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Help[Opinions] Strongest and weakest aspects of your name knowledge
There are lots of different things about names that interest me (and I’m sure most of the people here) such as: popularity, trends, combos, what influences popularity, themes, names over time, naming conventions around the world, pronunciation, meanings and many more. Lately I’ve been trying to identify which of these categories I enjoy the most, as well as the ones I’m strongest and weakest in.
So, what parts of naming and names do you find the most enjoyable and/or interesting? Which parts do you think you’re most knowledgeable about?
For me, I think I’m most interested in naming conventions around the world. This includes particular sounds that show up in names more frequently, as well as finding out about the typical way the full name is written (e.g first name, middle name, surname in Anglophone countries). I’ve gotten quite good at guessing where names I’ve never heard before are from based on the sound / spelling. I also find popularity and what influences it very interesting.
I think the category I’m most knowledgeable in is probably trends or popularity, or maybe naming conventions from around the world. I think the category I’m worst at is combos.
Sorry if this post didn’t make much sense, I’m just writing whatever comes to mind, haha
:)
Edit: list of example categories:
popularity
trends
combos
what influences popularity
themes
names over time
naming conventions around the world
pronunciation
meanings
name styles
sibsets
Any more you can think of!
So, what parts of naming and names do you find the most enjoyable and/or interesting? Which parts do you think you’re most knowledgeable about?
For me, I think I’m most interested in naming conventions around the world. This includes particular sounds that show up in names more frequently, as well as finding out about the typical way the full name is written (e.g first name, middle name, surname in Anglophone countries). I’ve gotten quite good at guessing where names I’ve never heard before are from based on the sound / spelling. I also find popularity and what influences it very interesting.
I think the category I’m most knowledgeable in is probably trends or popularity, or maybe naming conventions from around the world. I think the category I’m worst at is combos.
Sorry if this post didn’t make much sense, I’m just writing whatever comes to mind, haha
:)
Edit: list of example categories:
popularity
trends
combos
what influences popularity
themes
names over time
naming conventions around the world
pronunciation
meanings
name styles
sibsets
Any more you can think of!
This message was edited 6/28/2024, 11:49 PM
Replies
I have found my strengths and weaknesses from doing the Sporcle baby names quizzes. Many quizzes are the top names by decade by a certain characteristic (end in "Y', "four letters" etc.) I do better in the earlier decades than the more current ones.
I know some name meanings but it's not something I strive to learn. I mostly enjoy creating combos sibsets, seeing what others have come up with, and exploring names new to me.
I know some name meanings but it's not something I strive to learn. I mostly enjoy creating combos sibsets, seeing what others have come up with, and exploring names new to me.
I spend all my free time playing those, hehe. I am immensely better at girl quizzes than boy quizzes, for some reason.
I think it would’ve been helpful to include a list of aspects/categories, since I’m not really sure what counts? But right away, my first thought was that I just don’t care that much about meaning of names. Name nerds are supposed to know that stuff, but I’m not into it. I like origins, name styles, trends, etc., but I’ve never been that interested in meanings.
Thanks for the response- I meant for where I wrote
‘popularity, trends, combos, what influences popularity, themes, names over time, naming conventions around the world, pronunciation, meanings and many more’
to be the list of categories, but you’re right, I probably could’ve made it clearer!
‘popularity, trends, combos, what influences popularity, themes, names over time, naming conventions around the world, pronunciation, meanings and many more’
to be the list of categories, but you’re right, I probably could’ve made it clearer!
Thank you so much!
My strongest knowledge is in:
(1) Naming styles - matching names with a similar style. This is probably my favourite thing about names and for what I have the most expertise.
(2) Combos based on looks, sounds, syllables etc...Over the many years of helping parents name their children, I have developed very acute ears and eyes for repetitive sounds and how a name looks written out on the page. Like practically everything in life, the more you practice, the better you get.
(3) I live in a multi- cultural city and I can usually guess what nationality someone is just by seeing their name. I'm not a social person by nature so showing an interest in someone's name is often a great ice breaker.
My weakest link:
(1) I know the meaning of many names but I could certainly improve my knowledge in this area. There are simply too many names and not enough time.
(1) Naming styles - matching names with a similar style. This is probably my favourite thing about names and for what I have the most expertise.
(2) Combos based on looks, sounds, syllables etc...Over the many years of helping parents name their children, I have developed very acute ears and eyes for repetitive sounds and how a name looks written out on the page. Like practically everything in life, the more you practice, the better you get.
(3) I live in a multi- cultural city and I can usually guess what nationality someone is just by seeing their name. I'm not a social person by nature so showing an interest in someone's name is often a great ice breaker.
My weakest link:
(1) I know the meaning of many names but I could certainly improve my knowledge in this area. There are simply too many names and not enough time.
#3 is absolute goals.