View Message

[Opinions] Heather and Heaven
So today there was a new little girl in my daughter's little toddler tumbling class. At first I thought her name was Heather, which I found surprisingly nice and refreshing to hear on a 2-3 year old, but then realized her name was actually Heaven. It actually sounded good and I didn't hate it, but I've always thought it seemed like it was trying so hard that it was tacky. Revelations all around.
1. What do you think of Heather? Do you think of the plant or is it forever dated to you? Can you picture it on a little girl? Can you come up with any combos that make it seem more modern?2. What about Heaven? Totally tacky or not that bad? Can you think of any combos that make it more usable?3. Why does Can have to be a name so it keeps linking the beginning of my questions?! (don't actually answer this)
I want to make my own combos at some point, but don't have time right now. Instead I'll be curious to see what others might come up with. :)

This message was edited 7/15/2015, 4:39 PM

Archived Thread - replies disabled
vote up1

Replies

1. I think of how dated it is before I think of the plant, which ruins it for me. The only way I could see it more modern is if its paired with an equally modern nature name so that people think of it as the plant and not as a dated name. For example, Heather Wren, etc. But it still doesn't work because most people would just go by Heather and not both so you still run into the dated issue.
2. I hate Heaven. To me, its tacky and given to kids who are expected to die after birth. I can't even think of a way to modernize it. People tried Nevaeh but we know how that went over.
3. Yes!
vote up1
To me, Heather is terribly dated, still. Never really liked the name either. Heaven ranks up there with Nevaeh. Just no!

This message was edited 7/16/2015, 1:30 PM

vote up1
I used to think of Heather as an older woman's name. However, I recently taught a Heather who is 14. Not a little girl, but still helped me to see it as a "younger" name.Heaven is totally tacky.
vote up1
I like Heather both for sound and for the "field of heather" imagery I get. I don't really think of it as "dated", probably because that imagery feels rather "timeless" to me. I can totally picture it on a little girl. Don't recall having tried to combo. Throwing out a mish-mash; please forgive any repeats as I've not read your other replies...Heather Adele
Heather Andrea
Heather Audrea
Heather Belen
Heather Betrys
Heather Cateline
Heather Celinda
Heather Constance
Heather Danica
Heather Dulcet
Heather Elena
Heather Elise
Heather Elissa
Heather Elspeth - to much "th"?
Heather Elva
Heather Embeth - ditto "th"?
Heather Eugenie
Heather Francine
Heather Genevieve
Heather Georgina
Heather Glory
Heather Gwen
Heather Idelle
Heather Irene

... Load Full Message

This message was edited 7/16/2015, 11:33 AM

vote up1
You're the first one to offer combos, so no worries. ;)Heather Adele
Heather Belen
Heather Betrys
Heather Constance - love
Heather Elspeth - eh, they're a hard and then soft th, so not too much
Heather Genevieve
Heather Loveday
Heather Nina
Heather WinsomeThose are my favorites from your list. Not sure any of them take it the direction I was sort of thinking, but they take it in a variety of directions I hadn't thought of but like!
vote up1
Seem to have Heather-on-the-brain since replying earlier, not that these venture your direction either, but just in case you like them or they spark an idea...Heather Brielle
Heather Enid
Heather Clarice (I rhyme mn with "Paris")
Heather Corinne
Heather Delia
Heather Demi
Heather Estelle
Heather Faline
Heather Fiona
Heather Jules
Heather Juliet
Heather Moira
Heather Sadie
Heather Tamsin
Heather Wynne
vote up1
You can always uncheck the hyperlink feature. To be honest, I have never clicked on a hyperlinked word or name and I find the feature annoying; I wish there was a way readers could turn off the hyperlink feature for all posts they read, not just for their own.Heather is very pretty. I never really associated it with the plant because I've never seen it growing in real life.
Heaven is just trashy. Self-chosen porn star/stripper name or the name somebody would give a kid thinking it showed how much they cherish them when in fact they don't really do much parenting at all.
vote up1
I dislike Heather because of its sound, which I find harsh. I can picture it on a little girl because I know a little girl named Heather. But I don't find a name refreshing on a child as long as there are umpteen kajillion adults in the prime of life walking around with the name.Yes, Heaven is tacky. Hard to say which is worse.

This message was edited 7/16/2015, 5:45 AM

vote up1
1. Heather might make a comeback, but not anytime soon. It's not a bad name in itself.2. Heaven's tacky and stripperish. Funnily enough, I know a Chinese male student whose "English name" is Heaven.
vote up1
I can definitely understand the appeal of Heather. Having said that, I consider it to be a strictly 70s-80s name since that's when it reached its mega popular status in this country.Heaven is NMS but it sure tops Nevaeh so I'd much rather see Heaven. Spelled correctly, I don't mind word names, actually. Still, I'd prefer Haven over Heaven.

This message was edited 7/16/2015, 2:31 AM

vote up1
I don't dislike Heather but I do find it dated, it would seem weird on a little girl, but maybe refreshing.I wouldn't use Heaven, and I prefer Haven but Heaven isn't as bad as, let's say, Nevaeh...Lol!
vote up1
I like Heather. Its popularity curve here was very different to the US's* - it was around for a lot longer, only recently dropped off the charts and never seemed to be in-your-face popular enough for people to get sick of it. I can easily picture it on a child.Heaven: nah. Tasteless and awkward.*maybe that's because heather-the-plant is a lot more common here?
vote up1
I hate Heaven. A lot. Growing up I was called Heaven ALL the damn time. I still get, although less so now that Haven is more common. I will say it's better than Neveah.I like Heather, mostly because I love the plant. It's usable if dated. I'm no good at combos.
vote up1
Oh, I can totally see people mistaking your name for Heaven. That would be annoying and off-putting!
vote up1
1. I like Heather. Some say it's dated to the 70's and 80's, but I once read an article about this millionaire from the 1920's who named his daughter Heather, and the picture of her looking a lot like Christopher Robin from "Winnie the Pooh" with HEATHER underneath made me see it as more versatile. I'm sure she was the only Heather she knew, which must have been kind of neat. I don't think of the plant.2. Heaven is tacky to me. It doesn't make me rage, but it is tacky. Can't think of any combos, don't want to.3. Apparently, it means "soul" or "life" in Turkish. You learn something new every day.
vote up1
Heather was popular in the UK and Australia in the '20s
vote up1
Ah. That explains it, then.

This message was edited 7/15/2015, 10:08 PM

vote up1
Top 100 here from the 1930s until the 1990s.
vote up1