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Help[Opinions] Re: "American" names according to a name book of mine
in reply to a message by Caprice
Uuuummm.... Your book is on drugs.
Names I have actually heard used on first names on Americans in real life in my nearly 30 years of living here:
MALE
Archer -a "young" name
Colt -I knew a guy named Colt, but it was short for Colton which is marginally more common, but neither name is something you see everyday.
Garrison -And this isn't exactly common. I've met one and Garrison was the maiden name of the boy's mother.
Jaidon
Jaxsen -idk if I've ever seen this horrible spelling though. ugh.
Jerran -I knew of a Jarron once and he was well aware he had an unusual name.
Kodiak -I know a dog named Kodiak. Does that count?
Sterling
FEMALE
Bambi -an old lady name
Boyd -not common, but not unheard of either
Carter -I've met a few boys named this, but no girls.
Chandler -I've known one girl named Chandler. (The upsetting thing is that she had a twin sister named Elizabeth so how's that for mismatched?)
Darah -I used to know a Darrah.
Darren -men only though I have met two females named Darryl.
Kyle -boys, sure
Mason -never met a girl named this, but plenty of boys. Misha Collins has a daughter named Maison though.
Spencer -once and she said, "Spencer, like the boy's name" when she introduced herself.
Names that I just need to comment on:
MALE
Arlan -Sounds like the way native Irish people pronounce Ireland. Never seen it in America though.
Arnel -never heard of it
Banner -surname and not even a popular one. It's claim to fame is Bruce Banner (aka The Hulk).
Bannock -what?
Bay -a word, occasionally a surname
Bear -an animal, but not a name
Beck -surname
Beckon -a word, but not a name.
Birchall -never heard of it, but it *looks* like a surname one might find around here
Bishop -The only time I've ever heard of this used as a name is on one of the X-Men. Never in real life. It is a decently common surname.
Boyd -I've met someone with this name once.
Brazier -I don't know how to say this, but I pronounced it like "brassiere." It's definitely not something I've ever come across before.
Brenner -surname
Caldwell -also a surname
Callister -Never even heard of this as a surname, but McCallister is fairly common.
Camas -never heard of it
Case -just a word
Colter -surname
Cord -Chord Overstreet is an actor. That's the only time I've ever heard of something like this.
Cordelle -nope
Corridon -never heard of it
Cramer -surname
Dack -sounds like a child who can't say "duck." Where did this even come from?
Deston -Destin is the name of a beach city in Florida.
Devlin -I've never met anyone named this, but I can at least imagine it. It sounds like a name a young parent might would use.
Dugan -surname
Duran -I've only ever heard of this from the band Duran Duran and they're not American.
Erlend -Someone who can't say Ireland or Arlen?
Farrin -surname
Finch -surname. I really like this name though.
Fleet -Sounds like a character name, I've definitely never encountered one irl.
Fleetwood -surname
Free -When I was a child, I had this on the long list of names I liked. I've never seen it actually used.
Guthrie -surname
Hiatt -another surname
Holt -yet another surname
Hoyte -uummm?? no clue
Hunt -surname
Jededish -hopefully a typo from the free spirit writing this book.
Jevin -looks stupiud. never heard of it.
Kelby -sounds like a cute surname, but thb, I've never heard of it at all
Kivi -I misread this as "kiwi" so I guess its safe to say it's not a name here.
La Conner -what?
Lawyer -a profession, but never a name
Leeson -nope
MacAllister -surname (variation of the aforementioned McCallister)
Marland -looks like they misspelled Maryland. Never heard of it.
Olsen -surname
Pardee -another surname
Parish -yet another surname
Park -Parks is a surname. Otherwise, a park is just a place.
Pepper -The only places I've heard of this used has been in books and movies. There's a character named Pepper in Annie and a character named Pepper in the Marvel universe.
Phoenix -I've never met anyone named Phoenix personally, but at least I know this is a name that is really used.
Rider -Ryder Strong is an actor. That's the only time I've heard of it.
Rush -surname
Shawnel -made up, but could have potentially been something used decades ago.
Smokey -The Great Smokey Mountains uses this name and cats use this name. That's it.
Sterling -I actually like this name and it's used, but not common.
Stoddard -surname
Tandie -I've heard of this used once. For another Marvel comics character (spelled Tandy and used on a girl).
Tanier -maybe a surname? Not even sure about that.
Tannis -made up
Tandon -ditto
Teger -what?
