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[Opinions] Men and outmoded names
Before I get started I just wanted to say I do not mean this in a derogatory or hurtful sort of way merely from a sociological perspective and not as an attack on men or their taste in names. What I wanted to ask was why is it that it would seem, in general, men seem to be more drawn to to out of fashion names? Not necessarily name savy ones just generally speaking. Such as names of their parents or grandparents generation that haven't made the full "cycle" yet. Could it be because it reminds them of paternal figures and positive associations? Or because they see them as more "sturdy" and practical in usage when compared to the modern counterparts of the time? A "tried and true" mindset? Less likely to take the social "risk" of a modern name? This has merely been my interpretation of how I have seemed to find the general consensus of name styles for the social circle I know if you feel differently about your own experiences feel free to express it. As for any guys on here I'd love for some insight as well. Once again I do not mean to imply all men, even among my own circles, only the pattern that I have noticed with some. And I do not imply that these out of fashion names are "bad" but only that of a different style. Thank you.
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I've noticed that pattern in my own experience too. Not in a huge majority, but it's observable.That people who see themselves as masculine characters (many men I've known) often prefer names that they perceive as names of real people - the names of real people they've known or heard of; and people who see themselves as feminine characters (many women I've known) often prefer names that are *not* the names of anyone they've known, or sometimes even heard of. I think it's analogous to the different qualities of "fashion" or clothing choice, as stereotyped masculine/feminine.
Stereotypically, a feminine character dreads wearing anything exactly like others, or wearing what people wore yesterday, and for her to be superficially stylish and creative is extroversion, seems prosocial, not a risk of seeming weird ... a masculine character dreads looking like a shallow clown because he's wearing something attention-grabbing that nobody else would ever wear, and for him to be superficially conventional is extroversion and seems prosocial, not a risk of seeming dull.I don't think there is any value difference at all. Both attitudes are based on potentially *good* things. They're only different from each other, they set one another off. The opposite of 'outmoded' could be 'nutty,' the opposite of 'classic' could be 'interesting.' Depends on your perspective. "Masculine" and "feminine" is axiomatic, because gender is a stereotype OF sex/gender differences that ARE observed among many - but, that's not about whether there's any actual sex difference, or reason to expect anything of any individual. I've also known people whose tastes are against the stereotype of their gender, and that's a likelihood too.I myself am in-between, on the naming taste thing... I like Isla and Julia, Silvan and Eric... I feel like I can relate to either kind of taste.

This message was edited 9/11/2021, 12:57 PM

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I can't say I've noticed this. Maybe there is a difference in male oriented vs female oriented media in terms of which names are considered cool?For sure women are more encouraged to think about parenthood and future children more than men. Maybe there is a difference between the name style liked by someone who is looking for a child's name, versus someone who isn't thinking of names in the context of having children (regardless of gender but there would be more women falling into the former category)
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Well, I just like them? I especially like if they aren't very common anymore. This being said, I do like some very popular names and don't judge off of popularity. For example, Mavis. I like it because it's an older name which hasn't been overused. It's also a type of bird, so that's cool. When it comes to names, a sense of uniqueness is nice.Mavis compared to...Braeleigh? Mavis definitely wins.
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Mr liked Howard and Douglas. Douglas I can understand and go with easily as it was his birth dad’s name. His birth dad died at just 26 and Mr was 7 months old. Howard on the other hand took a lot of getting used to but now I love it.Girls names on the other hand he seems to get. He likes Bronwen and I like Olwen. He agreed with Felicity though as I went with Howard. I’ve also agreed to his second boys name Michael as whilst I’ve never considered it I’ve always been indifferent to it. It’s entirely usable.

This message was edited 9/10/2021, 3:28 PM

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