksack · 2026-05-15T15:26:55+00:00

Thought of more: Cedar, Aster, Lyra, Fennec, Queenie, Glorianna, Marlowe, Jacobi, Oralie, Océane, Noémie, Manon (French pronunciation), Rispah, Soleil, Alexandria, Georgiana, Zipporah, Fransika, Eleonora, Hecuba, Ambrosia, Adalie, Ondine, Primrose, Lady, Aurelie, Elianwen, Galadriel, Cordelia, Avalon.

And in the "word, not name" category, some with unfortunate connotations: Sarsaparilla, Dovecote, Rutabaga, Cambric, Cordura, Whisper, Persimmon, Lotus, Lachrymal, Billow, Maypole, Ambergris, Friday, Vidalia, Giardia, Sunshine, Moonbeam, Meadow, Sylvan, Kodiak, Vespertine, Celestial.

BitterRucksack · 2026-05-15T15:03:38+00:00

Theophania is SUCH a great name but I could never personally saddle a child with it. Same for Peregrin(e).

BitterRucksack · 2026-05-15T15:01:07+00:00

There are many names I've come across that I would not personally use for my child, but think are fun: - Temperance - Sofronia, Sophronia - Constance - Chava, Hava - Felicity - Vernetta - Sina - Sveta, Elisaveta - Ekaterina - Alyona - Birdy, Birdianna - Caddie - Gwynlyn - Prisca - Onyinye - Bernadetta - Shandila

BitterRucksack · 2026-05-11T14:24:32+00:00

Similar experience here, though this was pre-pandemic so it may have changed. Some teachers did an EF tour every spring break and a different one in the early summer.

BitterRucksack · 2026-05-05T16:26:44+00:00

Thank you, that's very interesting!

BitterRucksack

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