Telfor -never heard of it
Trail -definitely not name, just a word
Trout -ditto. Couldn't imagine someone actually naming their kid Trout.
Tupper -Never heard of it and it reminds me of Tupperware.
Turk -someone from Turkey. Never heard used here.
Verlin -I met a man named Ferlin and it was super weird. Never heard of Verlin.
Webb -surname
Wesken -wtf?
Wray -surname
Zebulun -nope.
Zethus -definitely not
FEMALE
Alcinda -Lucinda, maybe, but not this.
Arizona -Sounds like a name from fiction. Otherwise, it's just a place name. We don't typically give it to our children.
Arnett -surname
Artia -sounds incomplete and I've never heard of it
Baines -surname
Belva -what?
Breqlynn -I'm terrified that this is someone's horrible idea of Brooklyn.
Brice -boy name only
Brylieva -wtf?
Caledonia -never heard it used
Cameo -I saw this in a baby name book once, but I've never seen it used in real life.
Canada -place name only
Carlana -made up
Chandelle -nope
Chaplin -job title, but not a human's name
Charney -Charley, yes. Charney, no.
Chesna -made up
Danacia -Danica, yes. Danacia, no.
Danean -Never heard of it.
Darenda -looks like Darlene and Brenda got squished together
Darsell -made up
Enfinity -wow. We don't use Infinity. We definitely don't use whatever that disaster is.
Ionia -I wish we used this.
Jatana -made up
Javonna -also made up
Jennara -never heard of it
Joceile -how do you even pronounce this?
Kanessa -Vanessa, yes, but not whatever that is.
Karas -Never seen it. We use Kara sometimes and I used to know a Charis.
Kierce -nope
Krislyn -Maybe Kristyn, but not Krislyn.
La Dawn -Dawn is used. We keep La out of it if we can help it.
Lavita -The beautiful what? Not a name.
Lawn -definitely not a name
Lazette -Lizette maybe
Marcenya -sounds foreign and we definitey don't have it here.
Mare -I known of a Maren, but never a Mare.
Maxy -never actually known of one except for TV
Mishaila -We have Misha occasionally and Shaila occasionally. Never this.
Miskaela -wtf?
Monaco -People here can't find Monaco on a map. They definitely aren't naming their children after it.
Montana -Wait. Hold up. My neighbor used to named Montana. He's probably 85+ now and a male.
Neida -They managed to put Neida and Oneida on this list and I've never heard either of them as a name.
Nevada -A place. It would be a cool name, but I've never met anyone named this. Love the meaning though.
Oneida -New York. polyamory and silverware. Never a person's name.
Pacifica -That would be a cool name, but I've never seen it except for this website.
Paradise -just a word
Parish -word and surname
Philene -nope
Prairie -cute, but we don't use it
Randelle -ew, no
Royce -surname
Sahara -nope
Shalana -This makes me want to sing "sha la la la la..." Never seen it as a name.
Shaleen -I've never met anyone named this, but Shailene Woodley leads me to believe that it's completely plausible.
Shasta -A Horse and His Boy is a Narnia book that has a character named Shasta. At the moment, I can't remember if it's the horse or the boy. I've never seen this used by anyone in real life, but there is a Mount Shasta.
Tanadia -We use Nadia. We don't use this.
Tarja -This isn't used. I'm not even sure how to pronounce this.
Tauna -Shauna, yes. Tauna, no.
Terris -Terri, yes, but not with the S on the end.
Tishra -nope
Tivian -Vivian, yes. But not whatever this is.
Treasure -I know I'm in the minority, but I think this is cute. It is somewhere in the Top 1000, but I've never actually met one. This is what ny sister used to call one of our cats.
Tuesday -I have an original character named Tuesday, but I've never actually encountered anyone called that.
Tupper -more Tupperware.
Tyana -Tiana, yes, but never met a Tyana.
Velvet -maybe a long, long time ago
Venetia -not in over a hundred years
Venice -no one's using that here
Vienna -I wish, but no.
Vinette -not used
Wallace -We don't really use Wallace or Wallis, but you're right.
Wednesday -Wednesday Addams from The Addams Family probably has a monopoly on this name.
Windy -We use Wendy.
Wyetta -seems fake to me.
--☆--
Evgeniy • Vyvyan • Dashiell • Brooklyn • Sebastian • James • Nikita • Silviu • Hadley • Caius
Natalia • Viviana • Gratiana • Eugenia • Maximiliana • Anemona • Valentyna • Daciana • Feodosia • Isadora
Names I have actually heard used on first names on Americans in real life in my nearly 30 years of living here:
MALE
Archer -a "young" name
Colt -I knew a guy named Colt, but it was short for Colton which is marginally more common, but neither name is something you see everyday.
