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#Post#: 17072--------------------------------------------------
Your Alternative Name
By: Nikola Date: June 23, 2019, 1:42 pm
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Did your parents ever tell you what name they would have picked
for you if you had been born the opposite sex? Would it have
been a cool name in your opinion or would you have hated it?
I know that my parents were seriously considering naming me
Svatopluk after my grandfather (whom I never met but I heard he
was quite a character). Svatopluk is a fairly rare,
old-fashioned name and I mean medieval kind of old-fashioned. I
don't think I would have been very thrilled, definitely not as a
child, although maybe it would have grown on me later in life.
There was actually a Svatopluk in our class when I was in my
teenage years, despite the fact that there were only six boys in
a class of 30. It would have been quite funny to have two
Svatopluks there.
#Post#: 17076--------------------------------------------------
Re: Your Alternative Name
By: SHL Date: June 23, 2019, 5:24 pm
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[quote author=Nikola link=topic=1174.msg17072#msg17072
date=1561315368]
Did your parents ever tell you what name they would have picked
for you if you had been born the opposite sex? Would it have
been a cool name in your opinion or would you have hated it?
I know that my parents were seriously considering naming me
Svatopluk after my grandfather (whom I never met but I heard he
was quite a character). Svatopluk is a fairly rare,
old-fashioned name and I mean medieval kind of old-fashioned. I
don't think I would have been very thrilled, definitely not as a
child, although maybe it would have grown on me later in life.
There was actually a Svatopluk in our class when I was in my
teenage years, despite the fact that there were only six boys in
a class of 30. It would have been quite funny to have two
Svatopluks there.
[/quote]
That’s an interesting question, Nikola. No, my parents never
said anything about naming choices. I know in the 1950s certain
names were popular then, which have gone out of style now. Among
boys, Steven (usually spelled Stephen, or Stephan- but however
spelled formally, are shortened, always to the same spelling,
Steve) were popular in the US in the 1950s, but went out of
style later on. But, why that occurred I have no idea. My
younger sister, Elizabeth, did get as her middle name, our
father‘s first name, Vance, which is not a particularly common
name. That was always a source of amusement in the family, that
she had a man’s middle name, and I don’t think my younger sister
was ever that thrilled about it, so she only used the initial, V
(V could have stood for Victoria I suppose).
#Post#: 17077--------------------------------------------------
Re: Your Alternative Name
By: Aliph Date: June 23, 2019, 6:22 pm
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My mother told me that if I would have been a boy my name would
have been Alessandro. I think it is beautiful and it it is a
name that never really went out of fashion. I prefer traditional
names and I am convinced that first names do reveal a lot about
the socioeconomic and cultural status of the parents, at least
where I live.
Some parents nowadays start to invent new names, it is very
common in Latin America. I am definitely to snobbish to like
that. In my family we all have rather classical names and it is
quite common that the middle name is related either to a
grandparent or some ancestor.
By the way Nikola, I imagine that your Italian language partner
already told you, in Italian Nicola and Andrea are names for
boys even if they end with an A.
#Post#: 17078--------------------------------------------------
Re: Your Alternative Name
By: Alharacas Date: June 23, 2019, 6:50 pm
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Maximilian, after my maternal grandfather. Although I'm not sure
my father wouldn't have vetoed it, just as he vetoed my mother's
first choice for me, Juliane (which I think I would have
preferred to my actual name).
I'm sure I'd have hated Maximilian as a kid - extremely unusual
at the time, practically all of the boys in my class were called
either Thomas or Michael - but lately it's become quite
fashionable, so maybe it would have grown on me.
Nikola, is there a female form of Svatopluk? And does it mean
anything?
#Post#: 17079--------------------------------------------------
Re: Your Alternative Name
By: Alharacas Date: June 23, 2019, 7:50 pm
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[quote author=Sofia link=topic=1174.msg17077#msg17077
date=1561332164]
I am convinced that first names do reveal a lot about the
socioeconomic and cultural status of the parents, at least where
I live.
