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Help[Opinions] Bear and Lion
Just wondering whether you think these work as names. Some celeb just named his son Lion and I know Alicia Silverstone has a Bear.
Bear has actually been growing on me. I used to think it was silly but then I thought if you can name your kid Hunter, Melody, Brook, Summer, Robin and all kinds of random words, why not Bear? It doesn't sound too bad. I think Lion isn't bad either. Not that I'd use them but I find them acceptable if paired with a more classic middle name (e.g. Bear James, Bear William) and no Bear Blu, please.
Opinions?
Bear has actually been growing on me. I used to think it was silly but then I thought if you can name your kid Hunter, Melody, Brook, Summer, Robin and all kinds of random words, why not Bear? It doesn't sound too bad. I think Lion isn't bad either. Not that I'd use them but I find them acceptable if paired with a more classic middle name (e.g. Bear James, Bear William) and no Bear Blu, please.
Opinions?
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Replies
I don't care for these at all so why should I put them on a birth certificate? What's sensible is very subjective. I find Lionel extremely silly, for example, and I think lots of men would rather be named Bear or Lion than the soft sounding Lionel. If you'd rather name someone Lionel or Bernard or see these names on someone that's fine, of course. Just saying that Bernard and Lionel will certainly not please EVERYONE else and personally I'd just rather meet a Lion.
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Sorry and all that, but if you want to meet a lion, or indeed a bear, may I suggest the zoo?
As for birth certificates, I know a woman whose parents would have named her Alexandra if their ln had been different, but they wanted something shorter, decided they'd always call her Zahn anyway, and put that on her birth certificate. They all lived happily until she started learning German at school; the rest of the class were delighted to discover that their classmate was a Tooth, but she felt strongly that her parents could have done better.
As for birth certificates, I know a woman whose parents would have named her Alexandra if their ln had been different, but they wanted something shorter, decided they'd always call her Zahn anyway, and put that on her birth certificate. They all lived happily until she started learning German at school; the rest of the class were delighted to discover that their classmate was a Tooth, but she felt strongly that her parents could have done better.
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Almost every name in the world means something funny in another language or has elements in it that mean something funny. Kara means 'penalty/punishment' in Polish, for example. Should we now avoid tons of perfectly fine names because they mean something bad or weird in a language that the child might someday learn? That would be impossible. Also Zahn is pronounced with an TS sound in German, not with a Z sound. Doesn't sound the same at all.
Lion doesn't even mean anything bad. It's not any different from other nature or animal names such as Brook, Summer, Autumn, Robin and Willow. Would you tell someone who wanted to meet a robin to go to a bird sanctuary? And yes, I know it's also a short form of Robert but it still sounds exactly like the name of the bird.
All I was saying is that naming is a matter of taste and different people will like different names. I wouldn't mind at all to be named Tiger or something but would dislike something really boring or overused like Caitlin or Alexandra. To each their own.
Lion doesn't even mean anything bad. It's not any different from other nature or animal names such as Brook, Summer, Autumn, Robin and Willow. Would you tell someone who wanted to meet a robin to go to a bird sanctuary? And yes, I know it's also a short form of Robert but it still sounds exactly like the name of the bird.
All I was saying is that naming is a matter of taste and different people will like different names. I wouldn't mind at all to be named Tiger or something but would dislike something really boring or overused like Caitlin or Alexandra. To each their own.
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I love Bear in English, but not Croatian (medo). On the other hand, I like lion in Croatian/Russian,etc. (Lav, Lev, Liev), but dislike it in English (and while I'm not a fan, Leo is also ok). And I like wolf as both (Wolf and Vuk). However, all animal names are in GP category for me.
In Alicia Silverstone's case, the baby's names is Bear Jarecki which totally sounds like a hockey player's name, imo, and I love it.
In Alicia Silverstone's case, the baby's names is Bear Jarecki which totally sounds like a hockey player's name, imo, and I love it.
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Good point re: hockey.
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Sometimes the first name/last name combo makes or breaks the name for me. Bear Jarecki works for me, while Lion O’Loughlin (baby Lion's full name) is horrible (the LOL part doesn't help it any).
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Well, they sound silly to English speakers just because they're not used in our culture regularly, so the image is of a word, not a word name.
But Bjorn just means Bear, doesn't it? It literally means Bear, right? And Bjorn is a fairly standard name.
Same with Leo, right?
I wouldn't mind Lion being a standardized name. I think it's pretty cool, abstractly. Concretely it would be goofy to meet someone named Lion.
Bear seems a bit more normal to me for some reason. I think it's because of Bear Bryant? I'm from Auburn so I've heard a lot about him in my life, so it sorta seems like a name. I think if you're goofy enough to name your kid Bear that it could work OK, but is probably better as a nickname. Like in Bear Bryant's case. He got his nickname from wrestling a bear when he was 12. So if you want to name your kid Bear you should have him wrestle a bear when he's 12.
But Bjorn just means Bear, doesn't it? It literally means Bear, right? And Bjorn is a fairly standard name.
Same with Leo, right?
I wouldn't mind Lion being a standardized name. I think it's pretty cool, abstractly. Concretely it would be goofy to meet someone named Lion.