Garrison -And this isn't exactly common. I've met one and Garrison was the maiden name of the boy's mother.
Jaidon
Jaxsen -idk if I've ever seen this horrible spelling though. ugh.
Jerran -I knew of a Jarron once and he was well aware he had an unusual name.
Kodiak -I know a dog named Kodiak. Does that count?
Sterling
FEMALE
Bambi -an old lady name
Boyd -not common, but not unheard of either
Carter -I've met a few boys named this, but no girls.
Chandler -I've known one girl named Chandler. (The upsetting thing is that she had a twin sister named Elizabeth so how's that for mismatched?)
Darah -I used to know a Darrah.
Darren -men only though I have met two females named Darryl.
Kyle -boys, sure
Mason -never met a girl named this, but plenty of boys. Misha Collins has a daughter named Maison though.
Spencer -once and she said, "Spencer, like the boy's name" when she introduced herself.
Names that I just need to comment on:
MALE
Arlan -Sounds like the way native Irish people pronounce Ireland. Never seen it in America though.
Arnel -never heard of it
Banner -surname and not even a popular one. It's claim to fame is Bruce Banner (aka The Hulk).
Bannock -what?
Bay -a word, occasionally a surname
Bear -an animal, but not a name
Beck -surname
Beckon -a word, but not a name.
Birchall -never heard of it, but it *looks* like a surname one might find around here
Bishop -The only time I've ever heard of this used as a name is on one of the X-Men. Never in real life. It is a decently common surname.
Boyd -I've met someone with this name once.
Brazier -I don't know how to say this, but I pronounced it like "brassiere." It's definitely not something I've ever come across before.
Brenner -surname
Caldwell -also a surname
Callister -Never even heard of this as a surname, but McCallister is fairly common.
Camas -never heard of it
Case -just a word
Colter -surname
Cord -Chord Overstreet is an actor. That's the only time I've ever heard of something like this.
Cordelle -nope
Corridon -never heard of it
Cramer -surname
Dack -sounds like a child who can't say "duck." Where did this even come from?
Deston -Destin is the name of a beach city in Florida.
Devlin -I've never met anyone named this, but I can at least imagine it. It sounds like a name a young parent might would use.
Dugan -surname
Duran -I've only ever heard of this from the band Duran Duran and they're not American.
Erlend -Someone who can't say Ireland or Arlen?
Farrin -surname
Finch -surname. I really like this name though.
Fleet -Sounds like a character name, I've definitely never encountered one irl.
Fleetwood -surname
Free -When I was a child, I had this on the long list of names I liked. I've never seen it actually used.
Guthrie -surname
Hiatt -another surname
Holt -yet another surname
Hoyte -uummm?? no clue
Hunt -surname
Jededish -hopefully a typo from the free spirit writing this book.
Jevin -looks stupiud. never heard of it.
Kelby -sounds like a cute surname, but thb, I've never heard of it at all
Kivi -I misread this as "kiwi" so I guess its safe to say it's not a name here.
La Conner -what?
Lawyer -a profession, but never a name
Leeson -nope
MacAllister -surname (variation of the aforementioned McCallister)
Marland -looks like they misspelled Maryland. Never heard of it.
Olsen -surname
Pardee -another surname
Parish -yet another surname
Park -Parks is a surname. Otherwise, a park is just a place.
Pepper -The only places I've heard of this used has been in books and movies. There's a character named Pepper in Annie and a character named Pepper in the Marvel universe.
Phoenix -I've never met anyone named Phoenix personally, but at least I know this is a name that is really used.
Rider -Ryder Strong is an actor. That's the only time I've heard of it.
Rush -surname
Shawnel -made up, but could have potentially been something used decades ago.
Smokey -The Great Smokey Mountains uses this name and cats use this name. That's it.
Sterling -I actually like this name and it's used, but not common.
Stoddard -surname
Tandie -I've heard of this used once. For another Marvel comics character (spelled Tandy and used on a girl).
Tanier -maybe a surname? Not even sure about that.
Tannis -made up
Tandon -ditto
Teger -what?
Telfor -never heard of it
Trail -definitely not name, just a word
Trout -ditto. Couldn't imagine someone actually naming their kid Trout.
Tupper -Never heard of it and it reminds me of Tupperware.
