Monday, May 15, 2006

The Criteria

Wow. You've all really gotten on the bandwagon with this little homework assignment. Props, my peeps. (Except you, Herebe. You didn't offer up any sacrifices to the goddes of my discriminating nature, but you flattered me so i'll let you slide. This time.)

We've had some good suggestions, including

Elizabeth (too common. not common as in 'low class,' but common as in 'there are too damn many of them at all strata of society')
Ruth (sounds terrible with my last name, which i cannot for privacy reasons reveal on this site under any circumstances)
Cleo (= goldfish. i'd just as soon call myself Bubbles or Flipper. Sorry, HC; i know you tried.)
Sharon (Osborne)
Shawn (I already know a Shawn)
Tiffany (sideways move)
Alice (See Elizabeth)
Katherine (see Alice)
and Stevie (tried and failed)

so,

Here are the criteria under which i've been operating. any name i'm considering must instantly pass all of them for me to even give it the 48-hour contemplation. they are:

1. Must not end in the sound "ee." This eliminates all names ending in ie, i, y, ey, iey, ee, or any other fucked up means of spelling long e. Names ending in e all sound cutesey/stupid/girly to me. I just don't like them. They're too much like what i've got.

2. It must be unusual. Even wierd is ok. I'm unusal. Hell, I'm wierd. And i feel rather strongly that any name which suitably reflects my personality must also be (at least somewhat) unusual.

3. It can't be a name that anyone of my acquaintance already has. Partly because i don't want people to think i'm either copying them or mimicking them, but also because i need a name that is free of previous associations in my own mind. It has to be mine, something for me to own uniquely. This has the drawback of eliminating a lot of otherwise likely possibilities, but it does help with number 2.

4. It should sound ok with my last name. I may not have my last name forever (fingers crossed), but i will have it for a while longer, so i might as well work with it. And i might be stuck with it forever. There is that possibility. *sighs*

Interestingly, Ruth was on the list for a spell, but got eliminated because of no. 4, as did Judith, another candidate. (Great namesake with that one.) Of all the suggestions so far, Cleo is, ironically, the only one that passes muster. It's just a shame that's a goldfish name. (sorry HC, i just can't get past that.)

So, with all that in mind, feel free to fire off a few more rounds if you are so inclined. I'd be curious to hear what you come up with. Be a little nuts; that's ok. Names in other languages are fair game (including dead languages or even fictional ones - maybe Herebe can get with the Silmarillion and formulate me some groovy elven potentials*), as are cool words from literature or science or whatever. (Plant names? Names of sea creatures? Why not!) (FN, I know i can count on you to go wild with this!)

You do that, and in a couple more days i'll bung you the only 2 i've been able to think of that i'm still considering. One of them is reasonably normal; the other is totaly out there. I'm eager to learn your thoughts on this.

And thank you all for your Herculean efforts on this. I should point out that even if I immediately remove your suggestions from consideration, it's still very helpful to me. Every suggestion that comes my way makes me re-evaluate my criteria and opens my mind to new possibilites. Every name I eliminate brings me one step closer to finding the one that is right for me.

And wierdly, though I've never believed in The One in terms of romance and relationships (you've heard me rant about that before), I do feel, somehow, that there is just one word out there which is just exactly right for me, and no other. It's just a matter of finding it. It's out there. I can smell it.

*I once had a Siamese fighting fish named Nenraug, which was a compound word i made up in elvish meaning "water demon." I thought that was pretty cool. But then he died.

22 comments:

Moominmama said...

sorry herebe. I had to delete your comment because you mentioned my surname in it. for future employment purposes, i need to make sure than any potential employer doesn't google my name and hit this site. so please don't do that again.

Unknown said...

How about Medea? It fills the criteria that I can be sure of, and she was definitely a tough little cookie... Not so maternal, though.

ZB said...

The alliteration only works with the second name in but fair point, sorry.

Moominmama said...

Hannah. Welcome! Interesting idea. I like your thought process. Antiquity is a good place to look. I don't think I could do Medea though because it sounds like "my dear" spoken with a Maine accent.

Herebe: no sweat. I did appreciate the humor. You're suggestion certainly had an air of invincibility that i liked.

hendrix said...

Bloody hell CB the no ee sound was tough! Anyway, here are a few you can cross off your list. I’m afraid when it comes to names I like the mythological weird ones better than the new weird ones but I left out loads that I thought you just wouldn’t go for (Isis anyone?) and I’ve put stars next to the ones that I think are more “you” (which is a bit like doing someone elses make-up for them, while blindfolded!) Try www.behindthename.com for inspiration (you can also search on keywords so maybe you could put in a list of the words you feel that describe you and see what comes up!)