[/quote]
That's an interesting topic, Sofia! Don't you agree, Nikola?
Feel free to split. :)
I know first names in Great Britain are very much about class,
as you say, Sofia.
In Spain, however, it's pretty much all traditional (mostly
saint's) names, plus some rather weird religious ones, well, in
my opinion, at least, like Trinidad (trinity) or Inmaculada
Concepción. Apart from the odd Dylan, it's all Spanish here
(except for Ceuta and Melilla, of course):
HTML https://verne.elpais.com/verne/2018/06/20/articulo/1529481768_798183.html
In Germany, names mostly show whether somebody was born in the
FRG or in the GDR. Strangely spelled or definitely non-German
first name (Swen, Micheal (sic!), Enrico, Romeo, Jolene) plus
obviously German last name = GDR.
And, okay, I don't think you'd find a lot of middle-class kids
called Kevin (popular in Germany a few decades ago), but
otherwise, first names don't tell you much about status here.
#Post#: 17080--------------------------------------------------
Re: Your Alternative Name
By: MartinSR Date: June 24, 2019, 12:56 am
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The female alternative for me was Marta, that's what my parents
have told me. It was rather popular that time (what they say),
though I met only one Martha in my life. I'm okay with my name
and I think I wouldn't like the female version. But... who
knows?
Nikola, your name isn't very popular here, but it happens more
often recently. The closest Polish male name is Mikołaj,
but it's rather rare nowadays, though I even met a boy with more
international version Nikolas (or Nicholas, because I haven't
seen it written).
The name Świętopełk existed in our history, in
the Middle Ages. Now it's unheard of.
Alexander is popular in both gender versions: Aleksander
Aleksandra. What is characteristic to my country, the tender
shortened forms of these are: Olek Ola. You can imagine how
surprised would be the Spanish or Portuguese partner of
Alexandra.
The name Maksymilian happens from time to time. The same is with
much more popular Zofia or Zuzanna, which have no male forms.
Added: When we were thinking about the name of our child, we
chose 2 male and 2 female names with my wife. These were: Piotr
Tomasz Agnieszka Małgorzata (it seems obvious, but I write
the English versions: Peter Thomas Agnes Margaret).
#Post#: 17081--------------------------------------------------
Re: Your Alternative Name
By: MartinSR Date: June 24, 2019, 12:58 am
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Oh. And Steven is Stefan in Polish. And the female Stefania.
It's origins in Polish language we often connect with the Saint
Steven the king of Hungary (hun: Szent Istvan Kiraly), but the
name became popular in the Middle Ages and it was until 20th
century.
#Post#: 17082--------------------------------------------------
Re: Your Alternative Name
By: MartinSR Date: June 24, 2019, 1:16 am
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And Svatopluk means "The holy regiment" according to Wikipedia.
A few rulers of Czech, Moravia, Poland and Russia had those name
in the Middle Ages.
#Post#: 17085--------------------------------------------------
Re: Your Alternative Name
By: Aliph Date: June 24, 2019, 2:17 am
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First names in France and French speaking countries and regions
in Europe are completely class related.
English names like Kevin, Jordan, Jessica are typical of lower
economic classes. You will never find them in upper class
families.
Here for those that read French an article about the sociology
of first names, there is no official translation
HTML https://fr.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sociologie_des_prénoms
#Post#: 17086--------------------------------------------------
Re: Your Alternative Name
By: Aliph Date: June 24, 2019, 2:22 am
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[quote author=MartinSR link=topic=1174.msg17080#msg17080
date=1561355776]
Alexander is popular in both gender versions: Aleksander
Aleksandra. What is characteristic to my country, the tender
shortened forms of these are: Olek Ola. You can imagine how
surprised would be the Spanish or Portuguese partner of
Alexandra.
[/quote]
I didn’t know that. I have a polish friend we just call her
Alex. Next time I will use Ola to see how she reacts :D
I love the name Malgorzata, I wonder how it is pronounced.
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