Turk -someone from Turkey. Never heard used here.
Verlin -I met a man named Ferlin and it was super weird. Never heard of Verlin.
Webb -surname
Wesken -wtf?
Wray -surname
Zebulun -nope.
Zethus -definitely not
FEMALE
Alcinda -Lucinda, maybe, but not this.
Arizona -Sounds like a name from fiction. Otherwise, it's just a place name. We don't typically give it to our children.
Arnett -surname
Artia -sounds incomplete and I've never heard of it
Baines -surname
Belva -what?
Breqlynn -I'm terrified that this is someone's horrible idea of Brooklyn.
Brice -boy name only
Brylieva -wtf?
Caledonia -never heard it used
Cameo -I saw this in a baby name book once, but I've never seen it used in real life.
Canada -place name only
Carlana -made up
Chandelle -nope
Chaplin -job title, but not a human's name
Charney -Charley, yes. Charney, no.
Chesna -made up
Danacia -Danica, yes. Danacia, no.
Danean -Never heard of it.
Darenda -looks like Darlene and Brenda got squished together
Darsell -made up
Enfinity -wow. We don't use Infinity. We definitely don't use whatever that disaster is.
Ionia -I wish we used this.
Jatana -made up
Javonna -also made up
Jennara -never heard of it
Joceile -how do you even pronounce this?
Kanessa -Vanessa, yes, but not whatever that is.
Karas -Never seen it. We use Kara sometimes and I used to know a Charis.
Kierce -nope
Krislyn -Maybe Kristyn, but not Krislyn.
La Dawn -Dawn is used. We keep La out of it if we can help it.
Lavita -The beautiful what? Not a name.
Lawn -definitely not a name
Lazette -Lizette maybe
Marcenya -sounds foreign and we definitey don't have it here.
Mare -I known of a Maren, but never a Mare.
Maxy -never actually known of one except for TV
Mishaila -We have Misha occasionally and Shaila occasionally. Never this.
Miskaela -wtf?
Monaco -People here can't find Monaco on a map. They definitely aren't naming their children after it.
Montana -Wait. Hold up. My neighbor used to named Montana. He's probably 85+ now and a male.
Neida -They managed to put Neida and Oneida on this list and I've never heard either of them as a name.
Nevada -A place. It would be a cool name, but I've never met anyone named this. Love the meaning though.
Oneida -New York. polyamory and silverware. Never a person's name.
Pacifica -That would be a cool name, but I've never seen it except for this website.
Paradise -just a word
Parish -word and surname
Philene -nope
Prairie -cute, but we don't use it
Randelle -ew, no
Royce -surname
Sahara -nope
Shalana -This makes me want to sing "sha la la la la..." Never seen it as a name.
Shaleen -I've never met anyone named this, but Shailene Woodley leads me to believe that it's completely plausible.
Shasta -A Horse and His Boy is a Narnia book that has a character named Shasta. At the moment, I can't remember if it's the horse or the boy. I've never seen this used by anyone in real life, but there is a Mount Shasta.
Tanadia -We use Nadia. We don't use this.
Tarja -This isn't used. I'm not even sure how to pronounce this.
Tauna -Shauna, yes. Tauna, no.
Terris -Terri, yes, but not with the S on the end.
Tishra -nope
Tivian -Vivian, yes. But not whatever this is.
Treasure -I know I'm in the minority, but I think this is cute. It is somewhere in the Top 1000, but I've never actually met one. This is what ny sister used to call one of our cats.
Tuesday -I have an original character named Tuesday, but I've never actually encountered anyone called that.
Tupper -more Tupperware.
Tyana -Tiana, yes, but never met a Tyana.
Velvet -maybe a long, long time ago
Venetia -not in over a hundred years
Venice -no one's using that here
Vienna -I wish, but no.
Vinette -not used
Wallace -We don't really use Wallace or Wallis, but you're right.
Wednesday -Wednesday Addams from The Addams Family probably has a monopoly on this name.
Windy -We use Wendy.
Wyetta -seems fake to me.
--☆--
Evgeniy • Vyvyan • Dashiell • Brooklyn • Sebastian • James • Nikita • Silviu • Hadley • Caius
Natalia • Viviana • Gratiana • Eugenia • Maximiliana • Anemona • Valentyna • Daciana • Feodosia • Isadora
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Replies
For the record, I used to know a Shaleen, that spelling, here in South Africa; she'll be in her 60s by now. No American connections that I ever knew of.
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