*TANITH -Derived from Semitic roots meaning "serpent lady". This was the name of the Phoenician goddess of love, fertility, the moon and the stars.
*Nerida (nay ray dhah) sea sprite nymph
*Leda (laydah)
Maia
Mira - Peace, prosperity
*Niamh – bright
Maris – of the sea
Hebe – youth
*Lois - "more desirable" or "better
Iseult
Caoimhe (Kee Va) – beautiful (couldn’t resist cos of the crazy spelling!)
Ebele – mercy, kindness (in Igbo)
Judyta – polish version of Judith – bearing in mind your polish roots I had a look through Polish names but I’m afraid few appealed and of the ones that did they were all derived from a boys name – or they were too girly or they had a ee ending
Ealisaid – Manx version of Elizabeth
Kalliope - Means "beautiful voice" from Greek καλλος (kallos) "beauty" and οψ (ops) "voice". In Greek mythology she was the muse of epic poetry and eloquence.
*KLEIO (or cleo by any other means – maybe it will get you past the goldfish!) Derived from Greek κλεος (kleos) meaning "glory". In Greek mythology she was the muse of history and heroic poetry. She was said to have introduced the alphabet to Greece. Particularly apt for you I feel!
Devi – Goddess
Ianthe - Means "violet flower", derived from Greek ιον (ion) "violet" and ανθος (anthos) "flower". This was the name of an ocean nymph in Greek mythology.
*Undine - Derived from Latin unda meaning "wave". The word undine was created by the medieval author Paracelsus, who used it for female water spirits.

Timorous Beastie said...

How about something androgenous like Alex? Or something `literary` (coughs) like Lea/Mara? You should definitely draw the line at Padme, though. I like Scout, but that may invite accusations of pretension. Personally I like names that come from nature but are not too flowery. Rowan, for example, is nice. Oh, but maybe that`s a guy`s name...Whatever you do, don`t go for Apple. Or anything biblical.

hendrix said...

I liked Rowan too (despite its current popularity amongst middle class pseudo hippies - you know, the sort that think that using an energy saving bulb means that they personally are responsible for saving the planet)and but then I looked up its meaning and I don't see you as a "little red one".

Definitley agree with don't go for Apple - apart from the fact it's a completely dumb word for a name you'd probably be sued by Steve Jobs.

Lea's nice but isn't it biblical?

Sid said...

Tanwen? It means 'holy fire' or just fire. Also Terrwyn, Una, which means white wave in Gaelic. Morwenna, or Branwen, which means Shining Crow. Gaelic names, if you like 'em, are here
Laters.

Moominmama said...

Dudes! NOW this is getting interesting! Yee-haw baby!

FirstNations said...

heres my suggestions, although i'm still quite partial to sclymgeour.

Asta,italian for spear, the thin mans dog. You will never want for a word to finish that tough crossword again.

Nimue,(ny mew) who stole merlins power..not too shabby!

Guinhaver, the white mare, queen guinevere and also refers to epona.
shortened to Guin, it's pretty cool.

Morgan, or Morrigan, which i like better. we all know her.

Bloddwydd, or blodwyde, means flower face, also the colloquial name for a barn owl, a sorceress from the children of llyr story.

Tallulah... why not?

Zafira, she who wins

Oberon, bears' heart. a guys name, but so what?

Kyrie- pronounced key ree ay

Field...just, a field. like where grass grows.

Yamal-one half of twins. tell everyone the other twin is the 'good' twin.

Dagny, as in Dagny Taggert from The Fountainhead.

peaceout.

Unknown said...

Ok, well if ancient Greek stuff is cool (albeit with slightly screwy women), we have...

Electra
Clytemnestra
Iphigenia (If-idge-en-eye-a)
Ismene (Iz-may-nay)
Phaedra (Fie-dra/fair-dra)

All fairly tough cookies who took no crap. I have a lot of respect.

hendrix said...

Do we get a prize (like do we become godmothers or something) if you pick a name that we suggest?

There's some seriously good suggestions - suggest you give yourself a couple of new names!

Molly Bloom said...

I think Clytemnestra is good.

Suggestive but goddess like too.

Molly Bloom said...

Or Thisbe.

From Pyramus and Thisbe. I'm sure you have stained some Mulberry Tree fruit red in your time. And if not, why not?

krusty the baker said...

I only came here 'cause the writer's name made me chuckle. I like it. To say thank you I proffer Dido, Alison, Rhiannon, Cressida.

Sid said...

Clytemnestra sounds like a STD.

ZB said...

What's literary about Lea?

Timorous Beastie said...

ZB, Star Wars is actually a serious literary work......but I might have spelt Lea wrong anyway. *Cringes and hangs head in shame*.

hendrix said...

It was the name of one of the servants in Jane Eyre - the one who sat and sewed with Grace Poole. Or there's a playright called Lea someone or other. So TB you were right it is a literary name!

FirstNations said...

Guin.
Field.

SCLYMGEOUR
SCLYMGEOUR
SCLYMGEOUR
SCLYMGEOUR
SCLYMGEOUR
SCLYMGEOUR

Spinsterella said...

Do you want to make your life more interesting (difficult)?

Howsabout a nice Irish name like:

Caoimhe (pronounced Kee-va)

or

Aoife (pronounced Ee-fa)

or

Caitlin (it's pronounced Cotch-leen. NOT Kate-Lyn ferfecksake)

Anonymous said...

I would say go with Peyton.