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[Opinions] Zaelyn Journey
So, I recently saw that a country singer named his daughter this. What do you think of it? Do you think it flows well together or is it too strange? Just want some thoughts! Personally, I really like it together and I think Zaelyn is wonderful, but Journey is strange to me as a girl and as a middle name.
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I've met 2 or 3 Journeys in my life (although one spelled it Jerni. And everyone spelled it correctly. Somehow.) but I still find it a little odd as a name, and I feel like Jeannie would be better if they like the sound, or Sojourner if they want something similar to the meaning. Zaelyn is just ridiculous. The only way I can possibly imagine if being worse would be if it were "Zaeleigh".
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Zaelyn is entirely flimsy and forgettable. Journey is just another dictionary word. A wasted opportunity.
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Zaelyn? Oh brother. At least Journey is acceptable.
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Zaelyn looks like the parents just made a small tweak to the very trendy Jaelyn pattern of names. Z names can be fun though. Zuriel, Zabel, Zadkiel, Zenaida, or Zoraida have the edginess of a Z name and sound less like mob member of a trend. Journey is alright as a middle name, but it isn't very intriguing. Yes, life is a journey, but that association makes it feel like a very obvious would be motivational quote. Sojourner is similar but stronger and is associated with the American abolitionist and women's rights activist Sojourner Truth.Together, Zaelyn Journey definitely sounds very dated to the 2010s and 20s.
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It sounds sci-fi, like I imagine Zaphod and Trillian from Hitchhiker's Guide could have had a love child named Zaelyn Journey.Zaelyn sounds nice (better than Courtney, at least,
and fits in with names like Everly fine) and is arguably multicultural (it's pretty close to Zaelani and probably a bunch of other random names, including Sadie and Caitlin and Jael).I always wonder if parents are a fan of the band Journey when I see it as a name. I hate that band, but I like similar names, and I did name a (female) goat Journey once, so I'm somewhat fond of it.

This message was edited 11/16/2021, 11:29 AM

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Yeah, it flows well and it's no more strange than many other names that are commonplace.
It's not ugly imo, but these names don't happen to appeal to me personally.
I just don't really do -lyn names, and I don't like the look or sound of Journey aesthetically. It's better as a middle name than as a first imo.
It's hard for me to articulate what I like about names like this, but I think there is something to like, despite my not wanting to use one.
They named her Zaelyn Journey Payton. Why, I can't imagine. Maybe they were compromising.
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I love the name Payton/Peyton. I think that's the best part of her name. I also find it interesting that all of her names sound unisex. Parents are going for unisex names for girls more often than they use to. According to an article, its to create a more welcoming environment for all kids, so they don't feel as if they're forced to be anything they're not.
I believe the article, but I also think that some parents just want to be different, and are not really considering the hostile environment.
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Hmm. I wanna hear more about the welcoming environment thing. Because I honestly don’t think it does really anything besides... giving a child a name and pretty much going along with trend. Not that’s there’s anything wrong with that, but it sounds kinda funny.
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I hadn't seen the article in years, until you asked about it. The "welcoming environment" thing was how my memory interpreted the point of the article. I'm not really sure if unisex names will pave the way for acceptance, but I do like the idea of creative parents being apart of that, if they are indeed, trying to. Even then..It takes more than naming trends to do it. All trends stop at some point. So any "equality" that might've come from the names will, too. And unisex names are switching to the girl's side, not to the guy's. So, technically, the daughters are benefitting from having Cool names because people think they've got an edge, but I'm not so sure about the sons. There are some middle-aged men with "girl names" that can't reverse their modern gender usage. (Whitney, Courtney, Carroll, etc.) There's an article about that on BTN. I think that trendiness would only play a small role in that, if it even played a roll at all. I don't think the goal here is to gloss over sex, but to take away bad perceptions of having a particular sex. Gender would not need to be glossed over if we were talking about science, as men and women are biologically made to suit each other, but not be identical. It would also be cool to acknowledge the first woman who won an award that had regularly been given to men. But unless there's history or science going on, I don't see the point in putting emphasis on sex. Aside from gender, people have almost everything else in common. Having flaws, hopes and dreams, and all that sappy stuff about wanting to be loved (lol). So, I personally wouldn't give my kids unisex names to send them the message that ignoring gender would stop people from getting hurt, since it isn't true. But, I do think that it might teach kids to see themselves on even ground with their peers, and not judge them for being unlike them in some way. It might be ineffective, but that's all that I could hope for, if that was my goal, anyway.
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oh...Nevermind, I was mistaken. Payton is actually the surname. Her mother's surname. What article are you referring to?
I think people give all sorts of reasons that they truly believe they have, for doing things, but I might or might not agree that they are describing themselves honestly or correctly.
I mean, if they give unisex names to girls in order to create a welcoming environment, would that mean that, in the environment they wish to create, girls are unwelcome? Or that gendered kids in general are unwelcome? Or they personally feel girls are unwelcome and so they mean to make them feel more welcome by glossing over their gender/sex? It doesn't make perfect sense to me.Random addendum: I'm amused to read that the parents say Zaelyn means "gift of God." I wonder how that was derived.
I guess it means whatever they say it means, since it's basically made up as far as I can tell.