Bear seems a bit more normal to me for some reason. I think it's because of Bear Bryant? I'm from Auburn so I've heard a lot about him in my life, so it sorta seems like a name. I think if you're goofy enough to name your kid Bear that it could work OK, but is probably better as a nickname. Like in Bear Bryant's case. He got his nickname from wrestling a bear when he was 12. So if you want to name your kid Bear you should have him wrestle a bear when he's 12.
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Now there's a point of no return for word names.
And I think that point is near by. Soon someone will name their child Atomic Deep Fryer.
And I think that point is near by. Soon someone will name their child Atomic Deep Fryer.
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I think Frank Zappa already did.
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Lol :)
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Too bad someone will try to one up Mr. Zappa.
That's how it is in Hollywood.
That's how it is in Hollywood.
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I just read a book by Alice Hoffman that used Lion as a first name. It was to make a literary point, though.
I just think it's a bit silly. I can see the appeal but it's not something I'd do.
I just think it's a bit silly. I can see the appeal but it's not something I'd do.
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I prefer Leon or a form of it to Lion. I dont think animals should be used as names. You can still have the meaning 'lion' from all sorts of names (Leon, Ruslan, Areli, etc).
Same thing with Bear. I would use it as a nn, if at all. I knew a little boy whos nn was Bear (because he would growl sometimes and sound like a bear...it was cute, though). You could use it as a nn for a name that means 'bear' maybe (Bernard, Bjorn, Arthur, etc).
Same thing with Bear. I would use it as a nn, if at all. I knew a little boy whos nn was Bear (because he would growl sometimes and sound like a bear...it was cute, though). You could use it as a nn for a name that means 'bear' maybe (Bernard, Bjorn, Arthur, etc).
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With the exception of a few, I don't care for most animal names. They sound childish, and as Billina, pointed out, "bear" has a connotation that most people probably would not want associated with their child. It also can refer to someone in a bad mood. Why not use names that mean "bear" or "lion" instead?
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Well, ahem. :-)
I took Bear as my screen name for personal reasons. But I always thought it would make a great nn for a boy, especially for Bernard (= bear heart) or Barrett. (Or Bernadette?). It works as a name in its own right too, but I still think it's better as a nn. I did smile when I saw Alicia Silverstone had used it. My stock combo is Bear Magnus, but that's more of an inside joke, really. (= Great Bear)
Lion? Again, I think it's better as a nn, for Lionel or Leo / Leon, Pantaleon, etc. Or maybe even Leonie, why not?
I took Bear as my screen name for personal reasons. But I always thought it would make a great nn for a boy, especially for Bernard (= bear heart) or Barrett. (Or Bernadette?). It works as a name in its own right too, but I still think it's better as a nn. I did smile when I saw Alicia Silverstone had used it. My stock combo is Bear Magnus, but that's more of an inside joke, really. (= Great Bear)
Lion? Again, I think it's better as a nn, for Lionel or Leo / Leon, Pantaleon, etc. Or maybe even Leonie, why not?
This message was edited 11/11/2012, 6:12 AM
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Why not Bear? Because in the LGBT world, a "bear" is a big, fat, hairy guy. Nothing against big, fat, hairy guys, but it's usually not the type of image a person wants associated with their baby's name.
Lion is...pretty stupid. To be honest, I hate animal names. They sound so juvenile.
Lion is...pretty stupid. To be honest, I hate animal names. They sound so juvenile.
This message was edited 11/11/2012, 6:03 AM
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ha ha!
Juvenile, yes. And it reminds me, I always got annoyed when I was little, reding books about animals, and the animals were only called things like Bear and Duck and Dog. Like, couldn't they come up with even a dumb name for these critters? And how could there be only one Duck in the forest? What if he met a mate or a relative?
Juvenile, yes. And it reminds me, I always got annoyed when I was little, reding books about animals, and the animals were only called things like Bear and Duck and Dog. Like, couldn't they come up with even a dumb name for these critters? And how could there be only one Duck in the forest? What if he met a mate or a relative?
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only us namenerds
would get annoyed with that. I know I hated the bearinsteen bear books for this reason
would get annoyed with that. I know I hated the bearinsteen bear books for this reason
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I loved those books, even WITH the generic names. Didn't seem to bother me.
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Who says he would have to mate with another duck? That's racist, man.
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I think Bear and Lion are exactly the kind of names stupid celebrities would choose for their kids. They're ridiculous. Especially Bear. Bear is a fairly common nickname for very large men, and to me it's as dumb as naming your kid Slim or Red or Sparky.
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Bear I think could work, despite it sounding a bit immature and "cuddly". I would actually considr this as a middle name if there was a connection somewhere.
Lion I don't would ever be an acceptable first name, there's something about it that just doesn't sound like a name. Besides, you've got Leo / Leon if you want a "lion" name.
Note: Melody, Brooke, and Summer are all on my list. I also like Robin / Robyn on boys and girls. However I despise Hunter.
Lion I don't would ever be an acceptable first name, there's something about it that just doesn't sound like a name. Besides, you've got Leo / Leon if you want a "lion" name.
Note: Melody, Brooke, and Summer are all on my list. I also like Robin / Robyn on boys and girls. However I despise Hunter.
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Maybe Lion sounds too much like lying/lyin'? I actually know a Lyon but her pronounces it LEE-on.
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