Hi Duana,
Like many, I’m a long time reader and first time writer.
After two rounds of IVF, we are having our only/first child in August! We don’t know the sex, so are trying to come up with a list of potential names. We’re a little lost. People don’t seem keen to provide us with suggestions, so I’m reaching out to you for help.
I read something funny on Instagram about names and as such my frontrunner is Alligator, but he/she would always go by Allie. However, on paper it would be Alligator.
People (including my husband, Ed) have said this will ruin its life. I think that’s a bit dramatic, but what do I know.
Other names we like are:
Alexander (has been a long time fav and the only one we both like)
Eleanor
Diane
Caroline
Coretta (husband isn’t a fan)
In terms of last names, I’m not sure if it will get my husband’s name, MacDougall or mine, Olson. A hyphenated name is a non-starter, I have one and hate it.
Thoughts?
Any advice is welcomed!
____
I have one question. And it’s not the one that you’d expect.
WHAT was in the water in November? Or, I guess, in 2019?
I’ve noticed some subtle ebbs and flows in when I get letters, or in their due dates. There are always lots for November and December, (and those people get their letters in early) and similarly for March. Historically, April has been a bit of a dry spot, and while I can’t remember if past Julys have also been slow, this year was somewhat shallow.
And now we’re in August, and every single letter I’ve gotten is… you know, unique. In some way or another. I don’t want to over-promise, but I feel comfortable saying babies born in August may anecdotally have the weirdest names in the calendar, at least this year – and I say that as someone whose birthday is in a week.
And now, to your question.
Lady, what? How come? What is the Instagram post that made this a palatable option?
Like, on paper, it’s Alligator – which gives you what? An affinity for the cold-blooded? Or a built-in nickname for when they’re the third lead on a high-school show? Or just a voracious appetite?
Look, if you read the column you know I can seem rigid about supposedly ‘proper’ names, but I’m also adamant that there are hundreds of great names that once were criticized for being ‘out there’ or weird. I’m not trying to be a hardass just because the name isn’t what I’d choose; I’m being a hardass because there doesn’t seem to be a reason you want to do this.
也许,当然,孩子可能是绰号阿里或半岛,and if you love that name (as your inclusion of Alexander might indicate) then I guess I get why Alligator feels appealing, yet different to you. But while I don’t know if I’d go quite as far as to agree that it would ‘ruin its life’, I just don’t see what’s so great about it that makes the teasing and raised eyebrows from teachers and the inevitable “Mom, I want to go by my middle name” when they’re in high school worth it. And maybe there is something, but it’s not here on the page.
Like I said, send me the Instagram post already!
I’m honour bound to mention that you could go with Allistair or Aloysius or Alonzo or Alice and call them Al or Allie, if that’s what you’re going for and if you want to get a nickname Alligator. You can absolutely give it as a middle name, as long as the first name is one that needs to be explained, assuring people it’s is not a joke.
And you know what – you can even write back to me, and tell me that I recommended names like Wolfgang and Phoenix within the last calendar month, which is true, and I am therefore a hypocrite and what makes Alligator so different, and maybe I’ll change my mind…but the reason I think I’m so opposed right now is because it feels like it’s a joke. I love an unusual name if a kid can grow to love it and appreciate it, and to know their parents chose it for a particular reason, but I think you need a lot more to back up Alligator to get your husband – and much less importantly, me – on board.
现在只是碰碰运气,你是joking or trolling me, thanks for kicking off August this way. As for the other names, Alexander is definitely in current usage, but one of those names that definitely holds up – similarly, Eleanor and Caroline are popular right now, very much so in the case of Eleanor, but it doesn’t mean they’re not classic names with a lot to recommend them.
Diane is the outlier here, given that it’s from another era entirely, and yet I don’t feel as opposed to it as I might; in an era of all the Ellas and Mollys and even Saoirses, Diane is kind of masterfully distinctive, and you’ve got me in a bit of a spin here. But you understand how it’s kind of a distance from Diane to… um… Alligator, right? As in, I can’t tell if you’re playing with me or not, and on a Friday afternoon, I’m not sure there’s a bad answer either way.
But in closing, please, please take this in the spirit it was intended, please do send me that Instagram post if you find it – and let us know!
