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Help[Opinions] Re: Mactavish?
in reply to a message by ElleMichelle
It's artificial as a 3-dollar bill, is what it is. You just like the name, and since it's related to your actual maiden name you think it's different from just picking a surname out of the phone book. Well, there's no need for the veneer. If you like the style of the name Mactavish for a boy, just LIKE it for style, and don't be ashamed. (And then cope with the dissonance you have about disapproving of other people's phone book naming ... how do I know? Because I do the same thing. ;-)
I personally find Mactavish to be too precious-seeming for a boy, regardless of who else's name it might be. It seems like a name you might find on a children's book character who is a talking cat. Sorry - but I'd find it annoying on a guy.
eta - Please don't get defensive. I'm just saying, nobody who wants to pass on a family name, uses a "form" of it. That doesn't pass on the family name. I get frustrated when people don't want to admit that they just like a surname as a first name because they like it, and they make up elaborate family connections for it, as if that changed anything. You're allowed to like what you like!
- mirfak
I personally find Mactavish to be too precious-seeming for a boy, regardless of who else's name it might be. It seems like a name you might find on a children's book character who is a talking cat. Sorry - but I'd find it annoying on a guy.
eta - Please don't get defensive. I'm just saying, nobody who wants to pass on a family name, uses a "form" of it. That doesn't pass on the family name. I get frustrated when people don't want to admit that they just like a surname as a first name because they like it, and they make up elaborate family connections for it, as if that changed anything. You're allowed to like what you like!
- mirfak
This message was edited 11/27/2006, 10:43 AM
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um... I never said I was trying to find a way to pass on my last name Thompson and that's why I was thinking about Mactavish. In fact my name will be passed on in a sense already, since all the children will have it as their third name (or double last name). That's why I asked if Mactavish was redundant.
There isn't another surname as a first name that I like other than Finnegan as a full name for Finn. I like the nickname Mack and was trying to think of full names it could be a nickname for because I like longer full names. Then it dawned on my DH and I that Thompson derives from the MacTavish clan, which we already knew because my aunt did some research a few years back and got everyone in the family a MacTavish clan plaque. So, we thought that since the children will be using his last name and not mine, using MacTavish as a fn with the nn Mack would be a good way to both give my last name some recognition (since it will basically be on the birth certificate and that's it) and be able to call him Mack. That is the full, true story. I'm not making up any elaborate connections. Please don't assume you know the reason behind something when all you have is a baseless assumption. That was rather rude, and totally unhelpful.
~ EM
There isn't another surname as a first name that I like other than Finnegan as a full name for Finn. I like the nickname Mack and was trying to think of full names it could be a nickname for because I like longer full names. Then it dawned on my DH and I that Thompson derives from the MacTavish clan, which we already knew because my aunt did some research a few years back and got everyone in the family a MacTavish clan plaque. So, we thought that since the children will be using his last name and not mine, using MacTavish as a fn with the nn Mack would be a good way to both give my last name some recognition (since it will basically be on the birth certificate and that's it) and be able to call him Mack. That is the full, true story. I'm not making up any elaborate connections. Please don't assume you know the reason behind something when all you have is a baseless assumption. That was rather rude, and totally unhelpful.
~ EM
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Ah, I'm very sorry! I saw you said Thompson "comes from MacTavish" and I jumped to conclusions.
I didn't mean to be rude - I meant to express frustration at the idea that you didn't feel it was okay to use whatever surname suited you regardless of where you got it. But I apparently read that into what you were saying, all by myself. As you may have guessed, I have my own issues about guilt and surnames-as-first-names!
No, I don't think it's redundant. I do, however, still think it's a tad artificial. Then again, if you want to call him Mack, it's the best choice for a Mac- full name.
- mirfak
I didn't mean to be rude - I meant to express frustration at the idea that you didn't feel it was okay to use whatever surname suited you regardless of where you got it. But I apparently read that into what you were saying, all by myself. As you may have guessed, I have my own issues about guilt and surnames-as-first-names!
No, I don't think it's redundant. I do, however, still think it's a tad artificial. Then again, if you want to call him Mack, it's the best choice for a Mac- full name.
- mirfak
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It's okay. Thanks for taking the time to read my response and respond accordingly yourself. I hope it makes more sense now; I could have explained things better in my first post, too. I do appreciate candor, which I'm sure now was all you were trying to be.
~ EM
~ EM
This message was edited 11/27/2006, 12:03 PM
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