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[Opinions] Re: Jane
in reply to a message by Lily
I like Jane, and I don't find it dull or plain at all. I wish I could use it. What do you think of Jane? I think it has a lot of charm. It's simple, strong, and really pretty in that no-frills way I love. When I add its long history and all the positive associations I can draw, I think it's a great name.
Do you like Jayne? No! Get that Y out of there!
What do you think of Anna Jane? It's cute, both as a double name or as a fn/mn combo. I'd rather see Jane as a FN, though.
Is Mary Jane usable? Between the shoes and marijuana, I don't think so. I wouldn't want it to be my name, at least. There's a Mary Jane in the assisted living community I visit, and she's called Jane. I think there are a couple reasons why Jane never reached the Top 30. For one, it's been very popular as a middle name. Even if it's used as part of a double name, as it often has been, like Sarah Jane or Mary Jane, typically only Sarah and Mary would be counted as the FN for popularity measuring purposes. Second, Jane almost had to compete against versions of itself, like Joan and Janet, in popularity. I believe that for the time covered by the SSA list, Jane just wasn't the most fashionable feminization of John. As far as "Plain Jane," short, unadorned names just sort of fell out of fashion, but Jane is the only one with the misfortune to rhyme with plain. I always forget about Jane Doe, but I don't think that has hurt the name too badly. John has John Doe, and it's #26.
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No, you can search for double names too. For example Mary-Jane and Maryjane are both listed (search on this site). Only if the parents would list Mary as the first name and Jane as the middle name (and call her by both names) only Mary would be listed. I guess that's what quite a few people do, though.
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