This message was edited 11/16/2021, 3:30 PM

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It'd have been neat if they used Godiva for that meaning.
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Godiva Journey

This message was edited 11/18/2021, 5:12 PM

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Godiva's Journey across the town naked.
Sorry, but the legend is all that I can think about now. XD
That combo would be good for a mythological character.
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The legendary Godiva's admirable. I'd be more miffed by the chocolate brand (I bet I'd hear "is your life like a box of chocolates" from someone), but whatever, my name's common yet I still got teased about it being associated with an underwear store.

This message was edited 11/19/2021, 10:44 AM

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I get what you mean. People can pick apart any name.
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Yeah. It's a bit much, but I think it'd be more fun to be named that and also Godiva Payton seems more distinguished to me than Zaelyn Payton.
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With all due respect, I like the -Aden trend a lot more than the -Lyn trend, although I don't necessarily like either. They produce good names, but I don't like all of them.Zaelyn and Journey together are too modern for my taste, as if the parents tried a bit too hard to be unique. Journey has gained popularity in the States, but I'll give them credit for Zaelyn: it is submitted on this site as rare.And I won't lie, I read Zaelyn Journey and thought that this was about a boy, despite Journey being listed as feminine. Both names sound unisex to me. Journey sounds like Jeremy, where I'm from. And the Zay part in Zaelyn sounds more boyish than it sounds girly.
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I agree the -lyn trend is way too out of hand, lyn is better as a middle name anyway! I love modern names, but you are right about it being too modern
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Ashlyn, Pailyn, Braelyn, Raelyn, Kaylyn, Jaylyn.I like some of those names, but I'd be lying if I said that they weren't inside of a painful loop. I prefer them spelled with -Lin or -Len. It looks a bit less trendy. People have been feminizing names with -Lee and -Lyn for awhile, so the unisex names with those endings are beginning to look feminine to me.
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so true, my nephew has a -lyn name and the moment I saw it, I was thinking it was a girl name, it's becoming way too much for me:)
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I think it's super cheesy and silly, it's like a name for a unicorn/pegasus in a unicorn/pegasus/rainbow/cloud world I might have fantasized about from ages 4-6
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yeah that is true
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I don't like any part of it. I guess I don't *hate* Journey but I don't really *like* it. Zaelyn, though, is just so artificial and without substance. I'm sure they thought they were being original or unique but such a mishmash of trendy sounds comes across to me as quite the opposite instead. Unoriginal, uninspired, boring, tacky.
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I think every famous person thinks that. They don't realize kids have to grow up with that
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Zaelyn is a name I'd not be surprised to see from some basic non-famous person too, it's *that* kind of trendy. But the statement still applies. A kid's name is for them, not a billboard for their parent's trendy taste. (this said I actually give a pass to *really* famous people - Kim Kardashian's daughter will already have to grow up with being Kim Kardashian's daughter, being named North is hardly a blip in all that)
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Hi !!!I like Journey very much.
Zaelyn instead is not my cup of tea.
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I think its very mystical
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