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[Opinions] English
Thoughts on the name English? Male or female?

https://www.behindthename.com/pnl/217493
"It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves." - William Shakespeare

cottage

This message was edited 1/9/2023, 7:46 PM

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Sounds like a very old-fashioned surname name. Makes me think of someone currying favor with a rich relative by putting their surname on a son. The quirkier and less namey it is, the more points you get. It becomes a style in itself - quirky surname-names to imply association with rich families. Well it's a theory. Probably wrong. But I don't understand the appeal otherwise.
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I generally don't care for adjectives as given names because I don't like how the name then seems to become a phrase with the first name meaningfully modifying the surname. So I would prefer England, Scotland, Ireland, and America as given names over English, Scottish, Irish, and American.
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It's kind of a guilty pleasure for me, definitely female I think. I imagine a non-European socialite named this that enjoys playing cricket. Blonde hair & green eyes.
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Umm...what? Sorry, this one just leaves me scratching my head. 😕
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It just makes me think of the Amish and how they call non-Amish people "English". Then I think of that movie from the 80s where Harrison Ford had to pretend to be Amish because he was on the run from some bad guys. The sound is nice enough and I guess it's no different than something like "Dutch". I think I see it as slightly more masculine? But in a soft way, like a male Ashley.
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I want to know who would actually name their child after a language, it should only be used as a language or ethnicity instead.For genders, I dislike both equally.

This message was edited 1/9/2023, 7:58 PM

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From the web: "English Gardner (born April 22, 1992) is an American track and field sprinter who specializes in the 100-meter dash. Her personal best of 10.74 seconds, set in 2016, ranks her in the top ten all-time for the distance." An Olympian
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Well I don't know about language but for nationality there's America Ferrera
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I’ve never actually seen it on a real person, but a while ago I read a book with a character by the name of English Jones. I thought it was weird too, but intriguing.I don’t see how it’s much different from naming a child German.ETA: I met a girl named Eng’Lish just on Friday, thought of this post 💀 I knew it wasn’t terribly unusual.

This message was edited 3/5/2023, 12:56 PM

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There's also an Olympian named English as well

This message was edited 1/10/2023, 5:48 AM

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That German has a history of use? It’s the same difference between Rose and Tulip.
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Well no kidding German is more used and legitimate as a name than English, but I was just saying the two are not that different popularity aside.
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Not really. English is, well, English. It means English in English. German is used in Russia and Spanish speaking countries, and sounds nothing like the Russian or Spanish words for German.

This message was edited 1/10/2023, 12:36 PM

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Maybe it’s because I’m American and I see German literally as a nationality or language. Even though it is it’s own separate name derived from another name. I was just saying of course as English speakers we’re bound to find English as a given name bit idiotic.Genuine question; Do Germans name people German?
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There are, according to Forebears (not the best source out there!) Germans named German - but I imagine a) most are immigrants b) it's less problematic than being named English in an anglophone country, as the German word for German isn't German.
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Ah, that is true. I just imagined English in America was like being a Britton in England, or being named France in France. Hell, even America in America. But I see the point.

This message was edited 1/10/2023, 1:57 PM

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