[Opinions] Re: American word names of 2020, part 1 (long)
in reply to a message by Manipura
Those stood out to me:
Temperance - fun in its frumpiness. I wonder if the parents choosing it are the kind who'd like to revive the Temperance League, or whether they just enjoy the Tempest adjacent sound.
Amen - at first instinct, I'd say this reminds me more of the Ancient Egyptian deity than of the liturgical word. But the parents are probably using it as the latter. Quirky. Almost sacrilegious.
Desire - umm unless it's Désiré(e) it feels very erotically charged.
Hero - I've always wondered: is Hero the character pronounced the same as hero the noun?
Omega - reminiscent of werewolf fan fiction.
Clement - I enjoy Clement and the nickname Clem very much. It deserves a comeback along with Clementine.
Neon - huh. Kind of reminds me of Lazer, in that it could be traditional parents honouring their heritage or the young and hip.
Monday - I don't like Mondays. And it sounds similar to mundane. But I guess it's preferable to Thursday.
Scout - dog name.
Bode - this doesn't bode well.
Atlas - cool. I'm still not over how great a title Atlas Shrugged is and how much it's wasted on Ayn Rand's book.
masculine list: https://www.behindthename.com/pnl/191050/124079
feminine list: https://www.behindthename.com/pnl/191050/124080
Temperance - fun in its frumpiness. I wonder if the parents choosing it are the kind who'd like to revive the Temperance League, or whether they just enjoy the Tempest adjacent sound.
Amen - at first instinct, I'd say this reminds me more of the Ancient Egyptian deity than of the liturgical word. But the parents are probably using it as the latter. Quirky. Almost sacrilegious.
Desire - umm unless it's Désiré(e) it feels very erotically charged.
Hero - I've always wondered: is Hero the character pronounced the same as hero the noun?
Omega - reminiscent of werewolf fan fiction.
Clement - I enjoy Clement and the nickname Clem very much. It deserves a comeback along with Clementine.
Neon - huh. Kind of reminds me of Lazer, in that it could be traditional parents honouring their heritage or the young and hip.
Monday - I don't like Mondays. And it sounds similar to mundane. But I guess it's preferable to Thursday.
Scout - dog name.
Bode - this doesn't bode well.
Atlas - cool. I'm still not over how great a title Atlas Shrugged is and how much it's wasted on Ayn Rand's book.
masculine list: https://www.behindthename.com/pnl/191050/124079
feminine list: https://www.behindthename.com/pnl/191050/124080
Replies
Temperance spiked randomly about a decade ago (that's when the one I've met was born). Her parents are Baptists, but I don't think they're anti-alcohol, or their parents and siblings aren't at least...and their other kids have more common names like Violet. I suspect they were influenced by the TV show Bones.
Also I wonder if it could be influenced by the tarot trend sometimes (Temperance is a tarot card, along with Moon, Star, Justice, Empress, Emperor); that's one of my associations, which makes it seem like it could fit in with stuff like Aura, Essence, Spirit, Clarity, Quest, Indie, Indigo, Knight, Journey, Courage, Lucky, Gemini, Jupiter, Jet, River. But in general it seems like a more unwieldy tomboyish Prudence to me and reminds me a bit of Tennessee or Timothea and Twyla. I like that it's more persnickety than Patience, so maybe that is an association with Tempest or temper, idk.
Omega does remind me of werewolves, but I'd guess Alpha and Omega are used mostly as a religious reference ("Jesus is the Alpha and Omega" in connection to eternity - that kind of thing).
Also I wonder if it could be influenced by the tarot trend sometimes (Temperance is a tarot card, along with Moon, Star, Justice, Empress, Emperor); that's one of my associations, which makes it seem like it could fit in with stuff like Aura, Essence, Spirit, Clarity, Quest, Indie, Indigo, Knight, Journey, Courage, Lucky, Gemini, Jupiter, Jet, River. But in general it seems like a more unwieldy tomboyish Prudence to me and reminds me a bit of Tennessee or Timothea and Twyla. I like that it's more persnickety than Patience, so maybe that is an association with Tempest or temper, idk.
Omega does remind me of werewolves, but I'd guess Alpha and Omega are used mostly as a religious reference ("Jesus is the Alpha and Omega" in connection to eternity - that kind of thing).
This message was edited 4/27/2022, 7:01 PM